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Message
re: Have the good ole days of duck hunting become a thing of the past.
Posted on 1/3/24 at 10:41 pm to Jones
Posted on 1/3/24 at 10:41 pm to Jones
It looks like I'm a bit younger than most of the people in this post, but even since I was starting to hunt in jr high and high school in the mid 2000s, the hunting experience has plummeted. I hunt a lot of the public land in NW Louisiana, occasionally make a trip up to Arkansas Felsenthal or Bayou Meto.
When I go into Arkansas, it seems like it's nothing but a bunch of dumbass kids in their teens or low 20s who try to get boats in the water the second they are legally allowed to (I never had an issue with this when I was in school) and take off flying to "their holes" to the point that they are wrecking each others boats and having fights. I haven't even went back this year after seeing that craziness last year.
Here in LA, all the old holes I used to hunt have zero water at all. Used to hunt a bunch of flooded timber and sloughs around here that had lots of acorns and food that would draw in tons of woodducks and sometimes some gadwall or mallards. Now, they're all bone dry. Only options are to hunt the river or creeks and that's just a big crapshoot. Never know what you're gonna see. The last 5 years or so, I have killed less and less and less ducks each year. I bet I have killed 1/4 or 1/5 of the number I used to kill. Used to wake up early and go hunt a hole before school with friends and be at school by 8am with a 3 man limit. I haven't got a 2 man limit of woodies in 2 years now.
When I go into Arkansas, it seems like it's nothing but a bunch of dumbass kids in their teens or low 20s who try to get boats in the water the second they are legally allowed to (I never had an issue with this when I was in school) and take off flying to "their holes" to the point that they are wrecking each others boats and having fights. I haven't even went back this year after seeing that craziness last year.
Here in LA, all the old holes I used to hunt have zero water at all. Used to hunt a bunch of flooded timber and sloughs around here that had lots of acorns and food that would draw in tons of woodducks and sometimes some gadwall or mallards. Now, they're all bone dry. Only options are to hunt the river or creeks and that's just a big crapshoot. Never know what you're gonna see. The last 5 years or so, I have killed less and less and less ducks each year. I bet I have killed 1/4 or 1/5 of the number I used to kill. Used to wake up early and go hunt a hole before school with friends and be at school by 8am with a 3 man limit. I haven't got a 2 man limit of woodies in 2 years now.
1
Posted on 1/4/24 at 9:09 am to Bigfishchoupique
quote:
Ducks would swarm us. Some days just picking out the big ducks I could kill 50 a morning. Cinch shoot. Best hunt IIRRC was 14 pairs of pintails, 12 pairs of Widgeon’s, and about 10 teal. After we had gutted and hung them we went to a pothole in the marsh where the mallards went for lunch. We shot may be a dozen pairs then quit.
Yep, it’s the storms and mud boats that screwed up your hunting.
This right here is EXACTLY what made LA the sportsman’s paradise, and what has contributed to its demise. Greed.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 9:13 am to Fratigerguy
quote:
Yep, it’s the storms and mud boats that screwed up your hunting.
If you don’t think this is part of the problem ……..
Posted on 1/4/24 at 9:26 am to choupiquesushi
I just saw a guy in one of the extreme Northern states(can't remember) drive up to a boat landing and watch boats taking off. He said he's lived there his whole life and he is normally driving out onto the lake. That can't be good.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 9:43 am to AlxTgr
Was it just not frozen yet due to the weather or is it being artificially thawed?
Posted on 1/4/24 at 9:53 am to NWLATigerFan12
quote:
When I go into Arkansas, it seems like it's nothing but a bunch of dumbass kids in their teens or low 20s who try to get boats in the water the second they are legally allowed to (I never had an issue with this when I was in school) and take off flying to "their holes" to the point that they are wrecking each others boats and having fights. I haven't even went back this year after seeing that craziness last year.
I've not been back into Bayou Meto since Arkansas Game & Fish made all the regulation changes. When I first moved there, you could leave the boat ramp whenever, so guides would have "runners" go in super early to save their holes.
When they set a start time for the boat launch, some guys experimented with having guys walk in with a lawn chair and a light so that they could hold a spot. Not sure if this lasted long since it's so hard to walk to the best spots.
For years and years, hunters had gone into Bayou Meto and manicured duck holes. The fights use to take place out in the woods if someone else got into somebody's "hole." Pretty good clash when you run into someone with "ownership" issues over a particular hole on public ground.
With the regulations change, all these manicured holes are now flagged off so you can't hunt them.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 10:01 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:DU is testing their new heaters up there.
Was it just not frozen yet due to the weather or is it being artificially thawed?
Posted on 1/4/24 at 10:39 am to Stuttgart Tiger
quote:
Last "fantastic" hunt I took part in occurred a couple years ago with a guide service in Walnut Ridge.
Just curious which guide service did you go with, I grew up in Walnut Ridge so I probably know them.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 10:45 am to Stuttgart Tiger
quote:
I've not been back into Bayou Meto since Arkansas Game & Fish made all the regulation changes. When I first moved there, you could leave the boat ramp whenever, so guides would have "runners" go in super early to save their holes.
Some of my friends first job was spending the night in the holes and then going home when the guides got there.
quote:
For years and years, hunters had gone into Bayou Meto and manicured duck holes.
