2016 Preseason:

[Rick]

Sometimes the same. But most times when I'm targeting geese, it's with Kent 3" 12ga 1s.

[Ericdc]

Yea I always have some estate 3" 1's in the bag for days when the geese are flying or if we happen to limit on ducks and try to hang around for geese.

Considering trying some 2 3/4" black clouds in a 1 oz load of 3's this year. Only because of the price I've found them at, less than $10 a box. Thinking they'd be fine for decoying ducks.

[Darren]

Usually shoot Kent's 20ga 2 3/4" Upland Steel 5s for ducks and been getting them a hair cheaper than that locally, but thanks for the heads-up.

Was pleased with the Winchester upland steel shells last season, #5's or 6's I think in a low brass shell, killed teals dead just fine and only in the $7/box range. Couldn't find them at academy the other day though, only all the high end "duck" loads for $15-$25/box.......yikes!

[Rick]

Was a great reminder that I don't know pecans about contest calling. All the better duck callers sounded so much the same that I'd as soon take a beating as pick a winner, but it was nice to see a fellow who'd guided for us and is starting his own call company take state speck. Makes at least seven state speck champs who've worked with us.

Just saw a list of guys winning with Riceland speck calls last weekend and learned I know even less than I thought about contests. Seems what Garret won was a call-off for third. Matt Aucoin took first and two others I don't know took 2nd and 4th with Ricelands for a near sweep. So James and Bill had a big weekend.

[Rick]

Was in Thornwell late this afternoon showing a fellow the teal holes we need buffaloed when a light rain fired up a nifty teal scramble around the farm. Lot more fun to watch them buzzing fields than flying high.

[Darren]

Was in Thornwell late this afternoon showing a fellow the teal holes we need buffaloed when a light rain fired up a nifty teal scramble around the farm. Lot more fun to watch them buzzing fields than flying high.

Some fellow reports on the DU migration map system that there are "thousands" in gueydan. Maybe or maybe not, but the overall situation indeed looks better than maybe last few years. There's a similar report for Abbeville area

[DComeaux]

Was in Thornwell late this afternoon showing a fellow the teal holes we need buffaloed when a light rain fired up a nifty teal scramble around the farm. Lot more fun to watch them buzzing fields than flying high.

Some fellow reports on the DU migration map system that there are "thousands" in gueydan. Maybe or maybe not, but the overall situation indeed looks better than maybe last few years. There's a similar report for Abbeville area

I saw those and want so much for them to be true but I'm a bit apprehensive after the last couple of years. I don't have the confidence of birds showing up that I had three years ago. Just a bit gun shy.

I got a call this evening from a fella I've known for some time and hunted with a good bit years back in Grand Chenier. I haven't talked to him for some time so we had a lengthy conversation bringing back some good memories. He told me he'd been working as a guide for Little Pecan and the Florence Club over the years and he had some reports from some guide buddy's this afternoon. He was told that there are a good bit of birds on the Florence. Still didn't give me a warm and fuzzy.

I wish I could get that confident feeling back again. I hope we see some birds Saturday morning. Three years ago on the weekend before opening day of teal we watched black clouds rise just to our south and wrap us up while we were working. It was a wonderful thing.

[Ericdc]

Was in Thornwell late this afternoon showing a fellow the teal holes we need buffaloed when a light rain fired up a nifty teal scramble around the farm. Lot more fun to watch them buzzing fields than flying high.

Some fellow reports on the DU migration map system that there are "thousands" in gueydan. Maybe or maybe not, but the overall situation indeed looks better than maybe last few years. There's a similar report for Abbeville area

I want so much for those reports to be true but I'm a bit apprehensive after the last couple of years. I don't have the confidence of birds showing up that I had three years ago. Just a bit gun shy.

I got a call this evening from a fella I've known for some time and hunted with a good bit years back in Grand Chenier. I haven't talked to him for some time so we had a lengthy conversation bringing back some good memories. He told me he'd been working as a guide for Little Pecan and the Florence Club over the years and he had some reports from some guide buddy's this afternoon. He was told that there are a good bit of birds on the Florence. Still didn't give me a warm and fuzzy. I wish I could get that confident feeling back again. I hope we see some birds Saturday morning.

Still got over a week

[Rick]

Might be a few in someone's fridge in Gueydan, but the rest are still outside of town. (Ain't I hilarious?)

