Photo by R.E. Ilg

Listening to the hissing and cursing has come from Louisiana duck blinds the past two seasons could be enough to make even the most grizzled waterfowl veteran call it quits. However, most of these curses are directed at the lack of greenheads.

Well, get over it: Other ducks are to be had in Louisiana that provide excellent opportunities for any hunter willing to get his or her elitist nose out of the sky and pressed against the side of a shotgun.

I've never understood what the fuss was all about, really. Admittedly, I don't have thousands of dollars invested in a private lease, hundreds of decoys, and a high-bred retriever. Maybe if I did, I'd be hissing and cursing too.

All I've been interested in the past couple of years has been shooting some ducks. I haven't really cared what kind: gadwall, teal, widgeon, wood duck, pintail -- it hasn't mattered to me. If I happened to lure in a suicidal mallard, so much the better.

In other words, I haven't been too selective as to what I've shot the past two years. Selective waterfowlers interested only in mallards can't see past their blinders to appreciate all the other ducks flying by.

If you've been complaining about the lack of ducks recently, changing your attitude about what ducks you shoot can have you reliving the proverbial good old days in no time.

KATRINA'S AFTERMATH

Due to publication deadlines, this article was written just prior to the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina. At press time, it was impossible to determine how the aftermath of the storm would affect duck hunting this season, or to determine the status of the facilities and hunting seasons at all of the public lands mentioned here. Be sure to check the situation at each location before considering your hunting options this season.

Waterfowl hunters who don't mind aiming for a mixed bag of Louisiana ducks this season can find several public areas along the Interstate 10 corridor in south Louisiana. Here are the best bets for taking a limit of Louisiana's other ducks around New Orleans and Lake Charles.

NEW ORLEANS AREA
Big Branch NWR
Sited on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain between Slidell and Mandeville, Big Branch offers hunters the opportunity to hunt for teal, pintails, widgeon, gadwalls, wood ducks and a variety of other ducks in a natural coastal marsh surrounded by St. Tammany Parish's fast-developing communities. The refuge includes a brackish marsh near Lake Pontchartrain that gives way to an upland zone consisting of pine ridges and bottomland as you move north.

Duck hunting is allowed on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday until noon during duck season -- including special teal hunts and youth waterfowl hunts. Blinds and decoys must be removed by noon. Retrievers are allowed at Big Branch.

Access Big Branch NWR by taking Highway 434 south from Interstate 12 in Lacombe to the lake, or turn east off of 434 onto Highway 190 and drive 2 1/2 miles and turn south on Transmitter Road. Transmitter Road ends at Bayou Paquet Road, which runs through the refuge.

Delta NWR
The Delta NWR is home to literally tens of thousands of Louisiana ducks. The main drawing power of Delta lies in its abundance of the rich food sources found in this 49,000-acre hunter's paradise. However, it's the combination of food, fertile soil, and shallow water that keeps the ducks coming back year after year.

A little more than half the refuge is considered a freshwater marsh. As hunters leave the main tributaries and move closer to the Gulf of Mexico, they move from a freshwater marsh to brackish marsh. Delta duck potato, elephant ear, wild millet, delta three-square and Roseau cane are the dominant types of vegetation in the area.

Duck hunting is allowed on Delta NWR on Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday until noon northwest of the main pass and south of Raphael Pass. Access to the refuge is by boat only. Airboats, mudboats, air-cooled propulsion engines, and motorized pirogues aren't allowed.