Table Of Content

Louisiana Conservationist (ISSN0024-6778) Volume43, No. 6 Baton Rouge,LA 70808 BuddyRoetner,Governor A.KellMclnnisIII,ActingSecretary Bettsie Baker, Undersecretary JerryClark,AssistantSecretary RobertH. Chabreck,Assistant Secretary WildlifeandFisheries Commissioners JimmyJenkins, Baton Rouge,Chairman A.KellMclnnisIII Norman F.McCall, Cameron Warren I. Pol,Baton Rouge nBatonRouge,morethan2,600turWneMdAout.Monroehosted BertJones, Ruston crowds exceeding 3,000. Bodcau near Shreveport Houston Foret,Cocodrie tallied 1,500 and Minden totaled more than 4,000. PeterVujnovich,NewOrleans Onceagain,LouisianaNationalHuntingandFishingDay John F. Schneider,Ponchatoula wasatremendoussuccessacrossthestate.Citizensofallagesand Division Administrators all backgrounds were on hand to view exhibits and demonstra- Hugh Bateman, Game tions,participateinvarious"hands-on"activities,andlearnalittle BobDennie,Information/Education moreaboutthisstate'smostabundantnaturalresource...outdoor BennieFontenot,InlandFish recreation. KarenFoote,FisheriesResearch They were metby volunteer workers anxious to share knowl- JohnnieTarver,HabitatConservation edge, experienceand, mostimportantly, a sense ofresponsibility TommyPrickett,Fur/Refuge and stewardship toward all our environmental resources. Winton Vidrine, Enforcement Thosevolunteerscamefromgovernmentalagenciessuchasthe BobDennie, ExecutiveEditor departments of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources, and WadeByrd, Editor Culture,RecreationandTourismaswellasWildlifeandFisheries. MauriceCockerham, StaffWriter They included Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Units and Boy Bob Sheldon, StaffWriter Scout Troops, and they came as representatives of conservation MarianneMarsh , StaffWriter groupssuchasDucksUnlimitedandG.C.C.A..Theyrepresented WayneMiller,ArtDirector private businesses and they worked as individual citizens...bass JuanitaGarden,CirculationManager fishermen, commercial fishermen and deer hunters. Although National Hunting and Fishing Week was originally Copyright1991 bytheLouisianaDepartmentof designed to commemorate the tremendous contributions recrea- WildlifeandFisheries.Thispublicationisnot tionalhuntersandfishermenhavemadetothenation'sconserva- prehsoptoongsriabplehsfoorruontshoelricmiatteedrimaalnsu.scripts, tionmovement,ithasgrowntoencompassfarmoreinLouisiana. It'sanopportunityforallourcitizenstolearnabouttheactivities bTihmeoLnotuhiysibaynathCeoLnsoeurivsaitainoanDisetpaisrtpmubelnitshoefdWildlife ofvariousoutdoor "usergroups" and to discover thefascinating andFisheries,2000QuailDrive,BatonRouge,LA opportunities available to those who will embrace our natural 7Se0c8o0n8d.-cTlealssepphoosnteagneupmabiedratisB(a5t0o4n)R7o6u5g-e2,918. resourceswithatruesenseofpersonalethics,moralresponsibility Louisianaandadditionalmailingoffices. and concern for the future. And that is what the conservation PCoonsstemravsatteiro:niSsetn,dPa.dOd.reBsosxc9h8a0n0g0e,sBtaotLoonuiRsoiuagnea, movement is all about. LA70898. Inclosing,Iextendamostsincere "thankyou" tothehundreds RegulationsoftheU.S.DepartmentoftheInterior ofvolunteersacross the statewho haveworked so hard thisyear strictlyprohibitunlawfuldiscriminationin and in years past to make our Louisiana National Hunting and dbaespiasrotfmernactea,lcfoeldoer,ranlaltyiaosnsailstoerdgipnr,oaggreaomrshoanndtihceap. Fishing Day one of the most outstanding events on the state's Anypersonwhobelievesheorshehasbeen discriminatedagainstinanyprogram,activityor Conservation Calendar. facilityoperatedbyarecipientoffederalassistance shouldwriteto:Director,OfficeforEqual Opportunity, U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior, Washington,D.C.20240 2 LouisianaConservationist Conservationist Published bythe DepartmentofWildlifeand Fisheriesintheinterestofconservation ofLouisiananatural resources. Squirrel Hunting with Dogs By Chris Berzas A socialeventforthe hunter. 8 Louisiana Decoying: An Indispensable Art By Bob Marshall Is there reallyastrategyto hunting with decoys? 12 Sirens of the Bayous By Charles W. Frank Thegreatdecoycarvers ofLouisiana. Save Our Hunters By Michelle Perkins A localhospitalispromoting hunterorange forhuntersafety. : A Half Century of Success By Ron Crouch The 50th anniversaryofKisatchie NationalForest. 