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Date: 9/19

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: highly variable light

Temperature: cool enough while we were out

Barometer: 29.9 rising

Moon phase: waxing 33%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: best since last weekend, presumably because more hunters were out to stir them

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had to scream for the far ones following more open water, but most couldn't of come any sweeter.

Hunters: 2, Steve and Kenny

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake continues to do remarkably well for a deaf dog that's tough to direct.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: none, zip, nada

Kudos: The guys were great: froze when birds surprised us and let me bring them back around to the guns, instead of cutting flips and running them off, and waited for my cue to kill, instead of jumping early and screwing the pooch. Were done in time to send another crew having a tougher go to my blind for the last couple hours before curfew. Was exactly the morning I needed to remind me why I guide.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal (13 drakes, 5 hens)

Photo Ops: Kenny and Steve:


Lagniappe:

Rick wrote:Date: 9/19

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: highly variable light

Temperature: cool enough while we were out

Barometer: 29.9 rising

Moon phase: waxing 33%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: best since last weekend, presumably because more hunters were out to stir them

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had to scream for the far ones following more open water, but most couldn't of come any sweeter.

Hunters: 2, Steve and Kenny

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake continues to do remarkably well for a deaf dog that's tough to direct.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: none, zip, nada

Kudos: The guys were great: froze when birds surprised us and let me bring them back around to the guns, instead of cutting flips and running them off, and waited for my cue to kill, instead of jumping early and screwing the pooch. Were done in time to send another crew having a tougher go to my blind for the last couple hours before curfew. Was exactly the morning I needed to remind me why I guide.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal (13 drakes, 5 hens)

Photo Ops: Kenny and Steve:


Lagniappe:

Glad you had a great hunt after yesterday.

Fixed me right up.

NICE, Rick!

I'm still content from opening day but would sure like another fix before the season closes.

Hated to see you guys didn't get the same little bird bump we enjoyed. Friend with a rice blind adjacent to the Mermentau said they ran multiple parties through it and took 52 teal this morning. Farm's never been much unless teal are thick everywhere - until today. So there's always the hope that our turn's coming...

Bumped into to a Cabelas sporting dog adventures rig and crew early this morning at Lougons. They took off on 14 west. Did you see them out your way?

Nope. Am guessing there was plenty of signage to help spot it, but I didn't even know there is such a thing. Gotta get out from under this rock more.

Date: 9/20

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: north light to moderate

Temperature: warm to hot

Barometer: 29.93 rising

Moon phase: waxing 43%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: still quite a bit of movement

Waterfowl Responsiveness: sweet

Hunters: 3, Father, Greg, son Quinton and son's friend Carson(?)

Guns:

Malfunctions: Quinton's 1100 spit out its operating handle and wouldn't let it reinstall, couldn't he cycled with a screw driver like most and wouldn't fire, so something's busted in the bolt.

Dog(s): Peake's deafness probably cost us the two that would have filled us, as not being able to handle without stopping on his own for instruction left him cooked from needlessly fighting flotant in the sun. But he found a mess of them that would have been lost without him.

Special Equipment: spinners large and small and modified mallard machine. The big spinner turns with the wind, and today's north wind made it show well and pull a lot of birds from the open water south of the blind. May have to peg it to always face that way for September teal.

Curses: Just our bent barrels, defunct Remington and lost birds.

Kudos: Was a great time with nice folks.

Birds By Species: 21 bw teal and 1 gw teal

Photo Ops: Why I took no pics is an unfathomable mystery.

Lagniappe:

Pictures or it didn't happen.





Nice mornings hunt! This should carry over for you during the week.

Docs Charles and Kenton again in the morning. If the bitching and moaning starts again, I'm going to suggest they find another guide that better suits 'em. IE: "Life's too short..."

Rick wrote:Docs Charles and Kenton again in the morning...

Is their only waterfowling accomplished via Doug's hunting lodge?

Ericdc wrote:

Rick wrote:Docs Charles and Kenton again in the morning...

Is their only waterfowling accomplished via Doug's hunting lodge?

No, Charles' son sometimes takes Kenton to Venice. So I get to hear how many more birds there are at the mouth of the river.

Rick wrote:

Ericdc wrote:

Rick wrote:Docs Charles and Kenton again in the morning...

Is their only waterfowling accomplished via Doug's hunting lodge?

No, Charles' son sometimes takes Kenton to Venice. So I get to hear how many more birds there are at the mouth of the river.

I would be like, so who forced you guys to book a hunt with me?

Rick wrote:

Ericdc wrote:

Rick wrote:Docs Charles and Kenton again in the morning...

Is their only waterfowling accomplished via Doug's hunting lodge?

No, Charles' son sometimes takes Kenton to Venice. So I get to hear how many more birds there are at the mouth of the river.

Still have yet to make a hunt down there but routinely hear all about the alleged wonderland it to be. That said, good friend from home spent last three mornings piling up blue wings down there. Glad you had the young guns doing plenty of shooting this morning. Im itching to get back out to the blind myself later this week

Date: 9/21

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE strongest of the season

Temperature: quite pleasantly cool

Barometer: 29.92 rising slowly

Moon phase: waxing half

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: pretty strong flight for a weekday early but fell off sharply around 7:30

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Excellent when we let it be.

