Sabine NWR
"Duck hunting down here isn't like other places," said Region 5 biologist manager John Robinette. "To us, a gadwall or a widgeon is just as good as a mallard. And there isn't any better place to hunt these ducks down here than Sabine NWR."

Eight miles south of Hackberry in southwest Louisiana, Sabine NWR is home to approximately 34,000 acres of open water and marsh available to hunt.

Hunting is permitted only on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays of the teal and waterfowl seasons. Hunters can enter the refuge and launch after 3:00 am, and must be back at the check station by noon.

All boats on trailers must launch from the West Cove Recreation Area boat launches. Hunters may also access Hunt Unit E by driving on Vastar Road. Road access is for walk-in hunters and hand launching of small boats.

Each hunting party is required to complete and return a waterfowl harvest data form to the check station or to a designated drop box after each hunt. Only blinds made of native vegetation and portable blinds are permitted. Decoys, blinds and personal equipment must be removed after each day's hunt.

"You've got a lot of big canals, and then you get into the marsh," said Robinette. "It all boils down to finding a place to hunt, putting up a makeshift blind, and waiting on the birds. Hunters can expect to get lots of opportunities with teal, gadwalls, widgeon and pintails."

Access Sabine NWR by taking Highway 27, the Creole Natural Trail All American Road, south from Sulphur through Hackberry to the refuge.

Sabine Island WMA
Sabine Island WMA makes up in spunk what it lacks in flair. While not a typical south Louisiana duck hunting marsh, Sabine offers more than 8,000 acres of wood duck and teal hunting opportunity for hunters willing to put up with its quirkiness.

"This area is at the mercy of the Toledo Bend discharge and the Gulf of Mexico tides," said Robinette. "It can go from dry to high in no time. Hunters have to be aware of what the water is doing, or, just like a tidal marsh, they can get stuck on dry ground if they aren't careful."

Robinette also said that hunters without a map and compass could get lost in a hurry. "It's one of those areas where, once you get into the woods, everything looks the same. It's easy to get turned around."

Despite these cautions, Robinette says that Sabine Island has an excellent wood duck population with several flights of teal moving through.

"It's mainly a low area with hardwood ridges," he said. "There are several bayous and sloughs that crisscross back and forth through the big tupelo swamp area. Most hunters look for wood ducks in the open pipeline crossings, with a few jump-shooting them in the sloughs."

Sabine Island WMA is located in Calcasieu Parish between Vinton and Starks. Hunters can access the area by taking Highway 109 north from Vinton or south from Starks, and then taking the Nibblets Bluff Park road west from Highway 109. The area is completely surrounded by water, and access is only available by boat.

So you can see that there are plenty of opportunities to take ducks this season if you'll stop focusing on greenheads. Granted, duck numbers are down overall, including Louisiana's other ducks. But biologists agree that there are still enough gadwall, widgeon, teal, pintail, wood ducks and divers to make this season quite interesting.

By selecting one of these hunting areas, doing a little homework, and picking your shots, you can enjoy filling your strap with Louisiana's other ducks.