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Message
Maurepas Swamp Duck Hunting
Posted on 9/21/17 at 11:39 am
Posted on 9/21/17 at 11:39 am
quote:
Ben McDonald?Verified account
@realbenmcdonald 4h hours ago More
TBT! Like the song says it was 1980 something! Duck hunt around Lake Maurepas deep in the Louisiana Swamps! #hipboots #pirogues #leadshot ??
I've heard a little about Maurepas Swamp in its glory days but never seen pictures. Seeing this made me think it'd be cool to hear about it from some of the people here who were able to experience it. So stories or pics anybody?
Posted on 9/21/17 at 11:42 am to Ragnar
Pretty sure the first ever duck commander video was shot there. greentops for days
Posted on 9/21/17 at 11:44 am to Ragnar
Shame to say but I hope the ducks never come back to maurepas. It'd be a fricking nightmare
Posted on 9/21/17 at 11:52 am to Ragnar
Definitely used to be a thing. Ive heard many old timers share the stories.
Some of the stories I hear from my Paw Paw and friends grandparents make me sick.
Like one about how Ponchatoula Creek used to have crystal clear spring water and was lined with cypress trees and there were numerous sacalait to be caught.
Or simply the stories of how in the 70's and 80's when you could walk thru the Manchac swamp in tennis shoes because it was mostly all hard and dry land
Some of the stories I hear from my Paw Paw and friends grandparents make me sick.
Like one about how Ponchatoula Creek used to have crystal clear spring water and was lined with cypress trees and there were numerous sacalait to be caught.
Or simply the stories of how in the 70's and 80's when you could walk thru the Manchac swamp in tennis shoes because it was mostly all hard and dry land
This post was edited on 9/21/17 at 12:18 pm
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:19 pm to Ragnar
That was back when there were only about 7 or 8 duck calls on the market
Now everybody makes calls
And there weren't any bright colored ones either
Now everybody makes calls
And there weren't any bright colored ones either
This post was edited on 9/21/17 at 12:20 pm
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:23 pm to CypressTrout10
Never heard about it drying out, what has changed to cause that, subsidence?
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:33 pm to GREENHEAD22
Canals and roads everywhere.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:52 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
we had a camp on blind river across from red top hunting club. I don't remember being I was too young but I have tons of pics from my dads hunts and glory days of the swamp. He's told me tons of stories and how much green they used to kill. it died off in the late 80s early 90s. he told me they walked the swamp and they didn't have fancy mud motors our lazy asses have nowadays. Looking at his pictures it is insane how good the hunting was. He told me Phil and Warren coco hunted near them a lot back then but nobody knew who either were.
salvania, logging, and some other reason are contributing factors of it not being a duck hunting mecca
salvania, logging, and some other reason are contributing factors of it not being a duck hunting mecca
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:57 pm to Ragnar
Wish I had some pictures...
Hunted with my Step-Dad's hunting club in 80's, even early 90s was decent if you put in the work. The amount of ducks at first light were like mosquitoes, they were everywhere. Low, high, heading every direction. Tons of mallards, constantly missing wood ducks buzzing by the blind because we would have multiple groups circling. Calling wasn't necessary most days, decoys would bring in batches by surprise. It was loud, not from all the shotguns going off, but because birds were everywhere. After about an hour things would cool off, if you waited awhile someone would be moving their airboat off a pipeline and that would get a big batch of birds up again, but most times we already had our limit and that would start back up in the evening. This was when there was a point system of birds, I can't remember it, but god damn you didn't want to shoot a mallard hen! I remember scouting a ridge for deer with my brother deep in the swamp one evening and at sunset ducks started raining down on us knocking down rotten tree limbs and debris, it was incredible. If you have never been near a duck roost before, HOLY COW, they didn't care. We shot a few but ducks just kept pouring in off the backside of this ridge. Loud Loud Loud with all those ducks and water splashing. I used to love to get back to the camp and read through the "log book" with other hunters duck numbers. We always smoked em lol, eat a good breakfast and then start pluckin. Maybe it was because its just a great memory from my childhood, but that is the best hunting and most fun I've had outdoors. Still hunt that F-ing swamp, not anywhere close to what it used to be. Can still get some woodies, maybe some teal if lucky. Good times!
never walked in regular boots, always waders where we were at, but I do remember 1 winter when the swamp froze over and we could walk on top in places. You bet your arse my stepdad had us breaking ice in the duck whole. not sure how we didnt die from hypothermia. getting goosebumps, hell yea!
