If someone's going hunting or fishing three or four days a year, they usually aren't going to have their own camp. But if they're paying to go out, they are going to want more than just the bare minimum. The Beau Rivage Lodge represents the top of the line in public hunting and fishing facilities. The lodge, built on a barge, is towed to the Louisiana Marsh for the duck season, then to Chandeleur Island, a federal bird sanctuary that offers fishing comparable to that in the Florida Keys the rest of the year. Guests have their choice of arriving by boat or plane.
Duck hunting is done from boats that turn into duck blinds.
Fishing is done from flatboats. All trips are accompanied by guides, who also clean and cook or pack the catch for transportation. Another option is to transport the game or fish back to the hotel where a chef in one of the 10 restaurants can prepare it and serve it. Mike Herrmann, who operates Louisiana Gulf Coast Outfitters, has also found that customers want far more than an opportunity to bag a duck or land a fish these days. Herrmann has a number of camps for his clients, and none of them could be considered primitive.