2014-2015 Season Log...

[DComeaux]

Looks like they enjoyed the experience. Practice run down, ready for game day.

Titleist... Is dad more inclined to pursue cow pasture pool?

[Rick]

Billy said he was pretty proud of getting all of the boys' stuff packed - until he found he'd forgotten his own. Not sure was what Terry's excuse was, but am sure we pushed off a lot of big ducks.

[Deltaman]

Like a box of chocolates Rick, never know what you are going to get when guiding Sounds like Shreve had a jam up time shooting at birds, and the weather was in your flavor. Great report, and Thanks for sharing with us

[Rick]

Sure would have liked to make more sit for him.

[Ericdc]

It's going to be 29 degrees for our youth hunt Saturday. Maybe the one at end of the season will be warmer.

[Rick]

Being the only one making any effort to hide, I felt silly trying to pull them tight, much less set them, but we had plenty of mallards last weekend, so I'd think your youth day will be sweet.

[Ericdc]

Being the only one making any effort to hide, I felt silly trying to pull them tight, much less set them, but we had plenty of mallards last weekend, so I'd think your youth day will be sweet.

It should and I'll have my gun for specks.

[simplepeddler]

always a treat to peek into the forums and see your season log Rick.........
Hope you set the bar higher this season

[Rick]

It's good to see you're still around and preparing to start a new pup. What very few field cockers I was around during my yankee phase were a joy.

As for our season, well, "we'll see". Last year's dearth of bird traffic near my blind was flat depressing and left me considering my options more seriously than in quite a while. When the birds beat me, there's the hope and challenge of finding a way to make them work, but when they just don't show, it may be time to go...

[simplepeddler]

I understand for sure..........I have just "gone small" ........K-9's included, or so it would seem.

Quaid is doing well, he is a treat and a strong dog. The ECS has been an envie for a while now and the with passing of all our bassets over the summer, it was time.....

the season will be what it will be........but I do not create a living from it.....

I wish you well

[Rick]

Date: 11/15

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: brisk easterly

Temperature: cold

Barometer: 30.27 steady

Moon phase: last quarter

Special Notes: Regular season opener

Waterfowl Activity: Most big ducks we've had in that marsh for an opener in a long time and fewest teal.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Lots of birds but hard, hard, hard to get in before someone else would shoot or they'd see a smiling face. What few teal there were either tried to land or burned on and could not be turned like low ones normally can. Running scared from all the banging, I guess, something expected from big ducks and geese but not teal.

Hunters: 2, Joel and Darryl

Guns:

Malfunctions: Took the old 20 without cleaning, of course, and had first ever problem getting the lifter to rise to put shells in the magazine.

Dog(s): Peake had a good morning.

Special Equipment: spinner on for teal, off for big ducks and modified mallard machine that probably didn't help or hurt much with the overcast and wind

Kudos: Nice guys and a sweet flight.

Curses: One man was much better than the other at following my advice to watch with his face mostly hidden by the front of the blind, instead of cocked back in the blind mooning them. Made getting mallards where twice a year hunters could hit them tough. That, and their ace guide was shooting a single shot. Reckon I'll break out the new 20 in the morning, rain or no.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 2 gadwall, 4 gw teal, 6 mallards, 4 ringnecks and 1 wood duck

Photo Ops: Peake with a duck:


Darryl and Joel with a mess of ducks:

[jarbo03]

Very nice, great morning.

[DComeaux]

Good to see that, Rick!

[Rick]

Date: 11/15

Time: afternoon

Location: compressor field

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly strong

Temperature: chilly

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: More scouting trip than hunt - but I took a gun.

Waterfowl Activity: Few geese moving and all but one super high.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The one should-have-been-callable speck I saw, turned pretty and came hard until he was 150yds or so out then swapped ends and hauled tail. Don't know if he had a bad experience there this morning or just didn't like the blind-sized patch of yellow grass on a green levee.

Hunters: Wasn't at all confident about my options and bowed out so my guys could join the rest of their party in a likely to be more productive spot. So just the coyote and I went and sky watched a while "just to see".

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): the coyote snoozed

Special Equipment:

Kudos: Didn't put anyone else through it.

Curses: Not enough geese to make a gumbo in that area yet.

Birds By Species: first scratch of the new season.