Am sure there are thousands around Gueydan, but there still seems an awful lot of dead space between big concentrations in ideal locations, rather than seeing them scattered about the landscape or sky. Farm hand I met with in Thornwell yesterday said the ones buzzing our stuff there were the first he's seen, while other reliable sources have seen big concentrations in spots around that area. Which strikes me as pretty much as it should unfold. If we were covered up now, we could be regretting it before the season ends. (He says as if knowing Jack Doodley Squat about the comings and goings of wild things.)

[quackhead]

With the storms we are getting right now, I wouldn't be surprised if our cinnamons start heading south

[Rick]

No threat of cinnamons coming here.

[Rick]

The coyote and I haven't had a "just us two guys" outing in a while and I've been busy fighting water on ag land this past week, so I took him on a ride to check on the mudhole this afternoon. Found it still living up to it's name in places:


But I've also seen the whole thing still looking like the boat slip at this point:


So I'm not squawking.

We took some turns to break up some of the black dirt floating in the pond and tried some grinding in the boat slip, but it was just too dang hot for Peake's fur coat when we weren't running fast enough to generate our own breeze, and we didn't accomplish much before heading for A/C.

Saw just 2 wood ducks. Am headed back to my ag land projects (while the spoiled mutts chill in the house) and may, or may not, see more promise there...

[Rick]

Am headed back to my ag land projects (while the spoiled mutts chill in the house) and may, or may not, see more promise there...

"May not," as it turned out last evening, with one neat exception. Was widening a levee break to speed the flow of water to a bottom cut and cursing the fact that #2 rice field shovels don't come with air conditioned cabs when the whiffle of flaring wings alerted me to my closest teal encounter of this preseason. Was only a pair of bluewings, but they'd come close enough to make us both jump.

Having not seen teal on any of our stuff, I detoured on the way home to pass a spot they've been using for at least a week and gained a bit of reassurance watching some fall in there as the sun dropped. They're around, just not as many or where we'd like.

Pretty much the same again this morning, but at least a dozen mottleds were liking the fresh flood the teal pair buzzed last night. And a lone mottled was the only duck spotted on my midday marsh visit.

But I did get enough of the mudhole pond's black dirt knocked down to put decoys out later this week (pound timber), and I got the boat hide slip reground:




Also pulled the blind covers and got it set up:


So putting out decoys and gizmos is all that remains of my personal preparations.

[Ericdc]

No interest in shooting any doves? I shot 9 yesterday evening. Plucked them and deciding how I'm going to cook.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1441571563.802080.jpg

[Rick]

I'll still eat them when invited but haven't shot one in years.

[Rick]

True to its long standing tradition of croaking just before hunting season, the old S10 popped its lower right ball joint last evening. Had checked a pump and water levels on some of our stuff below Gueydan and was taking a bird watching tour down to the Florence and White Lake clubs and then west along the Gueydan ditch through some prime teal country, but only made half of that when the bottom dropped out turning onto the ditch road. Was a lick I could have done without but probably overdue at 195,000 miles, and way too much of that on bad gravel and grass roads. And what a blessing that it happened at low speed in a car hauler accessible spot instead of at highway speed or on some narrow flood canal levee top. That, and we somehow found the only mosquito free spot in the tri-parish area to work into the darkness cobbling it back together to drive onto the trailer.

Now the bad news. While waiting for my friend and his trailer, Marsh and I had a wonderful prime time view of what's generally some of the birdiest airspace in SW Louisiana and watched the sun set on a very disappointing evening flight.

[Ericdc]

Glad you didn't have a wreck. I drive through a lot of non friendly terrain as well doing my forestry work. Had some front end work done at about 130,000 in my 2012 F 150 but that's been it so far.

With as hot as it is, I doubt the teal are moving around much. I sure hope the weather cools some before I find myself in little Chenier this Saturday. Last years opener we had strong winds and cooler temps which seemed to keep the birds flying late into the morning. Just hoping it's not balmy and still.

[Rick]

I sure hope the weather cools some before I find myself in little Chenier this Saturday. Last years opener we had strong winds and cooler temps which seemed to keep the birds flying late into the morning. Just hoping it's not balmy and still.

The good chance of rain I've been looking forward to has moved up in the week, so maybe the cooler night temperatures following it will, too.

