Duck hunting in Louisiana is as much of a tradition as king cake, zydeco music, and large family gatherings. If you happen to be one of the many that love to hunt duck the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has some great news for you. There are about twice as many ducks in Louisiana this year as there were at this time last year.

Larry Reynolds is the leader of the State Waterfowl Study and he has several theories as to why the duck population has increased so much. As you might imagine, the weather has a lot to do with the patterns of migratory birds. In this case, it appears to be either snow or drought that has pushed the birds into the bayou.

There was an early kind of freakish snow storm across southern Canada the second week in October, and that may have pushed some of the early migrants down.

Reynolds told that to the Louisiana Radio Network. That is certainly one theory. The other possibility might be this. There are a lot of dry patches along the migratory route for these birds. There are drought conditions from Iowa down through northern Louisiana. Since ducks like the water, they keep flying until they find it.

Reynolds says based on their flyovers, they've estimated there to be three million ducks in the state, which is almost two million more than their November 2016 projection. Does this mean a bountiful season for Louisiana hunters?

It’s always good to have ducks this early in the season, but it’s no guarantee things are going to stay good throughout the season.

Duck season has already opened in the West and Coastal Zones, and it opened this past weekend in the East Zone.

 

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