Biloxi WMA is by far the best public hunting I have done in LA. Low pressure, typically lots of birds, and a great mixed bag. It's also easy to get to. If you don't mind a little boat ride, it's worth it. You can get away from the masses, and don't have to worry about someone setting up 100 yrds away. Plenty of room. I've been telling people for years that they need to give it a try. The biggest problem with Biloxi is there are not enough people that hunt it, and ducks have too many places to sit. If more people hunted it, it would get even better. I find that better weather means better hunting in the Biloxi marsh only because there are more people fishing on those days. Helping to keep the birds moving.
Biloxi marsh is better if you are coming from far away and you dont have to paddle you can run your boat to the spot you want to hunt. Ducks hate pressure for sure. You can go to a wma like pearl or salvador loaded with feed and hardly no big ducks then go to biloxi where there is a smattering of widgeon grass sprouts and loaded with super size greys.
I agree that the hunting is probably better in Venice, but you aren't making a day trip to Vinice. It's not an easy trip, and rarely worth it unless you are going for 3-4 days. If I could hunt in Venice and be home every night, I would, but it's not an option for me and not an option for most. If you're looking for a one time trip, I say Venice, but if you're looking for a place to go every weekend, I say Biloxi marsh. I go to Venice every now and then, and almost always have great hunts, but it aint easy and is pretty big time investment.
Id agree that biloxi is a good area to hunt but i will have to dis-agree with the hunting pressure. last season biloxi marsh is all you saw and heard about. I hunt pretty deep in biloxi and had 4 blinds (a few pieces of brush stuck in the mud) in 4 different locataions. My first pond i never even got to hunt and was shot up on openenig weekend from people hunting 100 yrds from each other in that area, by the second weekend the blind was torn down, my second blind which i hunted had at least 2 hunters within 100 yrds every time i hunted, who liked to show up and ride through my decoys 10 mins beofore shooting time might i add. my 3rd pond didnt get messed with. My 4th pond which i have been hunting for years had 2 lucky boats of city slickers stuble across of it, first they tore down and moved my blind to hunt where they wanted to hunt. Then they started taking 2 boats with 6 people every chance they got and shot the hole 2 crap. Now i know it is public land and first come first serve, im fine with that. But if you see a blind that somebody put in the time to scout a pond and build a blind, dont go tear it up, dont go hunt 50 yards from it, and mostly dont go shoot a case of shells every hunt in somebodys blind . me personally, if i see a blind i go the other way because i no i bad it sucks to drive an hour in the truck and 45 mins in a boat to have somebody in your pond that you have been letting rest a week or so to hunt again. As stated beofre this particular WMA is huge and has plenty of area for hunters to be far enought away to not even hear a duck call. Until this year its almost been like i had a lease out there because nobody would set up in your spot or right on top of you.. Just remember to respect the fellow hunters especially if your new to an area
Im real hesitant to build a blind out there just because i know someone will hunt it and then once they do thats it they will do it again and again and tell their friends of all the ducks in the area. I just hunt out the boat blind so that it looks like nobody ever hunts the area and 9 times out of 10 if they dont have a blind most ppl wont hunt it either they will just keep riding till they find one. Whenever i see a blind you know it tips them guys off of how good an area it is. If id build a blind out of cane reeds id tear it down every day. Thats what i use to do in manchac and it worked too nobody ever hunted where i wanted to. Bring about a good bunch of 75 with you stick around the boat blind them ducks dont know you there. I cant say id never hunt someones blind because ive done it before during the week. However i wouldnt go before daylight and hunt it id give them at least chance to get it first. Sometimes i take a ride about 8 oclock and if nobody is in then ill make a hunt but not all the time maybe a few times a year.
The more people talk about it the more cyber scouters you'll find out there.
As far the time that some people arrive out there, I will say I work shift work and when I get there I get there. I don't go ride through someone's setup though. When we work nights sometimes we head out after we get off.
Also if I want to hunt a pond and someone put a blind in it and they aren't there I'm hunting it,that's the way it is out there. Not saying I'll hunt the blind but I'll hunt the pond If someone is there believe me I will not setup within 500 yards of them.
I hunt potholes out there and I drag to my spots so it's usually not a problem.
We also never hunt weekends out there.
Biloxi marsh in hopedale bring plenty ammo you will need it. Its a huge area you could hunt a different pond every day for five seasons and never hunt the same one twice if you really wanted to. Ive shot ducks from dawn to dusk in that place. You allowed to hunt evenings till end of LST. I admit though evenings are only half as good as mornings but you can still kill. Best time is 8 - Noon. Lots of greys, teal, shovlers, mottles, mergansers(cough), alot of buffleheads too. Shot a greater scaup out there to last year. Theres ponds in that place that are never even hunted all year. You can always hunt too no matter how far the water drops.