The planned drawdown of the Wham Brake Impoundment on the Russell Sage WMA near Monroe is almost complete, and engineers are currently on-site surveying potential spillway modifications, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.[…]
Despite an across-the-board decrease that biologists call insignificant, the annual count of duck populations has plenty of good news for waterfowl hunters.[…]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its report on 2013 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, with total numbers estimated at 45.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area.[…]
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission set the dates for the 2013-14 early migratory bird hunting seasons at their meeting yesterday.[…]
Waterfowl hunters received a special treat last week with the announcement that they will be allowed to kill six birds during the September teal hunting season instead of the four-bird bag that has been in effect for years.[…]
A section of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands is about to get a major shot in the arm.[…]
Louisiana’s John Newman has been elected chairman of the board for the national chapter of Ducks Unlimited, the organization announced.[…]
A federal program providing matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships for wetlands conservation projects lost its congressional authorization last year, but U.S. Sen. David Vitter is pushing to have it renewed. […]
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission was recognized by Ducks Unlimited last month reaching the $10 million mark for waterfowl habitat restoration.[…]
Five thousand duck hunters will be receiving surveys from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries as part of the annual waterfowl survey, the agency reported.[…]
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries has scheduled an April 4 meeting in Monroe during which the 2013-14 waterfowl hunting dates will be discussed.[…]
Late-season goose hunting is tough, even with the benefit of expert calling and prime locations. New birds are a long-forgotten luxury, and existing flocks have been educated by three months worth of advanced hunting-pressure classes.
Hunters can tip the odds of getting one last waterfowl shooting fix in their favor with a large decoy and rag spread, said Goose Guide Inc.’s Clint Matthew. The Kaplan native has been guiding hunters to robust bags of specklebellies and, to a lesser degree snow geese and lesser Canadas, for more than 20 years.[…]
Most duck hunters in South Louisiana would not be surprised to hear that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries duck estimate for January was below the long-term average and last January’s duck count.
The 2.62 million birds estimated to be in the state this January topped the December count in all areas except for Catahoula Lake, but results were 6 percent lower than the January 2012 estimate of 2.79 million waterfowl, the LDWF reported.
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Over the weekend, many East Zone hunters were greeted with fog and temperatures reflective of a nice late March morning when they headed to their blinds. […]
A duck hunt last week with Cajun Fishing Adventures’ Ross Montet in Buras featured low duck numbers, which wasn’t a surprise to the guide — even after a pack of nearly 100 gadwalls flared as his boat entered the open water near the launch.[…]
David Sims exchanged yodels with wary specklebellies, coaxing them ever closer to our pit blind. Stopping to catch his breath before starting another series of calls, he whispered to remind us, “Wait ’til I say shoot ’em.”
The crisp cold temperature, the light overcast and breezy conditions had birds on the move. The expanse of agricultural prairie swelled with the wild sounds of geese calling to one another in the atmosphere above.
And the bunch that Sims peeled away from the direction they were headed now seemed to like what he was telling them.[…]