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Started By
Message
1
Posted on 1/2/26 at 5:20 pm to SmackoverHawg
We’ve hunted more this season than in the past. It’s been spotty. I think I limited 1 time.
Killed 12 Sunday
Killed 2 Saturday.
Jr killed 6 Tuesday
4 today
Killed 12 Sunday
Killed 2 Saturday.
Jr killed 6 Tuesday
4 today
Posted on 1/2/26 at 6:18 pm to namvet6566
quote:
They. “AINT”. ??????
Ain't is a negative inflection for am, is, are, has, and have in informal English.
So sorry, I apologize. They have not made it down in decent numbers to our areas yet…
Posted on 1/3/26 at 11:17 pm to SmackoverHawg
Bad year for ducks
Posted on 1/4/26 at 10:30 am to tigerfoot
quote:
I’m a duck hunting lover. My deer season has been abysmal.
I went deer hunting yesterday.
There were years where I duck hunted 80% of the days of the season. Starting 4 years ago 7 hunts, then 5, then 3, then 2.. This year I haven't bought a duck stamp.
Deer hunted some of my duck spots 5 times in the last week and at each of them I have seen more deer than ducks. Exponentially more hogs.
Heck Friday I may have seen more deer than I have ducks all year.
But on positive note pushed up 15 woodcock Friday.
With a few outliers duck season has gotten worse every year in La since 2008.
I've said ad nauseum it's largely our own fault from things we can control. The rapidly accelerating decline of most coastal marshes, every increasing mecnanized human traffic(from crawfish boats to shallow water fishermen, mud boats and ATVs all over constanly pushing ducks). Changing land use and farming practices(I am of the opine that whatever strain of rice they are growing now - the ducks don't like it like they used too. Combined with more acreage in cotton, cattle and cane - none of which are duck friendly. Invasive species - most notably salvinia - wanna see a duck hole go to shite let salvinia get in it. Overcrowding of suitable land with too many blinds. 600 acres that I used to hunt in jeff davis parish had 3 blinds but only hunted 2 on any given hunting day - now has 6. Less available prime duck feed in nearly all of our natural marshes and sloughs(largely due to invasives and changes in hydrology).
Things we can't control are: long term trends from no till farming, many young ducks getting killed before they get here(spinning wing issue), landowners north of us realizing how much money they can make leaving excess grain and keeping it moderatley wet(really they will dry field feed), the ever increasing amount of corn acreage. The heated ponds are like fast food restaraunts they may attract ducks but don't keep them - ducks have learned to use reservoirs and rivers that haven't frozen much more.
Incredible increases in hunting pressure From North Dakota to here - it's just so much pressure on ducks they have learned to adapt and avoid - see the refuge affect.
I was fortunate enough to come of during the height of the golden era of duck hunting here - 10 sprigs on many hunts in the point system days.
I caught the tail end of the great quail hunting south west LA and even st tammany parish had - limits were common and our dogs weren't as good as they are now. Couple with larger bag limits and longer season on wood cock (pushing up 20-25 in 2 hours after school nearly every day in jan was common.
Now - with as much time in the field as I had in the 70s from 1975 - 1980 I might have seen a total of 50 deer(in daylight) killed 4. Every year since 1985 deer hunting here has gotten better and better EVEN on public land(I know several folks that are well within range of tagging out 2 with all bow kills).
Things change - 30 years ago sherburne was ground zero for public woodcock hunting and the duck hunting was solid(green tree reservoir) - Friday I ran into some guys from up north that come here every year and now say they are done - I told them the truth the woodcock flyway has shifted about 100 miles west.
Things change , sometimes for the better some times for the worse. We as a state can only address what we can control and we suck at that, yet we sped most of energy whining about what happens north of us which we have zero control over.
I know several people that go through a lot of money and effort every fall getting rid of salvinia and hychinths before duck season - to the invertabrates and submerged aquatics - the damage has been done.
I am enjoying the heck out of what I am doing with my free time - might easily be best deer season ever.
75-100 years ago Canada geese on the east coast used marshes and wetlands. Now they use reservoirs and ag fields......things change animals adapt.
This post was edited on 1/4/26 at 10:33 am
Posted on 1/4/26 at 10:50 am to choupiquesushi
While I think you are spot on with your assessment. I still think another huge factor is the real duck numbers are a lot lower than stated. This has been discussed in here before but the system for estimating duck populations is very flawed. Add in avian flu that has been rampant for over 3 years now and the actual numbers are a lot lower than stated.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 10:58 am to GREENHEAD22
quote:
While I think you are spot on with your assessment. I still think another huge factor is the real duck numbers are a lot lower than stated. This has been discussed in here before but the system for estimating duck populations is very flawed. Add in avian flu that has been rampant for over 3 years now and the actual numbers are a lot lower than stated.
You know it's funny I got a text from a lurker that never posts that I've known since HS and he owns about 1500 acres in SW La. He said he couldn't believe I left that out.
. To put it into perspective though - where wood cock have been counted here and up north - they have largely moved on to other areas - the woodcock population may actually be much higher than estimated and conversely 100% agree the duck counts have been seriously flawed since the late 2000s and it may or may not be on purpose. People are still purchasing the same amount of new gear and that excise tax money is well MONEY. and yes the flu is real and it looks like it's growing and much like the lead poisoned waterfowl from yesteryear - predators cover up a large number of the dead or dying.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 11:08 am to choupiquesushi
The comment about the wood cock count I am assuming is referring to the flyway moving. I agree that has happened but you can go talk to guys who live and hunt in Kansas, eastern CO, MO. They all have said the drop off in numbers the last 3-4yrs has been very noticeable. It's not just the MS flyway that is seeing a decline in numbers.
