Many hunters were disappointed with the West Zone opening of the duck season, with most reports being of dismal numbers.
“Hunted north of Kaplan, (and) what an opener,” LouisianaSportsman.com user mr-crappie wrote yesterday. “Five hunters Saturday (killed) two bluewing teal; four hunters Sunday … didn’t see a duck.”
were about the same in the Bayou Black marsh south of Houma, according to getreel.
“Well (I) made a hunt this morning on our property in Orange Grove,” getreel wrote. (I) got out a little late, but that didn’t matter: There were absolutely no birds! I shot one ringneck, and that’s it. Had a flock of teal and a flock of whistlers come in fairly close, but didn’t want to shoot and have to walk way in the marsh to get them.
“Overall today SUCKED!”
However, there were those who enjoyed good hunting.
“(I) took Uncle Terry down to the duck lease Saturday and Sunday, (and) we killed limits both days,” Chackbaywuna_B wrote. “Saturday, we had 10 teal,on grey and one shoveler. Sunday, we had 10 Greys, one Widgeon, and one Dogris.”
Those conflicting reports mimic the mixed results of the November waterfowl survey conducted by Department of Wildlife & Fisheries personnel, who counted an estimated 1.34 million ducks earlier this month.
Those numbers reflect an increase compared to last November but a drop in every other respect.
“The estimate of 1.34 million ducks on this survey is 40 percent higher than last November’s record low of 958,000 (and was) slightly lower than the most-recent five-year average (1.43 million birds), and (was) well below the long-term November average of 2 million ducks,” the report explains.
The bright spot in the survey was in the number of bluewings.
“The (estimated) 598,000 … blue-winged teal is nearly five times the long-term November average of 125,000 …, and surpasses the previous record high of 586,000 estimated in 1973,” according to the report.
However, biologists pointed to that species’ increased presence as the main factor in the overall increased count versus last November.
“The difference in estimated bluewings (598,000 vs. [2008’s] 113,000) accounts for almost all of the difference between this and last November’s survey totals,” the report reads. “Without the large increase in numbers of bluewings, this survey would have been lower than last year’s record low.”
Biologists did report a significant increase in diving ducks from 19,000 last November to 40,000 this year and a jump in mottled duck numbers from 51,000 this time last year to 70,000 this November.
The coastal distribution of ducks was solidly in favor of hunters on the southwestern part of the state, with 85 percent of the birds counted along the coast found in that area.
“Probably due to very high water levels in the coastal marsh and higher-than-normal shallow flooding in the agricultural areas just north of the marsh, the majority of ducks were counted in the flooded agricultural areas,” biologists reported. “Large concentrations both on and off the transect lines were observed in the fields south of Welsh over to southwest of Crowley, and a very large group of mostly bluewings was encountered north of Intracoastal City.”
The concentration of birds in those agricultural fields left little for hunters in the southeast.
“We had received reports of good numbers of ducks around Delacroix and in a few areas near the mouth of the Mississippi River prior to the survey, but saw disappointing numbers there, possibly due to the storm surge from Tropical Storm Ida,” the report states.
Biologists also pointed out that ducks on Catahoula Lake were almost non-existent, with the estimate sitting at only 7,000 birds. They pointed to high water levels as a possible reason for the lack of concentrated flocks.
In Northeast Louisiana, biologist counted an estimated 123,000 ducks, reflecting a 14-percent drop from this time last year.
There also were 49,000 geese in this part of the state, a number that is reportedly the lowest in the past five years.
“Extensive flooding was seen in the Ouachita River, Bayou Lafourche and Boeuf River drainages, inundating agricultural fields in some areas, but overall there was not widespread flooding of fields across much of the northeast survey area,” the report states. “The largest concentrations of birds were noted at Delta and Saline Farms near Catahoula Lake and in the flooded fields west of Hebert.
“Otherwise, birds were scattered throughout the region on managed water.”
In the northwest, only 5,250 ducks were counted. This reflects a drop of more than 50 percent compared to the last four November surveys. However, aircraft scheduling problems meant that Toledo Bend and some other traditionally surveyed areas were missed.
In this admittedly “abbreviated” survey of the northwest, the bulk of the birds were found along the Red River.
While the rains of October swelled available habitat and should translate into “excellent water levels in swamps and forested wetland areas,” biologists pointed out that the major push of birds hasn’t begun.
“Temperatures have been above normal in northern areas of the Mississippi and Central flyways, and the flooding we have seen in Louisiana has also occurred farther north,” according to the report. “Wet conditions have delayed harvest of crops and created additional habitat for ducks that may slow the migration into Louisiana.”
The estimates for Southwest Louisiana were:
- Mallards – 12,000
- Mottled ducks – 46,000
- Gadwalls – 293,000
- Wigeon – 3,000
- GW teal – 136,000
- BW teal – 537,000
- Shoveler – 51,000
- Pintail – 56,000
- Total dabblers – 1,134,000
- Scaup – 2,000
- Ringnecks – 31,000
- Canvasbacks – 0
- Total divers – 33,000
Southeast Louisiana estimates were:
- Mallards – 2,000
- Mottled ducks – 24,000
- Gadwalls – 63,000
- Wigeon – less than 1,000
- GW teal – 20,000
- BW teal – 61,000
- Shoveler – less than 1,000
- Pintails – less than 1,000
- Total dabblers – 170,000
- Scaup – 0
- Ringnecks – 0
- Canvasbacks – 0
Catahoula Lake estimates were:
- Mallards – 0
- Mottled ducks – 0
- Gadwall – less than 1,000
- Wigeon – 0
- GW teal – 0
- BW teal – 0
- Shoveler – 0
- Pintails – 0
- Total dabblers – 0
- Scaup – 0
- Ringnecks – 4,000
- Canvasbacks – 3,000
- Total divers – 7,000
Totals were:
- Southwest – 1,167,000
- Southeast – 170,000
- Catahoula Lake – 7,000
- Statewide total – 1,344,000