Louisiana waterfowl season dates 2014
 

Let the discussion and arguments begin. They have the coastal zone opening early again, Nov 8-30, 2 week split then dec 13-jan 18.
Now based on my lease over the years, the early opening would usually have helped us out a lot. We usually hold good numbers in the 2 weeks leading up to the season. Last year that was not the case at all. I really would like to be able to hunt deeper into January. I'd take a longer split to make that happen. I don't really pay much attention to the other zone's dates as I don't get much opportunity to hunt them.


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What about Teal season?

I would like to see it open a week later and go a week longer at the end.

I don't understand why they they open the coastal zone before the northern zones. It just don't make much since to me.

I don't know about y'all but I hunt tidal marsh, there's almost no water left by the end. I don't really mind the early start. Birds aren't nearly as educated early in the season versus later either.

They aren't educated yet but they aren't down from up north nearly as thick as mid November though

What exactly do they go by when setting the season dates? It seems to me based on some of the polls and information I've seen put out by LDWF, its driven atleast somewhat by public opinion. I seem to remember seeing something last year that showed more people preferred the dates as is for the coastal. Don't really know how true that is, or the sample size.

Leave the coastal as it has been for years. 2nd sat in nov. We get the early migrators in coastal. Greys, wigeon, teal, pintail etc. north la counts on mallards. The coastal season doesn't need to be touched IMO. Leave as is. Someone will always have a *****. And yes sometimes you have a phenomenal hunt second split but first split is usually best for numbers.

Season can't run into february. I'm fine with it now, just don't want it to get any earlier. Not many people in the coastal zone kill mallards, so i'm not sure why there are so many complaints. Starting in late October, every little front and north wind pushes down pintail, greys, widgeon, teal, spoonbill, ringnecks. Harvest numbers are extremely good in first split, as most of the time we are constantly getting new birds. It's only 23 days. For those of you complaining, more than half of the season is the second split. I wouldn't mind one week later, but it's not going to make much of a difference.

Btw, these are only the proposed dates, and are up for public comment. You can email Larry Reynolds and tell him what you think. Final dates will be set in August.

I only eat teal and wood ducks and give away just about all the big ducks ill kill...I like the dates the way they are


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I'd like to see them set the season dates later. Take last year, before the season started we were getting reports of a late migration. This turned out to be true. If they could set the season based on what's happening with the current years migration then that would be great. I know that's a pipe dream, just sayin....


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Get enough people to email Mr Reynolds.

I agree that the first split is usually better so why can't they add days to first split and start 2nd split 1 week later ?

I mentioned that to him in another forum before. he said they set the season as early as possible so people can plan ahead for vacations and trips and such. I get that argument somewhat. However is it better to plan a duck hunt in advance or not have as much time to plan and know you are taking a trip when the migration is happening? I'm just saying, can u say that every year that ducks will be on the coast during the 2nd week of november? Absolutely not. Look at how they set shrimping seasons. They take data from sample trauls then open the season when the shrimp are of size and running. Seems like we could do that with waterfowl.

I do understand the reasoning behind why they do it.

BUT, being a biologist, I don't think its the right way to go about it at all. Seasons and limits should be based more on biology than on politics or public opinion. Grant it, public opinion is important and should be considered, but if public opinion is steering the management in the wrong direction, then management decisions should revert to being based on the biology.

The best they can do is move it back one more week. Since I have been hunting I don't remember a single time when ducks weren't here for opening day. I'm fine with the season as is, but one week later wouldn't bother me. 23 day 1st split and 37 day second split, ending on last sunday in January would be fine by me.

What would be wrong with 30 days in first split and 30 in second split?

Unfortunately, no. Waterfowl hunting regulations require federal approval. What we set at the August meeting goes to the USFWS for publication in the Federal Register and a public comment period before getting final approval the last week in September, before the first state in the Flyway can open a season. So even if all states didn't have to submit seasons at the same time, there is at least a 6-week lag-time for federal approval by law.

And we are going to begin setting seasons even earlier.

The Canadians, for example, set their season dates for the upcoming hunting season last October.

Starting next year, we will be transitioning into a system that uses prior-year data to set the waterfowl hunting season. We don't yet know exactly what it's going to look like, but we will probably set the seasons at the March Commission meeting instead of August starting in 2016.