Slipped out to the marsh in a rain yesterday afternoon and got my decoys out, but still need to replace my metal conduit spinner pole, string its wiring and weave a boat hide door to be have my own, Mudhole, blind ready - and there's a crap load of ag land stuff that's still not done. Little but mottleds were seen anywhere on yesterday's rounds, though it's encouraging to see them taking to some of our new water.

Taking time out to help thin the local gator herd this and tomorrow mornings, which isn't high on my entertainment list, but I can use the change of pace.

[Rick]

Put out about 40 sticks, mostly in the jungle that what used to be Dixie Rice has become under new ownership. Pretty spooky how quickly and badly a 17 million dollar farm has gone to hell without proper management, and one can't help but feel for whoever the task of eventually rehabbing it falls to. Had this greedy soul on a line before we finished setting:


So we know we didn't scratch.

[Ericdc]

Put out about 40 sticks, mostly in the jungle that what used to be Dixie Rice has become under new ownership. Pretty spooky how quickly and badly a 17 million dollar farm has gone to hell without proper management, and one can't help but feel for whoever the task of eventually rehabbing it falls to. Had this greedy soul on a line before we finished setting:


So we know we didn't scratch.

So is that farm still farming or growing weeds?

[quackhead]

Looks delicious!

[Rick]

If you could smell the bed of my truck right now, you'd get over that notion. Feel like I should shower just to go get in a tractor.

[Rick]

When I finish this fine bologna and American cheese supper and throw some bullets in my morning blind box, the teal preseason will be behind me. Didn't get to spend nearly as much time on young Marsh's schooling as hoped, see a lot of birds or much of anything I'd looked forward to, but with a little luck some of the stuff I did manage to do will brighten someone's season.

[Rick]

Oh! I did do something fun this evening. Seems like whenever teal shooting comes up on these boards, some netspurt quotes the DU site: "Blue-winged and green-winged teal, thought by many hunters to be the fastest ducks, are actually among the slowest, having a typical flight speed of only 30 mph." Was driving home on Hwy 14 when a teal, of all things, swerved across the road in front of me, then flew parallel and close to the road a surprisingly good distance, while I clocked him at very nearly 55. Only teal I saw today was a blue ribbon winner.

[Ericdc]

Maybe they fly slow up north?

[Rick]

Oct. 1:

...but we bumped 18 specks while finishing up with gators in Klondike this morning.

Already made that entry in the "Season Log," but it's been my practice to log such first sightings under "Preseason," so I'm copying it here for future reference. Haven't seen, or heard, another. Just been hopeful with our current northerly breezes.

Have, however, been using the cool mornings to advantage for young Marsh's education, now that teal and alligators are behind us. Through no fault of his own, he's way, way behind where his predecessors have been at his age, but a willing and apt student who might yet be ready to spell his "brother" the coyote at our Mudhole this season.

And, speaking of the Mudhole, mucking out and hauling off the flotant in front of the blind and elsewhere there is on the October agenda. As is decoy repair and, hopefully, painting.

[Rick]

This morning the hounds and I made our first pass through DComeaux's area since teal closed, though not on his particular farm. Saw lots of mottleds but not very many teal and no specks. Am thinking/hoping being mottled central should help draw other species when they do arrive.

Both dogs enjoyed an extended workout and are passed out cold underfoot.

[Ericdc]

Saw a pair of blue winged teal yesterday in a little slash water area just off the Pensacola beach.

[DComeaux]

Am thinking/hoping being mottled central should help draw other species when they do arrive.

No doubt.

I was out today north of Henderson in this ducky weather with the basin on one side, rice fields and crawfish ponds on the other. One lonely wood duck flying down the canal and got a brief glimpse of a flock of unidentified's working a field, that's it. Other times I've been out in this same area between teal and big duck and we'd watch many bunches of BW skimming the water down the middle of the canal. Today's experience in this area is worryingly reminiscent of last year.

[Rick]

As is its nature, the Mudhole's flotant has been doing its best to reclaim our open water, with the area in front of the dog stand being the most currently problematic:


Don't want the dogs to have to fight flotant getting out the front, as they have all along out the back, but wasn't keen on just grinding it and adding that much more to our spot's miserable namesake:


So I took advantage of our cool spell to spend much of this beautiful day mucking flotant out with a potato hoe and hauling it away:


Hands are still trying to cramp, but that chore is now behind me: