My friend recently went duck hunting to a place which D U has a contract with. They have heated ponds to keep them from freezig over. D U had been there the whole week before he got there doing whatever it is they do. He said it was like hunting in the old days, ducks everywhere but not too many mallards.

THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE OF THE ANALOGIES.
WE SHOT OURSELVES IN THE FOOT. ONCE AGAIN MAN TAMPERS WITH MOTHER NATURE AND PAYS THE PRICE.THIS IS WHY I HAVEN'T DUCK HUNTED IN 4 YEARS..ITS NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE ANYMORE.
WE USED TO PICK UP THE DECOYS AND BE BACK AT THE CAMP WITH A LIMIT AT 8;00 AM..NOW YOU HAVE TO HUNT ALL DAY FOR 4 TEAL.

I think this analogy is very far-fetched but there are a lot of people who would agree with you. I say far-fetched in that if what he said were true, we’d have an overabundance of birds that just would not migrate. We all know from waterfowl census’ taken each year that is not the case.
Ducks Unlimited was founded long before 1980's and although I am not a huge fan, they do some good in helping to reproduce birds. There are other organizations like Delta Waterfowl who do similar things also in an effort to reproduce birds. The biggest problem with this scenario is that hunting has become more & more a commercial business than a hobby and everyone is trying to cash in on the fortune. Now, huge numbers of people in the flyway have blinds and are trying to make money from people looking to hunt ducks. If you do research on the reproduction numbers, we have been under or right at the 15% waterfowl reproduction rate for almost 20 years now which has hurt us noticeably. Also, there are a number of refuges along the flyway that help to shield birds from hunting pressure but don't aid in the migration. By the time a duck makes it to Louisiana, he has been shot at nearly hundreds of times. Taking all of these factors into account and now add millions of avid hunters and you have the situation that we have today.
I think that we may be in the midst of a migration shift in some species (especially mallards) that we can do nothing about. When I was a kid we used to see hundreds of lesser Canadian geese. Around the mid 1980’s, they stopped migrating all the way to Louisiana (for whatever reason) and we did not see many for a number of years. In the last 5-8 years are so I have noticed more of them showing up again. I don’t know what caused this “absence period” but I would say the same thing might be happening to other species, possibly the mallards.
For what it’s worth, that’s my 2 cents.

And may I conclude, it will probably get worse before it gets better.

I do agree that the ponds or flooded fields are being heated there is no doubt about it. They put pumps in the water to keep the water moving or they continually pump warm water into the pond or field. I do have to disagree on the point that DU has 18-wheelers dumping corn into these areas. Any kind of pond, Lake, or field has plenty enough feed, which includes, invertabrates, seeds, and many other types of feed that corn is not necessary. I had some customers this year from up north talking to each other in the blind, trying to figure out a cheaper way to keep the water from freezing over in there corn field!! I was in North East Arkansas a few weeks ago and the amount of mallards, pintail's, specks, and snows was unbelievable. I go to Arkansas every year to hunt but this year was just crazy. I also spoke to a friend in Northern Ohio on the last weekend of our season, and he told me that the local lake by his house was holding around 30,000 Mallards. That just isn't right.

First.. DU started with habitat long before the 80s my man....

the single biggest factor affecting ducks holding further up north than they have in years past is well... in the mid 80s something called NO TILL FARMING became increasingly commonplace in the mid west and upper midwest... at it's simplest no till farming leave a lot of exposed grain availabe for ducks in dry or moist soil fields that are accessible to them even when ponds freeze over...

parlay this with a change that started UP and DOWN the flyways in the 3 duck 30 day seasons.. people started hunting up and down the flyway.. ie traveling to hunt.. in ever increasing numbers...

take ND for instance 20 years ago they sold 5,000 out of state licenses... NO nearly 50,000... that is a lot of dumb mallards getting waxed before the migration begins...

then... duck hunters made about 10-12 duck hunts per year... now... if you pay big money for a lease, land or rig.. you hunt 30 to 40 days per year....


up and down the flyway... there is exponentially more consistent pressure on ducks... from september through january...

personally this year for me was my 35th as a duck hunter and this season rates in the top 5 all time for me....

I can remember several big land owner/farmers in south Louisiana in the 80's that did not and would not let DU do the things that DU is doing in Missouri and other states north of here. Would not allow the second crops rice to stay in the fields. Didn't allow small strips of beans and other grains to stay standing. Would not let them come in and test there soils and do surveys of habitat. LDWF let DU have very limited acess to state controlled lands. It seems these landowners up north have accepted DU with open arms to do as they please. And it has worked for them. So maybe we shot our ownself int the foot. I feel we have no one to blame but us. I will not and have not given another penny to DU since 1985 when we started seeing the so called "short stopping" start to take affect. It has made a significant affect on migration patterns to south Louisiana. I dont blame the ducks. Why should they fly twice as far for half the groceries????? Seems they are smarter than most of us gave them credit for.

In the late 70's and early 80's the cypress swamp behind by house was a mallard mecca! We use to go in kill our ducks and were back home 7:30 or 8:00 unless you wanted to kill a couple of woodies. You could look up on some days and it seemed the mallards were swarming like mosquitos! In the afternoons you could hear em. Now, all gone!

The only thing I have is the memory and what I see on the Outdoor Channel from Ar-kansas north.

Thanks DU!

I think it is a combination of several factors. DU creating the safe havens in the Central US, farmers being paid by the gov't to not farms some land or leave some crop in the field, a significant increase in the numbers of hunters, both recreational and guides, and some weather factors like dry summers in Canada/Nothern US. I don't think DU is doing anything more than our in state game preserves are doing. Providing areas for ducks to rest/feed without getiing shot. They just do it north of us, which of course does keep some ducks up there.

