2014-2015 Preseason...

[Duckdog]

He's not. It was kind of an impromptu photo op...
A harness is ideal, but his tracking collar works in a pinch. It's a thick, wide leather collar that rides low. It's designed not to choke, as they pull tight against it the whole time they're tracking from a lead.
But,...yea, I need to get him a harness.

I don't think he looks pissed...just real focused.

[Rick]

I don't think he looks pissed...just real focused.

"Focused" would be the "before" shot, waiting to be cut loose:


Or maybe an "after":


A "tracking collar" is something new to me. My ex- was into AKC tracking, and we had all four of our dogs doing it: English setter, Chessie, beagle and Westie. (Even the Westie could readily follow a 1/4 mile TD track with a number of turns across a mowed recreation area that I'd made wearing rubber boots an hour or so earlier to get to his bumper.) They all wore harnesses designed to put the pressure of leaning into the lead off their necks and onto their chests and shoulders, presumably to keep their breathing and scenting as normal as possible.

Am guessing tracking collars to be a German dog thing, "Bearded dog don't need no stinkin' harness."

[AKPirate]

This is a great thread Rick

[Rick]

Hey, stranger, good to see you. Hope all's been well.

[Rick]

9/10:
What I expect to be my last pre-teal season trip to the marsh started with this view of a burnt pump and flooded road that's washing out badly enough I was pushing water with the little truck's bumper. Not a good thing:


Was a good thing that the S-10 didn't croak or get hung, and I got every thing I hoped to done despite alternating rain and steamy sun. Worst chore was thinning the canes on my blind's "island," so I can see a bit of what comes low from behind us. I do not know how the coyote makes it through that mess of canes and flotant over old button willow staubs and holes without apparent bottom, just to get off the "island" when when shoot stuff out the back. Every time I fight that battle myself, I tell myself I'm going to make him some sort of path to walk or swim but haven't figured out the "how" of it yet.

Lacked the presence of mind to take a pic or two of the setup or blind, but inadvertently got one of the blind while grabbing a shot of bull tongue in front of it for a friend convinced bull tongue is the same as pickerel weed:


Definitely over dressed for teal, but I suppose that's better than under, if there is such a thing in September. Have killed a mess of them from undressed binds - or sitting in the open.

[AKPirate]

Hey, stranger, good to see you. Hope all's been well.

Everything is great. Leaves and tundra are yellow, red, and green. Fall is here. Getting set-up for moose camp.

[Deltaman]

9/10:
What I expect to be my last pre-teal season trip to the marsh started with this view of a burnt pump and flooded road that's washing out badly enough I was pushing water with the little truck's bumper. Not a good thing:


Was a good thing that the S-10 didn't croak or get hung, and I got every thing I hoped to done despite alternating rain and steamy sun. Worst chore was thinning the canes on my blind's "island," so I can see a bit of what comes low from behind us. I do not know how the coyote makes it through that mess of canes and flotant over old button willow staubs and holes without apparent bottom, just to get off the "island" when when shoot stuff out the back. Every time I fight that battle myself, I tell myself I'm going to make him some sort of path to walk or swim but haven't figured out the "how" of it yet.

Lacked the presence of mind to take a pic or two of the setup or blind, but inadvertently got one of the blind while grabbing a shot of bull tongue in front of it for a friend convinced bull tongue is the same as pickerel weed:


Definitely over dressed for teal, but I suppose that's better than under, if there is such a thing in September. Have killed a mess of them from undressed binds - or sitting in the open.

Did your teal ever show up Rick?

[Rick]

Not in the marsh. Saw no ducks at all there yesterday and just three tree ducks this morning. But it's common for it to be barren or nearly so of September teal until the guns go off in the rice. Then it usually won't see the big bunches the rice does but enough for a nice hunt. Kind of spooky, though, sitting there for however long with paying guns listening to all the shooting in the rice on three sides of us before birds start trickling our way.

Last year they surprised us by showing up overnight and swarming the marsh at LST, while the rice hunters suffered. So who knows?

Do seem to be more in the rice now than last miserable year, but it's "spotty" at best.

