"After the crowds thin out, you get to recognizing other hunters at the ramp," he said. "You learn who they are and where they hunt, and everybody tends to start staying out of the way of each other. There's a lot of area to hunt out there. Make sure to scout while you hunt and pay attention to what the birds are doing and adjust accordingly."

Access Sabine NWR by taking Highway 27. Travel south through the town of Hackberry to the refuge. The refuge headquarters is eight miles south of Hackberry on the east side of Highway 27. For more information, contact the refuge headquarters at (337) 762-3816 or go online to www.fws.gov/sabine/.

SABINE ISLAND WMA
This wildlife management area south of Toledo Bend may not win any "Top 10" list of places waterfowlers must hunt, but hunters who are willing to put up with fast-moving wood ducks, quick-turning teal and quickly changing water levels can find surprisingly good hunts.

Sabine Island is made up of approximately 8,000 acres of lowlands, broken by hardwood ridges. Several sloughs and bayous cross through a big tupelo swamp, and there are some open areas in the pipeline crossings. Most of the hunting is done by setting up in the pipeline crossings for wood ducks. Hunters can also jump-shoot a few wood ducks by walking slowly along the sloughs.

The two keys to hunting Sabine Island are paying attention to what the water is doing and keeping a map handy. The water levels in Sabine Island are at the mercy of the Gulf of Mexico tides and the discharge schedule at the Toledo Bend Dam. The water can go from low to high in a hurry. The opposite is also true, and hunters could get stranded on dry ground.

Sabine Island WMA is in Calcasieu Parish between Vinton and Starks. Take state Highway 109 from Vinton or south from Starks and then take the Nibblets Bluff Park road west from Highway 109. Access is available only by boat.

CAMERON PRAIRIE NWR
Duck hunting at Cameron Prairie isn't for the young-at-heart. It's only for the young . . . and only those youngsters who are selected through a lottery.

Hunters between the ages of 10 and 15 have the opportunity to apply for a one-day hunt in one of the refuge's five blinds. Selected hunters are assigned a fully brushed blind, complete with mallard, pintail and teal decoys. Most hunts are one day per week, but additional days are offered during school holidays.

Cameron Prairie isn't open for general public waterfowl hunting. One adult may hunt with one or two youths during the youth hunts. The youth hunt program is designed to introduce new hunters to waterfowl hunting through an enriching and positive experience.

Cameron Prairie is located 25 miles southeast of Lake Charles off Highway 27. For more information about the youth hunt, call (337) 598-2216 or go online to www.fws.gov/cameronprairie.

MERMENTAU RIVER
The Mermentau River runs through Jennings down into Grand Lake. Tietje said that it could offer excellent duck hunting at times. "It's mainly wood ducks with a few mallards and teal," he said. "The swamps are flooded, but the main hunting is on the edges of the river, where hunters build makeshift blinds on the points of the cypress trees."

Southwest Louisiana offers excellent public land duck hunting opportunities for hunters willing to put in a little time and effort. Even though duck numbers are generally down, there are more ducks around Lake Charles than there are anywhere else in the state.