Hunters: 2 Docs Charles and Kent

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote found 'em all.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the usual crowd control problems: "Let 'em pass, let 'em pass, let 'em..." - "BANG!" Had "the talk" (Might oughta find a different guide.) and had Charles hanging a lip and apologizing enough to make me feel like crap for saying anything.

Kudos: Great weather and eventually achieved the almighty limit.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal

Photo Ops: Docs and their birds:


Lagniappe: Suppose it's sometimes better to suffer in silence than to get something off your chest and have to shoulder the result.

Sorry to hear of the conundrum, that's a tough spot to be in. They want to hunt with you because they know you'll put 'em on birds.........if they'd just let you!

Nice hunt anyway, I'm sure this wind felt great in the blind.

Darren wrote:They want to hunt with you because they know you'll put 'em on birds...

The blinds in more broken marsh to my east see a lot more close teal than my little isolated pothole. So it's not like I was suggesting exile to Ohio.

Kudos to you for breaking silence Rick. Know you are having second thoughts based on responses, but sometimes it's best to clear the air, as you did, and let the pieces fall where they may. If he takes you up on your suggestion, you have lost a yearly customer, but one that aggravates/frustrates. My guess is that he will be back next year (or the upcoming duck season), and will hopefully be a little more appreciative of your efforts to get them on the birds. Quit feeling guilty!!!!!

Doubt there was any danger of the camp losing him, just me personally, and I stay more booked than I'd like. Which reminds me that I'm supposed to take the big cheese, Doug, tomorrow, if he's feeling up to it. May end up just the coyote and I taking a busman's holiday. Which, in turn, makes me wish young Marsh Fire was ready to take on the marsh, but he's not.

There's nothing worse than people shooting when it's not time and you are the shot caller. I am pretty clear with my guys that I'm going to call the shot and sometimes I have to admit we should have shot, but that's better than an early shot when they are almost "right" or " man I thought they were closer"

Here's to you and Doug passing a good time in the marsh. Calling shots is a lot like real life: things seem to always go better when people listen to he who knows. Almost hate to see some of them grow older.

Takes a man with a lot of character to take some of those pictures. One can't help but wonder what they might be thinking...

Bud wrote:Takes a man with a lot of character to take some of those pictures.

Thought I was being a character when I snapped that last shot.

Rick wrote:

Bud wrote:Takes a man with a lot of character to take some of those pictures.

Thought I was being a character when I snapped that last shot.

LMAO

Date: 9/22

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light southerly

Temperature: cool

Barometer: 29.97 rising sharply

Moon phase: half waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Slowest morning to date and mostly wood ducks, at that.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully excellent, though one bunch definitely flared off the spinners. (And got out unscathed as it meant shooting across the blind -which no one else was in today. So I felt a little silly after thinking on it.)

Hunters: Doug slept in, so it was just the coyote and I. A very good thing given Doug's lack of patience; we'd have been out before the first bird fell.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake did a sweet tracking job on a bird I chipped - twice.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Though the same sorry flight may have meant precious few, or no, birds for many parties, I'm not kicking.

Kudos: Aside from being slooooow, the coyote and I passed a mighty pleasant time.

Birds By Species: 6 bw teal

Photo Ops: For the most part, my best buddy slept in:


While I bird watched a couple woody hens:




But being a poor marksman also meant getting to watch a nifty bit of bird work:


Lagniappe:

(And got out unscathed as it meant shooting across the blind -which no one else was in today. So I felt a little silly after thinking on it.)

I know the feeling.

Date: 9/23

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to light NE

Temperature: cool

Barometer: 29.95 rising slightly

Moon phase: waxing 73%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Flight was on our end today with a heck of a N to S flight well to our west near the back blind, but we also saw plenty close enough to influence.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Excellent

Hunters: 1 John from last Tuesday

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake had it easy with only 3 on the flotant

Special Equipment: SOS but having the big spinner pegged to face north and south may have hurt us with the westerly flight. Still think it best as is.

Curses: none at all. Well, except for having made up for only wasting two shells yesterday.

Kudos: John had a big enough time that he's staying an extra day to hunt tomorrow

Birds By Species: 12 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

Good deal! Ours must all be over your way or in the almighty Venice

It's been changing daily, Darren. Yesterday morning was slow and I shot well just to get mine. This morning I wished I had three guys with me, but the other blinds were slow. Back blind, which sure appeared to have the lion's share of this morning's flight, only stopped three. Did hear that the Lake Arthur Reclamation marsh on the other side of Oak Island/Mallard Bay Co.'s has been doing well, so maybe your friends/relatives have, too.

Rick wrote:It's been changing daily, Darren. Yesterday morning was slow and I shot well just to get mine. This morning I wished I had three guys with me, but the other blinds were slow. Back blind, which sure appeared to have the lion's share of this morning's flight, only stopped three. Did hear that the Lake Arthur Reclamation marsh on the other side of Oak Island/Mallard Bay Co.'s has been doing well, so maybe your friends/relatives have, too.

Good news, hope it helps to put more workable traffic on them for regular season. Like I mentioned in my log, I'll likely still go tomorrow just to go see, and may head back out there this PM to both enjoy the weather/scenery and maybe start tinkering with the brush on the big blind from last year; has a lot of old leaf-less cane to be replaced. As you know, lot more fun to go tinker with blinds when there's a chance you might get to see a few birds

Think it was a local movement Rick? Got a slow report from my friends near little Chenier.