20 Winter Crappie: Overcoming the Chill Factor By Carle E. Dunn Tips on howtofish forcool weathersac-a-lait. 24 Saline: A Wildlife Management Area Profile By Reginald G. Wycoff A 60,000plus acre tractofprimefishing andwildlife habitat. 29 Funny Side Up By Glynn Harris The ultimate in outdoorshopping. 30 Species Profile: Double-crested Cormorant By Bill Vermillion, Photography by VIREO A species close to extinction makes a comeback. 32 Law Lines By Capt. Keith LaCaze Louisiana's waterfowlenforcementprogram. 35 Bayou Kitchen By Wayne Miller The bestfruitcake everfeaturing Louisianapecans. November/December1991 3 mm* H jytO '*$*< ' irt/1 j*f *<*K -35/ STORY BY CHRIS BERZAS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY GUY LABRANCHE cur's shrill yelps were resound- unusualforsportsmentoboastoftheabilities The ing through the hardwood bot- oftheirbushytail-chasingcanines. Moreover, tomlands,beckoningthemotleycrew many hunting campsdisplayed squirrel tails ofCajunhunterstothetaskathand. actually littering the rafters to advertise the Intentonviewingthereasonforthe cunning ofsuch canines who were kenneled dog'scries,thegrouprushed through at close proximity to these flagrant displays. the entanglement of vines and branches, fi- Today however, sportsmen who utilize nally reaching the vicinity of the canine's dogs in their chase for squirrels remain few commotion. and far between. Reasons for the disappear- The novice dog-hunters ance of this tradition have Unlike still hunt- inthegroupwatchedinawe been hypothesized as the ing, squirrel hunt- as the frantic cur seemed costs associated with the ing with dogs is a eversoseriousaboutclimb- purchase of such hounds, social sport. Hunt- ing the trunk of a massive the growth of lease-fee oak tree. They were even hunting on large tracts of ers can spend much more startled as the acro- landandthegeneraltransi- time conversing batic hound was observed tion to deer hunting with with one another to actually ricochet off the dogs in the '60s. while they traverse treewhile emitting a twirl- Nevertheless, it is indeed the hardwoods ingbodytwistinanattempt an exhilarating sport and to draw the group's atten- one that can prove to add waitingfor the tiontoamotionless,curled- morebushytailsinthegame dogs to alert them up patch of brown in the bag than still hunting en- to a treed squirrel. tree's crown. deavors, especially in the Andasthesmokecleared, late season of November itwasalsoanelated hound throughJanuary. whofirstreachedthedowned,graybushytail. Regardingexcitement,the Dicky ParrottofMamou, theownerofthe huntmentionedabovefeaturedthetreesboil- dog, grinned rather pleasingly and praised ing with squirrels as a triple harvest was ex- the canine's efforts quite lavishly. perienced in a clusterofhardwoods. "Bobbie's thebestsquirreldog I haveever Bobbiehadhappeneduponasquirrelrun- owned," admitted Parrottwith a 30yearrec- ningonthegroundandonceitwasinthetree, ord ofhunting squirrels with hounds. asurprised DickyParrottattempted toshake Thebestwasyettocome.Bobbiethesquir- a vine in the vicinity - only to notice a cat reldogprovedtobeevenmorethanajewelof squirrel a few feet away from his hand. a hound later that afternoon. Theadjoiningtreesheldtwomorebushytails Afterhearing his treeing barka few yards for the taking with Parrott scoring on two of away,thehuntershurriedthroughthewoods the three. only to find Bobbie hanging in mid-air with Also, Keith Menard of Ville Platte experi- histeeth firmlyimplanted inan overhanging enced a little snap shooting when a large fox vine. squirrel erupted from a hole in a beech tree. It was quite a remarkable sight and one According to Parrott, this is a rather rare that was captured by a few precious snap event, foroncea squirrel is "in thehole," it's shots. Moreover, a little spice was added to usually only one out of fifty times that it the event as Charles LaHaye's vine-rattlin' ventures from its hiding place. experience yielded yet another bushytail for Ville PlatteresidentsJimColliganandJeff theevening's fricassee (spicy Cajun stew). David scored on a few bushytails as well, Squirrel hunting for bayou bottomland while Colligan constantly muttered with bushytails has always been a delightful cus- sympathy that it was nearly the last hunt of tom in Acadiana and the deep South. the season. However, hunting with dogs for this spe- When itwas all over, a fine mess ofsquir- cies has been a tradition that has certainly