| Small Game Articles |
John N. Felsher's Other Hunting Adventures
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Remaining very still and blending into the surrounding mud, it nearly
eluded us, but sunlight highlighting its furry back gave it away.
“He’s over here,” I yelled from the boat. “Start walking toward that little
peninsula. He can’t go anywhere except in the water.”
On shore, Frank Cusimano and Mark Messonnier approached the point
without seeing the big rodent with the menacing, curved orange teeth. As
Mark approached, the nutria bolted from the grass and plunged into the
pond. It didn’t go far. A load of steel from Mark’s shotgun ended this
rodent’s marsh destroying career.
Two friends from our high school, Frank and Mark returned to
Louisiana from Texas and Georgia to sample some exciting waterfowl action
in the marshes of St. Bernard Parish southeast of New Orleans. Operating
out of Breton Sound Marina in Hopedale, they found exciting action, but not
from feathered creatures.
E. A. McIllhenny of Tabasco pepper sauce fame and other fur ranchers
brought nutrias into Louisiana. In 1938, McIllhenny imported 14 nutrias
from Argentina and released them in pens at his home on Avery Island near
New Iberia, La. A hurricane in 1940 released the prolific rodents into
nearby marshes where they thrived.
A female nutria may give birth two to three times a year, bearing four to
five offspring in each litter. By the time she gives birth to her third litter, her
daughters from the first litter give birth. By 1943, nutrias spread to Texas
and Mississippi. By the late 1950s, about 20 million nutrias populated
Louisiana.
The ravenous rodents continued breeding to the point that one square
mile of land might contain more than 6,000 nutrias today. All those gnawing
orange teeth consumed considerable chunks of marsh grass. An “eat-out”
might reduce the vegetation in an area to nothing. Now, the state loses
about 20 to 35 square miles of wetlands each year to erosion as nutrias
devour the grasses that hold the fragile marshes together.
“In the late 1970s, Louisiana trappers caught about 1.5 to 1.8 million
nutrias per year,” said Greg Linscombe, a biologist with the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “From 1962 to 1982, the nutria
harvest in Louisiana never dropped below one million pelts a year. During
that time, there was very little coastal land damage. Now we have pockets
where nobody has trapped for a number of years and we see where nutria
have eaten out big open areas. This is directly a result of not taking a
million animals a year.”
Since the boom of the late 1970s, pelt prices plummeted. Many thank
the animal rights activists for making fur coats unpopular. Where a trapper
could once sell a nutria pelt for more than $10, they could barely give them
away. Many trappers quit. With fewer trappers afield, furbearer
populations soared, but the annual nutria harvest dropped.
“Problems are caused by too many animals and not enough people
harvesting them,” Linscombe said. “If we don’t maintain a strong economic
incentive for trappers to harvest nutrias, we don’t have an economically
efficient way to control populations.”
With few trappers harvesting surplus animals to sell pelts, the state
began paying a $4 a tail bounty on nutrias. Recreational hunters may not
receive bounties or sell pelts, but they may shoot nutrias during the open
season. Shooting hours last from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes
after sunset. On wildlife management areas, sportsmen may only use
shotguns with non-toxic shot during waterfowl season.
To hunt nutrias doesn’t require much special equipment or expertise.
Sportsmen may shoot at them from moving boats on private land. However,
rules prohibit carrying loaded weapons in boats on public property.
Mike Herrmann, a hunting and fishing guide in St. Bernard Parish,
drove the small boat through numerous ponds on his marsh lease. For
safety reasons, we positioned only one shooter in the boat at a time with
the next person passing the extra ammunition. Frank drew the rights as
first shooter. As we rounded a bend in a marshy pond, two nutrias
exploded from the grass and stampeded toward the interior marsh.
Frank quickly exited the boat as Mike beached the craft. With Frank
walking the marsh, the rest of us kept watch for rats. Soon, he bagged one
large rodent, but the other ran through the grass. Mark joined the hunt.
After dispatching those rats, Mark took over the hot seat as primary
shooter. It didn’t take long before we jumped more rats. Once, Frank ran
out of ammunition while walking the marsh. Mike made quite literally a
“bullet” pass that would make Peyton Manning proud.
Action comes in fast spurts when roving for rats. Besides all the fun,
sportsmen can also help the environment.
eluded us, but sunlight highlighting its furry back gave it away.
“He’s over here,” I yelled from the boat. “Start walking toward that little
peninsula. He can’t go anywhere except in the water.”