Not to criticize anyone here, but I really don't want to have a hunt finished by 0730. I actually enjoy being in the outdoors, the time with my son, seeing my dog in the marsh, drinking coffee and truly talking with my son without distractions. No phones, TVs, fussing, etc. Just tranquility. I don't mind taking three hours to shoot limits, I am content when I do get a limit, no matter how long it takes. Sounds like some guys want an express lane hunt like the amusement park games. Ducks lined up on a conveyor belt all swimming across the pond in formation so you can shoot as fast as you can load, and take home the big teddy bear prize on the top shelf. Lets not forget to appreciate the "Hunt" as much as the "Kill"

My season was average, since I began keeping a log six years ago. I shot enough to make it worthwhile. Without a doubt, I will do it again next year. Until then, I hope everyone has tight lines and full live wells.

no such animal...

heated by a landowner making a lot of money from duck hunters.. maybe.. but not by du..

ANYONE WHO THINKS WE ARE GETTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF DUCKS DOWN HERE ON THE MIGRATION NEEDS TO BACK OFF HE CRACK PIPE.

1N THE 70'S AND 80'S IF YOU WERE AROUND IN THE THICK OF IT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO BE EXPLAINING IT.
TALK TO ANYONE WHO HUNTS POINT A FER OR LOWER ACTH OR RICE BAYOU AREAS ..THERE IS IN NO WAY THE SAME AMOUNT OF BIRDS PER YEAR ..AND ITS GETTING WORSE BY THE YEAR.

LONG GUN PLEASE TURN OFF CAPS LOCK....so your not screaming at us when you type for starters. I can remember sittin at a store drinkin coffee back in the early 80's when Sweet lake land and oil and crane brothers in and around creole la. Turned down a project from DU that was going to help sustain herd population with certain crop rotations and leaving certain crops in the field for the ducks. Goverment subsidized of course. All kinds of incentives from DU about guided hunt services. It was too long ago to remember it all the details but was a heck of deal and arrangment. Both companies turned those offers down. Not sure what ever happened exactly....does anyone remeber or have better details on why that fell through

talking under my breath but,maybe a certain group of people {tree huggers}could convence the government that the methods being taken up north are dirupting a natural occurance (migration) . because god knows the pull they have.

You make a good point John. I believe trends of less mallards represent generational changes. Heck one generation of duck is maybe 2-3 years. It doesn't take long for migration patterns to change with that kind of turnover.

...I'am not UTD on ducks...but all that's said makes common sense...don't intercept or break the route habits just to pull a canard and funnel money...I thought the percentage of limits varied on how far South they flew...or is it just w/ Mr.& Mrs Greenhead's credit rating ???...ugh

Yes, some of you make some good sense but I will never defer from my "ANOLOGY" of WELFARE REST-STOPS. I personally have hunted from Saskatchewan to Venice, INCLUDING the areas I mention from south of the Platt River in Nebraska to the Subsidized farms in Missouri and Oklahoma. I have SEEN those 18wheelers dumping waste grain in holding ponds owned jointly by DU and US Parks and Wildlife. I have also seen over the past two years, a marked improvement of ducks into the lower Mississippi Flyway which coinsides with the 50% loss of revenue in 1999, 50% again in 2000 and a steady downhill slide of tax deductible funds from sportsmen, mainly in Louisiana that DU depends on to keep working. Something had to be done to clear their tarnished name and allowing lottery hunts and other things on these holding places has sent more and more ducks down this way.
You certainly don't have to 'buy in' to my philosophy of the 'disapearing ducks' but I do appreciate your just trying to imagine the Anology I proposed with an open, rational mind.----------nuff said----JLT aka PALADIN

I agree with some of the theories going on here. But here is my take: First, and formost - PRESSURE. There are far more "hunters/sports" hunting in recent years - the pressure on the ducks has become overwhelming in some areas. Second: DU and other organizations and farming trends (no till, etc...)have made the entire migration pattern skewed. The ducks are essentially being "short stopped" before making it to the "traditional" wintering grounds (South LA). On this same note, lets not forget the most important factor in triggering migration - WEATHER - COLD weather. We are not getting the weather we became used to, and as a result the ducks are content staying further North. Third: TECHNOLOGY. With the advent of advanced technology regarding waterfowling - the ducks are seeing pressure they weren't seeing just 10 years ago. Lets start with hardware: Shotguns that shoot 3.5" mags have become customary suggesting some hunters are taking longer shots thinking the loads are hot enough to take birds out to 70 yards. Can you say "skybusting"! What about mechanical "robo" decoys. And last, the accessibility issue: Can you say "Go-Devil, MudBuddy, Gatortail, Pro-Drive"? Lets face it guys, the ducks have no safe haven anymore. You can get practically anywhere with the new generation of "mud motors". I remember being successful when others weren't because I would go through the tough task of dragging to tight spots and paddling around for some "jumpshooting". The ducks are being whacked at from every possible angle and just in the past 2-3 seasons have altered their daily flight patterns and landing zones. How many of you guys have had a nice flock of greys coming in, circling - safety flipped, you're ready- only to have them cicle one more time and then land 100 yards away in the middle of nowhere!

I don't see anything making it better for the next generations to come. I think we are dealing with a dying sport - it will be all but a memory in 20 years.

Gadwall. the cold weather helps the migration from the north....yes. But the Harvest moon is actually the trigger that you speak of that starts the main migration south. Just some info to help you out.

