SaltyCajun.com https://www.facebook.com/CajunTackle

Notices

Go Back   SaltyCajun.com > Hunting, Boating, and General Outdoor Talk > Hunting Discussion

Hunting Discussion Discuss anything related to hunting here!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-15-2019, 01:48 PM
Reefman's Avatar
Reefman Reefman is offline
Tripletail
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: lafayette
Posts: 957
Cash: 3,226
Default 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.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-15-2019, 04:57 PM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-15-2019, 09:10 PM
Feesherman Feesherman is offline
King Mackeral
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Moss Bluff
Posts: 2,656
Cash: 1,000
Default

It's over with

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-16-2019, 07:32 AM
DaPointIsDaBomb's Avatar
DaPointIsDaBomb DaPointIsDaBomb is offline
Trophy Trout
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Erath
Posts: 478
Cash: 1,216
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Feesherman View Post
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
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-16-2019, 08:01 AM
Nickt87's Avatar
Nickt87 Nickt87 is offline
Tripletail
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: lake charles, la
Posts: 515
Cash: 1,070
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefman View Post
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.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-16-2019, 10:17 AM
ckinchen's Avatar
ckinchen ckinchen is offline
Site Owner/Admin
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Woodlands, TX / Hackberry
Posts: 11,646
Cash: 22,169
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-16-2019, 10:19 AM
ckinchen's Avatar
ckinchen ckinchen is offline
Site Owner/Admin
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Woodlands, TX / Hackberry
Posts: 11,646
Cash: 22,169
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-16-2019, 10:21 AM
ckinchen's Avatar
ckinchen ckinchen is offline
Site Owner/Admin
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Woodlands, TX / Hackberry
Posts: 11,646
Cash: 22,169
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-16-2019, 11:12 AM
Reefman's Avatar
Reefman Reefman is offline
Tripletail
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: lafayette
Posts: 957
Cash: 3,226
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ckinchen View Post
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.?
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-16-2019, 11:52 AM
all star rod's Avatar
all star rod all star rod is offline
Great White
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: In BRUH's HEAD
Posts: 20,577
Cash: 17,285
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 02-16-2019, 12:27 PM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

30 & 3 is being seriously considered
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 02-16-2019, 12:40 PM
Reefman's Avatar
Reefman Reefman is offline
Tripletail
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: lafayette
Posts: 957
Cash: 3,226
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xpress21 View Post
30 & 3 is being seriously considered

That will free up a few blinds! Ya think the big landlords will lower the prices on leases?
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 02-16-2019, 01:42 PM
DaPointIsDaBomb's Avatar
DaPointIsDaBomb DaPointIsDaBomb is offline
Trophy Trout
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Erath
Posts: 478
Cash: 1,216
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xpress21 View Post
30 & 3 is being seriously considered
fake news
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 02-16-2019, 05:40 PM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

Think as you wish.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 02-16-2019, 10:43 PM
ckinchen's Avatar
ckinchen ckinchen is offline
Site Owner/Admin
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Woodlands, TX / Hackberry
Posts: 11,646
Cash: 22,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefman View Post
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.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 02-16-2019, 11:51 PM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 02-17-2019, 07:21 AM
ckinchen's Avatar
ckinchen ckinchen is offline
Site Owner/Admin
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Woodlands, TX / Hackberry
Posts: 11,646
Cash: 22,169
Default

Xpress21 what research? The duck population count if you believe it to be true shows ducks are well above the long term averages.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 02-17-2019, 07:46 AM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

I’ll attach documents when I return home this week. If that’s ok to do so on this site.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 02-17-2019, 08:47 AM
Xpress21's Avatar
Xpress21 Xpress21 is offline
Redfish
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Henry, La
Posts: 190
Cash: 1,213
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 02-17-2019, 09:59 AM
all star rod's Avatar
all star rod all star rod is offline
Great White
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: In BRUH's HEAD
Posts: 20,577
Cash: 17,285
Default

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.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:45 AM.



Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - [ARG:3 UNDEFINED], Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
vB.Sponsors
vBCredits v1.4 Copyright ©2007 - 2008, PixelFX Studios
SaltyCajun.com logo provided by Bryce Risher

All content, images, designs, and logos are Copyright © 2009-2012,
Salty Cajun, LLC
No unathorized use is permitted
Geo Visitors Map