WHAT IS "MOIST SOILS MANAGEMENT"?

Many of us want to attract and hold more ducks to our areas and favorite hunting spots. Moist Soils Management is the technique of using low depressional or flat slope areas to flood crops for waterfowl food sources and attractions.

IS THIS "BAITING"?

No. The Departement of Interior US Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed and has documented that “manipulation of crops for the purpose of hunting waterfowl IS BAITING…however, if the crop is not cut, knocked down, or manipulated is some way other than normal farming practices, then that DOES NOT CONSTITUTE BAITING. Growing a crop and flooding any amount of water in that area, whether the flooding is done naturally or manually, this does not constitute “manipulation of the crop” and therefore IS NOT BAITING.”

HOW IS MOIST SOILS MANAGEMENT DONE?

It is very important to identify suitable sites. This requires identification of suitable soils, suitable slopes, feasibility of planting and managing the crop, feasibility of installing a water control structure and managing water resources for the project.

HOW DOES MOIST SOILS MANAGEMENT HELP AND ATTRACT WATERFOWL?

Growing a crop and flooding the desired area will allow an increase access for waterfowl to the grain sources. These grain sources are high in protein and are highly desired by waterfowl. Identification, design and management of Moist Soils throughout a region and on private lands can significantly influence the flyway as well as attract and hold more waterfowl to your specific area.

WHERE CAN I USE MOIST SOILS MANAGEMENT?

Crop land - Low areas or drained areas can be planted and then flooded later when the crop is mature.

CRP - CRP allows you 5 to 10 percent of the CRP contract to be planted to food plots. Low areas or drained areas can be selected for the locations.

HOW CAN I GET STARTED?

Due to the complexity of the identification of suitable sites and the design of Moist Soils Management, we highly recommend that you contact one of our consultants for a FREE preliminary discussion of your goals, objectives and your property. We will then request some basic resources (aerial photo, soils maps and topography map) and then we would like to provide you with a FREE preliminary review and analysis as well as a proposal for one our Private Lands Consultants to assist you with your Moist Soils Management Plan and Design. This is a very easy start to see if Moist Soils Management is an option for your property.

IMPORTANT...do it right...don't damage the crop by cutting, pushing down, manipulating the crop in any way as that will be baiting.

Read more here about it:

As you can read in the latest W&F flyover count for NW LA, including Toledo Bend, this has been the case for several years here. Course if I were a multi millionair and owned all that property I'd probably do it too.......

If you compare our paltry 10,000+ bird average to other areas of the state where their numbers are in the hundreds of thousands you can see how slim the pickings are. Compound that to what I have heard that the moist soil managed areas off the river can hold most of those it can be tough hunting.


"We counted another 10,600 ducks in northwest Louisiana, primarily on the locks, lakes, oxbows, and fields along the Red River and Upper Toledo Bend reservoir. That is very similar to the 10,200 counted in November but is substantially fewer than the 14,000 counted in December 2009. Habitat conditions remain dry in this portion of the state as well, and the largest concentration of ducks was seen on managed moist-soil impoundments near Loggy Bayou. Mallard and gadwall were the most abundant species, accounting for over 50% of the total ducks, with shovelers, scaup, ringnecks commonly seen."

So I can plant corn in a field and flood said field and as long as I dont manipulate the corn other than normal harvesting I am legal?


Interesting

One does not even have to harvest it. Just fill 'er up with water to the ears and wait for the ducks to drop in. One can even walk in the crop and thrash it about 'cause the interior department has ruled recently that such is not "manipulation for baiting". The same would apply to soybean fields, rice fields in Louisiana. But with respect to rice, flooding is part of the growing and harvesting cycle....but with corn water from anything other than rain fall is not. Soybean fields would be the same as corn, but I think it is a less desirable feed source for ducks. So how many acres up north have been converted to duck corn fields do you think? I'm all for increasing the population of mallards but this is frickin' ridiculous. That's what that guide, Foiles was hunting in when he shot those Fallin' Skies videos. I understand now how he attracted so many birds.

I'm just concerned that the last real good batch of Mallards to have dropped in in the Atchafalya Basin, and particularly, the Indian Bayou WMA areas, was in the late 70's and early 80's After that and the coincidence of "soil management", the hundreds I used to see flush with every stroke of my paddle in my pirogue have never reappeared.

Dude just quit bitching about it and do it yourself because your not gonna change what's going on. You want more birds then get off your arse and buy some land and get to planting. There's not to much public land that is just gonna attract so many ducks and actually hold em when there is more hunters than ducks. If I had the loot to get enough land and manage it that way I guarantee ya I would be doing it too and prolly 95% of the people on here would be too. Your on public land quit griping

There is more hunters now than i have ever seen and it gets worse every year. If you don't have ducks then your habitat conditions aren't the greatest. Last year we had more water than ever and everything was flooded and the birds had plenty to eat. We held so many mallards last year I could pick when I wanted to shoot a mallard. This year no water and all they can eat is mud sandwiches so why would they leave those fields to come here. From some of the guys I know la is having the best year they have seen in a very Long time. Maybe u should try and hunt a different area and quit blaming your lack of being able to find birds on something else.

DG you are now the official MMT mangina. No we will never see birds like we used to,deal with it and move on. Buy a big game license because there are more deer now than ever before.