Access to pothole hunting along Beouf River is by boat, so for people not familiar with the area finding a launch is necessary.
Branton and Bordelon recommend two launch sites. One is directly into Boeuf River off of Louisiana State Highway 4 east of Columbia. Hunting can be done both upriver and downriver (where they hunt).
A three-lane boat ramp is located at Harrisonburg Recreation Area, located on Highway 922 across the Ouachita River from Harrisonburg. Hunters using this ramp will have to travel up the Ouachita River seven miles to the fork of the Ouachita and Boeuf rivers, then up Boeuf River.
Two campgrounds are located within driving distance: one on Boeuf Wildlife Management Area and another at Turkey Creek Park in Wisner.
The nearest motels are in Columbia or Winnsboro.
The men note that hunting regulations are different on the Boeuf Wildlife Management Area, which with its 50,971 acres takes up most of the west bank of the river. Most notably, waterfowl hunting must cease on the WMA at 2 p.m.
They urge hunters to check Louisiana Department of Wildlife regulations for the area. Boeuf WMA also has several waterfowl impoundments (greentree reservoirs) managed for ducks. Walking in to these from the river is an option.
If the river is moderately high, access is easy, as outboards can be driven directly into the potholes. At lower river stages, most of the potholes are separated from the river by a narrow sandbar, so prudent hunters bring pirogues unless they know the river is high enough for easy entry.
Potholes along the river are fairly numerous and well defined. Hunters claim spots on a first-come-first served basis. If other hunters are set up in one, local custom dictates that later arrivals move on to another pothole. That isn’t really a problem because there are no real honey holes.
“When the birds are here,” Branton said, “they are here. One pothole is pretty much as good as another. It can be phenomenal.”