Here’s some good news just a couple of days before the East Zone duck season opens in our area Saturday:
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries November survey in northeast Louisiana was completed yesterday and the numbers are in.
Approximately 454,000 ducks and 101,000 geese (70% white-fronted) were counted on selected habitats in northeast Louisiana on the traditional cruise survey that was standardized in 2005. This is nearly twice the 240,000 ducks and nearly 3 times the 36,000 geese counted last November.
This is the highest November duck count since the survey was standardized, and is over 3 times the November average of 145,000.
Despite very dry conditions across most of the surveyed area, shallow-flooded locations hosted very large numbers of birds. Gadwall (128,000), green-winged teal (110,000) and pintail (101,000) were the most abundant species, and about half of the total ducks on this survey were counted in the flooded fields and wetlands between Bunkie/Cheneyville and Grand Cote NWR.
Other large concentrations of ducks were noted at Catahoula NWR, and in flooded fields east of Russell Sage WMA and in the Bonita/Mer Rouge area; these latter 2 areas were also holding the largest concentrations of geese. Active pumping to flood additional acreage was noted in many locations, but wetland habitat remains very limited.
Remember, our daily Duck Report will begin Saturday giving you the latest information on how the duck season in our area is going. Stay tuned.
