The most important factor to keep in mind when hunting Pass-A-Loutre is the tide. Ignorance of tidal information could mean a hunt with no ducks that ends with your boat stuck on a mudflat. You may come to an area during an afternoon scouting trip and find it loaded with ducks, only to come back the next morning to find them all out in the middle of a bay because the tide is out. Likewise, you may could get to an area during a high tide, only to find yourself sitting on a mud flat after the water moves out, watching, thousands of birds wrapped up, but not coming to your decoys because the decoys are tilting over on their sides. Pay attention to the tide and you'll both kill more ducks and have a safer trip.

Pearl River WMA
Pearl River WMA offers 15,031 acres of some of the most diverse habitat in the state, ranging from bottomland hardwoods to cypress/tupelo swamps; it's a hunter's paradise. Wood ducks and mallards can be found north of U.S. Highway 90, but the areas of marsh south of Highway 90 offer the biggest concentrations of Louisiana's other ducks.

The section south of Highway 90 is more of a marsh zone, and, with its saltwater and intermediate marsh, one very similar to Manchac. There's a lot of widgeon grass and pondweed, which provides the forage for these different species in this are of the WMA.

Pearl River WMA is just a few miles east of Slidell. You can get to it from old Highway 11 and by boat. Boat access is available at several ramps along Highway 90 with concrete ramps at Davis and Crawford landings. A commercial ramp is available at Old Indian Village.

Pearl River is much like Pass-A-Loutre with respect to the effects of tide. Even though you're on a river system, the tide can still move out on you.

LAKE CHARLES AREA
Lacassine NWR
Enough ringnecks, pintails, blue- and green-winged teal, gadwalls, and widgeon call Lacassine NWR home during the winter months to make it one of the hottest waterfowl areas in southwest Louisiana.

Most of the 32,970-acre refuge consists of freshwater marsh, with dense growths of maidencane and bulltongue, and only a few natural ridges and levees. The major feature of the refuge is Lacassine Pool -- a 16,000-acre marsh with a low levee. Large waterfowl concentrations can be found in this pool.

Approximately 1,500 acres are managed for moist-soil plants and agricultural crops to provide desirable waterfowl foods.

More than 6,000 acres south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway are open to duck hunting. A federal order prohibits waterfowl hunting on the portion of Lacassine Bayou flowing through the refuge.

Hunting is permitted on Wednesday through Sunday of the state duck season (Western Zone). Hunters may not enter the hunting area earlier than 4:00 a.m., and hunting hours end at noon each day.

Motorized boats may be used only in canals and bayous. Horsepower is not restricted. Airboats may not be used on the refuge. Only portable blinds or stands may be used, and they may be set up one week prior to the start of a season. Blinds, stands, and decoys must be removed by the last day of the season, and each segment of a split season. Any hunter on a first-come, first-served basis may use blinds and stands left overnight during a season.

Lacassine NWR lies at the end of Highway 3056. From Interstate 10, take Exit 64 (Jennings) and travel south on Highway 26 to Highway 14 in Lake Arthur. Go west on Highway 14 for seven miles to Highway 3056 and then south four and a half miles.