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-   -   Is duck hunting done in South Louisiana? (http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69058)

Reefman 02-15-2019 01:48 PM

Is duck hunting done in South Louisiana?
 
Do any of you believe we can bring back migrating ducks to traditional numbers? I've been a diehard duck hunter for over 54 years. I enjoyed the days of 10 bird limits as well as the 3 bird limit in 40 day seasons. Even in those lean years the rice fields and marshes were filled with ducks.
Driving to the hunting camps you had field upon field of feeding geese and ducks starting in Indian Bayou through Kaplan and Gueydan. We even held ducks in those rice fields on Ridge road in Lafayette Parish!


Just what has changed? Who or what is to blame? Is it weather, agricultural practices, DU, mud motors?


If you lease hunting land have you run the numbers on cost per duck killed lately?


It really doesn't look promising for the future.

Xpress21 02-15-2019 04:57 PM

Read my last comments on the other thread reefman. At this time we need lots of things to happen. Although people b*tch and moan about flooded corn in Missouri. That has been going on forever and I’m fact the amount of area of flooded corn from then to now has not grown significantly at all. And even though Missouri is holding a lot of mallards every year, Mallards are not the most important duck to us and our flyway. The Gadwall is. And their population rate is declining rapidly every year. No let’s think about the amount wetlands in contrast to hunting pressure in our area years ago. And now think about which one of those 2 is tipping the scales now compared to even a decade ago.

Feesherman 02-15-2019 09:10 PM

It's over with

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

DaPointIsDaBomb 02-16-2019 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feesherman (Post 846904)
It's over with

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

yep there will be 100s of blonds available for lease this year for little or nothing due to everyone quitting

Nickt87 02-16-2019 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefman (Post 846894)
Do any of you believe we can bring back migrating ducks to traditional numbers? I've been a diehard duck hunter for over 54 years. I enjoyed the days of 10 bird limits as well as the 3 bird limit in 40 day seasons. Even in those lean years the rice fields and marshes were filled with ducks.
Driving to the hunting camps you had field upon field of feeding geese and ducks starting in Indian Bayou through Kaplan and Gueydan. We even held ducks in those rice fields on Ridge road in Lafayette Parish!


Just what has changed? Who or what is to blame? Is it weather, agricultural practices, DU, mud motors?


If you lease hunting land have you run the numbers on cost per duck killed lately?


It really doesn't look promising for the future.


Are those "good ole" days of black skies and road side ditches full of birds done? Yes, for the most part, for most of the state.


Does Louisiana still rival most states on duck killing even on the worst years. Yes.


Everything has changed and everyone is to blame.


Maybe the market will reach a point of equilibrium bc of it.

ckinchen 02-16-2019 10:17 AM

Having a farm in Oklahoma and looking for waterfowl land last season I was amazed at the amount of new habitat being built. I have a realtor friend that builds farms with levees ready to flood the crop of your choice and he's making a lot of money doing it.

The other issue is no till farming. There is so much food on the ground now that farmers do not have to turn over there fields that ducks have no reason to ever leave. I hunted a corn field that had been harvested in Oklahoma with a thirty yard low spot that held water. We had a four man limit of mostly mallards in only a few minutes and passed mostly on huge flocks of teal I'm told they never use to get in Oklahoma. This was not a flooded cornfield with standing corn it was simply a harvested field that had not been turned over. We had corn all around on the ground.

The birds have no reason to leave. Mallards are never coming back here in big numbers but the above poster is correct. Arkansas use to kill mallards now they kill gadwall and that duck along with teal are the two birds that made up most south Louisiana straps.

ckinchen 02-16-2019 10:19 AM

Also birds can handle a few days of cold weather if there is food on the ground and some water such as rivers to weather the storm.

