WMA Maintenance Budgets

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Reggoh

Some of the places that I go to you need a 4x4 truck just to access the parking areas which is ridiculous. I will also say there are some WMA's that are very well maintained like you guys mentioned Jackson-Bienville.... Another that comes to mind is Bayou Macon which has all gravel ATV trails, parking areas, and camping areas. Very nice.

I used to go to Red River WMA every year and I haven't been back in several years because some of the ATV trails that I use to access my areas were impassable with my 2WD ATV. It's literally been 7 or 8 years since any maintenance was done on that ATV trail and the ruts are just too big for my bike. It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort or money to put some culverts and gravel in the trouble areas so this wouldn't be a perennial problem.

I am just the opposite here (although I understand it) and I think the ease of access has ruined many a good hunting grounds. There are places we would have to ride ATVs for miles through some tough stuff that are now gravel roads for vehicles. You can literally drive (and I have seen it) a Camaro down a gravel road at Oua****a WMA, park it on the nice shoulder, and duck hunt 50 feet from your vehicle. Same with Boeuf WMA, same with Russell Sage WMA, same with Big Lake WMA, Tensas NWR, etc.

When I am hunting, I want to be as far away from anyone else as possible and will walk as far as I can to do that, but there are very few places where you can be one mile from an ATV trail. My favorite duck hole was in Tensas, it was a long boat ride and then a 3/4 mile walk from the river, now there is an ATV trail right to it.

I think this is one of the reasons duck hunting on some of the north La WMAs has gone way downhill - its way too easy to get around now and places that were once difficult to get you can now drive to them with a Prius


WMAs and NWRs do shut down ATV trails during turkey season and I think it makes a big difference. Would be a circus show if not haha!

[Reggoh]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

I am just the opposite here (although I understand it) and I think the ease of access has ruined many a good hunting grounds. There are places we would have to ride ATVs for miles through some tough stuff that are now gravel roads for vehicles. You can literally drive (and I have seen it) a Camaro down a gravel road at Oua****a WMA, park it on the nice shoulder, and duck hunt 50 feet from your vehicle. Same with Boeuf WMA, same with Russell Sage WMA, same with Big Lake WMA, Tensas NWR, etc.

When I am hunting, I want to be as far away from anyone else as possible and will walk as far as I can to do that, but there are very few places where you can be one mile from an ATV trail. My favorite duck hole was in Tensas, it was a long boat ride and then a 3/4 mile walk from the river, now there is an ATV trail right to it.

I think this is one of the reasons duck hunting on some of the north La WMAs has gone way downhill - its way too easy to get around now and places that were once difficult to get you can now drive to them with a Prius

I think these are 2 separate issues... My situation is letting the current roads and trails get so bad that they are impassable thereby hindering areas that already have access... and your situation is the expansion of roads and trails that allow others access to areas that you once had to yourself.

It does suck for you that a spot you spent time developing by hard work and spending time is now available to others but You have just as much access as the guy in the Prius... I don't have the same access as the guy with the 4x4 ATV with the 3" lift kit.

And I do agree that some of these places have WAY too much access... it's hard to get away from a road or ATV trail on some WMA's

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Reggoh

I think these are 2 separate issues... My situation is letting the current roads and trails get so bad that they are impassable thereby hindering areas that already have access... and your situation is the expansion of roads and trails that allow others access to areas that you once had to yourself.

It does suck for you that a spot you spent time developing by hard work and spending time is now available to others but You have just as much access as the guy in the Prius... I don't have the same access as the guy with the 4x4 ATV with the 3" lift kit.

And I do agree that some of these places have WAY too much access... it's hard to get away from a road or ATV trail on some WMA's

Yeah my situation is a different situation I reckon. To answer your question I have never seen any road grading or road improvements happening during the hunting season. Seems they prep the roads before the season and then wiat til after (makes sense I guess). The technicians that normally do this are probably busy doing something else during the hunting season (or took off to hunt themselves) Feel like it would be pointless because it would get torn up again real soon anyways and folks hunting would probably not want people on big equipment fixing trails while they are out hunting? don't know


as far as budgets go I do know that for federal refuges, money is allocated by usage. More users of the refuge gives you a higher budget. Would think its similar with state WMAs

[Reggoh]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

Yeah my situation is a different situation I reckon. To answer your question I have never seen any road grading or road improvements happening during the hunting season. Seems they prep the roads before the season and then wiat til after (makes sense I guess). The technicians that normally do this are probably busy doing something else during the hunting season (or took off to hunt themselves) Feel like it would be pointless because it would get torn up again real soon anyways and folks hunting would probably not want people on big equipment fixing trails while they are out hunting? don't know


as far as budgets go I do know that for federal refuges, money is allocated by usage. More users of the refuge gives you a higher budget. Would think its similar with state WMAs

I am a bowhunter so I usually see these places at the very beginning of the hunting seasons and there are very little improvements from 1 year to the next in most cases... They do sometimes smooth out the roads and trails but Grading costs almost nothing from the Acquisitions and Maintenance budget... the equipment is already there (unless it needs replacement or repairs) and the salary of the individual running it comes from another budget.

I suspect that you are correct on the division of money by usage... If that is the case then West Bay should have a pretty healthy budget and that is a place that I've spent quite a bit of time in... there is no maintenance going on there either... haha

[grizzon30s]

Originally Posted by Duck Butter

I am just the opposite here (although I understand it) and I think the ease of access has ruined many a good hunting grounds. There are places we would have to ride ATVs for miles through some tough stuff that are now gravel roads for vehicles. You can literally drive (and I have seen it) a Camaro down a gravel road at Oua****a WMA, park it on the nice shoulder, and duck hunt 50 feet from your vehicle. Same with Boeuf WMA, same with Russell Sage WMA, same with Big Lake WMA, Tensas NWR, etc.

When I am hunting, I want to be as far away from anyone else as possible and will walk as far as I can to do that, but there are very few places where you can be one mile from an ATV trail. My favorite duck hole was in Tensas, it was a long boat ride and then a 3/4 mile walk from the river, now there is an ATV trail right to it.

I think this is one of the reasons duck hunting on some of the north La WMAs has gone way downhill - its way too easy to get around now and places that were once difficult to get you can now drive to them with a Prius


WMAs and NWRs do shut down ATV trails during turkey season and I think it makes a big difference. Would be a circus show if not haha!

Agreed!