Louisiana Wildlife News - Volume 4, Issue 4 1

Wildlife NewsLouisiana

Volume 4, Issue 4 – July 2009

Commission Amends 2009-2010 Deer/Dog Hunting Season in National Forest

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, acting upon a request from the U.S. Forest Service, approved an emergency ruling that eliminated the need for a special permit requirement when hunting deer with dogs on the Kisatchie National Forest. A second requirement that dogs be fitted with electronic tracking collars and other forms of identification also was dropped.

The ruling as initially proposed was designed to provide a better means for those using dogs to keep track of their animals when hunting during the deer season. The Forest Service opposed the initial ruling because of an uncertainty on how to monitor hunters who participated in these type hunts. The ruling also changed the opening date of primitive weapons season on the forest to coincide with the Area 2 deer season. As proposed, the deer season with or without dogs will be from Dec. 19-24 and Dec. 26-27.

Proposed Dates Given for 2010 Turkey Season

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recommended a statewide opening date for the 2010 turkey season as Saturday, March 20.

The season in Area A extends to April 18, in Area B to April 11 and in Area C to April 4. The daily and

season bag limit was proposed to remain the same as past years at one and two, respectively. A special youth (17 years of age and younger) season along with wheelchair-con-fined hunters was proposed to take place on the weekend of March 13 and 14.

Louisiana 4-H WHEP Team Competes at National Competition

The 2009 National 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP) Invitational was held July 19-23 at the Wildwood Resort in Zwolle, La. The 2009 Louisiana WHEP team was composed of Micah Patout and Ridge Miguez from Iberia Parish; Deanna Jason from West Baton Rouge Parish; and Jeremy Dixon from West Feliciana Parish.

The team, coached by agents Monique Sanchez from Iberia Parish and Andre Brock from West Feliciana Parish, placed fifth overall among the 16 states competing in this year’s competition. In individual scoring, Micah and Ridge ranked an impressive sixth and eighth, respec-tively, among the 62 competitors. Micah also was presented with a $200 check as the runner-up in an essay contest that is held each year in conjunction with the national competition.

Paul Morris, county agent from Sabine Parish and co-chair for this year’s event, is credited with the tremendous financial and logistical support that was obtained from private and local government orga-nizations. Without this local support, this event would not have been possible.

From left to right: Coach Monique Sanchez, team members Deanna Jason, Ridge Miguez, Micah Patout, Jeremy Dixon, and Coach Andre Brock

2 Louisiana Wildlife News - Volume 4, Issue 4

Wildlife Species ProfileRiver Otter (Lutra canadensis)

River otters are found through-out Canada and the United States, including a statewide distribution in Louisiana. They are long-bodied, short-legged semi-aquatic mustel-ids, in the same family as skunks, weasels and minks. A distinctive feature is their sleek brown pelage with a dense oily under-fur, making their skins a lucrative attraction in the fur market.

River otters are most numerous along our state’s coastal marshes and in the Atchafalaya Basin. Their numbers in other areas of the state have been reduced because of habitat alterations along many rivers and streams.

River otters are never found far from a water source, and they have many adaptations fitted for their aquatic existence. Their toes are fully webbed, and their coats are water-resistant. River otters are able to close off their nostrils and ears when submerged, and their eyes are positioned near the top of the head, enabling sight while most of the body is underwater. River otters feed on frogs, turtles, snakes and fish, along with aquatic invertebrates such as crawfish and crabs.

River otters breed in the late fall, and, although extremely social creatures throughout most of the year, males engage in fierce battles during the breeding season. Delayed implantation of the fertil-ized egg in females can lengthen the gestation period to as long as 270 days. When fertilized eggs implant, fetal growth continues for

another 60 to 65 days before birth. Female river otters in Louisiana usually give birth in the late winter (January and February). Litters normally consist of 1 to 3 kits, and dens are most often located in the bank of a canal or stream with entrances below the water surface.

River otters can cause econom-ic losses around fish hatcheries and other aquaculture facilities, such as crawfish farming operations. Overturned and damaged crawfish traps, with contents eaten, are reported in many areas of the state where crawfish farming and river otters co-occur.

No repellents, toxicants or fumigants are labeled for control of river otters. Trapping during the open trapping season is the only legal option available for removing

river otters from an area. When sold, the pelts are among the most valuable of all our furbearing animals. Prices for river otters aver-aged more than $24 each during the 2007-2008 trapping season.

