Guys,what do you all think happened to the Delacroix/Reggio area as ducks are concerned? No storms this year,marsh is seemingly in good condition.Possible flyway change? Large numbers in SW LA.Looking like we may have to start traveling to get decent duck hunting like we do for deer hunting. Thoughts?
Guys,do any of you hunt the lower Lafitte area,say perhaps the Mud Lake,Bayou St. Denis,Bay Cray area? Trying to find out how the duck hunting has been that far out in the past few years and what kind of ducks are bagged. Thanks for any responses.
What happened to the Sweetwater Marina reports?
There have been rumors that the Reggio Marina is closed and up for sale. Went down there today and talked to Mike there. The Reggio marina IS open and not up for sale. Disgruntled kayaker started this rumor but it is not true.The marina is open for use.
Have any of you guys had trouble with alligators smashing your decoys and eating your hard earned teal in Delacroix during teal season? Last September I had a 7 to 10 foot alligator smash 3 decoys and get both teal after I shot a rare double. He swam into my decoys and started nudging them( I assumed he was smelling them) with his nose. He then stayed there looking at me sitting in the grass. After 3 or 4 minutes he just started biting my decoys. I tried to scare him off with 2 shots but that did not faze him. Looked up and 2 teal were coming over the decoys. Boom! Boom! A rare double for me. Soon as they hit the water the gator made a bee line for them and got the 1st one then got the 2nd one. I was really PO. He stayed around for about an hour.No more teal came by and finally he left. Anyone had anything similar to happen to them in Delacroix? It seems every year I am seeing more and more and they are getting bigger and bigger.
Does anyone know if the yellow 'chair' rigs that were located NE of the MRGO short rocks before Katrina are still there? Looking to make a trip out there next month. Thanks for responding.
Capt Paul,can you recommend a good handheld marine gps that can use the chips sold at Sweetwater and Breton Sound Marinas? Need a handheld for the portability. Thanks
Does anyone know if a Suzuki prop will fit a Johnson motor and vice versa? Want to know if a 150 Suzuki prop will fit my 150 Johnson. Thanks to all.
Are any of you guys running a Bay Quest Boat? Looking for any feedback on likes,dislikes,ride,performance,etc. Thanks for replies.
Have any of you deer hunters used a Benz Silent Rider Muffler to quiet your Atv or know someone who has? I have a Kodiak 450 and it is a lot louder than other 4-wheelers. I would like to know if they really work before I go out and buy one. Thanks for any replies.
Does anyone know if the road to Delacroix is open and passable and if Lionel's back down ramp is open? What about the Reggio marina? Itching to make a teal hunt Mon or Tues.Thanks for responses.
Does anyone know where I can have the skeg replaced on the lower unit of a '99 115 Johnson or if it can even be replaced? Thanks for replies.
Smacker,we hunted this area for 22 years and you are correct. No more grays,very few teal. As the alligator population increased,the mottled duck population decreased. Last 5 or 6 years I have had alligators attacking and crushing my decoys and beating me to some of the very few ducks that hit the water.I think the gators have devastated the mottled duck hatchlings. Every year seems like the duck hunting gets worse and worse except for a few limited areas.
I heard 3 reports from Delacroix area that stated there were no teal.They are in SW La though.
Duckguy 1515, thank you also for the tip on not hunting the north winds. That definitely is different. I may try both areas this year if I can leave the deer alone for awhile. Mande,brought my boat in today and now it is ready to go. Next Wednesday or Thursday I plan to go and with any luck it MIGHT be a little cooler according to the weatherman.
Thank you Duckguy 1515. That is what I wanted to know: 1. The kind of ducks killed in the area 2. How were the past seasons in that area to help me decide if a lease in that area is worth getting in on. i have also decided to take the advice of some of the hunters who responded and go to the Biloxi Marsh and and scout a few areas. I will do that next week hopefully. Thanks again.
Mande,I love mine also. It is an 1860.I will be going in within the next two weeks to scout a couple of places. gonna try the Stump Lagoon route. Forgot what has been previously said about crossing Stump Lagoon. I think you have to stay closer to the north shoreline of Stump to the first cut to go to Crooked Bayou. I will just take it slow and yes I do have a GPS.
Thank you Mande. Gotta take the Southfork in Monday morning to have the motor tuned up and after that I will be ready to go. I think I will give the Biloxi Marsh a try this year. Gonna make a couple of scouting trips to learn the routes in and water depth in canals and bays.I will also have my pirogue. I don't think i will go when the water is low. I guess I will have to go alone cause it will be during the week. I will have my marine radio because I heard that there is no cell phone service out there. I am starting off from scratch out there so it is gonna take me a few trips to learn where to go.
Got a limit--Thank you. I was thinking along those lines but just thought I would ask. I mostly hunt alone because I can only go during the week and my friends almost always have to work. However,I don't let that stop me from going. Would love to go to Venice but that is a hunt I would not want to do by myself. I might try the Biloxi marsh. Really wanted another lease though it is very hard to find one. I thought I might have gotten lucky and found a decent lease but didn't know about that area. Mandevillian,thank you for your input also.
I wasn't looking for public land. I may have a chance to get a lease in the lower Lafitte area and just wanted to know how the duck hunting has been in that area recently. I had been hunting Delacroix for years but lost the lease and started looking for one elsewhere.Delacroix has gotten so crowded; Not looking for public land and I don't trespass on other hunters' leases.
No one hunts the lower Lafitte area?
Good luck Chris. Let us know how you make out.
I sent Larry an email to his Wildlife & Fisheries email address.
I vote to leave SE LA in the coastal zone with a 2nd Saturday in November opener if possible.
PM sent
An email has been sent to you. Thanks
Mallard masher did you fry the teal with the skin on or off? I am gonna try it!
I know a lot of people are worried about their dogs and do not bring them during teal season but I am worried that one might try to get me as I hunt out of the grass with a pirouge. I know of 1 person who feeds a huge gator in the Bay Shallow area. It comes straight to his boat and is over 10 feet long. What can one do when hunting out of the grass? This is getting serious.
I am also concerned about the availability of non-ethanol gas. I e-mailed Senators Vitter and Landrieu and asked them to see if they can help convince the Chalmette Refinery to continue to make non-ethanol gas.
I talked to a gas station owner here in East N.O. that sells non-ethanol gas and he told me he will not be able to get any from the Chalmette Refinery after this week but will have non-ethanol gas shipped from Baton Rouge to his station for the next 3 months and see how the sales go. It will be a little higher because of the shipping. He said if sales are high he will continue to do it and if they are not high he will have to go to ethanol gas. The station is on the corner of Morrison Rd and Wright rd in East NO. At least for the next 3 months it will still be available.
Capt Kim. What are you using for bait---live or artificial?
Talked to a couple of friends who have been there and they said the launch is okay but the building that Mike stayed in will have to be rebuilt. The marshes were said to be okay except that a lot of widgeon grass was lost. Reported seeing no ducks on the east side of Reggio.Mike will put another box out for launch collections when he is not there.
Yes,I have noticed fewer to no squirrels. This year is the first I have made a hunt that I didn't even see a squirrel. I hunt a couple of areas where I have always seen squirrels until this year. Don't know what's going on. No ducks anymore and now hardly any squirrels.