Preseason 2014-2015

[DComeaux]

Good to see the ducks! I hope the front next week gives us a good push.

[Darren]

Good to see the ducks! I hope the front next week gives us a good push.

I'm hoping the same, should have ample weather opportunity over the next 7 days to move some in, especially into mid next week....looking COLD north of us. The few groups of grays were nice but there really wasn't much other than mottleds and some coots anywhere else I went riding.

[simplepeddler]

always appreciate your log book as well Darren.......

[Darren]

always appreciate your log book as well Darren.......

Short of the unforeseen, I'm planning to keep it up and running this season again, good, bad and ugly.

[Darren]

Pre-East Zone youth hunt scout day

Needed to find some birds to put my young hunter on tomorrow so took a ride out to our blind.......no birds. Saw a nice wad of grays, maybe a couple hundred, on big water to our south but the broken marshes were absolutely devoid of ducks, like a duck desert, and that's flat bizarre for this area after this weather. I'm thinking it has something to do with the algae layer that's carpeting the area, supported by so much fresh water in the area over the summer. The birds apparently want nothing to do with it.

Made a move over to an area we've hunted for many years, where we got our start in this marsh, but hadn't been hunting for last few years after it fizzled out. Wouldn't you know it was loaded up, grays, greenwings, spoons, scaup, and even a handful of snows and blues. All in same patterns we saw years ago, crazy. For now, the well-assembled blind is a backup option so long as things stay this way. We'll have to adapt back to our old stompin grounds! Spent a good couple of hours just sitting and watching, taking pictures, left the birds landing around 3:30 this afternoon so hope they're around in the morning

When a few of them got up (temporarily)

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And coming back in without regard for the guy in the pirogue:

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[simplepeddler]

crush em man.......

[Darren]

After yesterday's slow hunt in some coastal zone marsh, I opted to forego another hunt there this morning and "sleep in" to just before shooting time before heading out to my East Zone marsh for some more recon. Spent good part of the mid-day out there yesterday and most of this morning. Good news is we're holding a tremendous amount of birds right now, green wings, grays, wigeon, spoons, and some mallards. Unfortunately, as noted in preparation for the Youth Hunt, the masses have largely been in areas far from our nice blind we put together. Sat and glassed a while this morning on the pond from the Youth Hunt and they're in there big time, but also easily reachable to the masses of hunters that will surely converge this weekend. Just for kicks made a run to where the big blind is and found it to be holding some birds there as well with much of the referenced algae appearing to be gone. Mostly green wings, mallards and grays, with some green heads even dabbling not 10 ft from our blind. Though it's hard to leave the masses at the other place, I'm planning to roll the dice and give the blind a shot in the morning. Not the masses of birds but likely in an area with fewer people and a nice blind to enjoy. As I stood in it at 10:00am this morning I could have killed a few that worked the pond so hoping they'll be there in the morning. Been getting some good photos:

Scaup!

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pothole mallards

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Sunrise 11/21/2014 - just hangin out watching today

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They'd get up and fly 50 yards and plop back down, then repeat and come right back. Really neat to watch but most importantly listen to the various sounds. Really enjoyed it and left them sitting there

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For those that love divers, this fella's got a nice spot that i'm sure is jam up with them out on the big water. I presume all the poles are his spinners previously shoved into the hard bottom...growing a few barnacles already

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[DComeaux]

That looks good Darren! .....Good luck in the morning.

[Flightstopper]

Some good looking water Darren

[Rick]

Those are state ducks they put out to drive license sales, and the state will have them all gathered up and back on the LSU pond by tomorrow.

[DComeaux]

Those are state ducks they put out to drive license sales, and the state will have them all gathered up and back on the LSU pond by tomorrow.

OOOOOHHHH I laughed out load.....

[Darren]

Did a little paddling around today to try out the new camera lens Santa brought, longer range than the stock lens. Was happy to find quite a few birds moving about in our area and even encountered some folks from the USWFS cruising around in a boat trying to survey/count the birds. They said they'd been out a good while and were seeing a lot. Good wind tomorrow, we'll give 'em a shot in the AM.

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[DComeaux]

Nice pics! Can I go with you?

[Darren]

Nice pics! Can I go with you?

Come on East! That said, we'll see if bird watching turns into bird harvesting tomorrow morning.