John K. Flores: Officials lobby for expanded duck hunt

In a press release issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Aug. 19, the department sighted a letter sent to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service by Gov. Jeff Landry and LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan. The letter requests the expansion of harvest opportunities for black-bellied whistling ducks (BBWD) for the sportsmen of Louisiana.
The letter addressed to Martha Williams, Director of the USF&WS in Washington D.C., says, “The increasing presence of BBWDs throughout the Sportsman’s Paradise presents a variety of agricultural, nuisance, health, and management challenges that we firmly believe additional harvest opportunities could solve.”
The letter also opines, “that expanded harvest opportunities would be most desirable and effective if done in conjunction with the long-established teal season.” It goes on to note that additional species included in the daily bag limit authorized in other states were approved contingent upon a reduced season length. What’s more, the letter makes the case for additional BBWD harvest by pointing out a two-decade exponential growth in population, particularly in agricultural areas where the species has caused losses, especially newly planted rice fields.
Lastly, the letter points out that the most recent 5-year (2020-24) mid-winter survey estimate to be 140,275 BBWDs, up 4000% from the 2015-19 estimate of 3,005, which they conclude is undoubtedly an underestimate.
The press release was extremely well received across all media, but particularly on social platforms like FACEBOOK and Instagram. For waterfowl hunters, the idea of additional harvest opportunity is like a kid receiving an extra present under the tree for Christmas.
In reaching out to Taylor Brazan, Communications Director for the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, I had several questions for Sheahan pertaining to the press release and subsequent letter sent to the USFWS. Brazan referred me to Jason Olszak, Waterfowl Program Manager for the LDWF.
My first question was when the regulatory change was being considered was the fact that BBWDs are still nesting into September considered and noted there are also cases of them nesting well into October.
Olszak replied, “Yes, this is something that the department has taken into consideration. Although BBWD will nest into October, the majority of BBWD nesting occurs prior to September. Other species, such as mourning doves, also continue to nest past the opening of hunting season, but due to the fact that the number of young added to the population is minimal after the peak breeding it is believed that any harvest of breeding birds has little to no impact on the population.”
Olszak mentioned that an ongoing research project may give insight into the proportion of BBWD nests, and hence young, that are vulnerable during a September harvest.
My second question to Olszak was, has there been any data or studies showing BBWDs can withstand additional harvest that includes the early teal season and regular waterfowl season that may have contributed to making this announcement?
Olszak said, “There are ongoing studies looking into harvest rates and potential. A study published in 2019 in the Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies found that in the Southeast (Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana) survival rates of BBWDs were comparable to or higher than other waterfowl species. They also found that recovery rates (harvest of banded birds) were low.”
One of the things there’s no doubt about concerning BBWD is they have a high tolerance for human activity and therefore are comfortable in urban settings like Audubon and Lefreniere parks, where they are known to spend the winter. A trip to Westwego across the Mississippi River from New Orleans is an eye opener. Literally thousands of BBWD roost on the Cargill grain elevators and rest during the day on the walking trails around the facility.
Olszak went on to say that there are certain behaviors that BBWD have that may make them less vulnerable to harvest than other waterfowl species.
Olszak said, “BBWDs often forage at night, making them less likely to encounter hunters. BBWD also commonly occupy urban and suburban areas where hunter access may be limited. In addition to low recapture/return/harvest rate estimates of BBWD, growing abundance and density of BBWD in urban and suburban areas suggests little harvest pressure and potential for increased take.”
A third question I asked Olszak was that the letter to the USFWS notes the winter survey notes a 4000% population increase and is it possible that what we’re seeing is not necessarily BBWD migration, but an actual easterly shift in population due to habitat loss from its historic range of Mexico and South Texas?
Olszak responded by saying, “Although studies haven’t conclusively determined why BBWD numbers have increased dramatically, in the winter surveys, the same 2019 BBWD study did conclude that the BBWD population has expanded eastward. We know that by the early 2000s, breeding populations had been established in Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina.”
“And since then,” Olszak continued, “BBWD have been documented breeding as far north as Wisconsin and Nebraska. All of this suggests that although the population increase may be due in part to the range expansion undoubtedly the increase in breeding range has likely resulted in an increase in the BBWD populations.”
Olszak noted that the LDWF is currently funding a project to examine the extent of long-range migrants in BBWDs captured in Louisiana.
Finally, I noted to Olszak we have four species of year-round duck species in our state that includes wood ducks, mottled ducks, fulvous whistling ducks, and black-bellied whistling ducks. During the early teal season in September many wood ducks are mistakenly identified and subsequently killed. Fulvous whistling ducks (FWD) are a duck species that has been on the decline for quite some time. I asked if any thought was taken into consideration that in the 30-minutes before sunrise, where it’s legal to shoot, FWDs could be easily mistaken for BBWDs.
Olszak said, “Currently, FWD harvest is minimal at best. They do not show up in the harvest reports. We know that FWD breed in Louisiana in the spring and by December they have migrated southward. We do not see them on our winter waterfowl surveys. If BBWD are allowed to be taken during early teal season, we realize that it is likely that some FWD may be harvested as well. We believe that the harvest will be minimal but is something that we are prepared to investigate.”
Olszak went on to say that if opportunities to harvest BBWD are expanded, an evaluation of the effects on non-target species will be a prerequisite to continuation of such a season.
With the opening of the 2024 September teal season only one week away, there’s no chance of a last-minute change in regulation being approved by the USFWS this year, but clearly the wheels are in motion for future consideration.
However, for the harvest of an additional species of migratory game bird to happen, the scientific data will have to be there to convince the federal government to allow it. And we all know how fast the federal government moves.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.