Hunting
Squirrel Talk
Listen, you can hear two gray squirrels and one fox squirrel barking,” I said, whispering to my son after making a young-squirrel-in-distress call.[…]
Statewide LA
Fishing
Lowrance introduces new touchscreen unit, custom contour mapping service
Do you have a favorite fishing area that isn’t mapped as accurately as you’d like? Now you can do it yourself with any Lowrance HDS multifunction unit, including new models with touchscreen control.[…]
Promote
Hot Redheads and Delta Cakes
Over the years, with each generation, there always seems to be a good-looking redheaded actress that captivates audiences everywhere.[…]
Columns
The short, fat paradox
At the turn of the millennium, 13 years ago, the biggest news in the rifle world was the proliferation of new cartridges based on the old African hunting round named the .404 Jeffrey.[…]
Deer Hunting
The pressure’s on: Public deer hunting tactics from Louisiana Sportsman
Russell Scarbrough got off work at 6 p.m., too late to actually do any hunting. But he went ahead and drove to the public tract of land he planned to hunt the next few days and slept in the truck.
The next morning, Scarbrough was up early and heading into the woods.
“I really had no clue where I was going to hunt,” he said.[…]
Columns
Thoughts on the science of trail cameras
Things have really changed over the past 40-odd years when it comes to deer hunting. There would certainly be some debate regarding certain aspects of the sport, but for the most part — in my humble opinion — we as deer hunters have never had it better than we do right now, especially here in the Deep South.[…]
Columns
Pay it forward
I consider myself blessed in many ways. Among those blessings are the many great memories of childhood hunting adventures. Dad, my grandfathers and uncles made sure I got to tag along on lots of great hunts as a kid.[…]
Fishing
Don’t forget winter preparations
As we move into the colder months of the year, you may be questioning whether or not you should winterize your boat. In Louisiana, our winters tend to be mild compared to our neighbors in the northern half of the country.[…]
Deer Hunting
Above It All
The 7-point buck presented a perfect 40-yard broadside shot. Ben Fontenot had been waiting for this moment for a long time. A whitetail deer, his whitetail deer, the first he would shoot, was within his sights.
Fontenot expertly lined up his scope, and he held the crosshairs right behind the buck’s shoulder. All he had to do now was send a round from his .270 downrange and then go collect his deer, but something went wrong.
“My battery started going dead,” he said. “We had to get out of the blind and go back to get another one. I was nervous as all get out by the time we got back to my blind — didn’t know if I was going to get to kill that deer.”
But the buck did come back out. Only this time, it wasn’t in a good position. Try as he might, Fontenot couldn’t get his rifle lined up with the deer. It was too far to the side. In the commotion of repositioning his blind and his rifle, the deer left again.[…]
News Breaker
Second-split opening disappointing for many hunters
Where are all of the ducks?
This is the question that has been reverberating throughout South Louisiana after a generally weak opening weekend for the eastern and coastal zones’ second split.[…]
Promote
Swan Song
If only Pelayo were as punctual as wood ducks. The exasperating two-winged creatures keep a rigid daily schedule, flying exactly five minutes before and five minutes after legal shooting time.[…]
Promote
Shut up to call ducks
Ducks don’t talk to each other nearly as much as hunters think, especially during the late season. Just as a roomful of people will migrate away from a loud, obnoxious guy who tries to dominate the conversation, ducks will exhibit the same behavior.
The more you call, the less likely that you’ll attract ducks, especially during January.
Rod Haydel of Haydel Game Calls started going to the duck blind with his dad at the age of 5. Over the last 41 years, he’s hunted webfoots all over the nation, primarily in the marshes around Lake Charles in southern Louisiana.[…]
Columns
Poppa Chop Jigs
Got a Poppa Chop?
If so, chances are you are using the fine-hair jig and catching sac-a-lait on the creation Paul “Chopper” Viator and his wife Angela make at their home in Delcambre.[…]
Columns
The cooler months will have you seeing red
Kayak anglers can find much success pursuing redfish in the cooler months of fall and winter. Redfish are cold-water tolerant and predictable.[…]
Inshore Fishing
Winter yak fishing
Wintertime fishing in South Louisiana can be fantastic. The cold weather brings less fishing pressure and concentrates the fish in many areas that are easily accessible to kayak anglers.[…]
Fishing
Outdoors Safety while on the water
Many people in the outdoors suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves close enough to the grim reaper to smell his breath.[…]