[Rick]

9/11:
Ended up making another "last" preseason trip to the marsh this morning because it was bugging me that my "new" splasher was sitting lower in the water than planned and not splashing as far as it had in the pool, where it was "just right". Foolishly forgot about its anchor chains (chain because it sinks fast enough not to get sucked around the prop and two of them to spread and stifle cord twist from the prop's torque), one of which is light dog chain and the other heavy dog chain. Changed the later out for more of the former, but the prop still rides a below the surface and optimum splash. Will have to swap its current coot floats for wider based ducks with more flotation before the big season. Maybe sooner.

Took a few pics, but again, for no good reason, none of the blind or setup. Just Old Yeller, the tall 4wd a great friend blessed me with for the season's on-road adventures:


A family of moorhens enjoying the road we're cursing:


Peake enjoying a ride in the marsh:


And getting to see his blind again:


Couldn't say just how much Jeremy enjoyed being our first tow of the new season:


But I'm sure it beat poling...

[DComeaux]

Seeing that water on the road would lead me to believe that the little marsh at the dead end near the lodge should be full?

[Rick]

While the marsh is relatively high, to include what we call the "little marsh" to the immediate left of the first gate beyond the camp. But the flooded road I'm dealing with is on pump-off land that should be dry but hasn't been pumped out since last winter, thus leaving it over the ridge that normally separates it from the marsh, and what I think you're talking about as a dead end behind the camp is "the turnaround blind" at farm road's end (over a mile beyond the first gate) on a sort of marsh within the pasture, which can be and is pumped off to a fairly constant level during the season. Though the cattle guys who sublet the pasture from us had it pumped lower than it should last I looked.

[Rick]

9/12:
Last day of "preseason" for a while, and having cleared my slate early to set lines for our ag land gators today, which got delayed until after the supposedly coming weather, I'm going a little crazy. Actually happy when the phone rings about this place or that.

And having my Mallard Machine/splasher riding a skosh lower than optimum has been wearing on me enough that I've dug up the biggest three (over-szed black duck) decoys in my inventory to replace the coots being pulled too deep by the device's anchor chains. Really, really want to run out there and change them out today to get it right, but will wait until before or after the morning hunt tomorrow, rather than put an extra truck down the flooded road unnecessarily.

Almost forgot the big news of the day - four black-bellied tried to land with the coyote while he was swimming laps in the pond this morning and they were all excited to see what they took to be one of their own and whistling up a storm. The tone and cadence of which I had the presence of mind, wonder of wonders, to note and whistle to myself until I could write it down. Am so very, very proud of me. Or think I will be if I can manage to duplicate it with a loud whistle of some sort.

[DComeaux]

While the marsh is relatively high, to include what we call the "little marsh" to the immediate left of the first gate beyond the camp. But the flooded road I'm dealing with is on pump-off land that should be dry but hasn't been pumped out since last winter, thus leaving it over the ridge that normally separates it from the marsh, and what I think you're talking about as a dead end behind the camp is "the turnaround blind" at farm road's end (over a mile beyond the first gate) on a sort of marsh within the pasture, which can be and is pumped off to a fairly constant level during the season. Though the cattle guys who sublet the pasture from us had it pumped lower than it should last I looked.

That's it... I've always liked that spot. It's seems ducky.

[Rick]

Were I to hit the lottery, I'd pay whatever it took to own it. Have four grand gun dogs buried back there for good reason. Makes me sick that Doug sublets it.

[Flightstopper]

You find what you were looking for with the new whistle?

[DComeaux]

Were I to hit the lottery, I'd pay whatever it took to own it. Have four grand gun dogs buried back there for good reason. Makes me sick that Doug sublets it.

I'll start buying tickets, and If I win, it's yours. All I ask is for a hunt or two every now and again.

[Rick]

Were I to hit the lottery, I'd pay whatever it took to own it. Have four grand gun dogs buried back there for good reason. Makes me sick that Doug sublets it.

I'll start buying tickets, and If I win, it's yours. All I ask is for a hunt or two every now and again.

"Buying tickets" sounds like a more feasible plan than I've been following.

