Louisiana DWF and Cabela’s Host “Women in the Wild” Hunting Basics Workshop

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 09.12.12

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), in conjunction with Cabela’s, presented the second annual Louisiana Women in the Wild-Hunting Basics Workshop on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Waddill Outdoor Education Center in Baton Rouge.

Twenty seven participants received a full day of instruction on the basics of hunting from LDWF Education Section staff members and Hunter Ed volunteer instructors.

The eight-hour workshop focused on wildlife conservation through our hunting heritage, types of hunting available in Louisiana, hunting opportunities on public land, safe hunting and firearm skills, scouting and blood trailing, rifle and shotgun shooting techniques, and archery. In addition, tree stand safety and duck hunting demonstrations were provided, followed by a game cleaning session at the end of the day-long workshop.

The activities offered hands-on practice time for every participant and each one received complimentary outdoor items from Cabela’s. Sample wild game dishes were also provided for attendees at the end of the day, basically bringing the participants from classroom, to field, to table in their learning of basic hunting skills and enjoyment of wild game.

During the 2012-13 hunting season, workshop participants will be eligible to participate in deer or duck hunts that will be conducted on Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Atchafalaya Delta WMA, or Pass-a-Loutre WMA. The program was established to develop new hunters by providing women the basic skills and confidence they need to venture afield and become active hunters with family and friends.

For more information on future workshops, contact Gene Cavalier at 985-882-9159 or gcavalier@wlf.la.gov, or Karen Crabtree at 318-766-8144 orkedwards@wlf.la.gov .

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.