I agree with you. These ponds are not heated by DU. It is by these clubs and hunters who have the propery and the money to put out generators and pumps to keep the water moving. If you would like to see for yourself, goto walmart and buy Jeff Foile's Video "Fallen Skies 4" He actually shows how the whole operation works. He shows the pumps and everything. Now in response to some of the other people posting, the Goverment does pay farmers not to plant land. I believe it is called subsidised( if I spelled that right) farming. Farmers are paid not to plant their land in order to keep the economy going, and in case we need crops for emergency purposes, the land is there. My customers that I had a few weeks ago told me that they plant corn, the harvest just the area around the blind, then flood the whole field. They also told me that they may get a hard freeze for 10-12 days, then everything melts, and the ducks are still there. They are not leaving. Gentlemen I hate to say it but we will have to start hunting further north, to have really outstanding hunts. Maybe not soon but in time thats what will happen. I do agree though, that I love spending time in the marsh or rice field just as much as the next person, but I don't spend my money to just look at the sky and occasionally shoot a duck or two. Now I do know that we have really good days when there are just stupid amounts of birds here, but they come here, then leave.

Assuming this JLT DU conspiracy theory to be true, was DU behind the grassy knoll? If DU takes action to thelp the duck population, the point is to benefit the birds and subsequently the hunters. Louisiana used to be where all the food was at, so they all ended up here. Now there is food to the north of us, and we miss out on some birds, but the population as a whole gets better. Just b/c your granddaddy shot 20 ducks by 7:30 in 1965 does not entitle you to do the same. You can't change what has been done over the past 50 years. If only my grandfather had bought up that marshland for .02 per acre back in the day, I'd be rich!

Duckslayer05 You need to go to the DU web site and look around and read some things. The government through DU does subsidse farmers for land used in DU projects. Over 20 articles on farmers all over the mid-america that are participants in gov. sub. crop rotation for the benefit of migratory waterfowl. DU also does set up these pumps to keep water moving in the ponds to keep them from freezing. They have about 15 articles on how its done and the success rate of this idea.

MY mistake, the guys I talked to told me that DU had no place over there as far as helping with pumps. They may have just meant in their area. Also I did know that they did subsidise farmers, I had a brain fart on that one sorry

I WILL NEVER TURN OFF MY CAP LOCKS.
I AM NOT SCREAMING.
I WILL NEVER BE P.C
THIS IS MY WAY

DU HELPED SHOOT US UN KNOWINGLY IN THE FOOT. NUFF SAID.

THE MARSHES VACANT OF DUCKS DONT LIE.

Hunted Kentucky and Missouri this year. All we saw and shot was mallards. Where are all the grey ducks, pintails, teal, widgeon and what we call off ducks. Why don't the so called off ducks stay with the Mallards. Please advise

This Long Gun fellow sounds like a real "winner". LOL I think the old saying about opening your mouth you prove your an idiot applies in this case.

IF YOU LIKE BEING PART OF PROBLEM SEND DU MORE MONEY. IT WILL GUARENTEE LESS DUCKS DOWN HERE NEXT YEAR.THEY WILL GLADLY SPEND YOUR MONEY UPSTATE AND LUUGH THIER AZZ OFF CUZ THEY GOT ALL THE DUCKS.

BEFORE IN THE 60,70 AND 80'S THE DUCKS WERE HERE.. THIS NOT TOO HARD TO FIGURE OUT..THE MILDER WINTERS PLAY SOME PART ALSO.

YEA YOU THE WEENER OK ...

WANNA PLAY.
YOU KNOW IM GOOD FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF DAYS.


THE ONLY TIME YOU SHOW UP ON A POST IS TO PICK A FIGHT WITH SOME ONE.

THIS IS THE TRUE TRAIT OF AN IDIOT...THAT MEANS YOU ..
AND THAT JUST HAPPENED! LMAO

I agree with Gadwall. Technology is a HUGE factor in the lack of ducks in Louisiana. There are thousands of little ponds, nooks, and crannys in all the bays and lakes that we never knew about or never tried to get to back in the days because it was near impossible. Now, you just get in your mudboat, go devil, or airboat and pull into anyone of those impossible spots. The ducks used to have all these hidden places to sleep, eat, and relax without being shot at. Now they reallize they don't have these spots anymore so they don't hang around. In Venice there is significantly more birds than alot of other places because there is Federal Refuge where they can fly, eat, and relax without being shot at. Yes, alot of the birds don't get off the refuges once they are there but they still attract more birds to stay in the area, therefore giving us more of a shot to shoot more birds. Things were alot better when it was all duckboats and pirogues.

I personally think that the surveys that say there are 30+ million birds are b.s. There might be large numbers of birds stacked up in one particular area that you know of...but if we really had 30+ MILLION birds, everyone should be killing ducks!

The Pintail and Teal go on into Mexico and Central America where they are protected by no shooting because of the economy there.

The Grey Duck and the Widgeon are everywhere, but range constantly, never staying in one place for long no matter how "good" it gets. That's just the way they are.

Mallard Ducks on the other hand, are social gatherers and tend to congregate with others like them, mainly in and around the upper flyways in Missouri, Oklahoma and N. Arkansas. It is my opinion that no more than 30% of the Mallard population comes more south each year than Mid Arkansas. This includes both classes of Mallard. The corn feeding, reservoir Mallard and the hardwoods timber Mallard.

Your "OFF Ducks" such as Dogris, BlackJacks, Ringnecks and Spoonbills abound here in the open waters in large numbers where very few hunters tend to set up. Just today, out in front of Joshua's I saw 4 different rafts of dogris that totalled at least 1500 birds.

Woodducks have been, at least from my viewpoints, the most unpredictable duck that comes this far. Yes, there are a lot that stay here, but in some years the bottoms are inundated with thousands of Woddies and some years they are vacant. To that I don't have a clue.

