Waterfowl hunters who have the want to get off the beaten path during the rest of the season may want to try hunting public land in the Sportsman’s Paradise.

Hundreds of thousands of acres beckon duck hunters on the state’s Wildlife Management Areas, which boast some of the best duck harvests imaginable year-in and year-out.

Eye-opening numbers of downed ducks came off one of them right here in the Teche Area’s backyard in 2023-24. Atchafalaya Delta WMA gave up a reported 7,729 ducks in 2,661 hunter efforts (2.91 ducks per hunter effort) last season.

Many local duck hunters frequent the Wax Lake Outlet, a duck hunting hotspot for decades in one of the few areas of the state that continues to add land to the delta. That’s right. Multiplies. It builds approximately 700 acres of new wetlands every year thanks to the Wax Lake Outlet, a channel dredged from the Atchafalaya River that dumps water into East Cote Blanche Bay.

The Atchafalaya Delta WMA’s 2022-23 duck harvest was even higher than last season. Duck hunters killed a reported 9,571 ducks (3.5 ducks per hunter effort) that season, nearly double the total from 2021-22.

Fortunately, damage to the habitat was minimal on the WMA after Hurricane Francine. According to Tyson Crouch, the Coastal Lafayette Region biologist manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the area sustained some damage “but it wasn’t terrible.”

“The water came up briefly. (But) we did not lose a tremendous amount of SAV (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation). The interior stuff was more protected. It didn’t look like we had a major surge of saltwater. There should be some recovery now to the start of the major duck season as long as we don’t get another storm event,” Crouch reported soon after the Sept. 11 storm that made landfall 30 miles west of Morgan City and spiraled eastward into southwest Louisiana.

The Hammond Region’s WMAs experienced a little more damage during Hurricane Francine. However, there were “no access issues,” reported Forest Burks, Hammond region biologist supervisor for the LDWF. Mostly, he said, the storm moved ducks around because on opening weekend of the special teal season most of the ducks were killed on Biloxi WMA and parts of Pearl River WMA instead of Manchac WMA and Joyce WMA, two public areas that usually shine at that time.

What were the other top-notch WMAs for duck harvests in the state in 2023-24? Local waterfowlers might want to consider them along with the Atchafalaya Delta WMA.

In the Lafayette Region, three WMAs gave up more than 1,500 ducks last season. Spring Bayou WMA led the way with a reported 2,264 ducks (1.7 ducks per hunter effort), followed by Richard K. Yancey WMA with 1,669 ducks (1.8 ducks per hunter effort) and Attakapas Island WMA with 1,510 ducks (2.5 ducks per hunter effort). Like the Atchafalaya Delta WMA, the latter public area is in our backyard.

In the Pineville Region, a whopping 7,445 ducks (2.2 ducks per hunter effort) were harvested during the 2023-24 season on Dewey W. Wills WMA. Its sloughs, moist soil flats, borrow pits, flooded oak flats and impoundments offer a duck hunting paradise that many duck hunters take advantage of. The Little River Basin, formerly Catahoula Lake, usually gives up wood ducks, gadwall, blue-winged teal, pintails and mallards and when the water comes up divers such as canvasback, ring-necks, scaup and redheads, according to LDWF veteran biologist supervisor Cliff Dailey.

The Monroe Region’s Bouef WMA gave up 3,054 ducks (1.81 ducks per hunter effort) in 2023-24. The Wham Brake area is the go-to spot for ducks and duck hunters, so much so that LDWF biologist supervisor Mitch McGee came up with a plan to give the migrating birds a break by closing it to all motorized vessels 14 days before the season and during each split.

“We’re trying to limit the disturbance so the birds will settle down. We’re trying to hold everything we can for as long as we can,” McGee said in September.

The highest harvest in his region last season was at Bouef WMA, where duck hunters killed 3,215 ducks (1.81 ducks per hunter effort).

The Minden Region’s WMA duck harvest was led by Bodcau WMA, where 1,136 ducks (0.80 ducks per hunter effort) were gunned down.

Wherever you hunt ducks the rest of this season, whether on private land or public land, be safe and good luck. Enjoy the opportunity.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.