The Louisiana Duck Season second split in the West Zone opened this morning. The boat launch was a zoo this morning with a lot of hunters getting out into the Mississippi River Delta. The breeze was stiff out of the Northeast as we headed to the blind. The birds started working the pond well way before shooting time. The decoys were alive with the whistles of greenwing teal that had landed. As shooting time arrived, the big ducks were not working. We could see them up in the sky, but they were not interested. The bluewing and greenwing teal were buzzing everywhere. We waited and got a couple of Mottled ducks to commit and picked them up. A lone gadwall swooped in and stayed. We decided we better take what was available and we finished quick with bluewings and greenwings. We picked up the ducks and started to pick up the decoys and saw that the big ducks were starting to work the pond. Should have waited…Good luck out there this week!
Duck hunting report 12/1/2022
The duck action continues to the hot. The wind was ripping 20 mph from the Northeast after the passage of another front. We decided on a blind on the north side of a big pond. We could hear the birds moving before morning light. As shooting time arrived, the teal were buzzing by in large groups. We could see small groups of Gadwall, Pintail and Mottled ducks working us. We waited and started to get decoying shots on the big ducks. We limited on pintail quick. Then started picking up gadwall. We rounded out the bag with a couple of greenwing teal nd one bluewing teal. Lots of new birds on the property and we will be back after them soon. Good luck out there!
Buras Duck Report
Excellent action on the ducks for the opening weekend of the 2022 Louisiana season in the Mississippi River Delta. There were plenty of birds and they worked very well. Saturday had light winds out of the west and low water conditions. We did not shoot the hundreds of Greenwing and Bluewing teal that were buzzing the decoys. We held out for big ducks and limited on gadwall and mottled ducks. Sunday was different story with the passage of a front during the night. The winds picked up significantly and the water level jumped way up. The blind that we chose was on the lee side in a big pond. The wind was whipping and the first few shots were misses as we tried to figure out the lead in the wind. Once we got the sight picture it was on and we limited on Pintail, Gadwall and Bluewing and Greenwing teal. Great hunts. We will be back out there soon! Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff
Buras Duck Hunt – 12-29-2020
The duck action has slowed down in the Mississippi River Delta. We hit the marsh this morning to great conditions, cool and breezy. We quickly discovered that the water is super low and the tide was still falling. Only one of my blinds was huntable as the rest were dry holes. We were able to get into the pond and we set up a big spread of teal, gadwall and pintail decoys. Sunrise came to relatively empty skies. Nothing moving at all and very few hunters around to stir them up. Soon enough a pair of gadwall decided we looked good and dropped in for a visit and never left. The teal then started buzzing around and a few large flocks of 25-30 banked close to us, but we did not get a shot off. Another group approached and we got 1 Green Wing Teal. Then the action slowed to nothing and the decoys started to lay on their sides as the water was still falling out hard. We decided to get out while we still could and call it a day. While we did not get limits, it was the best hunt until the next. We have some weather expected toward the end of the week and it may bring some new birds in to the area. Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff
Buras Duck Hunting – 12/19/2020
Great duck hunting in the Mississippi River Delta this weekend. The water table is very low right now with only a couple of my blinds hunt able, the rest are inaccessible as they are sitting in nothing but mud flats. A stiff breeze out of the North East had the birds looking for some small water protection. We set up in a medium sized pond that had enough water close to the Mississippi River. We set out a small size spread of teal with a couple of Pintail on the leeside and a half dozen Gadwall on the windward side of the blind. As the legal shooting time arrived, shots were raging in the distance but it took a while for the birds to start moving around us. Then slowly they started pouring into our pond. A pair of Gadwall decided to take a look a little too close and it was on from there. The Green Wing teal made an appearance in a flock of 30 plus and several more ducks made the bag. A few more Gadwall and we finished up early with the rest being GW Teal. My guests shooting was fantastic today. The Green Wing Teal were the dominant species today, but we saw Mottled, Pintail, Mallard, Shovelor and a few Dosgris. Best hunt until the next! An artic front is expected to approach south Louisiana later in the week and may bring another influx of birds, but it may also reduce our water level even further. Fingers crossed on both. Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff
Buras Duck Hunting – 1/2/2020
The duck action is heating up at the mouth of the Mississippi River Delta. After going through a lull in the action late in the first split, the second split has provided lots of opportunities. The Mississippi River is still high for this time of the year and has provided plenty of water in the ponds. The daily bag still is primarily Bluewing and Greenwing Teal, but the last few hunts more Gadwall, Mottled and even a greenhead found their way into the boat. There is another front headed out way now and hoping more birds will ride the winds down to the Louisiana coast. Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff
Duck hunting report – 12/29/2018
Fog and rain this morning made for a challenging ride across the Mississippi River. Using skill and modern electronics, we were able to easily navigate into the blind. A brisk North East wind was perfect for a rarely hunted shallow water slough blind. The birds were easily fooled by the setup and dropped out of the fog and into gun range. On point shooting led to quick limits of Pintail, Gadwall, Mottled and Blue Wing Teal. The birds are beautiful this time of the year as their full plumage is on display. The season runs until the 20th of January and we will keep at it until then. Good luck out there this week!
Captain Jeff
Duck hunting report – 12/15/2018
Fast and furious was the way to describe the morning hunt in the Mississippi River Delta. The west wind was pushing 15 mph and the water in the area was very high. We hit a blind located in a typically very shallow slough that was not so shallow with the high water. The blind is set up for an East wind, but you have to do what you have to do with the conditions we faced. The situation worked well although the shots were very challenging. The Bluewing teal started pouring into the slough as soon as we got positioned into the blind. The Mottled ducks were checking us out from on high before shooting time too. Once the time passed into legal, we unleashed the guns and very quickly limits of Bluewings were on the water. We saw a few Gadwall, Greenwing Teal, and Northern Shovelors, but it was the day for Bluewings. The fantastic hunting continues in the Mississippi River Delta! We will be back at this week. Good luck out there this week!
Captain Jeff
Duck hunting report – 11/18/2018
The excellent hunting continues in the Mississippi River Delta. We had hunts Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each hunt had full limits for the group. The species composition has shifted to more GreenWing and BlueWing Teal in the bag. We are still harvesting Pintail, Gadwall and Mottled Ducks too, but they seem to be more skittish right now. The weather has been good with the recent cool down and the winds have kept the birds from rafting up on the big open water of the Gulf of Mexico. The property is still in great shape as the ponds are full of feed and we have been moving to different ponds each hunt to limit pressure in any one area of the marsh. The Mississippi River is high and still rising. It looks like a small weather system is scheduled for tonight and into tomorrow morning. Might move more birds into the system, time will tell. We are back at it in the morning and will report. Good luck out there!
Captain Jeff
Duck hunting report – 11/11/2018
Still windy, but much less than yesterday made for a better trip across the Mississippi River this morning. Winds were still high out of the Northeast, but were doable in the dark. We hit another blind set up for a NE wind and were set up and ready for legal shooting time. My guests shooting was not quite as fine tuned as Saturdays bunch so it took a little longer, but limits were achieved quick. We bagged Gadwall, Pintail, Mottled, Bluewing Teal, and Greenwing Teal. The action was non stop as thousands of birds passed through the pond. The birds were slightly more wary as the pressure of the opener was fresh on their minds. Nasty weather is predicted for early in the week and it should send even more birds down our way into the Mississippi River Delta. We will be back after them very soon! Good luck out there and be safe.
Captain Jeff