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2004-05 - Nothing has changed over the last 8 seasons except the waterfowl population. Lake Bistineau once attracted large numbers of Lesser Scaup and Ringnecks. Simply put, ... those numbers don't exist anymore.

2005-06 - There was really nothing new this past season except that the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries managed to complete a decent draw-down of the lake for a change. We didn't hunt as much on Lake Bistineau as in years past. "Black Jacks" (Scaup and Ringnecks) still made up the majority of the harvested birds. This season saw more blinds and more hunters than ever before.

2006-07 - Once again there really wasn't much different this season from seasons past. The first split is still the one to hunt and then the birds vacate during the second split. We hunted Lake Bistineau more this season than in years past and still didn't increase our harvest totals. One of the things that really strikes me when you look at this lake is the amount of duck blinds. There has to be more duck blinds per square mile on this lake than on any other public lake that I have ever been on. This type of hunting pressure may be one of the reasons that waterfowl don't remain for any length of time. 

I made several trips into Arkansas this season and had moderate success during all of these trips. ( Some were better than others. ) One of the highlights of this season was the weekend hunt at Cooper Lake, A big thank-you to Tony, Tip, Selby, and Gus for allowing me to "play" with them at their hunting camp. It was a great time!

2007-08 - We had a decent season from the blind harvesting 133 birds. Tremendous amount of hunting pressure on the birds throughout the season. Once again the first split was the one to hunt. Killed more birds during the week days than on the weekends - less hunting pressure, less movement on the water. What this season lacked in numbers it made up for in "fun". I hunted more this season than ever before. Thanks to Bob and to the Cooper Lake Hunting Club I got to make several hunts into Arkansas. The 2008-09 season is just around the corner and with it brings new challenges. The lake will be at the height of a draw-down to control the salvina and I will be hunting my first season with a new dog .. (by the way, who is crazy as a loon).

2008-09 - We had a fairly good year with a camp total of 613 birds. I only killed 53 out of my blind, but I didn't hunt as much nor hunted my blind as often. With the lake draw down along with the distance I had to motor this season, it was easier and more convenient to hunt Bob's Blind whenever possible. Moved my "Little Blind" to a closer location for the upcoming 2009-10 season. Hope the move produces a marked improvement in duck numbers harvested.

The sight was one to make any duck hunter sad.

A motley collection of decoys was piled behind a barn where my friend stored his duck hunting paraphernalia. Grass had grown high around them. The sun had bleached their colors. They were made for water and good sport, but now they were languishing in the reject heap.

“Those are my leakers,” my buddy explained when I asked him about the decoys. “Most have shot holes in them. A few have broken seams. When a decoy starts taking on water, I pull it out of my spread and bring it home to be patched, but it seems like I just never get around to this chore. So they just pile up.”

Virtually every hunter has these “low riders” from time to time. Most duck hunters use hollow-body decoys that are injection-molded from various thermoplastic resins. These decoys offer natural detail, light weight and excellent durability. However, they are vulnerable to puncture holes from misdirected shot or to cracks in seams or decoy bodies. It doesn’t take long for a small leak to cause a decoy to morph into a submarine.

                                          For more information on this subject >>
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Order federal duck stamps by calling 1-800-782-6724 or by clicking here and following the directions to the proper links.

Report Bird Bands
All waterfowl hunters are urged to report bird bands to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Call 1-800-327-BAND (1-800-327-2263). During the hunting season, operators are on duty 8 am to 4:30 pm EST, Monday through Friday. You may also report the bands by clicking here. Band information is used in the management of waterfowl populations, and assists biologists in providing optimum hunting opportunities where possible.