On shore, Frank Cusimano and Mark Messonnier approached the point
without seeing the big rodent with the menacing, curved orange teeth. As
Mark approached, the nutria bolted from the grass and plunged into the
pond. It didn’t go far. A load of steel from Mark’s shotgun ended this
rodent’s marsh destroying career.
Two friends from our high school, Frank and Mark returned to
Louisiana from Texas and Georgia to sample some exciting waterfowl action
in the marshes of St. Bernard Parish southeast of New Orleans. Operating
out of Breton Sound Marina in Hopedale, they found exciting action, but not
from feathered creatures.
E. A. McIllhenny of Tabasco pepper sauce fame and other fur ranchers
brought nutrias into Louisiana. In 1938, McIllhenny imported 14 nutrias
from Argentina and released them in pens at his home on Avery Island near
New Iberia, La. A hurricane in 1940 released the prolific rodents into
nearby marshes where they thrived.
A female nutria may give birth two to three times a year, bearing four to
five offspring in each litter. By the time she gives birth to her third litter, her
daughters from the first litter give birth. By 1943, nutrias spread to Texas
and Mississippi. By the late 1950s, about 20 million nutrias populated
Louisiana.
The ravenous rodents continued breeding to the point that one square
mile of land might contain more than 6,000 nutrias today. All those gnawing
orange teeth consumed considerable chunks of marsh grass. An “eat-out”
might reduce the vegetation in an area to nothing. Now, the state loses
about 20 to 35 square miles of wetlands each year to erosion as nutrias
devour the grasses that hold the fragile marshes together.
“In the late 1970s, Louisiana trappers caught about 1.5 to 1.8 million
nutrias per year,” said Greg Linscombe, a biologist with the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “From 1962 to 1982, the nutria
harvest in Louisiana never dropped below one million pelts a year. During
that time, there was very little coastal land damage. Now we have pockets
where nobody has trapped for a number of years and we see where nutria
have eaten out big open areas. This is directly a result of not taking a
million animals a year.”
Since the boom of the late 1970s, pelt prices plummeted. Many thank
the animal rights activists for making fur coats unpopular. Where a trapper
could once sell a nutria pelt for more than $10, they could barely give them
away. Many trappers quit. With fewer trappers afield, furbearer
populations soared, but the annual nutria harvest dropped.
“Problems are caused by too many animals and not enough people
harvesting them,” Linscombe said. “If we don’t maintain a strong economic
incentive for trappers to harvest nutrias, we don’t have an economically
efficient way to control populations.”
With few trappers harvesting surplus animals to sell pelts, the state
began paying a $4 a tail bounty on nutrias. Recreational hunters may not
receive bounties or sell pelts, but they may shoot nutrias during the open
season. Shooting hours last from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes
after sunset. On wildlife management areas, sportsmen may only use
shotguns with non-toxic shot during waterfowl season.
To hunt nutrias doesn’t require much special equipment or expertise.
Sportsmen may shoot at them from moving boats on private land. However,
rules prohibit carrying loaded weapons in boats on public property.
Mike Herrmann, a hunting and fishing guide in St. Bernard Parish,
drove the small boat through numerous ponds on his marsh lease. For
safety reasons, we positioned only one shooter in the boat at a time with
the next person passing the extra ammunition. Frank drew the rights as
first shooter. As we rounded a bend in a marshy pond, two nutrias
exploded from the grass and stampeded toward the interior marsh.
Frank quickly exited the boat as Mike beached the craft. With Frank
walking the marsh, the rest of us kept watch for rats. Soon, he bagged one
large rodent, but the other ran through the grass. Mark joined the hunt.
After dispatching those rats, Mark took over the hot seat as primary
shooter. It didn’t take long before we jumped more rats. Once, Frank ran
out of ammunition while walking the marsh. Mike made quite literally a
“bullet” pass that would make Peyton Manning proud.
Action comes in fast spurts when roving for rats. Besides all the fun,
sportsmen can also help the environment.
Giant toothy running marsh rats
make exciting sport in Louisiana
make exciting sport in Louisiana
Mike Herrmann retrieves a nutria shot by Mark Messonnier in the
marshes near Hopedale, La. Louisiana sportsmen may use boats to
hunt the big, toothy marsh rats imported from Argentina years ago
marshes near Hopedale, La. Louisiana sportsmen may use boats to
hunt the big, toothy marsh rats imported from Argentina years ago
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