THE WAR AGAINST NUTRIA

Nutria Festivities

EDITOR'S NOTE: Nutria, semi-aquatic rodents with the proper name of coypu, have eaten away at Louisiana's marshlands for some years. The federal government has sent Louisiana $2 million to fight the war on nutria. These l2- to 18-pound demons detrimentally impact about 100,000 acres of wildlife-rich marshlands each year. If someone doesn't stop them, other coastal states may face drastic land loss thanks to these furry Argentine invaders. So, now predator hunters have a new predator to hunt. And sportsmen who get permission to hunt nutria from Louisiana landowners can get paid for the nutria tails they harvest.

Barataria, Louisiana in the winter of 2003, held its first annual Nutria Queen contest. The 2003 Nutria Queen had to have more than just a pretty face. She needed poise, style, bearing and hunting ability.

The judges bestowed the title of Nutria Queen on 16-year-old Ali Loproto from Lafitte. Ashley Williams, 18, claimed the title of first runnerup. Loproto won her title after not only going on a nutria hunt but after bagging and recovering her first nutria while on the hunt. Next year, the Lodge of Louisiana will host the First World Championship Nutria Hunt and will crown a new queen at this event. The lodge also will distribute trophies and cash prizes. You can arrange a hunt at the Lodge of Louisiana before the World Championship. If you do come to Louisiana's Gulf Coast to hunt nutria, don't leave your shotgun and rod and reel at home. You'll find waterfowl flying at many times of the year and the redfish biting. You can take part in a Cajun Trifecta -- a combination hunt for nutria, ducks and redfish. You can take waterfowl at daylight, redfish in the middle of the day and nutria in the late afternoon until after dark. Does life get any better than this for a predator hunter/outdoorsman?

If you want...
* a new target for your predator ammunition,
* a longer predator-hunting season,
* the opportunity to help save the coastline around New Orleans and harvest a predator you can eat and
* a chance to earn $4 a tail for each predator you take, then hunt nutria this season with shotguns, rifles and/or black-powder rifles. You most likely will see and take nutria early in the morning or late in the evening, but you can spot nutria all day long. You'll experience the most success hunting the nutria in January and February when most of the northern U.S. lies under a blanket of ice and snow. When you hunt nutria on a good day, you can hunt them while wearing shorts or bathing suits -- but bring your cold-weather gear along too. Let's all go get a mess of nutria this year.

For information on the World Championship Nutria Hunt or to go nutria hunting, call the Lodge of Louisiana at (504) 689-0000, or visit the Web site at www.lodgeoflouisiana.com.