You have to flood rice to grow it. its a required standard for its agricultural practice. So having some in the water is a natural byproduct of the process. You still cant BAIT the pond. You don't have to flood corn to grow it!!
And by the way, growing corn and not harvesting it to feed ducks, AND THEN FLOODING IT, is not only baiting but you are creating a habitat/refuge that would not exist in that location naturally!!! especially if you then use pumps and ice eaters to keep the water open beyond what would naturally negate the normal result of weather.
you talk about how ducks dont need to migrate if they have food and water. Well thanks captain obvious, no shit. but the practices you are bragging about are only contributing to that scenario. Even birds that are not big grain feeders are being affected b/c there is simply too much habitat being created that negates the natural instinctive need to migrate.

I also noted that they intend to move up the opening of the coastal season from NOV. 16 to NOV 8th? Do you all remember just a few years ago they did the same thing b/c several commissioners all hunted and had leases in same area of SW coastal marsh. And we had a warm fall and ZERO birds for first 3 weeks of season. And we got same BS excuses from them then as well, ' i talked to a bunch of guys who want me to move it'. Turns out by bunch of guys they meant 'all the guys i hunt with on my lease who do better in first half of season than last b/c of water levels'.

Only in Louisiana is the commission run by political BS artists w/ zero scientific training and not a biologist. I openly appose the changes of teal limit to 4 or the advancement of the opening dates of coastal season.

yes, yes and yes

exactly it actually kinda is a 1:1 comparison b/c the survey and the season opener were both done earlier than last years.

So it kinda proves that opening this early means no birds for the majority of costal zone. In fact larry's own statement was that 85% of the birds counted came from one transect alone if I remeber correctly.
So guess rest of us poor dumb hunters will just have to stay home or waste a couple weeks of the season till rest of the birds show up.

lorane that is kind of my point. everyone for this opener is touting survey data to support thier personal agenda but the data is itself not an acurate representation of the costal zone as a whole but rather a small isolated area or rather a very few small isolated areas.

unfortunatly the type of survey data that needs to be collected will never happen b/c the state has niether the money or resources to do it. this is why public opinion surveys must be tied in with emperical survey data and a common ground reached (which is how it was proposed). The commision however played politics for personal gain rather than their constituant wishes and overuled both public opinion and the lead state waterfowl biologist.

I would love to see a survey after this opener and first week of how many birds killed in SW LA vs SE LA costal zones. But one that actually acounts for birds killed per hunter per 100 sq miles, and then compare it with same survey data done after 14th. that way it is actually relavent data.

Also would love for it to break it down per species killed as well. think it would show a huge varience of types of ducks in various areas of the costal zone. some with heaver populations of late migrants vs early migrants.

I think it would clearly show what alot of us already know, but it will never happen.

Over all i'd say leave the zones alone for now keep opener on second weekend of NOv.

what we really need is not a zone change but a system of checks and balances so that policically apointed Hacks on the commision can not play King almighty with the natural resources of our state for thier and thier friends own benefit. When the overwhelming majority (and state biologist) say other whise. JMO

The cluster of habitats and migtraton patters accross the state is exactly the problem. And trying to please everyone is pointless.

Thats why instead of debating the Zones we should leave them the way they are and be debating the season Date frameworks.
IMO the dates for each zone should be pretty much set in stone, much like MS does it for entire state, with the only way for those guidelines to be changed is with the expressed recommendation/motion of the state leading wildfowl biologist. Then an approving majority vote by the commision to accept those changes or not for one season.

That way seasons are same in each zone every year unless Larry has scientific data to support a need for season change and the commision can approve it.

Ie: second weekend in Nov for costal unless WLF says otherwise. Then commission can vote to move it.

Zones are not the problem its changing dates year to year to please people.

don't know why bother have any meetings at all. since the hunter survey didn't mean anything, its obvious that public opinion holds no sway with the commission members.

They going to make seasons and zones whatever they want them to be and tell us all we bunch of poor dumb schmucks who don't know what we are talking about.

I appreciate Larry having them and applaud those who go, do wish I could just to vent my frustration, but seems to me its all window dressing. Just a way to shut people up by making them think someone gives a damn.

Lanco1 thanks, yeah I have two. My female is the better hunter but she has been out of commission from two ACL surgerys.

No dont hunt that area. Im in SE LA and some in Mississippi.

big pecan- I was debating the issue. Then After you posted in 3 different threads that everyone south of 2 hwys and that you know wants and likes the dates and implied it should be that way b/c you agree with it due to the data. some of us challenged your statement b/c its kinda arrogant and was kinda wrong. then you said ' Our end wants more in November. We won. You lost. Are you going to now take your football and go home, or just keep whining?'

That your idea of diplomacy? I was arguing for compromise. A compromise that would most likely not have drastic affect on your season but does affect mine and was the recomendation of the head waterfowl biologist in the state who Collected and analyzed all the data.

Lanco1 great posts, cant say I disagree with anything you posted in there. Many of the points I have been trying to make actually.

