Louisiana Nutria

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Selfdfenz

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I think it was approximately a year ago when I first heard Louisiana was beginning a program to pay a bounty on nutria. It's my understanding they are causing a significant amount of environmental damage in the state's marsh ecosystem.

Louisiana HRs,

How is that program working? Has there been any public information about the program being successful and if so, are there any predictions or indications the marshes are recovering??

One would have to think the duck populations that winter in the same marsh systems would greatly benefit from actually having something to feed on during the winter migration.

Best,
S-
 
I takes more than a year for such changes to have a noticable effect. The nutrias are responsible for the great increase in the alligator population but they do damage the marsh.
 
I think the bounty idea was a good one, but it has had little impact. It's a difficult situation, much of the aquatic vegetation (as well as the nutria itself) are not native to the area. Everything has pretty much been devastated by the nutria, hyacinth, etc.
 
Maybe the State should import some anacondas & caimans to eat the nutria.
That'd lead to a whole 'nuther problem down the road as kids started disappearing but hey!,the nutria population might take a hit.

:cool:


Or not :confused:
 
I shot a nutria rat once upon a time at about 10 yards with a 123 grain FMJ from an SKS, and it erupted like a volcano, raining nutria chunks everywhere :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
I have to admit, I've killed quite a few with no intention of picking them up.

I've pulled up to my blind quite a few times and had to chase or shoot them out. Those dudes can bite!!!!! These things reproduce like crazy, too!
 
Re: Nutria

The nutria population began to get out of hand when fur products became taboo....in the late 70's nutria pelts commanded $10-$14. Now you cannot hardly give the pelts away.

The bounty has been in effect for two years now (IIRC). The bounty is $4 per tail. Landowners have to apply for the program before they can actively participate in it. The state can/will only apply ($400,000-$500,000) dollars. to the program. Do the math and that is only a drop in the bucket in relationship to the nutria population and the problems they create. But it is a start.

They are a hoot to shoot from an airboat too! ;)
 
I saw an episode of Insomniac a year or two ago, (was on Comedy Cental, I think it's no longer on.), wherein the host of the show accompanied the NO police snipers out on a Nutria hunt. IIRC they used supressed 10/22s to nail the rodents in the canals and dikes of the city.

Shooting out of the back of a pickup, no less! The reason was to keep the snipers skills sharp and of course help control the Nutria population.

One of the best episodes of that show ever. Hey, Michael Bane (Bain?) of Shooting Gallery needs to do an episode about this!!
 
i saw the same insomniac episode. at least one of the officers used a bolt action, and boy how he used it!
 
Dude! I'll check it out...maybe we could get Miculek to go along...

Michael B
SHOOTING GALLERY
 
In 1995 Jefferson Parish spent $7M to fix damage to flood control canals and the streets that run along side of them because of nutria damage. I have first cousins who were put through collage from the money earned selling nutria pelts back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. Back then you could get $12-$15 for winter pelts and sell the carcass to dog food processors for $0.25 a pound. That was good money back then and more than a few of my mother’s family did that as a living. A full time trapper could run 100-150 pelts a month and all that was cash money, no records, no checks.
 
I own shares in some crawfish ponds in LA. Every year we go out at thanksgiving and do our darndest to get rid of the nutria and ferrral cats on the property.

We always joke about how we are doing a service to the state, and what upstanding citizens we are for blasting the big rats.

I think the state would do better if instead of a bounty per nutria they had a couple weekend long tournaments where the winner got $1000 or something. I know some guys who probably wouldn't sleep a wink for 48 hours if they were shooting nutria with a shot to win $1000.

waterhouse
 
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