got a report from the Atchafalaya delta area.........very few birds seen and that was riding around with an airboat. Got cold weather coming for the weekend.
I've been told by guys redfishing near point au fer they are seeing lots of birds. Pintail treys shovelers teal and a few mallards. Also heard they are stacked up in the wax right now. Haven't rode out there to see for myself though.
Spent yesterday morning in our marsh and saw two mottleds and three unidentified ducks, and only one small flight of specks. Glad the opener is still a little ways off and figure it will be about right for us again, given years past.
made a good run in the marsh in the lake decade area today........we were in prime duck habitat and i saw maybe a handful of birds.......and that was covering a lot of ground not just some small area......the coot numbers are pretty good though........all i know is in the past few years i saw way way way more birds around this time........someone please drain all those fields to the north holding the birds please. I would almost be willing to bet that if you drove up to the red river area and arkansas area and took a look in those fields........you probably can't see any field because its so thick with geese and ducks.....just my thoughts for what they are worth.
I think you are partially correct. The fields north of Monroe are full of specks, very few snows. A few spoonies and teal but not a lot. Specks are thick.
Im going to our marsh to brush the blinds and throw out about 200 decoys Saturday after a quick deer hunt. I hope to give a good report Saturday night.
Just got back in from scouting and we found em boys. Bout 150 pintail, teal, and spoonies on a 3/4 acre pond. Candy from a baby. Wish the season opened tomorrow. The field next to it had more snipe then I've seen in years too.
I've been told by guys redfishing near point au fer they are seeing lots of birds. Pintail treys shovelers teal and a few mallards. Also heard they are stacked up in the wax right now. Haven't rode out there to see for myself though.
Brought the houseboat to the wax yesterday & rode around a good bit - wouldn't say they are stacked up by any means. I saw just enough to get run off well before the opener.
made a good run in the marsh in the lake decade area today........we were in prime duck habitat and i saw maybe a handful of birds.......and that was covering a lot of ground not just some small area......the coot numbers are pretty good though........all i know is in the past few years i saw way way way more birds around this time........someone please drain all those fields to the north holding the birds please. I would almost be willing to bet that if you drove up to the red river area and arkansas area and took a look in those fields........you probably can't see any field because its so thick with geese and ducks.....just my thoughts for what they are worth.
you hunt the terrebonne marsh? well now it all makes sense. what you are experiencing has nothing to do with the fields in arkansas. It has to do with sinking floatant marsh, the locks at bayou boeuf, saltwater intrusion, and changing migration patterns. My cousins lease is in the terrebonne marsh. been hunting it for 51 years. I have personally seen the changes as they took place. His lease is smack dab in the middle of what once was one of the highest concentrations of ducks in the state of louisiana. When I started hunting there, I caught the tail end of the decline.
Quite simply-the birds moved. Get over it and stop blaming the farmers in arkansas. If you want the ducks to return, you need to rejuvenate the terrebonne marsh by lobbying for the siphon diversion they are discussing. That my friend will bring the ducks back.
Well, grass isn't a problem where we hunt because all of the marsh is washing away and the salt water intrusion constantly killing off any duck grass that was there. Its really terrible that most of us duck hunters can't even just enjoy the habitat we hunt and have to deal with all of this nonsense brought on by manipulation of mother nature. It sucks.
Went back out to check up on the birds this afternoon. The ducks hadnt moved an inch but not a snipe one to be seen. Little fresh rain last night must have sent them packing to a drier field. Hoping this front forecasted for Friday doesnt blow the ducks out.
Went to our marsh yesterday. We put out decoys and brushed up the blind. I guess we got there about 1:30 and left about 6:15. We saw a few mottled ducks, a couple of pairs of gadwalls, a pair of pintails, and a little bunch of 5-6 bluewing teal.
I hope the cold fronts keep coming. November 9th might be a good chance to see a pretty sunrise in the marsh if something doesnt change.
On the bright side our marsh looks better than it has in the last 5 years. If we get some ducks we should have some ducks using our marsh.