Unfortunatly big pecan thinks anyone who disagrees with his opinion is crying and whining, and we don't believe in raw data. which is not the case at all. I don't care that the season is opening on first weekend, great more power to him and the rest. But in doing so you took days away from myself and others who do well late in year, and that is the crux of the matter. We wanted compromise.

just remember people, lots of people have 'hard data' to tell you how things should be. Obama has 'hard data' telling you Obama care and his polices are all the best thing for you. be wary of straight 'hard data' lol.

Best luck to all this season.

Lol I'll feed the troll.
No don't need the cheese or wine I can kill birds any time of the season even January. I don't have to bitch and complain and screw others for a limit

wait...so you have 8 duck blinds in your marsh and you cant kill birds in January? Think I found your problem and its not season dates bro.

Lorraine66-those are good times and good memories.

Big pecan-yeah well since I get opt my zone can I opt my season dates too...oh wait...no your SW LA commissioner buddy decided he know better than the leading state wildfowl biologist and the rest of overall majority of coastal zone hunters.

And your comment was silly and arrogant.

the costal zone traverses the Entire southern half of the state from west to east including lake Ponchatrain and Bourgne. Not just south of LA14 and along LA82.

That is a huge diverse area of land to set based on one little corner of SW LA. or from data collected from limited areas of the costal zone. Not one piece of real data has been collected in my area for at least 6yrs, I promise. We mostly get overlooked in my area of the costal zone.

Also to base it on all other species hunted in the state is dumb b/c as I said deer, squirrel, rabbit, hogs, etc.. don't migrate. They have a static population. management is entirely different.

And last of all, of course people kill more ducks in Nov and Dec. There are more hunters per sq mile. And stupid ducks. If you opened in Dec that would be when we kill the most. its common sense.

The data isn't collected in a way to show hunter per sq mile vs duck populations in late season, but there are fewer hunters in jan. not fewer birds. data can show what you want it to. I have personal logs that show I statistically kill more birds in Dec and Jan so why not compromise and make the season what was originally proposed.

second weekend in NOv, and one extra week in jan. its that simple.

Well great Big Pecan I guess everyone in America should go by what hunters south of LA14 and along LA82 want, right?

All other species of animals in the state that we hunt are not migratory animals. with the exception of Dove. Makes it entirely different b/c those animals have static populations densities in set geographic locations. So take that crap somewhere else please.

For me its not about that first week sucking or being a complete loss. Its really about two basic things.

First its less about the first week sucking and more about the loss of one to two weeks of hunting in January when I tend to do well. So a lack of compromise.

Second, its about the commissioner basically telling every one to 'F' off that he knows what is best for everyone b/c he is smarter than us and better at knowing what the season should be. And he uses this 'hard data' crap to justify it. Typical politician BS.

How many times do you think he trudges it out on public land hunting like us poor folk? or nice and cumfy warm in a private blind? Funny too how one of the other commisioners resigned right after he voted in favor. He is not Jhon Q public weekend duck hunter.

my 2 cents on it all:
the commisioner may have a biology degree but so what. He is still a political apointee. He has been politically apointed to positions in 5 lobbyest organizations and is the land manager of a large private hunting property. that means his decison making is influenced by more than just 'hard data'. Understantable but still not right. He is not joe blow weekend duck hunter.

I have a biology degree too and I have data in all my journals that say I kill more birds in January than in November soo...'hard data' is often realative to who collects it and posts it, as many who deal with statistical data well know.

Public opinion should carry weight in the process b/c as he well knows just as I do, Data can vary in subsets of the sample groups within the whole subject population. In other words, within the costal area certain geographic areas will have variences different than the norm. This is what acounts for why some like me have differnt over all statistical results in our seasons and would like a middle ground to the season dates.

He made a decision based on his opinion of 'hard data' b/c it went along with what he agree's with, with out acounting for varience. Science is good but it is not always absolute.

In the end it is what it is. I'll hunt regardless of the dates but it dosent change the fact that right is right and wrong is wrong. IMO to totally and absolutely disregard public opinion in this case was wrong.

Well sais Shallow water angler. My thoughts exactly.

Here is another thing for all you early november yahoos who think your harvest numbers are sooo good b/c most of you are too lazy to put the work into hunting in January.(fewer hunters in Jan=fewer kill counts). You all better pray to the duck hunting god's that we dont get a late ass september or early october hurricane this year. or your super duper november harvest counts are going to be shit.

I do very well late in seasin in SE costal marsh.
Hell last year I couldnt hardly hunt but most of the days I went were in second split.

Last 3 hunts of year at end of season in costal marsh around Lake P. I killed limits all 3 days by 730 in am and birds were still falling into the pond while i watched.

most of the people bitching for early season are lazy and dont want to put in the work in late Jan. to find birds. Thats why the launch is always empty in january. But on opening day them cars are lined up down the highway.

Only reason people kill more birds in Nov is b/c its relativly New, young, stupid birds that havent been shot at yet. wouldnt matter if you open in first week or last week of Nov. ITS THE OPENING OF SEASON THAT MAKES IT EASY. Not the number of birds, look at the bird counts in Nov vs Dec. People are mostly full of BS and out for personal gain. They hunt less in Jan. so everyone should hunt less in Jan. Tired of all the BS.

Season should be 2nd weekend of Nov. split inearly Dec. then as late as possible.