Hunters prey weekend finale, Cataouatche catfish reel in; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries elect first woman on commission, a position appointed by state governor Bobby Jindal
The Final Push was on! With a three-day weekend, thoughts of deer, ducks, hogs and fish made for an exciting break.
Last week was a week all big hunters hated to have arrived. It was the final week of gun season and duck season closed when the sun went down on Sunday afternoon for the West Zone.
I started last Thursday. I made a trip to the duck blind in Lake Cataouatche to straighten it up and put more brush.
Thursday afternoon was just before the big chill came through. With temperatures dropping and not many birds flying, I went over to the mouth of the Louisiana Cypress Canal and tried to catch a few bass.
The diversion was running around 3500-cubic-feet per second and knew the flow was going to be good, however, the fishing was really slow.
The sun was setting fast and time was getting short. The bass had not cooperated at all.
The sac-au-lait had not nibbled at any of my mini jigs. So out came the earthworms and within 10 minutes I caught one. A nice 24-inch blue catfish.
On the second cast, another 20-inch catfish had found the worm and was headed for the boat. I had gone duck hunting, but because of the hunting conditions started fishing.
I hooked two more and managed to lose them before getting them in the boat. Satisfied with two big blue catfish and the sun setting, I cranked up the Bass Tracker and headed for the boat launch at Pier 90.
At Pier 90, Robin had made a poulde doos gumbo and potato salad. I was invited to try some and indulged myself.
On Saturday morning, we missed the daybreak duck because Hunter had a soccer game the night before and we over slept.
The temperature were in the high twenties and enough wild to make the decoys work. By the afternoon, I made my way to Church Hill Hunting Club. The Rut is in full swing until the Jan. 26, according to the Louisiana Sportsman Magazine. In the afternoon the temperatures had risen to the fifties with very little wind.
This made for a good deer trip. At 2:30 p.m., I was sitting in the deer stand at Church Hill Hunting Club. The condition were right for deer to move.
Cold morning, light wind, late rut, and most of the browse had died off. I knew big game was coming to the feeder. At 5:30 p.m., four pigs stepped out into the shooting lane. I picked the smallest one of the bunch and squeezed off a round. The 270 had found its mark and dropped the hog in its track.
By 7 p.m., Mr. Grady Franchebois, a neighbor, was helping me skin the wild pig. Again on Sunday morning we slept in. Leaving the ducks on Lake Cataouatche for another year.
By the afternoon, I was back in the deer stand looking for horns only. Red birds, doves, four coons, three squirrels, and a lone rabbit entertained me before sundown.
On Martin Luther King Day, I went out to put corn in the feeders. This will be the last week hunters can hunt with primitive arms. Deer season will close on Jan. 25.
Maybe this week that trophy deer will walk out. In the afternoon, a cold front came through. Hunter and I tried fishing Lake Cataouatche without any success. The wind was out of the Northwest at 15 to 20 mph. Rabbits will be on the schedule next.
Congratulations to Ann Taylor, the first female, to be name to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. The position was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal.
Taylor, a lifelong Louisiana resident, was born and raised in Houma and moved to Luling where she still lives today.
Taylor is co-owner and marketing director for the Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, the state’s largest periodical covering the outdoors of the Bayou State.
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Taylor has worked in the outdoor news publishing business for 24 years and is a former president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.
Taylor’s affiliations with conservation organizations include memberships in CCA Louisiana, Ducks Unlimited and the International Women’s Fishing Association.
When asked about her reason for serving on the LWF Commission, Taylor said, “I hope to use my affiliation with hunters and fishers in this state to be a good liaison between them and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.”
“I will do my best to help manage Louisiana’s renewable resources so that we continue to excel as a sportsman’s paradise and seafood production leader. Our state has unparalleled fish and wildlife populations that we need to make the most of while ensuring they’re there for future generations.”
The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission was created to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources and wildlife of the state, including all aquatic life.
The commission has the authority to establish definite management programs and policies and to approve and accept all contracts at its discretion.
According to the statute, the commission is comprised of seven members appointed by the governor, subject to senate confirmation.
Members include three residents of the coastal parishes of the state who are representatives of the commercial fishing and fur industries and four members from the state at large. Taylor’s term on the commission will run through 2014.
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