Now, Long Gun, remember your blood pressure. You don't want to get over extended in this tit-for-tat discussion between the have and have-nots here. Take you a chill pill and let it all settle. I'd really like you to come down and fish with me again with your bride! Ya just ain't gonna be able to roller skate in this buffalo heard, my friend!

Nonone here is thinking on the other side of the box for DU; that is saving habitat. I think the biggest problem is what a few others mentioned duck hunting is a huge BUSINESS now. All those yankees finally realized how great and addicting duck hunting can be and the ducks are getting hammered all the way down. 10 years ago there were no where near the hunters as now not even around here. Marketing is to blame, there are tons of videos and products especially for duck hunters. When I started 16 years ago if your dad didn't duck hunt you probably didn't really know about it. Sure DU does help some clubs but there are tons of other guys just like us who are doing everything they can to hold ducks from Canada down on there own private lands. I am an Environmental and Sustainable Resource major at ULL and it just so happens that in my Wetlands Soils class today we were talking about wetland loss here are numbers straight from my notes:
1950 - 1970 loss of 185,000 hectres of wetland loss per year that's a size = to Massachusetts, Conneticut, and Rhode Island together
1980 - 1990 47,000 hectres a year
late 1980s major effort on wetland restoration and creation
Think about it like this DU helped change the dominant social paradigm that wetlands were a very important resource. If DU and the government didn't help save wetlands than agriculture and development would have continued to devestate the breeding grounds for ducks and duck numbers would probably be too low to even hunt. We can't change the fact that duck hunting has caught on up north and we can't change global warming which are the two biggest problems. The only way we will have decent seasons is to make sure there are lots of ducks so some will inevitably show up down here. They might not be mallards but we are duck hunters not greenhead hunters, I'll take a mixed bag of greys, widgeon, teal, and pintail anyday. Just realize its a changing game and everyday will be different, with all the pressure I think the birds are moving in mass on a daily basis, and of course harder to hunt. If anything a few bad seasons will weed out all the guys who don't have duck hunting in their veins. Guys like coot, papa p, g zeringue, cajunism and I will still be at it even if the limit is 3 cause its not just about numbers or mallards. Also lets ban the robo duck and maybe drop the limit to 5 that would probably help a whole hell of alot.

I am a DU member and I think they do good work. The problems if there are ones are hunting pressure, loss of habitat, and the mild winters of the last 15-20 yrs. To say that LA, MS, and ARK are barren of ducks is ignoring all the reports of successful hunters on this site. Are all these people lying or smoking crack? It is not as easy as it once was because of more hunters hunting less habitat with warmer weather.

Guy L is right, its a combination of lots of factors some national and some local, DU dumping corn in heated ponds is a little over the edge, but then again the Capt. will go there from time to time. I spent a week in Saskatchewan and we saw ducks and geese that blackened the skies for miles and miles. Those areas are still producing tons of ducks. Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast is not the same as it was 30 years ago, vast areas from the Maurpas swamp to Terrebonne marshes that held tremendous wintering populations of ducks are more salty now, hence no feed and no mallards and other puddle ducks. Farmers along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers see a cash cow now in duck hunters so they're manipulating their crops and water levels to hold wintering ducks, not too different to what the La. rice farmers do. Its many things from Canada to Venice. To put the blame on DU is a reach at best, even the Mayor is right, it'll never be the same again.

For all you cyber cowboys that think typing in CAPS is screaming, all you have to do is get you some cyber EAR PLUGS.

First off, I send money to DU and Delta.

Secondly, I'm happy to see that more and more people are taking a more educated and reflective approach to the decline of duck hunting in La, instead of just blaming the Federal Government, DU, Delta and other organizations that seek to preserve duck numbers.

In the mid to late 80's I hunted the Atch. Delta exclusively. The ducks were kinda scarce, the limits low, but they're weren't many hunters and only a few had go-devils. The ducks came onto the flats and rafted up in the shallow water bays. Hunting quality was generally good due to the lack of pressure. You don't see that very often anymore and the reasons of pressure, shallow draft motors short stopping and hunter density have already been discussed.

I quit sending money to ducks unlimited a couple of years ago when i found out. I wouldn't mind sending money if they would use some of it to help our state. why not help with coastal erosion and stop the salt water from getting in coastal ponds. we use to have ducks but pav bet by the time they realized the water had salt in it they all died of high blood pressure. Ha Ha. No but on a serious note i went ride on my lease saturday with my mudboat in the saltwater and to my suprise i actually seen more duck than i seen all year. to late, we need a later season.

I had a pretty good season this year but it should be better.What do you guys think about skipping a season and giving the birds a break?It seems like if we let that many birds return to Canada to breed there would be alot more the following year returning to where they didn't get shot at.Any opinions?

Alot of excellent points have been made and when you add all of them up they make sense. When hunting on public land I also see alot of sky busting as pointed out earlier and to me that makes alot of difference. The ducks get wild and fly much higher alot earlier on. If people would jsut be a little more patient we would all be better off.

Also, the production of ethanol and the high value of corn will shake things up alot. ALot, and I think this year you might see some differences. Those standing fields of unharvested corn some of you mentioned might not go unharvested anymore. If its all about the money, the landowner will see it pays to cut the corn instead of his contract to leave it standing, and yes, when you harvest it the combine loses some, but not that much.

The ducks might spread out more if more farmers convert back to corn, and there might be some more attractive spots along the flyway for the shortstoppers to compete with and we might have a better chance down here. Time will tell.

HEHHEHEHE.LOL

TOOK A 100 MILI GRAM THIS MORNING.


TO THE POSTER ABOUT ALL THE SUCESSFUL HUNTERS WHO POSTED GOOD HUNTS.

