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Blue geese matching the weather
Try 'em again tomorrow!

12/28/2014
Weather - temp 50's - wind NNW 10-15 - heavy overcast occasional light mist- Frontal passage
Blake Brody and I
Birds - 3- mallards (2 drakes 1 hen) 2- gadwall hens 1-wigeon hen

We literally watched THOUSANDS of high ducks in big groups coming from the south headed north this morning. We've seen this on other hunts but not in the numbers we saw today. It was wave after wave from about 7:00 am until we left at 10:30. The marsh must empty.

Looks like you shot the butt off of one. Seems odd that we could be so close, and we didn't see the same flight out to meet the front - but our marsh was, in fact, pretty durn empty.

Rick wrote:Looks like you shot the butt off of one. Seems odd that we could be so close, and we didn't see the same flight out to meet the front - but our marsh was, in fact, pretty durn empty.

I didn't notice that bird until I looked at the picture on the computer when I got home. I do believe that is Ellie's doing and I will deal with that on our next outing. Blake took this bird home and I called him to ask about this wound.

I actually videoed some of these bunches coming over the blind. As far as the visibility would allow to our east and west we saw these big flocks. The numbers in some were impressive.

DComeaux wrote:I actually videoed some of these bunches coming over the blind. As far as the visibility would allow to our east and west we saw these big flocks. The numbers in some were impressive.

We saw the opposite back on the 26th, with flight after flight of high birds heading south "like the old days". Missed the exodus, but sure felt its effect yesterday. Not looking forward to trying to get John and Jackson into the game this morning and hoping for a good surprise...

12/30/2014
Weather - temp 40's - wind NNW 10-15 - heavy overcast
Brody and Hope
Birds - 1- green wing drake

Brody's words in a text to me - "Got a pair of teal to come in...Hope folded hers... I missed as usual". "Had a lot of birds flying early this morning. Didn't see as many as Sunday, but still a good bit".

Hope's GW Drake

12/30/2014
Weather - temp upper 30's - wind -N light - Clear
Brody and Hope
Birds - 1- Mottled Duck

Reported not much movement this morning. Lost a teal in thick vegetation

DComeaux wrote:12/31/2014
Weather - temp upper 30's - wind -N light - Clear
Brody and Hope
Birds - 1- Mottled Duck

Reported not much movement this morning. Lost a teal in thick vegetation

Correction on date

1/1/2015
Weather - temp low 40's - wind -N 10-15 - Overcast
Blake and I, well,sort of
Birds - 1- wigeon 1 - speck

Blake made the ride to the property but that's as far as he made it. A little too much new years eve. I wish I would have thought about taking a picture when I got back to the truck. I got out of the blind around 8:15 to make the new years feast.

Very few ducks in the area, which is an understatement. Blue goose movement started around 7:30 and was very light as compared to previous hunts. Specks weren't as thick as they've been but they're using the fields around us and want to work. I plan on setting up for specks away from the blind tomorrow with our "better" speck decoys, weather permitting. We'll see what happens.

The specks worked as a pair but I was in an awkward position under brush when shooting at the lead bird, the second shot dropped the second bird, and I missed the first bird again with the third shot.

1/2/2015
Weather - temp 50's - wind - NE light - Overcast Heavy fog
Blake, Justin and I
Birds - 11- GW teal 2 - Spoons

Stepped out of the truck to sounds of green wing and an occasional mallard. We had a few visit us during the morning and should have had a few more GW. I have to get out of the habit of what I like to do, letting em pass and swinging them back into the wind. We're going to have to take em when we can. They don't want to play.

Happy to have a few on the strap



Blake and I with the end results.

Nice! Nothing wrong with some green wings and a few spoons. Hope they stick for you

Saw a fair many teal (both flavors!) and spoons myself this afternoon at our marsh so hoping to see them in the am.

Das some fun.

1/3/2015
Weather - temp upper 60's - wind - S moderate - Low overcast fog early clearing early
Blake, Justin, Brody and I
Birds - 2- GW teal 1 - BW teal 2- scaup 1- hooded merganser 2- mallards (hen and drake) 1- Speck

Few green wing around but we did miss a couple of opportunities on those. Same as it's been all season, nothing hanging around the area. After the fog lifted this morning we did see quite a few large not so high bunches heading south. The goose numbers are slim, and the specks that are there are wise.

1/4/2015
Weather - temp upper 50's - wind - North - light early increased later
Blake, Bill and I
Birds - 2- hooded merganser 1- gadwall 1- Spoon

[quote="DComeaux"]1/4/2015
Weather - temp upper 50's - wind - North - light early increased later
Blake, Bill and I
Birds - 2- hooded merganser 1- gadwall 1- Spoon

I had to add some comments.

Very few ducks seen this morning and the speck numbers are down, way down! There seems to be a big influx of speck hunters in the area and the specks we do see are scared of their own shadows.

I went over the logs for the last four years at our place and it seems our numbers have declined by less than half in the third year and we are on track to maybe match last years numbers for ducks. The speck numbers for this year is less than half of what we took last year, as of now. The second year wasn't very far off the first years numbers but they are lower. The first two years of teal season were great, but the last couple of years were pitiful.

Blake pot roasted these 4 birds this afternoon and told me the mergs were delicious. Said they tasted just like duck. Injected all with creole garlic and marinated all for a couple of hours.

