re: 13-14 waterfowl season *dates announced*

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Larry, you seem like a feller who truly enjoys his job and is damn good at it.

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I appreciate that.

I was a duck hunter long before I was a duck biologist, and I hope to be one long after. Consequently, it's important to me that hunters know why we are making the decisions we are and what information is being used. That is especially important when it comes to drawing zone boundaries, selecting season dates, and most other hunting-related decisions where no matter what the decision, there are going to be large numbers of hunters who don't like it.

Today, there are groups of hunters in NW and SW Louisiana who are disappointed and maybe angry about the season dates because they advocated earlier seasons than were approved. However, the hunter-opinion survey data showed their opinions were a small minority.

There are also groups of hunters in SE and NW Louisiana and in the ag regions of SW Louisiana who are equally disappointed. Although that same hunter-opinion survey showed their desires for later season dates were the most popular, the harvest data, both from the federal harvest survey and from bag-check information at coastal WMAS, showed later hunting seasons were NOT the best choice for those zones.

I understand that disappointment, and I won't claim to KNOW what is right, wrong, best, or worst for everyone ..... but I do want everyone to know why we make the recommendations that we do.

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I'd be really interested in seeing that whole presentation on harvest data etc.

Is that public information?

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I've presented it at 2 Commission meetings, the DU Convention, and will probably do it again at the Louisiana Outdoor Writer's Association Convention, so it's pretty much public. Here are the primary data slides I presented before making season-date recommendations. If you want the entire presentation, email me and I can send it along. I've already sent it to a couple of organizations who wanted it to explain the rationale to their membership.

The most frustrating aspect to me is the fact that hoardes of those surveyed want to hunt late yet the harvest data shows that they're not killing hardly anything with the current last couple of weeks of season, regardless of zone.

On the coast we're stacked at end of October, grays by the droves. I think getting after them starting on Nov 9 should be interesting. East zone coastal marsh will still have to wait it out till the 23rd BUT those of us who are based in that area can easily slide over to coastal zone areas.

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I could see this being the case.

Lot less hunters and i always see more ducks later in the season.
I would think the hardcore hunters are the ones completing the survey

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It's probably an issue of being able to tabulate the data. It's hard enough to get overall harvest results or harvest results per weekend. It is damn near impossible to get efforts data especially on private land. Maybe they could check the WMA check-in cards and see if there is any correlation on state managed land? It is just a thought.

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Maybe the vocal minority yearning for later dates are the hardcore duck enthusiasts who are still out there to see improved numbers over the last parts of the season, while the harvest numbers are down due to a decline in the number of hunters (not birds)? It is just a thought.

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Those wanting later season dates were NOT in the minority; their opinion dominated every survey. However, I'm not sure they were representative of all "hard core duck enthusiasts".

At the Bossier City public meeting there were over 40 hunters who hunted nearly every day of the season and were adamant that we need to set earlier season dates. Many of them had blinds on public reservoirs and log books showing their kill throughout the season. A couple of them wrote Commissioners asking for a season opening on November 2nd and running until Christmas Eve, splitting for Christmas Day and then reopening for the rest of our 60 days. Those guys are hard-core hunters, but their opinion was a small minority.

I heard the same from SW Louisiana marsh hunters who were also in the field nearly every day of the season, including commercial operations that keep harvest records. They also wanted to open on November 2 and say the last couple weeks of the season are exercises in frustration. Those guys were shocked when they saw the hunter-opinion survey results, but I've also talked with a number of rice-field hunters who really want the later season dates. None of those guys was what I would call a "casual" hunter.

I believe there are honest differences of opinion based on very real differences in hunting circumstances that generate very real differences in hunting success over the course of a season.

In some respects, I'm looking for middle ground that disappoints everybody a little bit .........

Thanks, Mr. Reynolds. I appreciate the response.

Ole brother steel 3s..in the house

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choupique we have to know each other, if you know LAR as steel 3's and the dog training stories we have shared.

Larry.... I am now happy again I can kill 2 canvasbacks. Thanks for you hard work, time for you to take me up on that hunt I've been promising for a few years.

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Yes yes we do.....

2 cans. Wow.....

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what was the rationale against the 2 or 3 split system that some other states have implemented?

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The federal regulations limit you to 2 splits (3 season segments) if you have no zones. Since I've been at LDWF, the 3 hunter-opinion surveys (2005, 2010, and 2012) that asked about zones/splits have consistently showed higher support for 2 zones with split seasons rather than no zones with 2 splits. In addition, 3 zones with split seasons give you much more flexibility in setting seasons specific for particular portions of the state than no zones with 2 splits.

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How often do the season dates get set? Is this annually or does it follow the three year zoning?

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Season dates are set annually. Zones can be set every 5 years. This last round included 2 years for zones to be changed because the USFWS was late to offer the additional zone/split options in 2011. We can next change zones for the 2016 season, so we will have the same number of zones and zone boundaries for the 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons.

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It might work something like this:
Nov 2 - Nov 17 = 16 days
Nov 23 - Dec 8 = 16 days
Dec 21 - Jan 5 = 16 days
Jan 15 - Jan 26 = 12 days

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I like it; it even adds another weekend when most of our hunters hunt ....... but it has 3 splits, so it isn't legal.

Back in winter 2011 when the Flyway pushing the USFWS for expanded zones/split options, the choices were: 3 zones with straight seasons, 2 zones with split seasons, or no zones with 2 splits. Some northern states (Illinois and Wisconsin) were really pushing for 4 zones with straight seasons, but when a proposal for expanding zones/splits options to: 4 zones with straight seasons, 3 zones with split seasons, or no zones with 2 splits was offered up for vote ..... we in the Technical Section Lower Regs Committee voted it down. We felt expanded zones/split options would just complicate things, and there was no way we were ever going to satisfy everyone.

But when our Council met, they added an option: 2 zones with 2 splits, and passed the recommendation. So they passed a recommendation for 4 zones with straight seasons, or 3 zones with split seasons, or 2 zones with 2 splits, which would have been cool. But the USFWS would not approve the 2 zones with 2 splits option, so we were left with what we have now. 4 zones with straight seasons, 3 zones with split seasons, or no zones with 2 splits.

Given those choices, we will always take 3 zones with split seasons because it gives us the most flexibility and maximizes the number of weekends we can hunt.