Louisiana

Layering best way to prevent hypothermia

Published

1 year ago

December 15, 2024

Layering best way to prevent hypothermia

It’s time to talk about cold weather.

Oh, not the kind of “dry” cold our Yankee brethren face, but the kind of wet, bone-chilling conditions we face across our beloved Sportsman’s Paradise.

It doesn’t take freezing temperatures to bring on hypothermia, and while we will not be facing plummeting late-fall thermometer readings during the next couple of days, it’s that dip into the lower 30s next weekend that’s a signal to get smart while in a duck blind or on a deer stand.

Humidity and wind are prime factors around here, and if temperatures fall into the 20s, then you hunters — fishermen, too — better know how to layer clothing and the other things that will bring you home safely.

Wind-chill charts are good guidelines to the danger outdoors on a particular day, but those only list temperature and wind and Louisiana outdoors folks have to contend with a dampness factor.

It’s been 35 years since that bitter winter blast that killed two Louisiana hunters and left three more with lengthy hospital stays and even longer recoveries, but that doesn’t mean hypothermia will not have victims around here this winter.

Understanding hypothermia is easy: It happens when your body releases more heat than it has stored and can ingest from external sources. Hypothermia’s onset comes when a body’s core temperature falls to 95 degrees and becomes life-threatening at 85 degrees.

It’s here we need to mention that consuming alcohol is not the answer. Hot liquids like broth and chocolate (carried in a Thermos) help to ward off hypothermia’s first signs — a chill that leads to shivering, then prolonged shivering, which is your body’s attempt to contract muscles to keep blood flowing to your extremities. Slurred speech and drowsiness come later.

And, what young hunter doesn’t like hot chocolate!

Layering clothing helps. Base layers, then heavier pants and shirts are the next step. Outerwear that keeps wind and moisture away from clothing is a must. And, do not wear so much clothes that it constricts movement.

Be careful not to wear cotton. It absorbs sweat and will start a chill next to your skin.

With so many parents wanting to expose their sons and daughters to the thrill of the hunt or a marsh fishing trip, know that youngsters are unable to deal with bitterly cold temperatures as well as adults. Limit their exposure to open, windy conditions and limit the time spent in blinds, deer stands and boats.

Because most of our hunting involves water, always wear a serviceable life jacket over all that hunting outerwear when you’re on the water.

Then, if you feel these symptoms coming on, get back to the camp or landing. You need indirect heat to begin warming. Don’t use heating pads or jump into a hot shower. Try to drink warm, not hot, fluids like warm apple cider and warm lemonade. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, the latter will slow your body’s recovery response.

And, please, file a trip plan with someone at home. Give your hunting location, a boat landing, the make and model of your vehicle and your boat, and an expected time of return. Also list your cellphone number and the number of the local sheriff’s department.

Fishing

Saltwater and freshwater species are beginning to show signs of find deeper water now that we’ve had our first tastes of cold temperatures and rising barometers.

The best catches of trout and redfish are coming from holes near the intersections of bayous and deeper-water canals.

Bass and sac-a-lait have found the depths, too, but “depths” in south Louisiana often mean the deeper bends of bayous and off the deeper sides of points where two waters meet, either a bayou/river into a canal or two canals. In places like Toledo Bend, finding old sloughs and creek beds are the most productive now.

Those patterns hold the first days after a cold front passes. For days like this weekend and leading into Tuesday, the warmer conditions usually find trout, reds and bass moving into shallower areas to feed on more active baitfish and shrimp.

Checking the barometer will help, too. When the barometric pressure hits 30.30 inches, it’s probably a good time to stay home. The fish won’t be very active.

Shrimp

With a lone exception, most of our state’s inshore shrimp season will close at sunset Monday.

The exception is in Shrimp Zone 1 in the Pontchartrain Basin, the Biloxi Marsh and Breton and Chandeleur sounds. The map of this open area can be found on the agency’s website: wlf.louisiana.gov

This means all the other locations in Zone 1 and all of Zones 2 and 3 will be closed.

State biologists close the inshore season when the count of white shrimp in each area rises above the 100-to-the-pound count in their test trawls.