DUDE YOU WOULDNT KNOW A GOOD HUNT IF IT JUMPED UP AND BITT YOU.

IN THE 70'S AND 80'S THIS SITE DID NOT EXSIST..AND IF IT DID WE WOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS DEBATE.ALL THE PROOF WUOLD BE IN THE PICTURES OF THIER ARCIVES.

WHEN YOU CAN SIT IN A BLIND HUNTING THE DREADED POINT SYSTEM AND STILL SELECT THE BIRDS YOU KILL AND BE BACK AT THE CAMP FOR 8'30 AM ....THATS A HUNT.

THAT MEANS GREYS ,PINTAIL,TEAL , MALLARDS,WIDGONS..SHOVLERS ALL IN ONE PLACE...AND FOR YOUR FYI IS NOW BARREN OF DUCKS.

ONE WOULD COME TO THE CONCLUSION SOMTHING REALY WENT WRONG...YOU THINK?

You hit the nail on the head. I get disgusted to see a duckhunter in south Louisiana with a Ducks Unlimited Decal on his back glass. Does he not know what his money that he is sending to these guys is doing to our waterfowl hunting here in Louisiana?

Go get a go-devil barge blind and 10 dozen decoys and get away from the shorelin and limits will come. It is what it is so stop crying and adapt. Money is the key here not whining.

I believe along with everyone else that much of the ducks are being shortstopped. I do however, believe it is ridiculous to blame a single organization for this.

I can guarantee you if you add up all the duck habitat today and compare it to the 50’s and 60’s there’s much less habitat today. The difference I believe is where the food is at.

I believe changes in farming practices is the most important aspect of what we’re seeing today. I read a good article a few years ago, I believe it was in a Delta Waterfowl magazine, entitled “The Great Plow”. I don’t remember all the details. But when farmers lose cattle to a blizzard, they are not subsidized by the government. When a farmer loses a crop, he would be partially subsidized. Cattle ranchers started catching on to this. Therefore the prarie grasslands that were such important breeding habitat was plowed over and agricultural crops were planted. Now you have less breeding habitat.

Thankfully DU has worked with many of these farmers to prevent the plowing of these very important grasslands. So if you would stop thinking about how many ducks are making it to your pond and realize how few ducks we may have if it not for DU conserving as much breeding habitat as it has, you’ll realize DU isn’t the big evil here.

On top of "The Great Plow" you have changes in farming practices (no-till farming) that lead to more food remaining on the ground.

Also take into account the number of people hunting these days. I made a trip out to West Oklahoma earlier this season. I was hunting with a guy I met on Typhunters. He was telling me of some land they used to hunt but it was sold to some guy from Texas and now they can’t hunt on it.

Well low and behold after the hunt we met him. He was telling us of his plans to bulldoze around a little creek bed, put in a dam and flood several hundred acres. This is happening all up and down the flyway. People themselves are creating habitat so they can hunt.

There isn’t a single one of you out there that wouldn’t flood one of your fields if you knew it would attract ducks and you’d be able to hunt on your own private property. Every duck hunter would do it if they were capable and every nonhunter would do it if it meant they could make a good bit of money.

These are the problems not DU. I don’t agree with everything DU has done in the past, but they are a small part of the problem and have contributed more towards the solution than the problem.

As far as waste grain dumping, that was another issue that mostly occurred in Canada. DU would dump grain near agricultural fields to stop geese from destroying crops. The moment crops were harvested prior to hunting season, the dumping was stopped.

It sounds like that some people believe if it isn't easy, it isn't a good hunt. If you are looking for easy, try Winn Dixie.
By the way, I'm 55 years old and remember the 60's, 70's and 80's just fine. I had a hunt this year where I had 3 greys, 2 teal and a pintail 19 min. after legal shooting time. It was both my best hunt and my most boring hunt of the year. Working hard for 3 ducks can be great fun if you are more into hunting than killing.

Its also a lot about Greed. Most of the hunters want all the ducks in their pothole. They want to shoot 6 ducks every hunt and then complain about it when they don't.

The hunters up north normally only get to hunt for part of their season. One guy I know from Iowa gets to hunt a couple weeks and then all his ponds and creeks are frozen.

If a few less ducks makes it to the gulf coast and he gets to shoot a few more ducks so be it. We get to complain about only shooting 30-40 ducks a year when he brags about getting to shoot 10. You can bet at the end of the year Louisiana will once again be at or near the top as far as numbers of ducks killed.

I also remember when the grass in flat lake and grassy lake was almost thick enough to walk across. For some reason around 2000 the grass started disappearing and so did the poul d'eau and the ducks. I noticed the duck lease I used to hunt in used to be stopped up with grass. It was a chore to get to the blind. Now there is nothing. I believe saltwater intrusion may be the culprit at many of these coastal leases as well.

I find it hard to believe its salinity levels killing the grasses in Grassy Lake and Flat lake, but what could it be?

But who knows, I haven't been to either in years, has the grass come back? I just know I noticed a direct correlation with the numbers of ducks we were seeing and the amount of grasses in the lakes.

I,m with you bingo. You can not expect to kill a limit every time you hunt. Especially if you quit early. We killed alot of limits this year, but we put our time in. Most of our birds were killed between 9 and 12. There were alot of hunts that we did not even set up until after 8. I understand what these other guys are saying and there info is correct, but if you put in the time and can be patient your success rate will get better.

there are more birds now than there were in the late '80's yet i saw a lot more ducks then.. seems like as soon as they went to six bird limit, it all shut down.. back then, DU was all the rage because someone needed to fix the duckhunting.. shoot, i loved the three bird limit.. didn't have near the amount of fools hunting and you always got your limit and they were nice birds.. we'd let teal fly through by the hundreds.. didn't even think about woodies.. well, anyway, DU was the great savior and hunters started pouring money into without regard.. DU got BIG.. maybe too big.. just thinking on the land issue.. for all of you that think that DU is so great and wonderful because they set land aside for duck breeding and that's why we should send them more money, think about this.. DU has an agenda of making great duck hunts for people with deep pockets.. shoot, more breeding grounds don't mean squat to me if the ducks never get here because of the very organization that is supposed to be helping ducks.. another thing, those of you that don't believe a wildlife population can be adversely affected by a group of people need to look at wildlife history.. wildlife respond to what people do.

