The deluxe hunting package begins the evening before your hunt upon your arrival at our lodge. It is located in the quiet settlement adjacent Hebert's Marina on the eastern shore of Calcasieu Lake. After stowing your gear in your private room, you are ready to get started. You can choose to relax in the comfort of the lodge and swap fishing and hunting tales, check out the wall of fame which tells a tale of days gone by, or step outside and enjoy the salt air on our patio just steps from Calcasieu Lake. If you are the curious type, you may enjoy a stroll around the marina for a quick survey of the day's activities or a look at one of our fine center console fishing machines. Of course, back at the lodge an assortment of cold beverages is always available at our well stocked open bar and satellite TV is available for those that feel the need to stay in touch with reality.
Then comes the good part, dinner. The menu, which is skillfully prepared and served by Chef Tina Rue and her staff, is always the highlight of the evening. Tina has a unique style of cooking which can best be described as "a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll." She has blended her Houma, LA upbringing with some big city style to bring forth some really wonderful dishes. With some traditional cajun dishes, an assortment of local seafood, game and fowl recipes, as well as some top quality beef entrees on the menu, you will always have a great dining experience, not to mention the fantastic desserts. As one of our loyal customers once said "You can catch a few fish or shoot a few birds in a lot of places, but food like this is something to brag about." After a good night's rest, you will be awakened early to the srnell of hot coffee brewing. A full breakfast of eggs, biscuits and sausages before the hunt will get you ready for the day ahead.
Departing the lodge in your own vehicle, the hunting groups will be lead convoy style for a short 30 minute trip to our meeting place, Harris' Cajun Restaurant in Hayes, LA. There you will meet your guide and then follow him in your own vehicle to the designated hunting spot less than five minutes away. Once you arrive at the assigned destination, you will have time to put on your boots and gather your gear to be carried on your guide's ATV. As a group you will be transported to the well concealed pit blind via ATV. Stepping from the ATV to the blind ensures that no work or walking need be done on your part. You guide will take care of the decoys, dog, and brush for the blind as well as identifying and calling the birds in for your group. We allow a maximum of three hunters per guide in our ten foot pit blinds.
As the legal shooting hours draw near, your guide will instruct your group of the situation at hand and remind you that safety is our utmost concern. As the light appears in the east, the birds will begin to move around with the weather playing an important role in this aspect of the hunt. You should be prepared to encounter both ducks and geese during your hunt. It is not uncommon to harvest as many as eight or ten different species during a single hunt.
We concentrate our efforts on ducks and Specklebelly geese and do not set the large rag type spreads for Snow geese. However, you will encounter the Snows and Blues in large numbers and we often entice these wary birds into our decoy spreads. Your experienced guide will be doing all the calling and his goal is to put the birds in the best position for your group to harvest them. Most of our shots are taken inside of 30 yards, with 45-50 yards being a long shot. We like to get 'em in close. Skyblasting is not in our gameplan.
Your hunt will end between 10am and 10:30am at which time you will depart the fields again by ATV and meet up at the restaurant. When all groups are accounted for and all birds are properly tagged, we will depart for the lodge. The birds will be dropped off for processing while your group returns to the lodge to clean up and eat a hot lunch. You may pick your birds up at the processors when you depart the lodge and settle any processing fees with them.
The cost for the deluxe hunting package is $375.00 per person (two person minimum).