Hunters taking advantage of ‘jewel’ of the East Bank

St. Charles Parish is truly blessed with two great public hunting management areas – the Bonnet Carre Spillway and the Lake Salvador Management Area.

The two management areas combine for 40,670 acres in St. Charles Parish. The Bonnet Carre Spillway is located on the north side of Norco on Highway 61. Posted hunting areas are strictly enforced within the 7,623 acres.

Recently, the Churchill Hunting Club in Avondale where I had been deer hunting sold 1,000 acres  to Motorsports of New Orleans and many members have had to relocate their deer stands. Being a member, a year of preparation went down the drain since the new property line is 50 yards from my deer stand.

One month ago a bulldozer was clearing a fence line while I was hunting and the work on a fence still continues. With the activity around my stand all day long, my game camera has not produced any pictures of deer or hogs.

My attention turned to the Bonnet Carre Spillway when a friend, David Harrison, mentioned that his co-workers at Valero had been bow hunting there. They had seen plenty of deer in the spillway during the bow season.

Visiting the project office, I filled out permit forms for my truck and 4-wheeler.  I was then given a hunting pamphlet with a hunting permit, which must be carried at all times.

In two days of scouting, I discovered more scrapes and rubs  than in I had seen in five years at Churchill Hunting Club.

According to Bill Maus, a park ranger for the spillway, there were more than 500 hunting permits issued this year.

That included duck, deer, rabbit, dove and hog hunters.

But deer hunters have been extremely successful at the spillway.

“We have had twice the number of deer killed this year,” Maus said. “I know of a 10 pointer with a couple of 8s and plenty of 4s and spikes killed this year.

“Duck hunters have also had a great year.”

The archery season opened Oct. 1 and will close Feb. 15.
For additional information go to the project web site at www.mvn.usace.mil/recreation/ then click on Bonnet Carre Spillway.  The Project Office number is (985)764-7484.

We have not given up on Churchill Hunting Club.  There is still plenty of hunting left for the year.  Rabbit season at the end of the year will be very good. Jake Noel, Hunter McDonald, Cody Morales, and Ridge Rogers found an area without any deer hunters and jumped nine rabbits from briar patches this past weekend.

Time is running out for most hunters

Deer season closes in Area 6 on Jan. 23 with primitive arms closing Jan. 30.

Archery runs until Feb 15. Both ducks zones are in full swing. The west zone will close on Jan. 23 and the East zone closes one week later on Jan 30.

Duck Report

According to Wildlife and Fisheries, there were 75 ducks killed in the Salvador area on Jan. 8, equating to 2.2 ducks per hunter. That included 15 in the Davis Ponding Area, five in the Salvador limited access area and 57 in the Salvador management area.

Sixty-five percent of the ducks killed were ringnecks.

Fishing Report

The bass are starting to bite again. Worms, June bug, and white spinner baits have been the key. Sac-a-lait are starting to show up in the Gulf Canal.  The best colors have been black/chartreuse and blue/white under a cork.

Catfish are plentiful in Des Allemands and Lake Cataouatche.  Earthworms have been the bait of choice.