Features from October 2023
Biologists give their reports for the annual WMA Small Game Hunting Guide. Giving Louisiana hunters the outlook for squirrels and rabbits.
As days turn a little cooler and shorter, bass fatten up on shad before the winter. Find the shad and find the bass.
Early season archery hunting can often times be the most difficult time of the hunting season to be successful.
The 2023-24 deer season is upon us and it will be interesting to see what kind of season it is following months of severe drought conditions.
Blustery post-front conditions are no guarantee of a hefty duck haul, warm weather patterns with other wind directions have produced also.
The LDWF issued the state’s first-ever permit to stock hatchery-raised redfish. The initial stocking will be limited to Calcasieu Lake.
The months of low river water set up a favorable inshore salinity gradient for larger speckled trout this October.
Columns - October 2023
- Biden's administration has interpreted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in a way that draws the ire of wildlife and fisheries agencies.
- Aaron Pierce built one of the most popular popping corks, the Four Horsemen Tackle Popping Cork. He's now created the Boom Boom Shrimp.
- On a recent trip, Capt. Shane York and Todd Masson made the journey to the edge of Barataria Bay for bull reds.
- October is the tenth month of deer season. Deer are fair game and Louisiana hunters are up and at ‘em and ready to hunt.
- Archery hunters have three types of release aids to choose from. Which works best for you?
- Will proposed new regulations end the iconic Cajun Sleigh Ride, a highly revered right of passage for coastal Louisiana kayak anglers.
- American opossums are fur-bearing animals who eat ticks, but not as a favor to humans.
- It didn’t take Jason Thornton long before he developed his own version of meat pies. But they would include venison instead of beef.
Outdoor Updates - October 2023
- Curtis Franklin of Abita Springs hooked a 33.8-pound tripletail south of Venice. It should be the new No. 6 in the state.
- The majority of ducks outfitted with tracking units are hens, thus hunters are encouraged to give hens a pass in the name of conservation.
- A vast area of pine plantations north of Lake Charles became engulfed when a fire was reported in the area of the Tiger Island Hunting Club.
- Hunters need to be aware of the new rules and regulations on Dewey W. Wills WMA for the upcoming waterfowl seasons.
- Allen Joseph Lottinger, the publisher and founder of Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on Sept. 8, 2023.
Hot Spots - October 2023
- With hydrilla returning en masse to Toledo Bend, good-sized bass fall for topwaters more and more as water temperatures fall in October.
- Bill McCarty is dreaming about cooler days and putting sac-a-lait in the boat, either from the Bayou Black area or Bateman Island.
- While the oppressive temperatures drop and we move into October, Venice fishing not only heats up but continues to sizzle.
Field Notes - October 2023
- Grayson Bonfils of Baton Rouge plans to fish his senior season with the Central High School Bass Fishing Team.
- Dale Bordelon, a resident of Effie, loves hunting out of a dugout pirogue made from a tree right from the swamp.
- The Little Missouri River located in southwestern Arkansas has about six miles of trout water below Lake Greeson’s Narrows Dam.
- Biology supervisor Mitch McGee believes this squirrel hunting season will be better because Big Lake WMA had an improved mast crop in 2022.