This post was edited on 1/4/26 at 11:11 am
Posted on 1/4/26 at 11:19 am to GREENHEAD22
quote:For woodcock yes flyway is moving AND with the rise over the last 30-40 years of intensive foodplot management on deer specific leases/lands wood cock love the areas right around food plots and most notably the area in Sw and W la that was hardly known for woodcock 10 years ago is now like the area 50 miles either side of the atchafalay was 20-30 years ago(aging habitat has hurt much of that and hurricane paths have helped western la).... caveat people are seeing woodcock in texas that used to never see them.
The comment about the wood cock count I am assuming is referring to the flyway moving. I agree that has happened but you can go talk to guys who live and hunt in Kansas, eastern CO, MO. They all have said the drop off in numbers the last 3-4yrs has been very noticeable. It's not just the MS flyway that is seeing a decline in numbers.
yes the duck flyways have and are continueing to shift a simple ride on back roads through La can show you that.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 12:27 pm to GeauxBurrow312
Maybe lease and land prices will start correcting.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 12:40 pm to SmackoverHawg
I would not be mad at all to see a limit and days decrease for awhile.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 12:47 pm to SmackoverHawg
IMO, for ducks it would take an extended 3/30 to make a difference. I was public (lacassine nwr) back then and 99% wouldn’t do what we did to kill 2 mallards and one teal/mottle. After 3 years folks would get antsy and start giving up property that had to be managed (marsh). Any outfitter that couldn’t add geese to the bag would almost cease to exist.
I’m already seeing a decrease in corp bookings to fish and it’s been on a steady decline across the La coast for 3 years.
Hunter recruitment in the other thread will pretty much drive a stake through duck hunting if they ever go back to 3/30, maybe that’s why the numbers are off in their counting?
I’m already seeing a decrease in corp bookings to fish and it’s been on a steady decline across the La coast for 3 years.
Hunter recruitment in the other thread will pretty much drive a stake through duck hunting if they ever go back to 3/30, maybe that’s why the numbers are off in their counting?
Posted on 1/4/26 at 1:54 pm to SmackoverHawg
quote:They didn't during 3/30, so I don't see that short of castrophic events.
Maybe lease and land prices will start correcting.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 1:55 pm to KemoSabe65
quote:Bingeaux
IMO, for ducks it would take an extended 3/30 to make a difference. I was public (lacassine nwr) back then and 99% wouldn’t do what we did to kill 2 mallards and one teal/mottle. After 3 years folks would get antsy and start giving up property that had to be managed (marsh). Any outfitter that couldn’t add geese to the bag would almost cease to exist.
I’m already seeing a decrease in corp bookings to fish and it’s been on a steady decline across the La coast for 3 years.
Hunter recruitment in the other thread will pretty much drive a stake through duck hunting if they ever go back to 3/30, maybe that’s why the numbers are off in their counting?
Posted on 1/4/26 at 6:50 pm to RichJ
fricking with you my English is trrrible
Posted on 1/4/26 at 7:57 pm to GREENHEAD22
very few ducks in the Corpus Christi area. bust of a season.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 8:20 pm to GREENHEAD22
quote:
I still think another huge factor is the real duck numbers are a lot lower than stated.
The numbers are too low even if you just assume the count is somewhat reliable. The latest mallard count was 6.5 million. The long term agreed upon goal was 9 million. The USFWS dropped the mallard count from the adaptive harvest management equation in 2023 when it would have sent us into 40/4 or 30/3. They know the numbers are low, but too much market pressure and biologists who claim "harvest doesn't matter" are making the decisions. Until we control for harvest and see if the population rebounds, we will never know. Habitat loss throughout the flyway, but certainly on the breeding grounds is a huge problem also.
We need to go to 30/3. Hell, 30/6 would be fine. Although that is not an option. Days kill ducks, the limit doesn't really matter too much.
Posted on 1/4/26 at 8:53 pm to LSUengr
quote:
We need to go to 30/3. Hell, 30/6 would be fine. Although that is not an option. Days kill ducks, the limit doesn't really matter too much.
Could you share more on this theory? Take it to extreme: let’s say limit was 1 duck for 30 days. That would surely make a difference. 1) it would reduce # of hunters who wound want to chase 2) the effect is the same. More ducks left alive after each day
ETA: to answer question, in SETX the numbers are way up from last year but that’s not saying much. Last year was dreadful.
This post was edited on 1/4/26 at 9:05 pm
Posted on 1/5/26 at 6:03 am to TulaneUVA
There was a noticeable increase in hunters when we jumped to 60/6. Hunter participation will drop if it goes to 30/3. ROI would go down on flooded corn as well.
You have birds because there’s no water above us. Miss river is bone dry.
You have birds because there’s no water above us. Miss river is bone dry.
Posted on 1/5/26 at 7:29 am to Capt ST
quote:
You have birds because there’s no water above us. Miss river is bone dry.
Yep. Most the ducks we are killing in Louisiana aren’t dry field corn or flooded corn specialists. Teal, gadwall, divers
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