On a positive note I suspect blinds will be a lot cheaper and more widely available in Louisiana in the near future.

ckinchen 02-16-2019 10:21 AM

The real question is why aren't the photo migratory birds like gads not coming here in big numbers anymore? On the trip down do they see the food on the ground from fields not being tuned over and lots of water and just set up shop further north? That is my theory

It was a really wet winter up and down the flyway that did hurt finding concentrations of birds.

Reefman 02-16-2019 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckinchen (Post 846917)
The real question is why aren't the photo migratory birds like gads not coming here in big numbers anymore? On the trip down do they see the food on the ground from fields not being tuned over and lots of water and just set up shop further north? That is my theory

It was a really wet winter up and down the flyway that did hurt finding concentrations of birds.



Gads, historically, has been our go to duck. Over the past 3 seasons we've had very few Gads but are seeing far more pintails and teal in our marsh.


Do you guys see a shorter season and smaller bag limit coming up for LA.?

all star rod 02-16-2019 11:52 AM

I guess this past season I was one of the few from taking to others that had a very good 1st split with just over 250 ducks killed which none in that count was spoons or black jacks (all good ducks). Now my 2nd split was not too good which I feel had a lot to do with no cold fronts. The last few weeks of the season I was happy to shoot a black jack...LOL

Strange thing is we shot a lot of greys in the 1st split. We do not shoot many on a normal good year. Now Mallards were basically non existent in my area the whole season.

Also, I really do not see blinds going down in price. I think we will have 6 ducks and 60 days again and we should.

I think a lot of things play into migration; however, I beleive weather is the most important factor.

Xpress21 02-16-2019 12:27 PM

30 & 3 is being seriously considered

Reefman 02-16-2019 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xpress21 (Post 846921)
30 & 3 is being seriously considered


That will free up a few blinds! Ya think the big landlords will lower the prices on leases?

DaPointIsDaBomb 02-16-2019 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xpress21 (Post 846921)
30 & 3 is being seriously considered

fake news

Xpress21 02-16-2019 05:40 PM

Think as you wish.

ckinchen 02-16-2019 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefman (Post 846922)
That will free up a few blinds! Ya think the big landlords will lower the prices on leases?

That will really hurt the big guide services.

Xpress21 02-16-2019 11:51 PM

Ok. Let’s think about it this way. We’re all sportman right? For me it’s the thrill of trying to succeed fishing or hunting, as I’m sure it is most of you. I don’t need to catch 25 trout or kill 6 ducks every time I’m out the house to enjoy myself. Being a sportsman should also mean being a conservationist. The species thriving whatever that species may be is what should be important to any sportsman. Nobody on this site eats every fish they catch or every duck they kill. So let’s say what I told you all earlier today about 30 & 3 is a possibility, because believe me it really is and I know this for a fact. It’s not “fake news” as “the point is the bomb” says. And if you really from erath I’m sure I know who you are.


If we want to better our situation. Then we as sportsman need to trust the research done by people who do this research for a living. And these people don’t do this research because they get paid top dollar to do it. They do it because they care. As we all should.


The tides always change gentlemen.

ckinchen 02-17-2019 07:21 AM

Xpress21 what research? The duck population count if you believe it to be true shows ducks are well above the long term averages.

Xpress21 02-17-2019 07:46 AM

I’ll attach documents when I return home this week. If that’s ok to do so on this site.

Xpress21 02-17-2019 08:47 AM

2014 & 2015 breeding grounds survey showed a very large boost in ducks. None greater than gadwall and green wing teal. Since then it’s been declining. The decline in 2018 was rather large. In the ballpark of 6.5 million ducks. The outlook for this year at the breeding grounds is on track with last year. I believe the LTA’s have stayed somewhat on track the last couple years because of the large boost in birds in 2014 & 2015. But I do also expect that to change in this years survey as well.

all star rod 02-17-2019 09:59 AM

It will be 6 days and 60 ducks again. Pintail will likly drop back to 1 which is stupid. Good chance it stays 6 teal for teal season.

You will not hurt the duck population with a gun.


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