2015-2016 Season Log

[Rick]

Simplepeddler, you shoulda been with me this morning - I didn't know a damn thing, and Marsh and I closed out the speck season with a whimper. Was surprised by the number of specks seen, but most moved in big bunches knowing exactly where they were going. And I demonstrated next to no influence on them.

Jarren, I have to hand it to you guys for keeping the blind, itself, looking so much less like a place with guns than the vast majority. And I had to feel for you guys having to deal with the round ponds that so plainly gave it away. At one point this morning something pushed the speck body out of the piece due south of you, and they came so low and dead at me that I just knew all I need do to pass shoot our pair was stay down and quiet. Those birds split when they got to the pond as if Moses, himself, was standing in the middle of it waving his staff.

Wasn't long after that I exercised my play hunt initiative of calling it an early morning. Just wasn't mad enough to stay and fight.

Since everything else was gone, I gathered no one from your crew is coming back and carried out a small hammer that was in the blind and what appears a fair sized new tarp that was by the overflow. Will hang onto them a while in case someone does come this way, but don't count on me being able to find them next season.

In any event, thanks again for the spot. Enjoyed the opportunity much more than it probably sounds.

[Ericdc]

Sounds like the specks I saw yesterday on the youth hunt. They were all going to the dry beans next to me in big bunches. Normally if we get any over our water, I can at least get them to check us out, yesterday they were not crossing our water to their destination though, we were east of where they were coming from and going. Was neat to hear them greet each big bunch and welcome them. Later in the morning they pulled in a small snow goose tornado. We rarely get any specks when it's calm like yesterday and by the time the wind started they had all settled in.

[Rick]

Took the dogs for a spin around the Marceaux beginning around Dave's west protection levee and then east on the back levee and north down the middle road. Didn't get half way to the middle road before specks started rolling out of the indigos in the bottom south of Jarren and Co.. Probably a couple hundred or so, not in a cluster flush, but apparently just as the dogs or I became visible to them. Thought I might ought to try for some shots of whatever popped up when what was in the blind's south cut could see us and accidentally got video by hitting the wrong button:


Not as many in the thinner feed there but no telling how many more were in the thick indigos to the east where they couldn't see us. Was easy to see the season's over, in any event. (Might want to mute the end if young ears are around.)

[DComeaux]

I've done the same a few times. Didn't know it was in video mode and didn't hear the shutter noise.

[Ericdc]

Lol Rick I just heard your comments at end of video.

[Rick]

:lol: I've done the same a few times. Didn't know it was in video mode and didn't hear the shutter noise.

Surprisingly to me, it was also taking stills at the same time as recording video when I pressed the shutter button:


Neat feature I was unaware of. Really ought to read the instructions, but it's seemed that taking the trouble to learn a bit about a camera is followed closely by its drowning.

[Rick]

Lol Rick I just heard your comments at end of video.

I really wasn't talking to myself, just asking the dogs a question.

[Darren]

Neat feature I was unaware of. Really ought to read the instructions, but it's seemed that taking the trouble to learn a bit about a camera is followed closely by its drowning.

Seems like you've posted about a few of those meeting that fate over the years

[aunt betty]

:lol: I've done the same a few times. Didn't know it was in video mode and didn't hear the shutter noise.

Surprisingly to me, it was also taking stills at the same time as recording video when I pressed the shutter button:


Neat feature I was unaware of. Really ought to read the instructions, but it's seemed that taking the trouble to learn a bit about a camera is followed closely by its drowning.

Seems like you've posted about a few of those meeting that fate over the years

Was having a great day. First I shot a Drake Greenwinged Teal. Then a Drake Mallard, Then I shot a Drake Canvasback...(starting to get good)
Then I shot a Drake Pintail...Oh boy. Was on my way to a royal flush so I took pics of them ducks...dropped camera in the water...then shortly later shot a Drake Widgeon. No camera...dayum. That's the sort of luck I have some days. (many)

[Rick]

Most frustrating when I've done it right after thinking I might when putting a camera into a t-shirt pocket or some such for quick access.

[Rick]

"Curses: We showed zero respect for the birds' eyes and missed most of what was nearsighted enough to come anyway."

Damn Rick, bet it is hard to hold your tongue at times

Was going through the log and was struck by a kinda sorta funny irony of holding one's tongue I'd missed at the time (1/7/16). One of the fellows with me was an ex Alabama Governor's son who'd also made a run at that office. Both he and his dad had played for Auburn, and in an unguarded moment with an Auburn audience he made a crack about his first act as Governor being the firing of arch rival U of Alabama's coach Nick Saban. Press ran with it and Tim lost by something like 150 votes.

