Louisiana DMAP Club Provides Hunting Opportunity to Wounded Warriors

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 12.03.13

A Calcasieu Parish hunting club provided a group of US Army veterans access to deer and hog hunting last month in an effort to thank the wounded warriors (WW) for their service.

The Good Neighbor Hunting Club, just north of Gillis, is enrolled in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) overseen by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
The club members have been very successful in managing their deer herd for quality bucks through habitat management and selective harvest. In the past, the club has shared their fortune through youth hunting events, handicap events and for the last two years, wounded warrior events.

The four veterans in attendance at the Nov. 2 hunt included: Charles “Chuck” Williams, Sergeant 1st class, retired, Leesville, La.; Mike Chesne, Master Sergeant, retired, Alexandria, La.; Eric Broussard, Staff Sergeant, retired, Lake Charles, La.; Josh Droddy, Sergeant, retired, Dry Creek, La.

The hunt was sponsored by the local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), hosted by the Good Neighbor Hunting Club, and facilitated by NWTF and club members. LDWF provided promotional items and information packets for the hunters and assistance from biologist staff from the Lake Charles field office.

Anyone wishing to donate gift items for next year’s WW hunt at Good Neighbor may contact LDWF biologist Kori Legleu at (337) 491-2575. Anyone wishing to plan a WW hunt of their own may contact Chuck Williams of the Wounded Warriors Association of East Texas at Viperdrill39@yahoo.com or 337-378-3210.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.