Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 56, § 259. Open season; method of taking animals; prohibited devices; possession and sale of skins

A. The open season for taking nongame quadrupeds, in any area of one or more parishes shall be fixed by the commission. The commission may extend, curtail or prohibit the trapping in any area of the state each year.

B. The commission shall at its discretion open or close the season for the taking or possession of alligators by area within the state. The commission shall also prescribe methods of taking alligators and hours within which alligators may be taken.

D. The taking of alligators is prohibited between the hours of sunset and sunrise. The taking of alligators out of season is prohibited.

E. Nothing contained in this Subpart shall deprive landowners and lessees of agricultural or forest lands or their agents, representatives, and employees, of their right to kill nutria and beaver as a pest without a license on agricultural or forest lands owned or leased by them or in residential areas, or in waterways and on the banks of waterways adjacent to the agricultural lands, except during open trapping season, a license shall be required. Nutria and beaver may be taken at any time and by any means in these areas except that nutria and beaver cannot be taken by use of a headlight and gun between the hours of sunset and sunrise.

F. No pelting during the closed trapping season shall be permitted at any time, except with department authorization. The sale of carcasses of nongame quadrupeds is prohibited during the closed trapping season, except with department authorization. The provisions of this Subsection do not apply to nongame quadrupeds raised on farms.

G. Licensed trappers may hold in captivity live nongame quadrupeds, except alligators, during the open trapping season. Such animals must have been acquired by legal trapping methods. Such animals held in captivity by a trapper must be released or pelted by the last day of the open trapping season. However, a licensed trapper may apply for a nongame quadruped breeder's or exhibitor's license, as provided for in R.S. 56:262, and continue holding such animals in captivity as long as the license has not expired. A licensed trapper, holding any live nongame quadrupeds except alligators, may offer for sale such live animals to any licensed nongame quadruped breeder or exhibitor during the open trapping season. During any such transaction, a bill of sale must be provided by the trapper to the nongame breeder or exhibitor and retained for a period of one year.

H. Violation of any of the provisions of this Section except for Subsections C, D, and F constitutes a class two violation. Violation of any of the provisions of Subsections C, D, or F constitutes a class four violation.