1/10/2015
Weather - temp mid 30's - wind - NE 5-10 - High broken clouds- COLD in the wind.
Brody, Bill, Timmy and I
Birds - 1- Speck

We do have a "FEW" ducks (mallards) around but I'm not going to get them from the blind. Bill and I will grab 3 or 4 decoys and head to the south end of the pond in the morning.
We have specks as well but as with the ducks our current set up ain't gonna do it. I did work one pair that got just close enough but they knew something was up and started to pull away before reaching that just right spot. One fell.

We had a LARGE excavator parked in our spot this morning and the pump was laying on the ground. PROGRESS that I wasn't aware of or expecting this early.

They'll be needing access to the pump for the next few days. Supposed to have left a note on your truck saying what's up.

Rick wrote:They'll be needing access to the pump for the next few days. Supposed to have left a note on your truck saying what's up.

Yeah, he did. No problem with it. If I had known he was coming back today I would have parked on the road.

1/11/2015
Weather - temp upper 40's - wind - E 5-10 - broken to overcast later
Bill, and I
Birds - Didn't even think about shooting

3 or 4 high flocks of ducks seen over 31/2 hours. Nothing local. What little geese we did see were on a mission headed east. I think we're done. We'll remove the majority of the stuff next Saturday and will leave Blake a hand full of decoys to play with for his last week of the season vacation. I was going to take some time off to be with him but I think I'd rather be at work. It's been a looooooong slooooooow ride.

DComeaux wrote:1/11/2015
Weather - temp upper 40's - wind - E 5-10 - broken to overcast later
Bill, and I
Birds - Didn't even think about shooting

3 or 4 high flocks of ducks seen over 31/2 hours. Nothing local. What little geese we did see were on a mission headed east. I think we're done. We'll remove the majority of the stuff next Saturday and will leave Blake a hand full of decoys to play with for his last week of the season vacation. I was going to take some time off to be with him but I think I'd rather be at work. It's been a looooooong slooooooow ride.

Sorry to hear you might be done, but know its gotta be tough to keep at it with the streak of slow hunts, that was surely us last year but just kept going just to go. If you want to take a road trip east for a morning let me know

Darren wrote:

DComeaux wrote:1/11/2015
Weather - temp upper 40's - wind - E 5-10 - broken to overcast later
Bill, and I
Birds - Didn't even think about shooting

3 or 4 high flocks of ducks seen over 31/2 hours. Nothing local. What little geese we did see were on a mission headed east. I think we're done. We'll remove the majority of the stuff next Saturday and will leave Blake a hand full of decoys to play with for his last week of the season vacation. I was going to take some time off to be with him but I think I'd rather be at work. It's been a looooooong slooooooow ride.

Sorry to hear you might be done, but know its gotta be tough to keep at it with the streak of slow hunts, that was surely us last year but just kept going just to go. If you want to take a road trip east for a morning let me know

I really appreciate the offer Darren, Thanks! The "we're done" comment was in reference to the absence of ducks. We've never had a strong second split at our place and it makes it even worse not having a good first. I'll probably be out there the last two weekends. We'll just hunt with much fewer decoys as we do every year at this time. I'm just a little frustrated and tired at the moment.

Good deal! It's too long an offseason to leave a few hunts out that you could have made

Best of luck

Show us some birds Comeaux!

Blake and I got an an invite to hunt the marsh in Pecan Island La this weekend and thought it would be nice to have a change of scenery. We were told the birds were thick the last couple of weeks and they had an open blind. Well, they may have been thick, but after yesterdays hunt we were told by the guys at this camp and 3 or 4 others that hunt north and south of this location that it was the worst day of the entire season. GO FIGURE! We had an awesome time at the camp and in the field with these good people regardless of the bird situation. We did see a few more birds this morning but nothing like the numbers they'd been seeing.


I was dropped off at this blind and got to hunt alone both days. This seems to be the typical blind used in this area and I've always called these things Pecan Island Hilton's. They're not hard to spot and it's not something I had much confidence in trying to work late season birds.


Yesterdays birds


This mornings birds. I made a scotch double on the pair of mallards. It made me smile.


Looking south from the porch of the elevated camp house. 6 miles of marsh to the gulf of mexico


My view of sunrise this morning

I watched this clearing line approaching from the north this morning and thought it made a neat picture.



Blake and I will be off from Wednesday to Sunday this week to finish this season off in our blind. I'm hoping the birds cooperate.

Very neat place and glad you shot some birds

DComeaux wrote:12/30/2014
Weather - temp 40's - wind NNW 10-15 - heavy overcast
Brody and Hope
Birds - 1- green wing drake

Brody's words in a text to me - "Got a pair of teal to come in...Hope folded hers... I missed as usual". "Had a lot of birds flying early this morning. Didn't see as many as Sunday, but still a good bit".

Hope's GW Drake

2014123095091735.jpg

Number 1 bird on my hitlist, I have to get a drake to complete my hen and drake mount

DComeaux wrote:I watched this clearing line approaching from the north this morning and thought it made a neat picture.

In addition to the domed front line, was thinking the morning felt more like an afternoon when one of the twins put it in just those words. Pretty neat to be out in.

Heard, btw, that your neighbors on Audrey's piece tore up the big ducks and specks yesterday.


















Ok, that last part might be a lie.

Nice hunts! Funny you say that about the blind setup down that way. The one and only time I've hunted in that general area was in an absolute monster of a Hilton, just like the one you were in, but much larger and elevated off the ground/water. The pond I hunted, sadly, wasn't even a pond anymore due to erosion but looked a lot like where you were though I was much closer to Grand Chenier. Glad you did some shootin!

We're back after them Wed and Thurs I think