relswerereadied forthecookingas thesports- burned its way to a few waning embers. men relaxed and recounted the afternoon In the early 50s to the mid 60s, it wasn't events in the hardwoods. November/December1991 5 tagesofgoodsquirrelhabitatcoupledwithan experienceddogcangoalongwayintraining anyyounghoundtotreesquirrelsandnotto becomeinterrupted bydeer trails. Reinforcement of training can be accom- plished at home with trainers and handlers making trails and shaking vines with either squirrel pelts and/orsquirrel tails. A triptothecityorparishparkcanaidthe trainerinestablishingthesquirrelscentasthe primaryarousalstimulusfortheyoungdog, but regulations may requirea leash. AgooddogsuchasBobbiewillrangeonly 40-60 yards from the hunter in theirattempt to tree squirrels. Also, a quality dog will remainatatreeholdingasquirrelinthesame manner as a good bird dog holds a covey of quail. One noteworthy event occurred when Bobbie was quite intenton treeinganappar- entelusivebushytail. When Parrottreached the location of all the excitement, he was astonished as he observed Bobbie some 30 feethighinatreethathadfallenata45-degree angle. Squirrel hunting with dogs canbe advan- tageous,especiallyintheearlyseasonbefore leaves fall. Squirrels can hide quite readily among the leaves, yet a good dog can alert you to theirpresence. Parrott prefers an afternoon hunt as op- posed to those in the morning since it is his impression that squirrels spend much time playingorfeedinginthemorninghours,leaving much fresh scent on the ground for the dog in theafternoon. HuntingafterafrontalpassaageisParrot's Agood dog will According to Parrott, the best breed of favoriteandagoodchillycrispdaywithonly cover a lot ofter- dogs forsquirrelhunting areofthe "moun- a slight wind appears to be a condition that tain cur" type, ratterriers, germansheperds will get many squirrels on the ground and a rain and a four and catahoula hounds have also been ob- good dog constantly treeingthem. mile walk is a served to dowellby this hunter. Moreover,Parrotthasobservedthatwhen moderate average, Regarding redbones, walkers and bluet- aseverecoldfronthassetinforthreeormore making this type icksParrottclaims, "It'sveryseldomyouget days, bushytails are rather confined to their ofhunting quite a hound that won't bark on a trail," making nests. Ontheresultingblue-birddayafterthe these his less desired species for squirrel front's passage, the woods come alive with an exercise. Certain hunting. Good dogscanrangeinpricefrom squirrel activity and limits are bagged by apparel is some- $400 to $1000 with the top notch dogs in the someopportunistichunting. times needed, like upperfigures, he adds. DuringtheextremecoldinDecemberand knee boots, when Parrott claims these dogs are best hunted early January, late nights and morning may alone, whereas thepresenceofother canines beverychilly,andastheafternoonwarmsup crossing the sloughs interferes with good huntingsuccess. sodoessquirrelactivity. Freshscentisonthe in a hardwood Theonlyexceptiontothisruleoccurswhen ground, and a good dog can take advantage forest. breaking in a new squirrel dog. The advan- ofthe situation. 6 LouisianaConservationist Unlikestillhunting, squirrel huntingwith dogs is a social sport. Hunters can spend muchtimeconversingwithoneanotherwhile theytraversethehardwoods. It'ssimilartoa quailorwoodcockhuntasthreeorsohunters walk through the woods, developing cam- araderwhilewaitingforthedogtoalertthem to a treed squirrel. Once the squirrel has been located by a dog, it isusually the hunter with the keenest eyethat scoreson that particular squirrel. However, a squirrel well hidden in leafy foliageis rarely seen leaving cover. Hunters thereforedobest when they pull a few vines to entice the squirrel to become a fleeing target. Agood dog will alsocovera lotofterrain and a four-milewalk isa moderateaverage, makingthistypeofhuntingquiteanexercise. And,dependingontheterrain,kneebootsare sometimesnecessary, especially when cross- ingsloughs in a hardwood forest. It is Parrott's opinion that using dogs to hunt squirrels does not give the dog-hunter an unfairadvantageover the still hunter. Butmostimportantly,"Ilovewatchingthe dog work during the hunt," says Parrott. "That's basically why I hunt squirrels with dogs." It is important to note that the Louisiana DepartmentofWildlifeandFisheries(LDWF) has allowed dog hunters