Louisiana Hunters Smash Turkey Harvest Records in 2026

Louisiana's 2026 turkey season is in the books and it was an incredible record-breaking spring.

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According to the social media posting from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, for the first time since turkey harvest records were mandated in 2009, Louisiana hunters took more than 4,000 turkeys across the Bayou State.

I honestly wasn't surprised with the news from LDWF. While I'm not sure if the average Louisiana resident noticed, but especially in the first week of the 2026 turkey season, my personal Facebook page was flooded with pictures of successful turkey hunts across North Louisiana and I was personally impressed with the sheer volume of hunters taking part in the annual spring hunts.

LDWF reported that a total of 4,024 turkeys were harvested in Louisiana between April 3 and May 3 and that was a 12.5% increase over the 2025 season total of 3,576 birds.

The most promising news came from LDWF's announcement that each of the past five seasons have produced the most harvests since the mandatory harvest reporting began.

According to LDWF Small Game/Turkey Program Manager Cody Cedotal, the season-date adjustment from 2018 was a huge factor in the achievement of these record numbers. Cedotal stated, "We’re pleased to see another good year of harvest and our turkey populations continue to grow."

Some highlights of the LDWF reporting on the 2026 Louisiana turkey season include:

First time surpassing 4,000 birds since 2009 reporting began
Continued increase in hunter encounters with jakes, a positive reproduction indicator
Youth weekend and early season again showed strong harvest activity despite less-than-optimal weather

Louisiana has proposed April 3 through May 2 for the 2027 turkey hunting season. To see that proposal and other proposed hunting dates for the upcoming 2026-27 hunting season, go to wlf.louisiana.gov