[Rick]

You find what you were looking for with the new whistle?

No, not with the Acme plastic version of herding dog whistle I've been fooling with, but it shows enough promise that I'm going to try a metal one or two. Not finding what I've been using the past however many years nimble enough to do the "happy to see you" cadence I heard so plainly this morning, much less loudly enough to suit me.

[Rick]

9/12:
Killing time while waiting for calls to show two last (I think) teal spots, I cleaned up and repainted (kinda-sorta, close enough for teal) the three sun bleached over-sized GHG black ducks I hope will float my modified Mallard Machine and its anchor chains as high as I like. Even swapped out their big, heavy keels with some two (or three?) sizes smaller and lighter, now it may well float too high. Weather's moving in, so they're drying in the bed of the truck under a sheet of plywood. Don't remember having this much trouble passing the day before and might have to take up drinking again to get through the rest of it.

[DComeaux]

9/12:
Killing time while waiting for calls to show two last (I think) teal spots, I cleaned up and repainted (kinda-sorta, close enough for teal) the three sun bleached over-sized GHG black ducks I hope will float my modified Mallard Machine and its anchor chains as high as I like. Even swapped out their big, heavy keels with some two (or three?) sizes smaller and lighter, now it may well float too high. Weather's moving in, so they're drying in the bed of the truck under a sheet of plywood. Don't remember having this much trouble passing the day before and might have to take up drinking again to get through the rest of it.

I laughed out load..... I'm chomping at the bit to get OUT OF HERE!!!

[Flightstopper]

9/12:
Killing time while waiting for calls to show two last (I think) teal spots, I cleaned up and repainted (kinda-sorta, close enough for teal) the three sun bleached over-sized GHG black ducks I hope will float my modified Mallard Machine and its anchor chains as high as I like. Even swapped out their big, heavy keels with some two (or three?) sizes smaller and lighter, now it may well float too high. Weather's moving in, so they're drying in the bed of the truck under a sheet of plywood. Don't remember having this much trouble passing the day before and might have to take up drinking again to get through the rest of it.

I laughed out load..... I'm chomping at the bit to get OUT OF HERE!!!

X2 don't believe I've heard of Rick this frazzled.

[Bud]

May the skies offer limits of teal, sights not soon forgotten, and visitors to see all your hard work come into play. May the roads hold up, the pumps run as they should per promises and obligations, and may everything fall dead so Peake won't get out of range. May the deer flies.......Heck, just have a great time and good luck!

[Rick]

Hi, Bud, good to see you here. If you've learned anything about our outfit, it should be that can be depended upon is the deer flies. But the thought's appreciated.

[Rick]

X2 don't believe I've heard of Rick this frazzled.

Just a gray haired kid on Christmas eve.

[Rick]

Bud, when we spoke on the phone the other day, I think I forgot to mention that Ronnie came over for a visit while some of his decoy collection was at a Baton Rouge show. He's hanging mighty tough for 71, and had been to Alaska for two browns and a black and to South America since I last saw him.

[Bud]

Best news I heard all day. Thanks!

[Rick]

9/14:
Spotting the new season's first specklebellies is one of the landmarks many in my part of the country look forward to, and with one exception in memory, that's not ever come earlier than the second week of September teal. But Doug called from the road to Gueydan yesterday to say he and a great-grandson had just watched a few put into some rice just west of that town. You'd of thought they won the lottery.

[Darren]

9/14:
Spotting the new season's first specklebellies is one of the landmarks many in my part of the country look forward to, and with one exception in memory, that's not ever come earlier than the second week of September teal. But Doug called from the road to Gueydan yesterday to say he and a great-grandson had just watched a few put into some rice just west of that town. You'd of thought they won the lottery.

.......to hear that sound, first of the season

[Rick]

That's another biggie, as well, and it somehow seldom seems that the two come at the same time for me. So I get to enjoy the "first specks" twice.

[Rick]

Those who know Doug also know his speck sighting may or may not be reliable, so it tickled me to get another call this evening from one of our area's best speck hunters saying 18 had just gone over his Thornwell house looking for a place to be. Speck Watch 2014 is officially on.