I met some folks over the weekend who said Louisiana was a great place to winter for the sportsman. Lots of waterfowl hunting, good fishing and great eating. If a guy wanted to spend a month or two out of the snow, where in Louisiana would you recommend and why?

New Orleans,French Quarter........Excitement !

Grand Isle for the fishing, both inshore and offshore, and great seafood.

The French Quarter is I guess exciting depending on one's idea of exciting. If you're young enough for a certain type of entertainment Bourbon Street's got that. And great bars - Pat O'Briens - the best in the whole country. And too many great restaurants to even start in naming places.

Have a look-see - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bpRcr0nU48

It's the sort of thing I used to partake in during my younger days. But today I'd look ridiculous there. Btw, I go back to when Eddie Gabriel used to "play" the tray with the bouncing coins...hell, I even go back so far that they'd play Dixie on request. Just try asking for that today.

And I can remember when you could order roasted African wild game at T. Pitari's restaurant...

New Orleans area. Usually plenty of ducks and fish in the winter. But our ducks are habitat dependent, so a bad tropical storm or two or a significant hurricane can make things more difficult in duck season. Good conditions last year, and we simply crushed them .... Plus all of the food, booze, and music you can handle.

The city is a nice break for a day here or there but better to head out. Depends on what you want. Wing shooting is great all along the coast, any of the islands, and just about anywhere in bayou country. Fishing is great but again depends on what you are targeting. Salt or fresh water? Species? Turtles, frogs, gators? Any of the saltwater species, as well as shrimp. I don't know if the oysters have recovered from that "little" oil spill yet. Deer hunting is good although they are small in stature compared to what I am used to up north. Pig hunting in the marshes and swamps is always a hoot. of course catfish, bass, crawfish, bream, on and on. You kind of have to have and idea what you want to do. Most land is on a lease basis but if you talk up the locals you can usually get access if only for a small fee. there is always the guide route as well. Lots of squirrel, coon, possum, nutria. You will run out of time before you run out of opportunity. Depending on when you go there is always gator but expect to pay up for a tag this year. Too many people watching tv and now they all think they can be swamp people. Check out Louisiana Sportsman. It might be a little help on ideas for you.

Cajun country. Lafayette, Louisiana. big enough but not too big. Very upscale city, republican, great life style,fairly high average income, five star restaurants to match New Orleans but great cajun lunches cheap. Cajun music and dancing. Great festivals.
Most hunting though is on leases, but in time you can work your way in. The places I deer hunt produce B&C bucks over 200 lbs. Duck hunting is great on the coast and even the area around Monroe in North Louisiana.There are some commercial duck hunting operations that you can hunt by the day. There are lots of boat charters for inshore speckled trout and redfish and offshore for the big stuff. Lots of guides on Toledo Bend Reservoir for bass and some scenic freshwater fishing in the basin (swamp). No snow, but humidity. The people though really make it special. Friendly, fun loving, funny, hard partying, hard working, hard fishing and hunting. A hard core outdoor state.
Football is a religion here. Friday night high school, Saturday for LSU, Sunday for the Saints. Hunting, fishing, cooking almost every weekend. Great place to raise kids.

Thanks all, I'll check it out!

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The people though really make it special. Friendly, fun loving, funny, hard partying, hard working, hard fishing and hunting. A hard core outdoor state.

Wow! That's fantastic.

Always wanted to chase the WoodCock migration from New Brunswick all the way to Louisiana where they winter......