[Rick]

Can't foresee taking a crack at the blues that remain open, so it's past time to for a season wrap-up.


Date: Teal withdrawl was severe enough that I reviewed their early season not long after, so this will largely exclude September teal and focus on the regular season, which saw a framework change this year. While the period between splits remained our traditional one, a week was clipped from the end of our season and added to its beginning, making each split thirty days in length. The commissioners saw fit to make the move despite the biologists' recommendation and nearly universal hunter protest that included my own. And as little but bluewings had arrived by the youth weekend that preceded the regular opener by a week, the kids were largely screwed, but I can't say the change had serious effect on how the main season - or many would say "non-season" - went for us. Running the numbers showed both splits ran nearly even, with the slight edge going to the first. There simply weren't enough ducks around for our final week to make me wish the next would be open. To the contrary, it was plainly time to pick up.

The goose-only days following the close of ducks are something I used to look forward to as a chance to chase specks and unwind without the pressure of paying guns were a great let down this year, as we had nothing worthwhile not preempted by others, pay or play. Would have been a complete bust if not for the generosity of friends, to whom I am most grateful.

Time: If not for mornings, I'd of had no season at all. Or, most certainly, next to none. The camp has withered to the point where all but two really viable ag land blinds had been sublet to others, and the guides hunting them in the morning also hunted most afternoons. So, much as we could have used the money, I elected to forego taking afternoon parties unless one of those was open, rather than go through the motions of pretending we had a chance elsewhere and being the one disappointing the folks doomed to them.

Location: This my tenth season at "the mudhole" blind, which has looked a lot worse at Summer's end than the latest:


But still demanded its share of extra attention to become huntable:
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And was never far from showing its ass:


Cloud Cover: On this topic there was the blessing of precious little ground fog throughout the season, the curse of days and days on end of clouds that made it that much easier for approaching big ducks to see our crowd control problems and the disappointment of poorer rain flights than in most years. Or maybe just ill timed rains for our purposes. As usual, it seemed the clear days that shown brightest in all regards:


Wind Direction and Velocity: There was a shift in my preferred winds from NE to most anything southerly this year, as teal were much more apt to ride the later, and the big ducks that usually have me favoring northerly stuff were largely AWOL. As usual, however, more and more birds seemed to find safer places to be with each day of like winds, regardless of direction, and we too often found ourselves pleading for a change of some sort - any sort.

Temperature: El Nino brought us plenty of water and moderate temperatures with little frost and no ice whatsoever.

Barometer: Once again, I can't claim to have found use for having tracked this and hope to have the sense not to fool with it in the future.

Moon phase: And here, again, I can't claim to have discerned connection to our fortunes aside from later in the season.

Special Notes: The aforementioned date changes and El Nino are all that come to mind.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

Waterfowl Activity: "Everything is relative," and the temptation to mock this category's title by asking"What waterfowl activity?" is tempered by the certain knowledge that we were blessed relative to most in our area. Ag land ducks were all but absent to spotty at best in previous strongholds, specks came and went in puzzling fashion or locked into safe locals more quickly and surely than usual, and blues and snows were right at a full month late in showing in numbers and never did reach customary strength. Many ag land hunters without close proximity to specklebelly refuge (which now comes at staggering cost) spoke in "worst ever" terms.

That refrain was also heard in some marshes, to include the high-roller club's to our north. But ours was spared their misery and enjoyed a fair season by any standard and a strong one by comparison to most.

Being isolated by flotant prairie from the more open or broken marsh teal and ringnecks favor, my little mudhole has always been considered a big duck blind by default, particularly contrasted with the blinds in more favorable marsh to our north and east. And our seasonal fortunes are largely dependent on big duck migrations and movements that were sadly lacking this time around. Almost Ironically, it was the teal, bluewings that never left and greenwings that occasionally passed our corner of the marsh, that produced the great bulk of the activity we saw - and saved our bacon.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: "Thankfully good." has been part of umpteen entries in this section and never been more true than this year. While there were little doubt others, only one strong flight day of high but "woulda, coulda, shoulda" mostly gray big ducks I couldn't break sticks in my craw. Mostly, though, we enjoyed much better luck breaking much sparser flights, at least in part because I ended up giving my old favorite relatively quiet Microhen's lanyard loop to the loudest call I own: a MVP Butch had over-bored and reworked the toneboard of to serve as an extra loud hunting call. Which it proved itself to be. Wore me (and likely some of my hunters) out to run it, but I could hit it harder, reach farther and, often enough to keep at it, get us shooting we'd not otherwise have enjoyed. Not that it could negate the omnipresent race to get game it tolled in front of our guns before shooting elsewhere in the marsh sent it on its way.