A few facts: 1.In the 1800's-early 1900's there was uncontrolled market hunting that almost wiped them out, limits had to be set.2. Less hunters back then, no one could afford a nice Model 12 for $97.00. Now its high pressure with $2,000 Benelli's 3. Most of the land was not posted or owned by hunting clubs like it is now. 4. DU is not altogether shortstopping them up north. I came back from a DU habitat just north of Alexandria weekend before last. 5. Whatever little public land is now left is not planted & maintained like private duck hunting leases, which will attract more ducks, DUH!! Presently in Louisiana there are very few WMA's for hunters. Most "guaranteed" hunts are "pay to hunt" lodges or guide services on private land. Arkansas has vast flooded timber WMA's open to the public that are flooded each season for hunting. The mallards fill them after feeding in the surrounding rice filds each morning. I hunt there in the Bayou Meto WMA (31,000 acres) and can't complain one bit. This is exactly the same scenerio with deer hunting and they don't migrate from the north each year. You want a trophy rack, you have to pay one way or another, either be in on a lease or a guided hunt.

Obviously there are a ton of us that are passionate about our sport and the lack of birds. What has the Great State of Louisiana done for Duck Hunting in our State? Other States put a tremendous amount of resources towards the improvement of duck habitat, collecting biological data, fighting non-native species,setting up areas for handicap, public hunting including building blinds, decoys etc. Tell me what this state has done of any significance. The swamps are covered in salvina, the natural flow of water in and out which flushed the swamps has been stopped, salt water is in places it shouldn't be, killing all food, water hyacinths cover ponds and make navigation impossible, alligator grass is taking over ponds, nutria are eating out the marsh. For example,the state of Missouri has 17 conservation areas which are actively maintained and control for the public specifically for duck hunting they plant and flood crops, build blinds and manage this are for ducks (please go to http://www.mdc.mo.gov/cgi-bin/mdcdevpub/apps/wtrfwl/main.cgi for more info.) Here is an excerpt from Grand Pass CA in Missouri. Sat Dec 22 2007 comment for Grand Pass CA: "Current area population is 210,000 ducks. Currently accommodating 40 parties and hunting Pools 3, 4, 5, 5 West, 6 and TIII. Area is approximately 99% ice covered, with ice ranging from 1 to 6 inches in thickness. Hunting conditions are difficult in all pools. Draw time is 4:45 AM Dec. 16 through Dec. 24. Grand Pass C.A. will be closed to waterfowl hunting on Dec 25. For current area waterfowl hunting information contact the GP Hunter Hotline at (660) 595-2437."

Please note that the area is 99% ice covered and still is holding 210,000 birds on only 5300 acres of land. Apparently, cold weather, ice is not enough to make the birds come south.

Our state doesn't do anything like this. Show me one improvement our state has done in S.E. LA. Our state needs to step up to the plate and actually create and implement a statewide plan for the specific management of waterfowl before it becomes too late like it did with the Canada Geese.

I have a different twist on the saltwater intrusion theory than most. I hunt in Delacroix, which for all intensive purposes would be considered "brackish". When the Canarvan freshwater diversion first opened, it seem like a good thing for the ever encrouching "saltwater intrusion" and coastal erosion. But I am here to tell you from a waterfowlers point of view, it has been a nightmare! First and formost, the marsh has completely changed from a traditional wiregrass saltmarsh, to a fresh marsh consisting of starnge plants and grasses. I know what you're thinking - how can that hurt things? In teal season the marsh is green and vibrant, only the vegetation is not able to handle the occasional high (salty) tidal surges we generally get that time of year. These peavine, bull tongue, 3 corner grasses are very fragile and die off quickly - leaving extensive "pancaked" flattened marsh (no cover). It makes it tough to "blind up" or just get hidden in any way without looking unnatural.

Lets talk about what this "freshmarsh" has equated to in terms of Post Katrina: It is profoundly destroyd with huge acrages lost completely. All you have to do is look at before and after airel photo of this area to see what areas were spared and what areas were destroyed. Its easy: the fresh marsh areas closer to Canarvan were devastated while areas on the outskirts (lower Delacroix) were virtually unscathed. So the point here is that the fresh marsh is much weaker than a solid "saltmarsh". Oh yeah, as far as the ducks - I haven't seen so few grey ducks in my life since the diversion has been pumping. I see mostly teal and mottled ducks, very few widgeon, pintail, spoonies etc... It used to be common to kill a full 4 man limit of solid greys - this season collectivly, we shot maybe 6 greys.

Lets talk about aquatic grasses. I still have huge mats of coontail grass and some widgeon grass. The diversion definitely made these grasses explode (not the widgeon grass, it declined). But as of this season we have a new and very unwelcome friend: water hyithcins (water lillies). They are everywhere down there and I don't ever recall seeing any of this stuff pre-K. This is a very bad thing for the whole Delacroix complex, including fish populations. I guess I will need to look into an airboat next season if I intend on hunting. As I understand it, the "mud motors" do not handle the really high lillies very well. I was completely blocked out during my opening morning teal hunt.

I know a lot of you guys had great seasons in Canarvan and Reggio, but my season was by far the worst I have ever had in 15 season on the lease.

