I would like to shine a little light on the opportunities that we have as sportsmen in our great state: wildlife management areas, national forests, refuges, reserves, preserves, school board property, and state lands; Louisiana has hundreds of thousands of acres of public land just waiting to be explored.

And for us hunters, the opportunities are endless. From all corners of the state comes all types of terrain. Whether it’s the saw-grass marshes of the Atchafalaya Delta, the piney hills of Kisatchie, or the deep cypress swamps of Maurepas and Pomme de Terre WMAs, there’s something for each of us. And if we’re talking trophies, mentioning places like Tensas and Lake Ophelia NWRs evokes vivid images of monster bucks comparable to anything seen on those outdoor shows.

I know there are quite a few of us that have harvested our first deer, shot our first squirrel, caught our first fish, or called in our first flock of ducks on public land. There are just so many reasons that keep me coming back. In some ways it’s to see the joy in my son’s eyes when I tell him we’re going scouting, showing him what a deer scrape looks like, how to follow a good rub line, or the excitement felt when we come across a heavily used trail. We’ve had some overwhelming experiences at times, like the day he grunted up a little buck and his “old man” blew the shot. It’s memories like those that we’ll carry with us the rest of our lives.

Perhaps it’s the freedom to move around as I please—the ability to switch stands everyday that I enjoy so much. Or maybe it’s having different scenery for every hunt? I’ve had times when I’ve waded through a knee deep swamp in Indian Bayou in the morning, only to find myself hunting atop a sixty foot pine ridge at Red Dirt that evening. Talk about diversity!

I recently sat down with my GPS to find out just how many different locations that I’ve found over the past few years. I came up with 271. That’s 271 places that I can hunt at any given time in a season. It’s 271 stand locations that I have to choose from; you can’t do that in a hunting club. For bow hunters like me, it’s finding new bedding areas and travel corridors, the best funnels to setup on, the natural food sources like acorns or elderberry, and then strategizing on when to hunt them; this must all be done with thoughtful entry and exit plans while trying to keep the wind in my favor.

The Courville Buck: 136" P&Y, Kisatchie Nat'l Forest

The McMurray Buck: 282" B&C, Big Lake WMA

Could it be the dream of bagging a true public land monster? I can only imagine the feelings that I’d have if I were to ever put my hands on one! If you believe they’re not in there, think again. Some of the largest deer ever killed in this state came off of land that you and I have easy access to, such as the Ortego, Fuselier, and McMurray bucks taken with a firearm, or archery giants bagged by guys like Hatton, Aldridge, and Courville. Check the record books and see for yourself.