similar stuff many of us have been saying

Duck Season 2018-2019 in Louisiana
A Summary - by Warren Coco.

This was my WORST duck season in my 50 years of duck hunting in Louisiana. That’s right, 50 years I’ve been avidly duck hunting. Enclosed are the four major reasons I believe our season was so bad in Louisiana, and vicinity.

1. Too much rain and high water from Louisiana to Canada. If you don’t believe me, check the MS river stages;

2. More crops left unharvested in fields across the flyway due to weather conditions and damage. The damage made a lot of the crops worthless and were left in the fields;

3. Western to Eastern cold fronts. My experience over 50 years suggest Western fronts would take “our” ducks and not bring in new ducks in the way a northern cold front would. This was pronounced in 2003 and 2004 seasons.

4. As of January 20, 2019, I hunted every weekend and holidays. I had to put on my long underwear on 2 hunts and one was January 20. This was the mildest winter that I can remember personally, and listening to customers.

These four reasons, when combined, were the reason for a slow Louisiana season and was the perfect storm for low duck migration numbers.

On the two pieces of property I own interest in and actively manage for waterfowl we had limits taken only six days and not by everyone. This includes the coastal and east zone of Louisiana.

There are a lot of other factors affecting the migration that we absolutely cannot control; the scale of which is geographically massive.

1. No till farming leaving grain spillage on top of the ground.

2. No snow cover to blanket this no-till ground.

3. Hunters, like my self, whom have bought land to hunt Waterfowl on and have enhanced it so they can have better hunting. This is done by managing water and planting crops such as Corn, Milo, Soybeans, Millet and managing moist soil plants to produce better conditions to hunt waterfowl.

4. National Wildlife Refuges planting and flooding crops for Waterfowl. This is the same thing Private landowners are doing to enhance their hunting like myself. This is legal if it is not manipulated.

I had a customer come in last week and we were discussing the bad season. His wife mentioned the stories she heard about Ducks Unlimited heating ponds and feeding ducks. I responded if you believe that I have a bridge I would like to sell you!!!!

In 2004, I was in Rayville, Louisiana at a farm auction buying a tractor to plant corn on our farm on the Black and Red river. Another guy was looking at the same tractor. After speaking to him I found out he was from Marksville La. where all my family is from. I told him we bought Black River Point which was across the river from Marksville. I also told him we bought it for duck hunting. He looked at me and said we don’t kill ducks up here any more thanks to Ducks Unlimited! I told him you really believe that, don’t you? He bowed up and looked like he was ready to fight. I then responded and said they must have bought all the worms from all the worm ranches and put them out also because they sure stopped those Robins from coming here with the ducks. He looked at me and had a revelation. He said I never thought of that I have not seen a Robin in three years. I then said when you start seeing robins again you will start seeing Greenheads again.

2002, 2003 and 2004 were the mildest winters I can remember. As bad as the hunting was then, 2018 was far worse.

The best thing we can hope for in Louisiana is dry cold weather with a lot of snow in the northern states. In 1983 and 1989 we had every duck in the country. In 1983 it got to 11 degrees and 8 degrees