who pursue squirrels and rabbits some 12-14 days of experi- mental huntingon specificWildlifeManage- ment Areas (WMA) during the past three huntingseasons. According to LDWF Game Division offi- cials, very few hunters take advantage of these special seasons. However, one look at thelistoftheWMAsthathaveprovided dog hunting opportunities may well influence a decisionintheirfavorforthishuntingseason. Theyprovidesomeofthebestsquirrelhabitat intheBayouStatewith thelagniappeoflittle or no dog hunting pressure year round.The WMAs list of includes Big Lake, Bodcau, Jackson-Bienville,LoggyBayou PearlRiver, , PeasonRidge,RussellSage,Sabine,Sherburne andWestBay.Formoreinformationonhunt- WMAs ing the and the policies governing these areas, consult the Louisiana Hunting Regulations 1991-92 pamphlet. Bonchassepourlesecureilsavecleschiens etun bon fricassee apres! D November/December1991 7 BY BOB MARSHALL Mike Smithwatchedtheflightofwid- geoncirclebackhighovertheblind for the second time. The state champion duck caller raised the double-reed mallard call to his lips and sent anunmistakablemessageupthroughthecool Decembermorning:comein,thewater'swarm, the food is great. Theflightdippeditswings,quarteredback overtheblind, then left. Morethan100duckshadpassedinreview, snubbingSmith's call. Finally,Smithadmit- teddefeat.Thepondinfrontofhisblindwas empty—someone had stolen his decoys left out during the split. "This is useless," Smithsaid. Youcan'tdo a thing withoutdecoys." Five years later that memory and the les- sonhad notleftSmith. "Everyonethinkscall- ingissoimportant,butit'snothingcompared todecoys,"hepointedout."Youcankillducks without a call, but you're lost without decoys." From the bean fields near Monroe to the Cameron marshes, from Catahoula Lake to the Mississippi delta, waterfowlers had the same verdict on the importance of decoys: absolutely essential. Decoysareessentialbecauseofthenature ofducks. Theyaregregarious,yetwary.They love a crowd, notjust for fellowship,butbe- cause numbers mean safety. "Decoys tell ducks that area is safe for resting, or it's holding food," says Hugh Bateman, chief of thestate'sGameDivision,andveteranwater- fowler. "There'smilesofwateroutthere,but potholeswithdecoysonthemgiveaflightof birdsa reason foratleasttakingalook. And iftheylook,maybeyoucangetthemtoland." Justhavingdecoysisn'tenough. Youhave toknowhowtousethem.Andtheproperuse ^H ofdecoyschangeswiththehabitatyou hunt. Volumes have been written on the subject. Hunterscangetdizzytryingtodecidewhich PhotobyBobDennie type of species and decoys to use not to mention which pattern. Fortunately,someofthestate'smostexpe- There is an art rienced waterfowlersarewillingtosharetheir to using decoys. secrets. Some follow well covered water- Just having them fowling traditions, but somewill shock you. 1 isn't enough. The I *. I BROKEN BRACKISH MARSH properuse ofdecoys Mike Smith is a waterfowling guide who changes the hunting habitat. an indispensable art bhraascksipsehntmamrosshtesooffhsiosutlhifeeashtuenrtninLoguibsrioaknean. 8 LouisianaConservationist , HisSmithBrothersHuntingServicebased in different approach than Mike Smith. Decoys are essen- Chalmette takes parties outevery day ofthe "We're huntingbig ponds that are several tial because ofthe season,and hisexperiences have taught him acreswide,sothatmeansyouneed plentyof two things. decoys,"Shaughnessysays. "Thefactthatwe nature ofducks. "First, you've got to be where the ducks use permanent blinds also means we don't They love a crowd wanttobe.Yougottahaveagoodpond. Sec- havetoworryaboutpickingupdecoysevery not because of ond, you gotta havea coupledozen decoys." day, so there's no real reason to skimp on friendship, but Smithisn'tmuchontradition. Hedoesn't decoys." because numbers think decoying ducks is a complicated busi- How many? mean ness. "Whatyou need isa bunch totheright, "Flight now we put out 10 to 12 dozen safety. a bunch to the left, and a landing hole in the decoys, but when the limit was 10 birds per middle," helaughs. "That'sallitamountsto. hunt we wouldn't set up without 30 or 40 "It'snicetohaveplentyofdecoys,buteve- dozen." rythingdependsonthesizeofyourpond. In Although all hunters use the same basic thebroken marsh, we're hunting ponds that concept of landing zones when placing their aremaybeanacreortwo. Iuseabout35or40 decoys, Shaughnessy takes a more studied decoys. I