Whatever rain falls across our state this weekend won’t be enough to bring enough water to ponds, marshes, fields and forests for the upcoming duck, goose and modern firearms seasons for deer.
Through Friday, south Louisiana had been through more than 20 days without measurable rainfall, which meant squirrel hunters were forced to change tactics to have success in the woods.
It was too dry to amble without making a sound through dry leaves and twigs, so hunters scouted for cuttings and staked out cover enough to wait for squirrels to come to them.
During October’s special black-bellied whistling duck season, waterfowl hunters reported finding dried-up marsh ponds and that the number of BBW ducks made for good hunts, but the prospect of finding water in the marshes for the big duck season was troublesome. And, the big duck season begins Saturday with a special youths and honorably discharged veterans weekend in advance of the first segment of a 60-day season coming the following weekend.
Several deer hunters contacted said there was enough rain to produce good mast crops this year, but the lack of recent rains has left food plots dry and withered.
The commission
Strange with duck and deer seasons getting ready to hit full stride, the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will discuss major freshwater and saltwater fishing items for its 9:30 a.m. meeting Thursday at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge on Grand Chenier Highway in Grand Chenier.
On the freshwater side, the LWFC will consider declaring an emergency and setting up a notice to “adjust largemouth bass regulations on Bussey Brake Reservoir.”
The saltwater issue is Wildlife and Fisheries’ marine biologist Jason Adriance reviewing procedures and management changes “related to spotted (speckled) seatrout and red drum (redfish),” along with his report on landings and sampling done for these two species.
The commission is scheduled to learn the 2027 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp Competition winner along with taking public comment.
The meeting’s live audio/video stream will be available via Zoom.
Red snapper
During its meeting last week, the Gulf Council took final action changing its approach to postseason accountability measures for private recreational red snapper. The change will mean more flexibility on the council’s part without compromising state management of this sector when it comes to red snapper.
In past years, a state was penalized for the number of pounds that state exceeded for its annual catch limit. The penalty — called a “payback” — was to reduce the catch limit by that excess the following fishing year.
This new recommendation is that a payback should only be triggered if a) state landings exceed the catch limit by more than 10%; b) the state exceeds its limit more than once in three years; c) the state has an overage of any amount while the total private recreational landings from all states exceed the total private recreational catch limit.
Champions
James Davis got the Southwest Louisiana High-Powered Club championship off and running last Sunday by taking Slow Fire Standing event with a score of 93, including one bull’s-eye, followed by winning Rapid Fire Sitting with a 100 score, which pushed him to the club’s 2026 champion with a total score of 488-12X.
Other winners included Gary Schwabe, Rapid Fire Prone, 99-2X; Dwayne Vidrine, Slow Fire Prone, 199-7X & Expert Class, 481-13X; Michael Burke, Master Class, 477-15X; Tony Geeck, Sharpshooter/Marksman Class, 415-13X; and, Mason D’Antoni, Juniors, 474-9X.
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