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Louisiana

Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

Published

8 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

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New legislation in Baton Rouge would reclassify some illegal gaming-related offenses as racketeering law violations, elevating potential consequences.

Louisiana has already stepped up its enforcement of its gaming laws related to potential illegal gaming but a new bill in the state legislature would give prosecutors’ actions more teeth. The proposal would elevate certain crimes involving unlicensed gaming in the state to a racketeering charge with more severe penalties linked to convictions.

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Louisiana bill changes classification of gaming-related charges

Louisiana Rep. Bryan Fontenot has pre-filed HB 53, which could rewrite the state code as it pertains to unlicensed gaming sites. The legislation has been provisionally assigned to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, as the 2026 session does not begin until March 9.

Under the proposal, the state’s definition of racketeering would expand to include “gambling, gambling by computer, gambling on cockfights, gambling by electronic sweepstakes, unlawful wagering, and bribery of sports participants.” Under current statutes, racketeering convictions carry penalties of fines of “not more than one million dollars, or imprisoned at hard labor for not more than 50 years, or both.”

Additionally, racketeering convictions that result in sentences of fines of at least $10,000 revoke recipients’ eligibility for parole. The enactment of this bill as currently composed could have a significant impact on the operation of sweepstakes-based online casino sites for real money in Louisiana.

At the same time, many of the companies in that space have already ceased potentially infringing actions within Louisiana.

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Louisiana has already been off-limits for sweepstakes casinos

In 2025, Louisiana gaming regulators and law enforcement took multiple actions to restrict residents’ access to unlicensed platforms for playing casino games online. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared a public notice about the illegality of sweepstakes-based online gaming sites, in addition to issuing cease-and-desist orders to the companies affiliated with those sites. As a result, many of the operators of those sites geofenced Louisiana out of their service areas.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board supplemented that action with its additional cease-and-desist letters. Fontenot’s bill could add additional weight to these demands if it becomes law.

There is currently no legal framework for playing online casino games or redeeming casino bonus codes in Louisiana. While online sports wagering is legal in most of the state, officials in Baton Rouge have not yet tackled the issue of iGaming.

Even if voters in Louisiana someday do clear the way for the utilization of Fanatics Casino promo codes, that would involve licensed gaming and not affect the implementation of Fontenot’s bill. However, such deliberations do not seem imminent.

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If HB 53 becomes law, Louisiana could levy some of the toughest penalties for illegal gaming activity in the United States. Many potential targets of prosecution have already pulled out of the state.

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Louisiana

Governor’s Office of Strategic Community Initiatives | Office of Governor Jeff Landry

Published

20 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor’s Office of Strategic Community Initiatives | Office of Governor Jeff Landry

Driving Louisiana Forward Program

Commerical Driver’s License (CDL) Training

In partnership with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and South Louisiana Community College, this program aims to provide African American males with financial assistance to obtain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training, strengthening the resilience and contributions of this key demographic and improving equitable access to workforce opportunities. This initiative aims to reduce high unemployment rates within this community but also focuses on ensuring participants come from rural and economically disadvantaged areas.

Earn your CDL Class A license with this comprehensive classroom and behind-the-wheel program to drive tractor[1]trailers, dump trucks, tow trucks, delivery trucks, tanker trucks, and flatbed trucks.

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Louisiana

Landry asks Louisiana’s Washington delegation to redraw federal judicial districts

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Landry asks Louisiana’s Washington delegation to redraw federal judicial districts

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Gov. Jeff Landry is asking Louisiana’s congressional leaders to amend the state’s federal judicial districts, citing caseload growth and public safety concerns.

Landry sent letters to Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. John Kennedy, Congressman Cleo Fields, and Congresswoman Julia Letlow requesting the change.

The request

Louisiana is currently divided into three federal judicial districts: Eastern, Middle, and Western. Landry is asking that West Feliciana Parish be moved from the Middle District to the Western District.

In the letters, Landry cited significant growth in the Middle District and an increased caseload for its judges. He said a major driver of the Middle District docket is Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Public safety argument

Landry said moving West Feliciana Parish into the Western District would improve judicial efficiency and better address public safety needs in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state.

He said East Baton Rouge Parish continues to battle violent crime. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, recent numbers show violent crime in the parish has decreased.

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