Where are the Poule D’eau?

There’s been a noticeable decline in coot numbers in Venice for the past few years. This year they were basically non existent because of the lack of feed.

Never made it down to you, Baw. Why fly all the way to Venice if you don’t have to? Look at duck numbers in Mississippi and Arkansas. Both are way low. Why would Louisiana expect to have higher numbers than us? I don’t expect to have higher numbers of birds than Missouri if Missouri isn’t frozen up.
I thought y’all said we needed to extend duck season until February?
Are we supposed to extend it until March next year?
Realize we aren’t shooting shite down here unless the ducks are forced to move by weather patterns. Rest assured, it will get better, but you and me might not see it. I’m just hoping I can stop as many ducks as possible from going farther South than me. I have
100 acres of unharvested rice
10 acres of corn
20 acres of soybeans
90 acres of moist soil
85 acres of millet
400 acres of GTR
300 acres of shrub scrub
325 acres of brakes planned for 2024-2025 season.

Hope to kill 3 wood ducks.

I haven't seen poule d'eau or gallinules in any numbers for years. The LSU/City Park Lakes used to be full of them (and dos gris and blackjacks), but I haven't seen any there in a long time.

NWLA was basically void of coots this year as well, has been a steady decline the last few years. Pretty sad watch the areas that used to hold hundreds if not thousands of birds not have a single bird.

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I’m just hoping I can stop as many ducks as possible from going farther South than me. I have 100 acres of unharvested rice 10 acres of corn 20 acres of soybeans 90 acres of moist soil 85 acres of millet 400 acres of GTR 300 acres of shrub scrub 325 acres of brakes planned for 2024-2025 season. Hope to kill 3 wood ducks.

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For your sake, Daddy Warbucks, I hope your bullshitting about your expected harvest.

They was thicc thicc in Bayou Black

All over the lake especially in the bushes

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Yea, I was. I try not to even shoot wood ducks. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like shooting ducks that don’t work or decoy. I have let a many of mallards go because they didn’t stick their toes down. Working them is almost as fun as shooting them. I don’t know of anything better then spinning 10 mallards in the sun then those 10 turn into 100+

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I’m with you, except that I will pass shoot, tree-top the hell out any of them.

They are all over the crawfish ponds we hunt.

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I’m with you, except that I will pass shoot, tree-top the hell out any of them.

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Don’t get me wrong, I have had to do it before, but it is usually because I get tired of watching them circle and circle and circle. If I see a courtship flight happening I always tell the people to shoot them “if” they get close enough, but I don’t think I have ever actually seen a single duck shot during one.

Most of the time it is, “Man, we could have shot them”. I usually just say “probably”, and chalk it up in the “could have shot more”category. Might come out a bird or two shy sometimes, but that scenario it doesn’t take away from the hunt to me. Hell, I had rather shoot mallards sitting in the decoys then pass shoot them. But I shoot a lot of high birds because I am usually guiding and waiting for other people to start shooting before I start, and I leave the low birds for them and take the birds that are tree top high or trying to get out of the hole.