Our state does not have major habitat divisions north and south; our major habitat division are east and west. NW LA is very different from NE LA. That is why we have had West and East Zones since the very first day that states were allowed to use zones (1975). Our configuration is not new, unjustified, or made up on a whim; it is long established based on major habitat differences that tend to influence chronology of duck use.

North-south zones puts the Piney Woods and reservoirs in the same zone as the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and recall the harvest data that shows NW LA has an earlier harvest signature than even the coastal marshes. That is why the 3rd zone was put in NW LA. In case you don't remember, here is the harvest chronology breakdown from a 10-year period when the old West Zone had consistent season dates:

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...harvest202.jpg

What if we'd go back to east and west zones and keep the sixty day season starting on the second weekend in November.


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That's what we had from 1975 to 2012, which include the "good ole days" for most here. So why did we change in 2012?

1) Because hunters in NW LA wanted to set seasons separate from those along the coast, 2) it would allow more flexibility in targeting hunting regulations to particular habitat types, and 3) it would provide additional hunting opportunity, especially if the season length was reduced.

Unfortunately, we found out that although hunters in NW LA did indeed want DIFFERENT season dates from coastal hunters, some of them wanted LATER dates and some of them wanted EARLIER dates. The devil is always in the details, and maybe we should just go back to the pre-2012 structure.

So why are we changing again in 2016?

Because the rice industry wants additional time to get their second-crop out and the fields prepared for hunting before the season opens; and many rice-field hunters want later seasons. So we moved the zone boundaries so that much of the rice-growing portions of Jefferson Davis, Acadia, Evangeline, and Vermilion Parishes are now in the East Zone. I'm not convinced this was a good move. That rice acreage is clearly of coastal origin, it is part of the Coastal Prairies and Marshes ecotype, and the birds of SW LA use both marsh and rice-fields as components of the same wetland complex. Yes, the further north you go, the less that interaction with the marsh occurs, but those rice fields are definitely more closely tied to coastal habitat than the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.

But we will see .........

For what it's worth, if I can't have 3 splits then I want exactly what your proposing. Honestly, part of the reason I want 3 splits is to catch up on honey do's and family time.

Open second weekend of Nov, 12 day split then longer second split.

I know the birds get spooky late second split but it's become another variable or challenge of duck hunting I have come to enjoy.

Thanks again for all your feedback.

there is no sense in trying to hunt all throughout February, I under stand that there is a lot of ducks after the season but people don't realize that a lot of those birds are just ones coming out of the refuges, open second weekend of November and close last of January, plain in simple, the ducks were here last year and they will be here next, this year was just a bad year due to having a lot of water and no weather

Well said


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I don't recall anyone within this thread asking to hunt thru February???

See post #14-25-39

The first week of our season was awesome this year, but after that the duck numbers declined big time. Until, about 3 weeks ago they showed back up, and today while goose hunting I seen the most ducks I seen all year. The longer the season can last the better I think. This is similar every year in rice fields south welsh, the end of season duck hunting gets better

You are correct, I must have missed the fine print.