Credit should also be given to cranking up the volume on my first light and foggy morning advertising whistle by swapping my old faithful Haydel MP-90 for an appreciably louder Primos "Power Whistle". Probably drove my crews buggy with that, too, but it worked. Kudos, too, to using a momma teal's assembly call to line up leary teal, and especially battle weary bluewings wishing to skirt the spread. And the modified Mallard Machine splasher remains the ticket for putting teal RIGHT THERE.

But though it pains me somewhat to report it, it may very well be that this year's record big season teal take was due in largest part to a spinner change I apparently should have made years ago. In order to help insure that the white side of its wings are out of sight when I have it off to work big ducks and geese, I've rigged them to stop white down or turn white to the wind, and away from approaching birds, if that wind is strong enough to flip them vertical. And to facilitate the later, I've always let it swivel on its conduit to stay facing upwind. The rub with that being that our prevailing easterly winds then kept the wings most visible to the east and west, while the predominant teal routes are well to my north and south. This past September teal season I finally tried pegging the spinner to stay showing best north and south when turned on for teal with apparently improved result that this regular season's teal take seems to confirm. As long as the white remained even somewhat angled away from approaching big birds, the change hasn't seemed detrimental, but we'll need a better show of big ducks and geese to proof that early under varied conditions.

Change was less effective on the specklebelly front. Thought I'd reworked a favorite early hedge James Meyers call's toneboard into the bomb, but the birds apparently thought it was just OK, and I found that I still couldn't throttle its more responsive self down enough for calm amphitheater like conditions. On the plus side, I was landing birds with and developing even greater confidence in my modified micarta Riceland and still have a Lares that handles quiet needs better than the JM did - and now I get to play at improving that JM all Summer, which tickles me.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

Might be nice to get this season wrap-up wrapped up before next season gets here...


Hunters:


The passing of Supreme Court Justice Scalia was a sad reminder of one of my job's greatest blessings: few places are as apt as a duck blind to bring folks from such diverse walks of life together. And where but a hunting camp could a fellow such as he get to enjoy being "one of the guys" riding a tailgate (while the coyote rode in the cab)?

Notice of the passing of another member of our camp's extended family also came this season, when Fob James (on the left) brought word that his long time friend and near brother, despite their shared last name being only coincidence, David James (on the right), was gone:


Never mind that Fob was once Governor of their home state, Alabama, and that David may have actually wielded the greater power of the two, it was the camaraderie they shared that made them near instant favorites in my blind. I'm old enough to have doted on the easy dialog between Bing Crosby and Phil Harris while they shared hunts on the long gone American Sportsman TV series and got to relive that pleasure when Fob and David were in my blind. They called each other "Mr. Jones" or "Jonsey" and listening to their easy banter would have warmed the coldest SOB from the inside out. Just great guys making the very best of the bond between them - as should always be the case in a blind.

On a happier note, while there were a few notable AWOLs, the circumstances I'm aware of were not tragic ones, and most of the usual suspects were on hand. There were far too many grand reunions to note without fear of leaving important ones out, so I'll just say God bless the lot of them for helping to make even this slow season great fun. And since I can't brag on my own crumby grandsons, who abandoned me for the likes of girls and deer, I'll brag on the big cheese's great-grandson, Cole, who I got to help take his first teal and speck at the ripe old age of seven last year and finally get his first greenhead this Fall:


Would also like to put in a plug for a couple new friends made this season who demonstrated absolute genius for getting the utmost effort out of a guide, when before we'd done much of anything, Adrian (on the right) said, "In case I forget to tell you later, I want you to know I've already had a ball." which his buddy, Mark, seconded:


Was a wonderful reminder that most folks bring the quality of their hunts with them.

Guns: This has turned out to he a little used heading, originally intended to track makes and models through the blind. Seems, however, that I'm too lazy or preoccupied to go to that trouble and use it only to note unusual pieces. Of which I recall little this season, other than a very special Model 12 16ga and noting that double guns seem increasingly rare. The later of which is a good thing from the blind cover's standpoint.

Malfunctions: Was the year of the boogered A-5. The A-5's so-said reliability has long appeared myth to me, but it seemed they were all hiccuping this season.