I did want to add that I strongly agree with what some folks are saying here about hunting longer and going out later, killing most ducks in late morning and early afternoon. This seems to be true everywhere in SE LA. Its friggin' crazy - we're talking in terms of deer hunting strategies to successfully hunt ducks! The ducks are going nocturnal! Get your nightvision goggles to go with your 10 ga, robo-duck and Hyperdrive -w/fastgrass blind! Just jokin' guys - but I'm not feeling to good about the future of a passion of mine. WATERFOWLING.

i hear all these stories of ducks 10+ years ago and i just frown..im 16 and i wish i could have seen it then...i live not 5 minutes away from the maurepas swamp wma where my uncle and dad have stories on top of stories of ducks from the lutcher gramercy swamp..now you barely see a woodie...we've been huntin the wax for a couple years now and they say its just not the same as a good timber hunt...i've only been introduced to duck huntin about 4 years ago and its in my blood....nothin excites me more than a duck hunt..most people my age just want to kill kill kill...i just like being out there in the marsh...whether i kill 1 duck or 6 im happy...people say im crazy and obsessed but hey thats just me...i can identify just about any kind of duck in flight and know what it is before it hits the water...i have all my own equipment and i wish i could be in the marsh everyday..granted i had a bad season...good thing i shot decent cause it would have been really bad...i wish it would go back to like it was but it wont...just have to be thankful we still have some ducks to enjoy...i would be for later season because this is our coldest part of the year and when the ducks really start piling up

greenhead61 your comments is the exact reason I come to this site. I try to spread good ethical sportsman like hunting state wide so kids like you and my great great grand children down the road dont have to hear stories like the ones you do. I want you and the generations after me to me able to make stories about awesome hunts. But I get bashed for my QDM (Quaility Deer Managment)views. I get bashed because I know (not think) that DU has done a diservice to the people of Louisiana. When I was your age I did have the best Louisiana had to offer Ducks in every pot hole and Great bucks to hang on the wall in every swamp. Then poor managment and ethics kicked in in the mid 60's 70's and 80's and Duck population fail to all time lows. People killing over the limit times 10 everyday of the week. Then DU funneled louisiana money into the mid-america states and farmland and saltwater intrusion started taking away good marsh land and you my son are left with nothing more than stories. That is why I push so hard for QDM now. We have a great popualation of Deer and it could be the best in the nation if people would allow small bucks and your good breeder does walk. DOG hunting eradication is the next step to better deer managment. Its coming its just a slow process. You cant have the mind set that if I let this animal pass the next person will shoot it. You have to say wow that deer is gonna be so much bigger next year and have a chance to breed and make others. Next time your in a stand or a blind remember son conservation and good management starts with you. If not 20 or 30 years from now when im dead and gone your gonna be the man with the story about how good Deer hunting used to be. Good Luck hunting son. It hearts my heart to read your post knowing it the fault of my generation. Im sorry. I try to do my part eveytime I step in the woods

We can bicker all we want about what happen's to the north but it wont make things better. I just checked the duck counts for jan and this is the lowest jan count since 1987 60% lower than last year.Its even lower than the counts did in december, one one-third of the malleds we normaly winter and 75% of the ducks counted in the state in the southwest. Now there are still plenty of ducks hear and you can still make amazing hunts, but some of the numbers stated above tell me somthings not right and I feel like we in this state are the one's to blame. Arkansas saw there duck numbers going down and they are proactive about stoping it they changed there season added more splits to decrease pressure said no mojo's and push for a flyway wide ban every year and limit out of state hunters. I for one feel that it would be a huge help to have a season with more splits to decrease pressure and no zones. In the past years the losse to our marsh has been horable,I mean isn't that why ducks winter hear in the first place. I dont think we do nearly what we need to agenst this threat,the more we loose the more the ducks are gonna winter else where in place's more sutable. If you look at other state's to the north they have created better habitate to increase there numbers, they have corn as far as the eye can see in parts of the mid west, arkansas has alot of rice production. Rice production in louisiana is going down its more about the crawfish because thats where they make there money when others make there's on ducks and rice. We have sugar cane and cotten which dont do anything for waterfowl they have corn and milo and soybeans. I think more people up there flood more fields and creat more man made duck refuge's for there own hunting and to hold ducks than we do, I know this year I saw alot less flooding and feilds being pumped than in the past. I think the WLF can do a better job with our wma's Implment more managed wetlands ,control water levels on some wma's implment more Agricutral operations's maybe even limit days you can hunt in certan area's. But there will be less birds mostly mallards and canada's coming south just simply because of weather and better area's to the north and more being shot from increased hunter numbers and pressure. We have the best duck hunting in this flyway but we cant let it slip away we cant control what happens out of our state but we can make what we have better , we just hafta get some new ideas. But the most realistic thing we can do is change the structure of our season to limit the pressure here so the birds stay and there will be beter hunting for all and even give you time during the splits to adjust and scout to stay on top of things.

I just can't resist. There are so many reasons that I actually hate discussing it because it just flat out bums me out. But here goes: We need less DU, we need less pressure, no more go-devils in the marsh to scare birds, no airboats, two seasons off, saltwater intrusion we need cold weather, no more arkansas short stopping, we need longer seasons, no more mojo. What does that sound like........buncha sissies.
We need to hunt more, we need to adjust, we need to want it, we need to luv it, we need to live it! Don't do it guys, don't analyze the season by the number of birds ya ground checked.
Analyze it as I do, I remember the BLIND TALK...."Man that was great", "Wow, those birds wanted it", "7 Greys at 9 o'clock","I left the beer in the boat", "Where is the flashlight", "Ground Check", "Cut'em", "Got any bourbon for that coffee", "Hand me the push pole", "My body hurts", "F#@% it's cold", "We just got buzzed", "Look at that dead duck fly", "On three, ONE,TWO,BLAM, Sorry,I couldn't wait", "I got sardines an crackers", "Stay Still!" "Tak'em", "Mature Greys,on a string, comin' in", "Call'em, Quack'em", "I can't find my call!", "Gimme a smoke", "wanna go in da morning?", "Got clearence?". Ya gotta luv that, doesn't it just put it in perspective. Just love it, don't forget it, it will carry you through till next teal season!
Gary Zeringue

I think you have most of it right. No matter what we blame it on I think we can all agree that we dont have the ducks we had in the past. I would like to see 3 splits, no mojos, and some type of lottery hunt on the reserves. Watch what will happen over the next 2 weeks, ducks will show up everywhere and some will say they "just got here from the north" when I think they have been here all along but rafted up in spots that had no hunting pressure. Now that the pressure is off they spread around and we think they just showed up. We need to get together soon or the sport we all love is going to continue to get worse.

oldtimer...i've gotten some insight out of your posts too...i've been to TB a few times fishing but never huntin...sounds like yall did pretty good this year up there..the sport is dying if we dont do somethin about it....i know around here salvania has just taken over everything...we need a diversion from the mississippi river to help flush out the swamp..supposedly we have one coming in our area..maybe it will revive it some..the wlf or government officials or whoever is responsible needs to step in and actually do the projects instead of "proposing" them...i know the greenheads will probably never be the same but i have no problem with shooting greys, wigeon, and pintail....9 months is a long time till november..my bass tournaments are startin up soon but it just isnt like being in the duck blind..and i truly love to fish

and the pintail that i mounted is almost done guys...lookin for a piece of drift wood and i'll post the finished product

I think now wer'e on to something, it's not DUs fault. How many of you think that without DU it would be better, I sure don't. I think without DU it would be alot worse. Without DU there would be alot less wetlands for production which equals fewer birds. Its mostly people like us who are the ones shortstopping the birds they would still be doing it without DU because they finally realized they could make money. A few of yall say back in the day Canadas made it down I think they changed their migration patterns before DU got big. The Natural Resources Conservation Service also helps farmers with shortstopping birds with programs like the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, Wetland Reserve Program, and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program. The EQIP program shares the cost of implementing Best Management Practices things like no till. The WRP pays farmers to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their properties instead of crops. There is an example of this in Gueydan right off the Hwy. The WHIP helps farmers improve on habitats on their properties often converting cropland cost share for these programs is up to 75 percent. These landowners are free to turn these spots into hunting leases so not only do they make money on crop loss they also make money on hunters. Noone here is bashing them for this, its all about money, unfortunately everything is. We should just take advantage of these services like every other state is. We should all band together and start our own club whose goal is to make LA duck paradise again. Like someone else said these other states are doing things to attract ducks and we are going the opposite way. I definately notice a decline in rice in the Kaplan area where I hunt there are alot of old ponds that are just overgrown grass the last couple years. All we need is for someone with power/influence and we can get things going the right way. I think we are somewhat cursed in the fact that we have such a big hand in the petroleum industry and that's what the powerful people are worried about. Down here there's more money in that than duck hunting at the moment.

Well Said G Zeringue...Too much bickering and not enough enjoying

blah! if you really HAVE to have great duck hunting time to move up north where the greenheads now live! i think it's global warming, maybe if we all donate to help our carbon footprint the ducks will come back! lol j/k

How about all the clubs ,and cooling lakes up here.There is an overabundance of open water here.A lot of rich clubs feed and provide open water for the ducks.Unless we get a lot of snow the ducks do not leave.I hope we get a good freeze and alot of snow before I go to louisiana in January.

Bump...

I think Zerangue's got it. Problem is you have too many people calculating the cost per pound instead of just enjoying the hunt. Hell, I don't even like to clean more than three ducks at a time anymore.

I said this on a previous post but I think it bears repeating.

My son and I were returning home last weekend after our last deer hunt. This is the first year he hasn't killed a deer and you know what he said to me? DAD THIS IS THE BEST HUNTING YEAR EVER!!!!!! He then started remembering the hunt in the snow (in Lousiana), the three 200+ pound deer that hag at the camp this year, seeing (and letting walk) lots of does and yearlings enjoying the wildlife, his first bobcat in the wild, more duck hunts with his uncle than he ever remembered, two kids getting their first deer at the camp, the suppers at the camp. You know, the important stuff like that. I turned to him and said, IT'S THE BEST HUNTING SEASON I'VE EVER HAD TOO!!!!

Kinda makes you think you did a little right when a 14 year old understands more than some 30 year olds do. Yep, makes me some proud of that boy and assures me that I will always enjoy a spot next to him in the field!!!!!!

OK guys, first of all the weather. How many of you have had hunts where is was 65 degrees, clear skies, and hardly any wind, and you slammed the ducks. I think I have had more unbelievable hunts when the weather is like that, then when it is the "ducky" weather. Weather does affect how the ducks move, but I don't think it does as much as we believe it to. Another thing is that someone on here said something about taking a Go-devil pontoon blind and 10 dozen decoys and going out into open water. That will only get them smarter. They will learn soon what is going on.
When people are saying that the ducks are up north, ask those people up north what type of birds. I bet you that they will say mallards. Pintails and teal go to South America. All of your other ducks stay here but are scattered. People do not realize how much land is on the coast and everywhere else. Ducks are scattered everywhere. I firmly believe that we get our migration down here and those ducks move from east to west. Everyone I have talked to from central Arkansas to Ohio says that they are still holding large amounts of malllards.