In response to Indaswamp.........first of all I want to say that I think you are one of the only ones that has showed me any amount of respect on my ramblings the other days and I appreciate that. With that in mind i'll keep my words civil. I understand that we have our issues with our marshes down here and all that has been brought on by numerous factors. I will say that I do not believe our habitat from Terrebonne to Lafourche is too degraded to support a healthy wintering duck population. This year we have feed out the a** and i can count the ducks i've seen so far on my two hands. I have witnessed a few years back what amount of ducks an extreme drought year can bring. I would say that year the marshes are the only areas that had any water for ducks to congregate and we had more than we knew what to do with. Years before and following years were rainy years and our duck numbers have once again bottomed out. Your buddy's pics really only validated for me for where i know our birds to be. I understand that those created habitats help the duck population and I support that. Fact is the corn, rice, bean whatever field creation/flooding has gotten way out of hand these days and WE are paying the price with mostly empty skies. On the other issue of whether or not that flooded rice, corn, bean field is a baited field.........that is just a whole other beast that I could argue for days.........its sort of like why can't i just plant corn all around my duck pond and knock it over into the water and let the ducks pour in? But they will say that's baiting. I don't find that any different than harvesting a field, knocking feed over on to the ground and then then "FLOODING" it. It should be natural flooding only allowed at the very least. My thoughts.....what's yours?
O and one more thought on the "degrading marsh habitat being the reason for no ducks." I cover alot of marsh area with my job and I just recently went down to the Atchafalaya delta WMA. That is the best duck habitat you ever put your eyes on and hardly any birds for an area ususally black with ducks/geese this time of year. I'm sure there are a few birds there right now but not what's normally there.
In response to Indaswamp.........first of all I want to say that I think you are one of the only ones that has showed me any amount of respect on my ramblings the other days and I appreciate that. With that in mind i'll keep my words civil. I understand that we have our issues with our marshes down here and all that has been brought on by numerous factors. I will say that I do not believe our habitat from Terrebonne to Lafourche is too degraded to support a healthy wintering duck population. This year we have feed out the a** and i can count the ducks i've seen so far on my two hands.
That does not matter when you have numerous consecutive years of bad feed. Ducks become imprinted. The fly where the feed is. A large majority of young follow the hen to where she winters. Over time, less new young birds are recruited and imprinted to fly to a marsh with poor feed conditions from salt water intrusion. Period. If feed and conditions are good, some might return, but if they are bad, most will not unless mother nature forces them to.
I have witnessed a few years back what amount of ducks an extreme drought year can bring. I would say that year the marshes are the only areas that had any water for ducks to congregate and we had more than we knew what to do with.
sure, we had one hell of a season during the drought too, but you don't hear me bitching about farmers in arkansas. Those hens got pushed here because of no water. when the water returned, they flew back to their traditionally imprinted feeding grounds.
Some of the young likely flew to the marshes of the previous year, but if feed conditions suck, they will move on.
Years before and following years were rainy years and our duck numbers have once again bottomed out. Your buddy's pics really only validated for me for where i know our birds to be. I understand that those created habitats help the duck population and I support that. Fact is the corn, rice, bean whatever field creation/flooding has gotten way out of hand these days and WE are paying the price with mostly empty skies. On the other issue of whether or not that flooded rice, corn, bean field is a baited field.........that is just a whole other beast that I could argue for days.........its sort of like why can't i just plant corn all around my duck pond and knock it over into the water and let the ducks pour in? But they will say that's baiting. I don't find that any different than harvesting a field, knocking feed over on to the ground and then then "FLOODING" it. It should be natural flooding only allowed at the very least. My thoughts.....what's yours?
Paging Larry Reynolds!
The law is what the law is.... bitching about changing migrations patterns and blaming it on arkansas farmers is shortsighted on your part. Byers has been doing the same thing he is doing this year that he has been for the past 60 years. We killed ducks in spite of the fact that he does what he does. You can not blame it on them. Period.
O and one more thought on the "degrading marsh habitat being the reason for no ducks." I cover alot of marsh area with my job and I just recently went down to the Atchafalaya delta WMA. That is the best duck habitat you ever put your eyes on and hardly any birds for an area ususally black with ducks/geese this time of year. I'm sure there are a few birds there right now but not what's normally there.
you would swear i left you the other day craving some arguments.........first of all I would like to know where you are getting the facts about this "imprinting". Now what i want is a link to some scientific journals that prove this ..........not some bull**** you read of off ducks support group website or some other news feed. After i read all that we can chat, and I'll stop believing that they aren't on sight for overall marsh condition and feed. You just give me those journals.........O and those journals must prove this "imprinting" and not hypothesize.
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