Another key to the popularity of southwest Louisiana among the ducks is that birds from both the Central and Mississippi flyways converge in southwestern Louisiana to winter.

Southwest Louisiana is home to some of the best public-land duck hunting to be found anywhere in the United States. Two national wildlife refuges come to mind first -- Lacassine and Sabine. There's plenty of marsh to go around in these federally managed areas, and hunters willing to put in a little work can find themselves having a banner hunt, even during down years.

LACASSINE NWR
The nearly 35,000 acres of mainly freshwater marsh that make up Lacassine NWR are located in Cameron and Evangeline parishes at 209 Nature Road, at the end of Highway 3056, 11 miles southwest of Lake Arthur off state Highway 14. Lacassine is one of the major wintering areas for ducks in the United States. In fact, duck numbers at Lacassine are typically higher than at any other NWR in the nation.

Lacassine actually straddles the border of an area known locally as the rice belt and an area known as the Cheniere Plain. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Lacassine run through the refuge. The Mermentau River forms the eastern border and the Bell City Drainage Ditch makes up the west border. The southern border consists of Lake Misere, Bayou Misere, Mud Lake and Grand Lake.

Lacassine NWR was created in 1937 as a habitat for wintering waterfowl in the coastal prairie of southwestern Louisiana. The refuge is a mixture of freshwater marshes and scattered uplands. Impounding a 16,000-acre marsh with a low levee created Lacassine Pool, the dominant feature of the refuge.

A federal order prohibits duck hunting on the portion of Lacassine Bayou where it flows through the refuge. However, more than 6,000 acres south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway are open to duck hunting.

Pintails, blue-winged and green-winged teal, mallards, ring-necked ducks, gadwalls and American widgeon are the most common ducks on the refuge during the winter months. Green-winged teal and pintails have been most populous recently. Recent refuge counts have put the green-winged teal and pintails in the 20,000 range, while mallards have been in the teens.

Hunting success at Lacassine, as on most public lands, requires putting in effort and sacrificing morning sleep to beat the crowds. The law of the land at Lacassine is "first-come, first-served," so being one of the first to launch in the morning ensures the opportunity to hunt the choicest spots on the refuge.

Most hunters head to the 6,000 acres south of the Intracoastal Waterway. However, the open marsh around Streeters Canal between the Mermentau River and Lacassine Bayou also offers some excellent hunting. Several hunters also find an area known as the Duck Pond to their liking.

Hunting at Lacassine 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. Hunters may also scout during the hunting season until one hour after sunset, but shotguns must be unloaded and encased or dismantled after shooting hours.

Lacassine regulations allow hunters to leave boats and decoys in the hunting areas, but they must be removed by the last day of each season.

Contact Lacassine NWR headquarters at (337) 774-5923 for a free permit or hunting information, or go online to http://lacassine.fws.gov.