Although Old River WMA in Mississippi and Bogue Chitto NWR in Louisiana share a border with the same river, managers of these public lands took drastically different routes after Hurricane Katrina blasted Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005.
One hunter from Bogalusa, La., who buys his Mississippi license every year so he can hunt both public lands is Robert Duncan. He killed a nice 8-point on the Old River side several years ago, but a recent check of the Mississippi side made him wonder if it was the same place.
“It’s thick right now because of all the briars,” he said. “Both sides used to be exactly the same, but Old River has grown up thicker since Katrina because Mississippi went in there and logged a bunch of the downed trees.”
This allowed more sunlight to hit the forest floor, which in turn helped spur the growth of vegetation that has continued to grow unchecked.
Perhaps deer are now using the Old River side when hunting pressure gets too intense on the Bogue Chitto side.
“There’s no doubt those deer swim that river all the time back and forth,” Duncan said. “I guess one of the best hunting techniques you could use would be finding a spot where deer cross the river and set up a stand right there.”
Be the first to comment