Photo Ops: Hard at it:

[Rick]

Date: 11/16

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Strong southerly

Temperature: warm

Barometer: 29.9 falling

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Strong flight of specks turning to blues headed south to the Gulf just before shooting time. Very different duck flight with more little ones and far fewer big ones than yesterday. But we may have been done before the big ones moved if they followed "normal" pattern.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Big ducks we did get to work came pretty, little ducks wouldn't work a lick and were mostly shot passing. Don't recall low teal that came near the hole initially being so reluctant to swing around and come to it.

Hunters: 2, Jimmy and Donny

Guns: Shot my new Montefeltro 20 for the first time and am having a hard time getting used to a gun with beads. That or drop at comb may be wrong. But I managed to hit a few.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake did a real fine job corralling lively swimmers, as well as run-offs

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm in usual fashion

Kudos: Guys hid and shot well enough to be done in an hour.

Curses: None.

Birds By Species: 2 bw teal, 3 gadwall, 2 gw teal, 3 mallards, 1 pintail, Jim's 1 spoon "for luck," 5 ringnecks and 1 wood duck

Photo Ops: Donny and Jimmy:

[The Duck Hammer]

Good to see you're getting some birds Rick.

[Rick]

Date: 11/16

Time: mid morning

Location: Klondike

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: strong southerly

Temperature: warm

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: Helped a fellow who leased a blind from us find and close cuts to catch some rain water and watched enough geese moving into the area that I couldn't resist heading to a piece we have nearby to take a stab at them when we finished.

Waterfowl Activity: Flight was pretty well over by the time I got to go.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Second little bunch of specks I hollered at came tame enough for an easy bip-bap double.

Hunters: just the coyote and I

Guns: Only had the new 20 and 2 3/4" Upland Steel 5s in the truck.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote plainly loves working hard dry ground.

Special Equipment: no decoys at all, just a call Only "special equipment" might be the water control cut we used for a hide in the bare levee.

Kudos: Always great fun to make a no pressure play hunt and all the more so when it works.

Curses: None.

Birds By Species: 2 specks

Photo Ops: The coyote in our "blind" doing his best Snidely Whiplash "Nyah-ah-ahhh!" of evil anticipation:


with our season's first speck:


and second:


"Tol' ya."

[Rick]

Good to see you're getting some birds Rick.

Thanks. I'm sure there'll be plenty of not getting some birds later on to balance the scale.

[DComeaux]

Hahaha! Blake and I got a kick out of the coyote pics.

[Ducaholic]

Nice start Rick.

[Ericdc]

Rick some of your pics are upside down, or is it just me.

[The Duck Hammer]

They're upside down for me too. The last two to be exact.

[Rick]

They're correct on my PC.

[The Duck Hammer]

They're correct on my PC.

Now they're fine on mine too. Must be a tapatalk thing.

[Flightstopper]

Don't see them in the last post from Tapatalk.

[Bud]

Special Notes: Helped a fellow who leased a blind from us find and close cuts to catch some rain water and watched enough geese moving into the area that I couldn't resist heading to a piece we have nearby to take a stab at them when we finished.

Waterfowl Activity: Flight was pretty well over by the time I got to go.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Second little bunch of specks I hollered at came tame enough for an easy bip-bap double.
copied

What was it you said to me, Rick? Wasn't it something like, "A good deed never goes unpunished"? So it begins.

[Rick]

Sure seemed like the "No good deed goes unpunished." axiom was proving itself while we hid there waiting to see something in the air after having watched skeins and skeins of them pass while I worked.

But tomorrow may be the real punishment with strong NW winds hitting the blind square on, so working birds will be coming right over our backs. With the right crew it's a hoot to let them brush our hats coming over, then fight the wind to get out of the hole when the guns come up. But folks who can't/won't hide and hold their water while they come over are going to be screwed, and I'll be some serious frustrated. Might even say a bad word. Or two...

[Ericdc]

If they have any sense they'll hide to keep wind off their faces

[Rick]

Date: 11/17

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Strong NW

Temperature: plenty cold in the wind

Barometer: 30.14 rising

Moon phase: waning cresent

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Some of each in the marsh, though not a whole lot of anything.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Hard to get the big ducks to break down in the wind and harder to get them over the blind and out front.

Hunters: 2, Van and Bob, nice fellows but twice a year hunters who struggled some with the conditions.

Guns:

Malfunctions: Van only brought one box of shells, but I had him covered - though perhaps after a bit of teasing.

Dog(s): Peake had a good morning.

Special Equipment:

Kudos: What could have been a lot tougher worked out well.

Curses: None except the cold wind in our faces all morning.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 7 gw teal, 4 mallards, 4 ringnecks and 2 spoons

Photo Ops:

[Flightstopper]

Loaned shells always have a cost.