Hunted with my Step-Dad's hunting club in 80's, even early 90s was decent if you put in the work. The amount of ducks at first light were like mosquitoes, they were everywhere. Low, high, heading every direction. Tons of mallards, constantly missing wood ducks buzzing by the blind because we would have multiple groups circling. Calling wasn't necessary most days, decoys would bring in batches by surprise. It was loud, not from all the shotguns going off, but because birds were everywhere. After about an hour things would cool off, if you waited awhile someone would be moving their airboat off a pipeline and that would get a big batch of birds up again, but most times we already had our limit and that would start back up in the evening. This was when there was a point system of birds, I can't remember it, but god damn you didn't want to shoot a mallard hen! I remember scouting a ridge for deer with my brother deep in the swamp one evening and at sunset ducks started raining down on us knocking down rotten tree limbs and debris, it was incredible. If you have never been near a duck roost before, HOLY COW, they didn't care. We shot a few but ducks just kept pouring in off the backside of this ridge. Loud Loud Loud with all those ducks and water splashing. I used to love to get back to the camp and read through the "log book" with other hunters duck numbers. We always smoked em lol, eat a good breakfast and then start pluckin. Maybe it was because its just a great memory from my childhood, but that is the best hunting and most fun I've had outdoors. Still hunt that F-ing swamp, not anywhere close to what it used to be. Can still get some woodies, maybe some teal if lucky. Good times!
never walked in regular boots, always waders where we were at, but I do remember 1 winter when the swamp froze over and we could walk on top in places. You bet your arse my stepdad had us breaking ice in the duck whole. not sure how we didnt die from hypothermia. getting goosebumps, hell yea!
This post was edited on 9/21/17 at 1:03 pm
Posted on 9/21/17 at 12:58 pm to GREENHEAD22
quote:
ever heard about it drying out, what has changed to cause that, subsidence?
My swamp lease in thibodaux is just like this. The old men talk how they use to walk in regular boots and green heads used to be everywhere.
Now you need hip boots to go anywhere and only see wood ducks. They say the "land" is sinking and the swamp is dying.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:19 pm to SeaPickle
The swamp is definitely dying.
The river levee is the main culprit, but the canals, roads, logging, salvania, mud boats, etc certainly don't help it.
The river levee is the main culprit, but the canals, roads, logging, salvania, mud boats, etc certainly don't help it.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:40 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Just curious, what do the mud boats do that is detrimental?
I use a go-devil long-tail, always have, even back in the 80s. we walked the swamp a good bit but some places were just too far to access without a go-devil.
I use a go-devil long-tail, always have, even back in the 80s. we walked the swamp a good bit but some places were just too far to access without a go-devil.
This post was edited on 9/21/17 at 1:44 pm
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:43 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
That's a shame. There's still quite a bit of cypress trees out there. Wonder why all the greenheads left? I guess some of it is due to temp changes and more birds staying further north
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:46 pm to mooseofterror
It's the traffic more than the boat really, but they tear some shite up.
None of those factors come close to the scale of damage that the levee is doing to the swamps though. It'll never get back right with the levee there. I'd say logging and salvania are the next biggest factors. There's no duck seed anywhere in that swamp anymore and it used to be full of it. It's all palmettos on the high ground and salvania in the water.
None of those factors come close to the scale of damage that the levee is doing to the swamps though. It'll never get back right with the levee there. I'd say logging and salvania are the next biggest factors. There's no duck seed anywhere in that swamp anymore and it used to be full of it. It's all palmettos on the high ground and salvania in the water.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:48 pm to lsuson
There's no reason for them to be there. There's no duck seed or any kind of good grass or anything. It's all salvania and stagnant nasty water that never leaves. We have many acres of land that dry up maybe once a decade.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:49 pm to lsuson
quote:
quite a bit of cypress trees out there
Im in 99% cypress. Cant get mudboats in here. Its pirogue or walk. Id sink to my knees at minimum right here. Couldnt float/push in this shite. Its a dying vegetation soup/muck. Smells like it too.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:53 pm to SeaPickle
We hunted all along Lake P from the mid to late-90s, and didn't do too bad. I think it dropped off pretty heavily because the birds stopped coming
Posted on 9/21/17 at 1:56 pm to lsuson
Back when it started getting bad everyone blamed salvinia. It certainly choked up the swamp, but flight patterns changed also.
I've run across several BIG cypress , likely left behind bc of some imperfection, but most is newer growth. You will run across some cypress ridges, walking is much easier among the knees. I have an old cypress stump that I hollowed out and made a bench about 6 feet long inside. Still hunt deer from this location off a ridge. I bring a large folded umbrella that almost fits over the top when it rains. I've taken some nice naps in that stump...
I've run across several BIG cypress , likely left behind bc of some imperfection, but most is newer growth. You will run across some cypress ridges, walking is much easier among the knees. I have an old cypress stump that I hollowed out and made a bench about 6 feet long inside. Still hunt deer from this location off a ridge. I bring a large folded umbrella that almost fits over the top when it rains. I've taken some nice naps in that stump...
Posted on 9/21/17 at 2:02 pm to SeaPickle
quote:
Id sink to my knees at minimum right here
Yeah, screw that. I'll stick to hunting amongst the pine trees and red clay.
Posted on 9/21/17 at 2:09 pm to Ragnar
I don't know about Maurepas, but in my part of the state raising river levels with locks for navigational purposes ruined many a thousand acre of prime waterfowl habitat. Could that be the case at Maurepas?
Once the river levels are raised permanently, timber dies out and invasive aquatics then move in to what was previously seasonally flooded wetlands. Along with weeds come beavers, nutria etc.
Once the river levels are raised permanently, timber dies out and invasive aquatics then move in to what was previously seasonally flooded wetlands. Along with weeds come beavers, nutria etc.
This post was edited on 9/21/17 at 2:10 pm
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