Sheriff's deputies call about night hunting; wildlife agents arrest 7 men ... - The Republic

COUSHATTA, La. — Seven men aged 19 to 35 were arrested after Red River Parish sheriff's deputies made a 4 a.m. call to Louisiana wildlife agents about night hunting north of Coushatta.

The men had a dead raccoon, two dead does, and firearms ranging from a 12-gauge shotgun to a high-powered rifle when they were arrested Nov. 7, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Wednesday.

A news release said all seven were cited for hunting deer during illegal hours with artificial light, hunting from a moving vehicle and hunting from a public road, carrying total maximum penalties of $1,800 and eight months in jail.

It said Dametry Caldwell, 19, and Adam Caldwell, 20, both of Coushatta, also were both cited for firing a gun from a public road, which carries up to 30 days in jail and a $50 fine.

Dametry Caldwell also was cited for hunting without resident hunting and big game licenses, possessing over the limit of deer and failing to comply with deer tagging requirements, while Adam Caldwell was cited for hunting raccoons illegally and failing to comply with hunter safety regulations.

Conviction on those charges could bring up to 150 days in jail and $900 in fines for Dametry Caldwell, and 75 days in jail and $550 in fines for Adam Caldwell.

A civil restitution penalty of $1,624 for each doe and $27.75 for the raccoon also could be imposed, according to a news release.

Story Tags: Law / Crime, Environment, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

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Video: Fabius man is passionate about raccoon hunting - Syracuse.com (blog)

Raccoon Hunting in Pompey Dake Esposito, of Fabius, went out hunting raccoons Wednesday night about an hour after dark on nearby farmland in Pompey with his two bluetick coonhounds, Max and Lucy. It was a moonlit night, but the wind made for difficult hunting. Video by David Figura. Watch video

I went out Wednesday with Dake Esposito, of Fabius, to hunt raccoons at night with his two bluetick hounds on a nearby farm in Pompey.

He uses a single shot, bolt-action, .22 caliber rifle. He keeps the pelts and sells them.

It was a full moon, but the wind made hunting difficult -- particularly when it came to hearing the dogs bark. Both of his dogs had radio collars, which is the only way we could really keep track of which way they were going.

Our best bet came when the dogs went nuts around a particular hemlock tree. We shined our flashlights through the branches and couldn't see anything, Esposito even tried whacking the tree truck with a big stick to send vibrations up the tree, hoping it would cause the coon to move or look down at us.

No dice. There's no guarantees when it comes to hunting and we didn't get any that night, but this video should give you a taste of what coon hunting is all about.

For more, see my story on the Outdoors Page of Friday's edition of The Post-Standard.

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