Louisiana Wildlife News - Volume 4, Issue 4 3

Critter CornerRoof Rat (Rattus rattus)

Roof rats are members of the old world rat and mouse family (Muridae), along with the Norway rat and house mouse. They have a worldwide distribution and occur in every urban area within Louisiana. The species is a medium-sized rat with a total length of about 18 inches, of which the tail makes up more than one-half. An easy identification method to differentiate the roof rat from the Norway rat is to lay the tail of the animal down the length of the back. The tail of a roof rat will extend beyond the tip of the nose, but the tail of a Norway rat will stop between the eyes and nose of the animal.

Roof rats are also much sleeker and have a less stocky build than Norway rats. This physical feature allows them to be much better climbers than Norway rats. An initial inspection of any building that is inhabited by rats will always reveal large quantities of droppings left behind. Roof rats deposit droppings that are wrinkled, creased and pointed on the ends. Norway rats leave behind larger barrel-shaped drop-pings that are blunt on the ends.

As their name implies, roof rats tend to inhabit the upper portions of buildings, and Norway rats occupy the lower portions. When conditions are favorable for the build-up of Norway rat populations, they are more aggressive than roof rats and will usurp their above-ground living spaces.

Breeding takes place throughout the year with peaks occurring in the early spring and summer. Females produce an average of five litters per year with seven to 11 young per litter. Both sexes are capable of breeding at only 3 to 4 months of age.

Control measures: Roof rats, along with the closely related Norway rat, have caused more destruction and misery to mankind than any other mammal. From an historical perspective, rat-borne diseases alone have killed millions of humans throughout Asia and Europe.

An important point to remember in any control program for rats is that the home range of the species is seldom more than 100 feet in its greatest dimension. The build-up of large numbers of rats in a particular area will not necessarily cause other nearby areas to become infested.

Large populations tend to dwindle down because of disease, starvation and competition among their own kind. Sanitation is the first step in any rat reduc-tion program. Where sufficient food and shelter are present, rats are certain to move into new areas. Fol-lowing proper sanitation, trapping and poisons are the two methods to keep numbers in check.

Snap traps and glue boards are the most common traps used on rats, and a wide variety of anticoagulant rodenticides are available on the market. When trap-ping or using rodenticides, it is imperative to make the proper set or apply enough poison in an area to finish the job. Those rats that trip a snap trap and fail to get caught, along with those that are not killed but only made sick by rodenticides, will quickly develop trap and bait shyness and will be much harder to remove in the future.

4 Louisiana Wildlife News - Volume 4, Issue 4

Dr. Don ReedProfessor (Wildlife)

Idlewild Research Station(225) 683-5848

Reviewers:

Dr. Michael ChamberlainAssociate Professor

School of Renewable Natural Resources

Dr. Dearl SandersProfessor & Resident Coordinator

Idlewild Research Station

Wildlife NewsLouisiana

Louisiana State University Agricultural CenterWilliam B. Richardson, Chancellor

Louisiana Agricultural Experiment StationDavid Boethel, Vice Chancellor and DirectorLouisiana Cooperative Extension ServicePaul D. Coreil, Vice Chancellor and Director

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30,

1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. The Louisiana

Cooperative Extension Service provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

Visit our Web site:

www.lsuagcenter.com

Plant Species ProfileCowpeas: (Vigna spp.)

Cowpeas, also know as southern peas or field peas, are one of the best warm-season forages that can be established for white-tailed deer. Wildlife managers have the option to plant several different varieties of cowpeas although the variety most often found in local feed stores is iron clay peas.

Cowpeas can grow as vines, bushes or prostate along the ground. When planted in the spring, cowpeas provide high-protein summer forage that deer will consume until the first frost. A note-worthy aspect of cowpeas is that the plants usually do not possess a high degree of palatability when in the early stages of growth.

When cowpeas reach a height of about 6 to 8 inches, however, deer quickly begin consuming the plants in addition to the seed pods when fruiting occurs. An advantage to this is that even small plantings in high deer-density areas have a chance to establish before deer have an opportunity to completely devour the young plants.

Cowpeas are adapted to a wide variety of soil conditions and can do well on even sandy soils of low fertility. Best growth, however, is obtained on well-drained sandy loam and clay soils.

Cowpeas are sometimes established as late as August as a means of providing an excellent food plot for bow hunting.