Dog(s): The first year I hunted the mudhole, we tried hunting it over a number of guest dogs with invariably bad result that, best case, saw nary a one of them willing to leave the dog stand by hunt's end and, worst case, found me struggling to free the Go-Devil from the black dirt flotant I'd rescued a guest Lab from. Since that experience, I've made it my practice to advise those who want to hunt over their own dogs to watch mine for a morning before deciding whether to try theirs. And for the eight seasons between that and this, all who've seen what's required have opted to either leave Pup at camp or hunt more guest dog friendly blinds. This season I gave in to a long time friend and corporate member's plea that I hunt an import client's dog without my now standard stipulation - and sorely regretted it. The "great" Lab that was "an old hand at marsh hunting" demonstrated neither that, thankfully super, morning, and not only turned what should have been a quick hunt into a long one but flattened 3/4s of the blind's cover in the process. It ain't that some, if not many, guest dogs couldn't adapt and learn the drill with time and direction, but that will be enough of that.

As for my own paragons, the new guy, Marsh (aka: the bug), was not remotely ready to take on the task of commercial hunting, as his last two predecessors had managed at his age. How blame might be divvied between lack of opportunity and aptitude I can't say, but he was where he was, which was neither marking or handling well, though the former saw some gains when I got him out on play hunts. Certainly couldn't fault his desire:


Now nine and deaf as a stump, "the old dog," Peake (aka: the coyote) is still very much "the big dog" at our house and the mudhole. Peake's deafness resulted in frustration when he couldn't be signaled to pass a dead bird for a more distant one or to stop and look for redirection. But his marking is still spooky good, and he's fallen into the habit of popping fairly often for further instruction on blinds when they're not working out. Still a very capable hand who knows his marsh and where cripples are apt to turn up better than I. Which didn't, however, mitigate worry over his chasing wing-tipped birds to unseasonably warm open waters where large gators might take dangerous interest in him. Or into distant, unfamiliar corners of the marsh where he might get turned around and be unable to hear my recovery efforts. We had enough of each to spur plenty of internal debate over whether to take the coyote or take our loses without him, the upshot being my not sending him on what I took to be particularly hazardous missions but also allowing him to continue to work as long as he's enjoying it. In truth we crossed that line later in the season:


but he was gator-safe by then, and the bug will be ready to spell him next go-round. Even if it were to prove his final retrieve at the mudhole, his last of this season would be fitting tribute, having led to and ended with a wing-broken speck run down and captured in open water well south of our blind:


(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

Special Equipment: The standard entries here are a Mallard Machine I've modified to throw water, as well as dunk its decoys:


and a standard-sized Mojo mallard I've painted and rigged to all but disappear against the dark pond water when shut off to work big ducks or geese:


And I'm ashamed to admit that the really "special" change this season was something I should have had the presence of mind to try long ago. When I took over my mudhole, I was told that little pothole was once a fine big duck blind, which, it turned out, translated to its being a poor one for little ducks. It is just too far from the more open/broken marsh routes teal and ringnecks normally follow to see much traffic from them without the added attraction of a spinner. Hence the Mojo for teal, but rigged to hide itself from big ducks and geese when shut off. To the later end, I set it up with wings that generally stop white side down in light breezes and with the white facing away from finishing birds when stiff winds flip the wings vertical. Also rigged the whole Mojo to rotate freely on its conduit post, so that it would remain with the white facing into shifting winds.

The flaw with that trick to hide the Mojo from big ducks and geese was that it could dampen its effectiveness when running for teal in any but north or southerly winds, as our prevailing easterly or rare west winds made it show best in those directions. That would be a good thing with by far the most teal trafficking to our east, if not for the spinner being blocked from most easterly view by islands of roseau canes and there being little small duck traffic to our west. Since most of the teal traffic that might see the spinner flashing is either north or south of us, it finally dawned on my dim wit to peg the big Mojo so it would flash north and south during the special September teal season, instead of counting on the little Mojo teal I employ at right angles to it during that teal-only season to increase drawing area.

That the difference was probably quite appreciable was demonstrated by our enjoying a stronger September season than past experience and that of those around us would suggest and what happened when I continued the experiment into our regular season. We set mudhole record regular season bluewing and greenwing highs to help salvage what might otherwise been a "worst" year. And if white wings flipped vertical in other than ideal direction in strong winds (but still generally at least to some degree away from finishing birds) hurt us at all, there weren't enough big ducks or geese for me to notice it. Might yet prove a bad choice in better big bird years, but so far I'm kicking myself for not giving it a go sooner.

