Beginning in May, Louisiana hunters and outdoorsmen will have another reason to get out in the woods in the spring.

At its Jan. 4 meeting, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted the first Louisiana spring squirrel season.

The season will begin May 5 and will run through May 27 on private lands, and wildlife management area hunts will run from May 5 to 13.

Jimmy Anthony of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said this was something the LDWF has wanted to do for a couple of years.

“Basically, people wanted a chance to train their dogs in the spring. A spring squirrel season with bag limits was a good idea,” he said.

The bag limit for the spring season is three squirrels per day. During the fall and winter season that runs from October to February, the bag limit is eight squirrels per day.

Anthony said the squirrel population would be least affected at the time that is designated for the three-week season, and it will give people more chances to get out in the woods.

“It’s a good way to get more people into the woods and provide more recreational opportunities,” he said.

Spring squirrel hunting will be limited to seven wildlife management areas. Bodcau, Boeuf, Clear Creek, Little River, Maurepas Swamp (East Tract) Russell Sage and Sherburne wildlife areas were chosen, Anthony said, because those areas have low turkey populations.

The aim is to limit the impact on nesting turkeys.

Anthony said people who own land with high turkey populations might want to reconsider hunting for squirrels with dogs, so as to not disturb the turkey population.

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set a timeline of two years for the spring season.

The spring season will run from May 3 to 25 in 2008.

“If we don’t have any problems, the season will stay there,” Anthony said. “The idea is to get more people in the woods hunting.”