General Information
Residents and nonresident hunters age 18 or older must have a Basic Hunting License to hunt, take, possess or transport any wild birds or quadrupeds (for which hunting is permitted and seasons are opened).
All youth (age 17 and younger) who are actively harvesting deer or turkey, participating in a lottery hunt, or trapping are required to have a Youth Hunting License. Youth who are spectating (not actively hunting) are not required to have a license.
Additional special licenses are required to hunt, take, possess, or transport deer, turkey, or migratory waterfowl.
Hunters must have licenses (or license numbers) and a physical form of identification on their person while hunting.
No person born on or after September 1, 1969, shall hunt unsupervised unless that person has been issued a certificate of satisfactory completion of a Hunter Education course approved by LDWF. Please see Mandatory Hunter Education for exceptions, requirements, and methods for taking approved hunter education courses.
Licenses are available at special rates for seniors, military, students, and people with disabilities. Lifetime licenses are also available.
The following individuals are not required to have a hunting license:
- Residents and nonresidents under age 18 (i.e. age 17 and under) who are hunting game animals besides deer or turkey or are spectators of another person hunting
- Residents born before June 1, 1940 who have lived in Louisiana for 6 months.
However, these individuals must have proof of age in their possession whenever hunting.
READ >> MANDATORY HUNTER EDUCATION
How to Purchase a Hunting License?
You can purchase a hunting license Online or at LDWF Headquarters at 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge and many local retailers.
Note: This does not apply to most military, student, disability, and lifetime licenses. See Special Licenses for details.
- Online payment options include Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express; these purchases include a small handling fee.
- If you purchase your license online (via smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.), you will not receive a license in the mail. You will receive a text with a temporary authorization number and an email with the temporary authorization number and a PDF of your licenses, which you can print and/or save to the electronic device you take hunting.
- Louisiana citizens with a Louisiana driver’s license or ID card can also now use the LA Wallet app to display their purchased LDWF licenses on their smartphone.
How Do I Purchase a Hunting License?
To purchase a license at the resident rate, you must meet the bona fide residency requirements defined below and present one of the following valid forms of identification:
- Louisiana driver’s license (valid for 6 months or more)
- Louisiana identification card (issued by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety)
If you obtain a resident license but do not comply with the bona fide residency requirements as stated below, you will be subject to criminal and/or civil sanctions.
Bona Fide Residency Requirements:
You’re a bona fide resident if you’ve resided in the state of Louisiana continuously during the 6 months immediately prior to the date you apply for any license and if you’ve established Louisiana as your legal domicile. You must demonstrate compliance with all of the following, as applicable:
- If you’re registered to vote, you’re registered to vote in Louisiana
- If you’re licensed to drive a motor vehicle, you have a valid Louisiana driver’s license
- If you own a motor vehicle located within Louisiana, you have a valid Louisiana registration for that vehicle
- If you earn an income, you have filed a Louisiana state income tax return and have complied with state income tax law and regulations.
Any person, corporation, or other legal entity that possesses a resident license from any other state or country shall not qualify for a resident license in Louisiana.
How Do I Replace a Lost License?
If you lost your license, you can purchase a duplicate for $2 per license. If you purchased it online or through a mobile device, you can reprint it for free. No duplicates are allowed for temporary licenses.
Louisiana Mississippi Agreement
If you hold a Mississippi hunting license, you have the same rights and privileges as provided by law for a Louisiana hunting license holder to hunt wild game birds and quadrupeds on islands in and around the waters of the Mississippi River and other land resulting from accretion along the Mississippi River at the Louisiana and Mississippi border.
Did you know?
Next time you renew your driver’s license at the Office of Motor Vehicles, you can add a Lifetime Hunting/Fishing, Boater Education, and/or Hunter Education endorsement to your license for free. If you have one or more of these endorsements, you do not have to carry the applicable license or certification card with you as long as you have your driver’s license.
In addition, Louisiana citizens with a Louisiana driver’s license or ID card can now use the LA Wallet app to display their purchased LDWF licenses on their smartphone.
This page is based off the publicly listed material on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and created by the department, not How To Louisiana.