Curses: What leaped to mind when considering this were our oft cited "crowd control" problems - most often occasioned by lack of respect for the birds' eyesight. Perhaps surprisingly, it's something I see about as often in "veteran" hunters as in brand spanking new ones, with the most significant difference being that it's often easier to correct with the new guys than habitual offenders or those who "know" better.

Kudos: Having noted the above, I must also note that when I went back through the log to see just how frequently I bemoaned crowd control issues, I also tracked the number of times I credited parties with helping their cause by hiding well, and the two ran literally neck and neck with but a single entry's separation. So a lot of the folks I get to take are capable enough hunters that I took special notice of it. And the overwhelming majority of those who were difficult to be successful with were still great company. Life in the blind isn't just good, it's grand.

Birds By Species: We ended the 2015-2015 season with a total of 1,018 ducks of 14 species (1 bluewing banded) and 25 geese (all but one speckle-bellies), making it our third lowest duck take of the nine seasons for which I've maintained these logs, and unquestionably fewest geese since moving here in '84. Our 99 mallards also ranked third lowest of those seasons. On the other hand, bluewings and greenwings both provided regular season record tallies of 92 and 315, respectively. Given the season most around us experienced, we were flat blessed.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

Photo Ops: I did a horrible job of recording this season in photos, in part because I don't feel right about fooling with a camera on other folks' time when things aren't going better than they too often did this year - and partly out of ineptitude and lazy or thoughtlessness. But here are some of the more interesting (at least to me) shots I did manage:






















(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Rick]

Lagniappe: Seems odd to be putting hero shots in this section, but the people and pups, young and old, and the days when it went just as it should for them are what made my season.

There wasn't much I enjoyed more than the chance to show young Cole a bit about making it work and seeing it come together for him:


except for the day it all went as it should for my old friend, John, and watching him take his birds front and center in the sun:


And it's hard to beat bringing a new pup on:


except by enjoying an old partner's work:

[DComeaux]

Good read Rick!! That brought me back to my happy place. I'm ready for the new season, just which I had a warm and fuzzy on my situation.

[Rick]

I'm ready for the new season, just which I had a warm and fuzzy on my situation.

I've still heard nothing on that but haven't talked to Doug in a while.

[Darren]

Good read Rick!! That brought me back to my happy place.

X 2

thanks Rick, hope you had a great Easter weekend

[Rick]

Thanks, we had a big family BBQ and egg hunt in the country Saturday and lazy rainy Easter at the house. Was nice.

Browsing through the log before finishing up, it occurred to me that we seem to have your father-in-law hooked.

[Darren]

Thanks, we had a big family BBQ and egg hunt in the country Saturday and lazy rainy Easter at the house. Was nice.

Browsing through the log before finishing up, it occurred to me that we seem to have your father-in-law hooked.

He and I both for sure, I know I'm on the books for right after Xmas and I'm sure Mike will be calling later on as well. I was with his crew on Saturday off Prien Lake, saw and heard a train load of squealers working all afternoon in the area. Maybe they'll make their way over to Lulu's again soon

I neglected to get the full low down on how the second split shook out for them at Oak Island

[Rick]

Last time I saw a friend, Robert, who guides for them he was judging a hunt test, and while I thought about it, I wasn't curious enough to stick around to ask. Am sure we'll turn up at the same place again before too long.

[Darren]

Maybe not likely he'll remember me, but pass along a 'hello' for me. Enjoyed sharing the blind with him that December morning, my FIL included. We'd talked a little about doing some kind of story on local hunt tests n such

[Rick]

Will do.

A pup Robert bred became the youngest Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH) in Hunting Retriever Club test history at seven months last year, which a lot of traditional field trialers took occasion to snipe at - until that youngster started placing and, most recently winning, in their game this year: http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?117832-Todays-Youngest-HRCH-dog-in-History-of-HRC&highlight=youngest+HRCH

[Darren]

Appears to have caused quite the kerfuffle with his lil pup. That's one aspect of dog training I've yet to dabble in, the reading of forums and all. Surely I might stand to learn quite a bit from that scene, but also fear I might find everything I've done and seemingly accomplished on my own so far is wrong. Harry's settling in to backyard life for the offseason, but is full of energy and a tennis ball or Doken very much fires him up so figure his drive and conditioning are well in tact for the moment.

[Rick]

The only thing two out of three dog trainers will agree on is that the third is doing it wrong. Wish I could claim authorship of that, but it's something I heard very early on and been reminded of countless times.

[DComeaux]

kerfuffle ,

WOW! do you raise your pinky when you sip your tea?

JK