Features from January 2024
- You need to use subtle tactics, decoy set-ups and calls the ducks haven’t heard or seen often to take late-season ducks.
- Late season can be very exciting hunting, but may require more effort to adjust your technique to match the habitat and deer movement.
- A day speckled trout fishing after a cold front can be just as productive as opting to wait for better conditions to make your next trip.
- When the north wind wails its cold, angry screams and drives water southward, redfish and other marine creatures must find deeper refuges.
- A late season squirrel hunt with dogs is a great way to teach the children to have fun in the outdoors and learn to hunt.
- In fishing, it is all about landing a double digit bass. Many Louisiana anglers find them at Caney Lake, Toledo Bend and Bussey Brake.
Columns - January 2024
- The Excel 1864 Switchblade is a game changer for waterfowl hunters that want to use their boats for more than just shooting ducks.
- Inspired and designed by bass pro Tyler Rivet, the Sucka Punch presents a different profile and a hook slot on the side.
- Kayak fishing in the winter can be fun and rewarding, but common sense must be applied. Carry some type of emergency bag.
- Outdoor writing is a dangerous business. Writing about the outdoor life and putting it down on paper for everyone to see and comment on.
- The heart-felt hope is that newly elected governor Jeff Landry appoints the just-right people to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.
- February is a great time to chase bushytails. This is when squirrel dogs get their chance, if they haven’t already.
- After multiple pizzas and plenty of trips to Chicago, I decided that a deep-dish pizza would be better suited for wild boar or venison.
Outdoor Updates - January 2024
- Ducks Unlimited was recently awarded $6.25 million from the NFWF to construct living shorelines and marsh terraces in Lafourche Parish.
- Russell Colvin was hunting his 25 acre tract in Union Parish on Nov. 2 when he shot a big 9-point trophy buck.
- On Nov. 8, Shea Harvey of Springhill shot this 11-point buck with a Howa 30.06 near Shongaloo in Webster Parish.
- William Cook was hunting on his 400 acre lease in Bienville Parish on Dec. 2 when he shot a big 13-point buck.
- Kelsie Dobernig was hunting on family land in Grant Parish when she downed a trophy 9-point buck on Nov. 7.
- Gemi Robinson was on a hunt with her dad in Bienville Parish when she shot a big buck that scored 159 3/8 on Nov. 12.
- Ralph Tucker with the 10-point buck he shot with his Thompson Center Pro Hunter 7mm mag on Nov. 15 in Union Parish
- Louisiana’s crappie harvest is vibrant, according to Robby Maxwell, an inland fisheries biologist who reported to the LWFC.
- Neal Richard shot this 10-point buck on his lease in Natchitoches Parish with his nephew's Savage 7mm 08.
- The LWFC amended a recent NOI dealing with redfish limits after a Legislative Oversight Committee kicked back the original NOI.
- Connor Triche, 12, of Madisonville used the kayak he bought with his own money to land this largemouth bass that weighed 10 pounds 2 ounces.
- Ryan Masters of Many downed this 11-point buck in Sabine Parish on Nov. 11, 2023. It was exactly 4 years after killing a similar buck.
- This year, the one and only Louisiana Sportsman Show will be held at the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge March 1-3, 2024.
- On Nov. 22, Craig Domingue was hunting at his hunting club in Beauregard Parish when he bagged a giant 22-point buck.
- Casey Carrington shot a 12-point buck with his Browning X-Bolt .308 at his hunting club in Sabine Parish on Nov. 14.
- On Nov. 30, Chris Lafitte of Bossier City was hunting in north Caddo Parish when he shot a 15-point trophy buck.
- Scott McMullen and his son, Johnnie, were hunting together in Union Parish when they both shot a trophy buck that scored 157 1/8 inches.
- On Nov. 11, Clint Holt, 7, was hunting with his brother and father in East Carroll Parish when he shot this big 14-point buck.
Hot Spots - January 2024
- Ron Castille explains how to fish on the Calcasieu River from the Moss Bluff public ramp south to the Saltwater Barrier at West Lake.
- Toledo Bend bass anglers are hoping for a January with warmer weather and a rising pool level to start off 2024.
- Lake D’Arbonne is one of the top places to catch crappie this time of the year according to Jimmy Watt of Bastrop.
Field Notes - January 2024
- A section of the old Bartholomew channel was dammed off years ago. Known as “The Cut-off,” it offers fishing for bass, crappie and bream.
- Alexandria Senior High School Fishing Team members Nicholas England and Tyler Medica are on a mission to win Angler(s) of the Year.
- This will be Dale Bordelon’s 50th duck hunting season. He loves teaching about the old ways and encouraging others to pass on the traditions.
- As the rich sediment is deposited at the mouth of Neptune Pass, substantial land is being built into Quarantine Bay.
- Large speckled trout are often found along rocky shorelines and jetties where mullet and croakers congregate.