Basic Info about the Wildlife Management Area
The Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area in Louisiana is nearly 40,000 acres.
The Russell Sage WMA is one of our favorite places to visit our local wildlife. The wildlife management area is nearly 40,000 acres of sloughs, swamplands, and forests and stretches through Caldwell, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland Parishes. This refuge provides lots of good habitat for mammals like river otters, bears, deer, armadillos, and raccoons, as well as songbirds, woodpeckers, snakes, turtles, lizards, and all kinds of bugs.
Russell Sage is one of those places we can’t oversell. While the areas just off 80 are fun to look around, our favorite area for wildlife watching is the area just off 15. You’ll find some of the biggest egrets and herons you’ve ever seen there (along with huuuuuuge dragonflies).
By The Numbers
Learn more about the wildlife management area.
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Camping Areas
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Size in Acres
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Self-Clearing Permit Stations
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Waterfowl Management Units
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Parishes
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Waterfowl Management Units in Acres
Armadillo
Off LA-15
Great Blue Heron
Off LA-15
Blue Jay
Off LA-15
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Off US-80
Orange Sulphur Butterfly
Russell Sage Road
Great Egret
Off LA-15
Snow Geese
Off US-80
Turkey Vulture
Off US-80
Variegated Meadowhawk
Off US-80
Red-Eared Slider
Off US-80
Red-Tailed Hawk
Off US-80
Green Anole
Off US-80
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Off US-80
Monarch Butterfly
Russell Sage Road
Northern Cricket Frog
Wham Brake
Featured Animal
The armadillo is one of our favorite animals in North Louisiana. These loud, little anteaters live throughout North Louisiana, and you’ll encounter them almost anywhere you enjoy nature. The reason we picked the commonly encountered armadillo rather than the red-tailed hawk (who we first met at Russell Sage) is that we enjoyed watching and listening to an adorable armadillo family here.
More about How You Can Enjoy the Wildlife Management Area
General Info
Birding and Wildlife Watching
Fishing
Hunting
General Info
To use the Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area, you’ll need a WMA Access Permit, which you can buy online. You’ll also need to “Check In” and “Check Out” of the WMA at the Self-Clearing Stations. You can do that through the LDWF WMA Check-In/Check-Out app. To hunt or fish, you’ll need a fishing and/or hunting license. There are more details about what you need to legally hunt and fish at the refuge in the tabs below.
Restrooms
We haven’t stumbled across any restrooms at the WMA, but there are plenty of places to stop in Monroe.
Trail Accessibility
Trail accessibility in the northern part of Russell Sage is more slippery, but otherwise better than trail accessibility in the southern section. Because of habitat maintenance, the southern portion has more undergrowth and is more hilly.
Camping
You can camp at one of two primitive camping sites at the WMA.
Learn More
Learn more about the Russell Sage WMA at the refuge’s official website.
Birding and Wildlife Watching
The Russell Sage WMA is a good place to watch otters, armadillos, raccoons, deer, sparrows, kinglets, dragonflies, hawks, egrets, herons, woodpeckers, turtles, snakes, and butterflies. You can find lists of birds sighted at the refuge with eBird’s “Ouachita WMA,” “Wham Brake Boat Launch,” and “Wham“ Trail Tracker sighting lists and iNaturalist’s “Russell Sage WMA” page for more information about other animals that have been reported there.
Fishing
You can catch bass, bream, catfish, and crappie at sloughs throughout the WMA. You can also trap crawfish on the refuge. For information on getting and maintaining your fishing license and what species you can keep, check out the Wildlife and Fisheries “Recreational Freshwater Finfish and Crawfish” page. You can also learn about the crawfishing licenses there.
Hunting
You can hunt for deer, waterfowl, and small game at Russell Sage. To legally hunt there, you’ll need a valid Louisiana hunting license (and a Migratory Bird Stamp for hunting waterfowl). Refresh your memory on when hunting seasons start and end at the Louisiana Wildlife Management “Seasons and Regulations” and “WMA/Refuge/Conservation Area Licenses and Permits” pages.
Visit Other Areas
The Russell Sage WMA is one of many places you can enjoy our local wildlife.
Explore North Louisiana’s Outdoors.
Learn about national wildlife refuges, Kisatchie National Forest ranger districts, state wildlife management areas, and state parks found throughout North Louisiana.
