Second annual Greater Pine Island Festival draws hunters to Elton

ELTON, La. (KPLC) - It’s officially duck hunting season, and Southwest Louisiana residents celebrated in style Saturday at the second annual Greater Pine Island Teal Festival.

The event, held in Elton, brought together live music, food and vendors to mark the start of teal hunting season.

The festival got its start from a casual conversation, according to Bailey Bertrand, co-owner of Bon’s Restaurant.

“A couple of our friends, we were hanging out at the bar one night, and my father-in-law was really interested in throwing a teal festival, and it kind of just took off from there. We had three weeks to plan it last year and it was a lot bigger than we expected it to be,” Bertrand said.

The biggest change from year one to year two has been the added partnership with the Coushatta Tribe. The tribe has provided staging and additional space for vendors to set up.

Jagger Morvant, who works at Hunt Refined Repellent, said the event offers a chance to bring the community together.

“It’s really just a gathering place. It’s just a fun festival for everybody to go hunt in the morning, come here, they can get their birds clean, hang out, listen to good music, drink, get some great food. And so it’s just an all-around just a good place for people to come and hang out for the day,” Morvant said.

For South Cameron resident Joseph Treme, the festival is about more than a good time — it’s about preserving a way of life.

“I really feel like we need to maintain our Louisiana sportsmanship environment over here in Louisiana. This is part of our culture. I mean, my daddies did this. I mean, my uncles did this. I mean, my grandfather’s done this. It’s part of the culture. It’s important to Louisiana,” Treme said.

Kinder resident William Fontenot said his passion for teal hunting dates back to his childhood.

“I’ve been tealing since I was four or five years old. For most people around here, it’s the first duck you get to shoot, the first hunt you get to go on,” Fontenot said.

More than 1,000 people were expected to attend the festival. Its growing popularity has organizers planning to bring the tradition back next year.

“From year one to year two has exploded and everybody has been so willing to help and help put this event on. I can definitely see us doing another year. But we have to do some thinking of how we can make it even better next year, because it’s going to be a great time today,” Morvant said.