Charles Snapp and Stan Jones were two of the worst in my area for doing this on Rainey Brake and Dave Donaldson. In fact they were both known for taking dozers out in the off season and clearing holes and then just paying a fine if caught. Snapp is now the Mayor of Walnut Ridge and Jones is a commisoner for the AGFC.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 12:25 pm to choupiquesushi
quote:
Yep, it’s the storms and mud boats that screwed up your hunting.
quote:
If you don’t think this is part of the problem
quote:
If you don’t think this is part of the problem
We hunted prime fresh water “floating or floton “ marsh. At first the trapper had a small motorized boat to run his traps with. He had maybe 15 miles of “trenasse “ that was cleaned with a traditional “ trenasse” machine each year.
The trenasse had a dam usually made out of 4x8 plywood. The trenasse were small and shallow and bypassed all of the ponds. Our ponds never saw a motorized boat. The ponds were undisturbed and full of bass in the deeper holes.
You would paddle down the trenasse jump a piece of marsh and then paddle into a pristine pond.
When a new trapper came n he had a big mud boat. Tore out the dams, depeened the ditches and ran into the ponds. He destroyed 4,000 acres of marsh for duck hunting. They wanted to haul arse to their deer stands.
When the storms came it shifted the marsh, filled the ponds and the duck hunting was over.
Yes I have killed thousands of ducks and I don’t feel guilty. We ate every one of them. The whole duck. Ate the legs. Gnawed the wings and sucked the meat of of the back bones.
This post was edited on 1/4/24 at 12:29 pm
Posted on 1/4/24 at 3:40 pm to smoked hog
quote:
I grew up in Walnut Ridge so I probably know them.
Woody's with Scott. He and I know a lot of the same people from my time working with rice farmers throughout Eastern Arkansas.
I worked with and am good friends with one of his former guides who also grew up in Walnut Ridge. You know a guy with the last name of Pace? Always a gamble dropping names but those are the guys I know, in that area.
The farmers in NEA I worked the most with were from Corning, Jboro., Weiner, Walnut Ridge, Newport, Waldenburg, Fair Oaks.
Posted on 1/4/24 at 3:43 pm to smoked hog
quote:
Jones is a commisoner for the AGFC.
And owns a couple successful waterfowl brands! I've not been inside but their clubhouse and property looks impressive from the road.
quote:
Some of my friends first job was spending the night in the holes and then going home when the guides got there.
Yep, that's how it was done before the regulations kicked in. I knew guys that would draw straws to determine who was going to be the runner for the next morning's hunt.
This post was edited on 1/4/24 at 4:00 pm
Posted on 1/5/24 at 8:12 am to Stuttgart Tiger
I went to church and played ball with and against Scott for nearly 20 years. That whole family is just fantastic. In fact my lease this year is just on the other side of the river from them. I can hear them shoot with a westerly wind.
And I graduated the same year as Pace, from the rival school 2 miles away so we are familiar with each other. In fact I was working in the ER the day he came in after being shot by his dog.
Jones is a SOB but his facility is top notch. I have several friends who work in the lodge and guide for him. I'm actually looking at picking up a lease next year that I'll have to turn in front of the lodge to get to my pit.
Growing up in Walnut Ridge, working in Harrisburg for several years and my wife's family having a couple thousand acres in Fisher I probably know a lot of the same people.
And I graduated the same year as Pace, from the rival school 2 miles away so we are familiar with each other. In fact I was working in the ER the day he came in after being shot by his dog.
Jones is a SOB but his facility is top notch. I have several friends who work in the lodge and guide for him. I'm actually looking at picking up a lease next year that I'll have to turn in front of the lodge to get to my pit.
Growing up in Walnut Ridge, working in Harrisburg for several years and my wife's family having a couple thousand acres in Fisher I probably know a lot of the same people.
Posted on 1/5/24 at 8:38 am to smoked hog
On a side note I went out to the pit yesterday and saw more ducks since the opener and the most geese I've seen all year. I think this weekend should be a bloodbath. Tons of new ducks that have avoided a lot of shooting this year. I had 3 groups land in the decoys with me right after sunset as I was adjusting decoys for Saturday.
The bad news is that we should be locking up next weekend, good for the ponds I'll be guiding on, but my lease 6 inch deep field lease will probably be worthless for a week.
The bad news is that we should be locking up next weekend, good for the ponds I'll be guiding on, but my lease 6 inch deep field lease will probably be worthless for a week.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 2:02 pm to smoked hog
quote:
shot by his dog.
Yep. Only guy I know who was shot by his dog.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 2:27 pm to TopWaterTiger
quote:
For whatever reason, when LA folks talk about hunting or fishing, they never want to focus on loss of habitat....which is huge
There’s subdivisions and strip malls in areas we use to duck hunt 30 years ago. This is sadly happening in so many areas across the state.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 2:38 pm to Mushroom1968
That is everywhere, not just LA. Over development is the biggest issue in all developed countries that isn't talked about at all. Hydrocarbon use and global warming bs they push is just that, bs.
Quit letting the millions of illegals in, kick out the ones that are here, take back the millions of dilapidated/abandoned homes/lots in the ghettos across the country. Push and incentivize brownfield developments.
Quit letting the millions of illegals in, kick out the ones that are here, take back the millions of dilapidated/abandoned homes/lots in the ghettos across the country. Push and incentivize brownfield developments.
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:40 pm to NorthTiger
quote:
Have the good ole days of duck hunting become a thing of the past.
Oh, your post brings me back to the good old days back in the 70s/80s when we stroked them. But what in the hell do you do with 600 cleaned ducks?
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:40 pm to OGhunter777
quote:
If you are looking to kill mallards, Louisiana isn’t the state
How do you spell Oklahoma?
Posted on 1/6/24 at 3:41 pm to TheRiver
quote:
Blows my mind how the NELA guys still paying $16K/yr for a pit blind to kill a few teal, gadwalls & spoonies.
And Ringneck ducks.
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