Looking at Duck hunting the Kaplan area

[ripinlips]

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience hunting the Kaplan area. North, South, West, East???? Just want to know what to expect. Thanks

[whunter29]

I used to hunt near Cow Island and it sucked there. Plenty of teal no big ducks plenty of geese.

[Montauk17]

From what I understand kaplan is more known for geese then ducks.

[Trent Buxton]

Expect to pay a lot of money for blinds and not killing many ducks...You might get lucky with geese if you catch your area right when they pass through but that area of the state has fell off tremendously over the last 10 years. Have worked with many folks from that area and every year the numbers havent gotten worse and worse.

[huntin fool]

Originally Posted by Montak17

From what I understand kaplan is more known for geese then ducks.

best speckle belly hunting

[mallard matt]

My first lease duck was in kaplan.I had it two years ago around indian bayou and we killed all the teal and spoonys we wanted.We killed a few big ducks when the major cold fronts came in.

[Raymond]

Liberty Farm road is "Dead" as is most of the area from the curve north.
Little Prairie south is pretty good in places and Wright west should have decent hunting. Prepare to spend major bucks but if it is for lease now it is probably not very good. Your best hunting will always be in the marsh and I don't see any openings soon unless they drop the limit or the economy continues to go down hill.

[cajunsorc]

Mallard Matt...If you let them spoons get that close just hit em with the barrel...don't try to shoot the lips off of em!

[ripinlips]

Thanks for all the input. Maybe I should clarify a little. This will be my second year Hunting ducks and getting a lease. I know the marsh is the best but I do not have the money or could I find any openings. So last year we probably killed 50 ducks the entire year at our cheap lease and we just want to do a little better this year. Am I on the right track or not even close. It is not about killing ducks but spending time with family and friends so we do not need to limit everytime...maybe just once.

[all star rod]

I have leased a blind in the Kaplan area for the past 6 years. The only reason I still have it is becasue I spilt it with 2 other family members. If I had to pay for all the lease myself I would of given it up. Teal season has always been great; however, last year the landowner did not prep the field due to the hurricanes. Big duck season has been not too good over the past 2 years and part of that is due to us not having rice planted in 3 years. Next year it will have rice. We are not really set-up for geese since we have water on both sides of us. We kill 25-40 geese a year mostly fly by birds when their is a lot in our area. Pecan Island is the place to hunt but good luck getting a lease their. You need a lot of conncections. I am fortunate enough to make some hunts with a buddy of mine and a friend of my father in law that hunts PI.

[Finfeatherfur]

Back in the day (early 80's) we had a lease off of Hwy 335. Best hunting I ever had, period!!!! Ducks, geese, doves, - we had a blast. Something happened and I am not sure I can put my finger on just one "cause", but it is no longer the "great" hunting of the old days. My company has had leases in the area west and south of Kaplan (Liberty Farm Rd.) and friends have had leases in that area. Simply said, too many blinds, too many four wheelers, and not enough birds! Teal season has been good, but after that, your feelings will get hurt.

Not trying to bust your bubble, but just want you to know why I don't lease there. We were looking at another lease from the previous owner of our company, but that was north of Kaplan, that doesn't look good since the landowner is now saying he may not lease it. Good Luck!

[ripinlips]

Thanks for the input...what we are looking at is Northwest of Kaplan(the City).

[Trent Buxton]

Good Luck ripinlips...it says your from lafayette...If I was you Id go north on 49 and look from some blinds to lease east of Alexandria if I was you. Maybe a little farther to drive but "DUCK" hunting is far better in the flooded timber areas off of the river and around catahoula lake. Plenty of farm land to lease a blind just pick up the Alex. Daily town talk and look in classifieds. South of I-10 in general has suffered great losses in Duck hunting since I was a kid. There is pockets every year of duck here and there but overall a dry spot these days. Central and North La. Has really became a great place to duck hunt. Even Toledo's duck numbers are through the roof in the last 5 years...Plenty limits to be had on Toledo at no charge its all public hunting. Good Luck and Happy Hunting

[all star rod]

I agree with Trent...Also, if a rice field duck blind comes open in SW LA it is for a reason....it sucks bad. Think about this if I had a good blind and I was killing birds and for some reason I had to get out of it....a buddy of mine would jump on it since he knew it was a good blind...you would never see it in an add. Again, if all of a sudden you see someone with an add. for a blind open it is for a reason,,,,and the reason is not a good one. Just my 2 cents. As I stated, the only reason I am still in our lease is because I cannot get nothing better and I split it with 2 others.

[Trent Buxton]

ASR agreed 100% on blind openings...when I was a kid you NEVER heard of a blind being up for lease in a newspaper in South Louisiana. They were few and far between and all had a HIGH price tag $2500 FOR A TWO MAN OR MORE. and had a family waiting list on every blind just to get a hunt or two in a year. It was good times and lots of birds. I hunt on Duckmasters lease(down by forked Island) last year for the first time in a decade. hunted same blind areas I had back in the day. Hunted all weekend and I can count the birds I seen in the air with the change in my pocket. It was sad. When I was younger you could set on the porch there at the camp at dusk and the sky was black with ducks heading to roost. First evening there with a cold front pushing in I saw less than 200 total as far as I could see. Its the same all over south of I-10. Flight patterns have changed for years to come. It does cycle and it may be 25 years before it changes again.

[all star rod]

Yes if you notice you have a heck of a lot less rice being planted in SW LA. You are starting to see more cow pasture and sugar cane then rice. I am sure if you border certain marshes with a rice field and keep a certain amout of water and field plowed you can kill some birds...but the average rice field blind/hunt has to bank on teal season and after the first week of the big duck season hunt only during a front. When the sun is out at our lease it could be cold as hell you still do not see a duck! Last year I bet I spec fished 10X more than duck hunted on the blue bird days unles I got to bum a marsh hunt.

[ripinlips]

Well Trent and All Star Rod I really apprieciate your advice and opinion. I am going in with some family and they have decided to give Kaplan a try anyway. We gave the farmer a deposit yesterday. Our question now is he has a blind in the middle of a bunch of soy and rice fields and another that is next to a secluded tree line, but did not have anything planted this year...he said he would plow and fill it with water and leave the field behind dry for geese. Which would you all take and why? Thanks

[huntin fool]

Originally Posted by ripinlips

Well Trent and All Star Rod I really apprieciate your advice and opinion. I am going in with some family and they have decided to give Kaplan a try anyway. We gave the farmer a deposit yesterday. Our question now is he has a blind in the middle of a bunch of soy and rice fields and another that is next to a secluded tree line, but did not have anything planted this year...he said he would plow and fill it with water and leave the field behind dry for geese. Which would you all take and why? Thanks

the dry feild blind...if no ducks you can kill geese some good speckle belly hunting in kaplan

[ripinlips]

Originally Posted by huntin fool

the dry feild blind...if no ducks you can kill geese some good speckle belly hunting in kaplan

Fool, you think that the dry field would be good for geese even if he did not plant anything in it this year? The other blind will likely have a wet and dry field as well.

[huntin fool]

Originally Posted by ripinlips

Fool, you think that the dry field would be good for geese even if he did not plant anything in it this year? The other blind will likely have a wet and dry field as well.

reading back over it... The tree line blind had NOTHING planted this year, but he would flood one feild in front, and leave feild in back dry? And the other blind will be by soy and rice feilds, and will prolly hold water?

i know..im about to change my mind...but if the rice feild blind holds water then jump on that blind! you would mpre than likely get a few ducks from that rice feild...