Have put off my season summary about as long as I dare without chucking it altogether, and don't expect to do much of a job of it, as it.
Date: Perhaps the most concise way to sum up this season's progression is to look at birds per man, which ran: 5.6 during our excellent September teal season, 3.6 for a first split that felt better than that by way of comparison to others in our marsh and area, and a 2.3 bird per gun second split that sucked wind by most any measure.
Time: Aside from September teal and a single afternoon play hunt for specks in weather I couldn't resist, I stuck to mornings-only again this season.
Location: Spring and early summer drought left the mudhole it's too frequently pain in the arse self to open:
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With the significant changes being that I killed most of the canes on the blind's island, for better visibility behind it, and took out the stand of canes south of the run that has been blocking view of my east spinner from the section of marsh the little ducks plainly favor below Clyde's blind. And I'd like to think our best-in-marsh September season and perhaps strongest-in-marsh first split evidence of that marsh-scaping's value. Know I intend to continue the practice until proven otherwise.
Cloud Cover: I
suspect that removing the island canes increased the sun's value as a concealment aid, but have no solid proof.
Wind Direction and Velocity: Winds that "usually do this or that" seemed especially untrustworthy, and I don't recall a west wind that was worth a flip, much less drew ringnecks to our end, as it sometimes has in the past.
Temperature: Had a couple mornings that showed frost on the lawn, but lack of meaningful winter, here or in the north, seems the most likely culprit for our sorriest second split in a very long time.
Moon phase: Didn't track them, but am sure full moons were all the more meaningful for our lack of weather.
Special Notes:Waterfowl Activity: With the exception of blue-wings that hung around all season, and for which we were most thankful, "waterfowl activity" was pitiful.
Waterfowl Responsiveness: I'd intended to experiment more with pintail purring but had very little opportunity to do so. Did find shoveller type kacking showed promise on those that afforded more opportunity than power-diving by. But that's about as close to something new and exciting as I managed to come this time around.
Hunters: A long-time favorite, Tommy aged out of this year's hunt, but we were thankful he at least made the trip to camp. As we were to see now 80yr old, John, who's had some recent health scares wasn't just still able to make it but seemed stronger than on his last couple trips. Wasn't at all thankful, though, for how many folks the birds and I let down, not the least of which being a grandson, Preston, making his first duck hunts and almost always seeming to come on slow days, even during an otherwise jam-up September season:
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The good news there being he enjoyed small successes I was too jaded to see in the proper light:
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(to be continued...)
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