Actually, it doesn't allow hunting after the last Sunday in January.

Unless duck populations decline and we go into the "Restrictive" package, which is 30-days and 3-ducks. Under those conditions, we can't hunt any later than the Sunday nearest January 20.

But it gets migrants first. The coastal marshes are a much more predictable habitat for migrating birds, and always has water compared to the un-predictable nature of the forested wetlands and fields of NE LA.

That is why since 1975, the first year that states were allowed to have zones, the old West Zone (which included almost all of what is now the Coastal Zone) has opened earlier than the East Zone. And because far more mallards use the forested wetlands and fields of NE Louisiana, and they tend to migrate later, the East Zone has always run later than the old West Zone.

It's hardly all or nothing; there is lots of overlap; but it is not reasonable for the Coastal Zone to open or close later than the East Zone simply because of the migratory trends of the species that winter there.

I can see why you would want the season dates announced as early as possible. However, you are a professional while the vast majority of us are not. Is it fair to announce the season early simply so the guides can book their clients?
I just continue to maintain that treating it like the shrimp season and announcing the opening based on real time observations of the resource would give hunters the best chance of success. I know it's a pipe dream, but I I've always been a dreamer haha.

It's not just because he is an outfitter, it is because the large numbers of hunters that book trips with guides every year need to be able to plan vacation time as well. It is hard to argue your point that there aren't many ducks here in early November when the harvest data shows that most hunters do best in the early season

I never said there was no ducks here in November. Last year not so much maybe. But we normaly always do better early at my spot in the coastal zone. I take no issue at all with the dates themselves.

If it were up to me, I would take the last Sunday that the Feds will allow us to hunt and count backwards 60 days with a 12 day split. I would make sure that all holidays would fall during times where the season was open, and that would be how I would set the season. I don't think many people would argue with this.

However, I don't think one week earlier will make much of a difference.

Not a bad point really.


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What about running the first split Nov 8-Dec 7 and second split Dec 20- Jan 18. This would give coastal zone hunters 7 additional days in the first split. Most seem to agree that their hunting is better early so why not have a few more days in the first split.

This is what I would like to see also

X2

What can we do to try to make it happen? Does anyone have Mr Reynolds email and would it do any good to email him?

Comment #11 by Noodle Creek, it has his Email and yes email him

Done!! Thanks

If any of you guys are interested in adding 7 days to the first split in the coastal zone please email Mr Reynolds at Lreynolds@wlf.la.gov. I just talked to him and he said he would bring it up but he has not gotten many request for additional days in the first split.
Thanks

Just sent mine

It's interesting to see responses to website postings. I got a couple of responses saying, "I see there is discussion about adding 7 days to the first split; I'm against that". Now I see where that was coming from.

Honestly, I do NOT like public comment periods without structured hunter-opinion survey tools in place. Why?

1) People who are OK with what you have proposed tend not to participate. A higher proportion of those who disagree or have strong specific desires expend the effort to make the contact.

2) It gets political. People rally like-minded individuals (or others that don't really have an opinion but will help out a friend). I've had calls where they passed the phone around to a bunch of buddies or co-workers to get all their opinions ...... which were all the same, of course. I've even received e-mails from women that tell me they are expressing their opinion on behalf of so and so.

3) People want to speak for many others. Lots of e-mails claim to be speaking for more than 1 person. "Our club of 12 members want ........"; "I'm speaking for myself and my 3 brothers and our 8 children who all hunt ......."; etc.

4) Soooooo many comments are just not useful like those that want to close the season over holidays, or want to hunt a straight 60 days starting November 1rst, or want to hunt a straight 60 days counting back from January 31, or want to hunt Friday, Saturday, and Sundays only from Nov. 1 until our 60 days runs out, or people who want to change season dates in Arkansas or Missouri, or those that want statewide seasons so the guys in those "other zones" won't come over and hunt in their zone.

5) A few get nasty with their remarks, and virtually all of those that do make fools of themselves not realizing the limits of federal law, or how many times in the last 20 years we have opened the season on November 8th, or how many ducks Louisiana hunters actually kill in the month of November, or how unpopular their particular opinion has been on the last 3 formal hunter-opinion surveys, etc.

It is always a learning experience, and I appreciate all of you that have contacted me with your well-reasoned opinions. That includes those who want 7 extra days in the first split.

Season Dates
 

I emailed Larry about my concerns for the season and he had some very insightful reasons as to why the seasons are set forth as such:

1) The Coastal Zone always opens on the 2nd Saturday in November. This year it happens to be November 8th with the way the calendar fall. It has either been the 8th or 14th for the past 20 years.

2) By federal regulations duck seasons are not allowed to run into February. Only way that is permissible is if the season ends of January 31 and that day happens to be a Sunday.

3) State records show that more birds are killed in the first 3 weeks of the duck season in the Coastal Zone than in the last 5 weeks combined.

4) Seasons here open up earlier than states in the North because a majority of Northern states harvest Mallards and Canada Geese which are late migrants Our season allows Louisianians to harvest a variety of species of ducks.

5) If anyone is interested in reading the emails or would like to see the proof Larry sent PM me and I would be glad to forward them to you.

If most ducks are killed in the first 3 weeks why not add a fourth week to the first split??

Or open last week of oct

I'm my years hunting tipically the most of the ducks I shoot in the first few weeks of the first split are mostly teal in the marsh. I personally rather have a extra week in the second split becuase I enjoy working and shooting big ducks. Because the teal will stay untill the weather stays cold for a extended period of time.

For the last 7 yrs we could have shut down the last 2 weeks and not miss very much, might have 2 good hunts and 2 days later there are ducks everywhere after it closes. Now I hunt the marsh and don't hunt it in the afternoons when weather changes but it wouldn't make too much difference any ways. Our birds are getting so educated now it is unreal, they are getting hunted hard all the way down the flyway