put half on one side, half on the approach and for important reasons. other,and leavethelandingholeinthemiddle, "Our blinds are pit blinds in the center of about20yards wideand right in front ofthe the ponds. It allows us to hunt on any wind. blind." Moreimportantly,itputsus in themiddleof What happens on a cross wind? the pond, where ducks like to raft because "The best situation is to have a portable they have a greater sense of security. This blind,butplentyguyswhohuntinthesouth- becomes more important as the season goes east put up permanent blinds because the on, when birds learn that those shorelines marshisjusttoosofttogowalkingaroundin. often haveguns in them. When the wind comes across your blind left "Because our blinds are islands, we place toright,orviceversa,youcanhelpoutalittle spreads to funnel birds to shooting zones on byputting theducks in a U pattern. anywind. Weplacemostdekesononesidein "TheUshouldbeparalleltotheblind,with a big doughnut. The rest we place on the the open end downwind. The birds will be other side in a V, with the open end away PhotobyBobDennie comingacrossyourblind,landinginthemiddle from theblind. of the U, hopefully giving you some good "Ifthewindis pass shooting." perfect, coming What happens when the wind is in your acrossourbacks, face? thebirds will be "You'reintrouble. Ifyoucan'tgetoutand comingrightinto move,you'regoingtobetrackingducksfrom the centerofthe behind theblind. doughnut. Ifthe "Thespeciesofdecoydoesn'tmattermuch, wind is coming either," Smith says. "I use mostly widgeons, from the oppo- grays and teal, and maybe one or two mal- sitedirection,we lards.That'sthemixture Inormallyseeinmy justturnaround marsh. I don't think it's really important. and hunt the V, Anything will work." which picks up There are some basic rules to putting out birds on either the spread, Smith says. armandfunnels "Don'tusewhiteline;usesomethingthat's them right into dark becausewhite will spook thebirds," he our laps. On a says. "Useenoughlineandweighttokeepthe cross wind, the decoys from drifting. The sound of plastic V also picks up bumping togetherwill send ducks away." birdsandbrings them right over SOUTHWEST COASTAL MARSH our heads. This habitat is markedly different from "Rememberto broken marsh, and Terry Shaughnessy has a put some birds November/December1991 9 close to theblind, make them look comfort- able with your island." A typical Shaughnessy spread is mostly coots. "Iusemorepouled'eaudecoysthanany- thingbecause it's a blacksilhouetteand can beseenfromalongdistance. Ifyouaddone or two male pintails, those white breasts stand outand attract even moreattention. "The second reason I use poule d'eau is because they're a confidence decoy. When ducks come into my pond in the morning , they see all those pole d'eau in the center, aroundmyblindandthat'sjustwhereIwant them to go." You will never see a mallard decoy on Shaughnessy'spond. "Ifyou'vegotmallards on one side, watch where the next flight of birdslands,ontheotherside,"hesays."Other birds stay away from green heads because thosegreenheadswillchase'em,justbeplain mean to them." FLOODED BEAN FIELDS Soybean fields spread across central and northeastLouisiana.Dry,theyofferlittlefor ducks; flooded theybecome some ofAmer- ica's hotter waterfowling grounds. Many farmersusecontrolled floodingtobringina second valuable crop: mallards and pintail. Dan Timmer, wildlife biologist for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, has hunted central Louisiana his wholelife. "Bean fieldspresentadecoyingchallenge because of the size of these operations," he says. "The complex I hunt is 60,000 acres with just 50 blinds. Each blind is in the middle of a big shallow lake of 100 to 200 acres. That calls forbig spreads and big decoys," Timmer says. "We use 200 to 300 decoys, and most of themaremagnummallards.Thosemagnums can be seen a lot further than regular size We decoys. usemallardsbecausethafsmostly whatwegetinhere-thatandafewpintails." Timmerlikes adoughnutpatternaround the blind, leaving landing zones of20 to 30 yardsinfrontandback. Ifthewindshiftsto an unfavorable angle, it's a simple chore to crawloutofthepitblindandrearrangeland- ingzones. Hisonespecialtechniqueistostringthree orfourdecoystogethertohelpcreatemove- ment on the water during calm days. "We pullthatstringandcreateripplestocatchthe attentionofbirds movingpast."