2016 Preseason:

[Bud]

The heat, alone, has kept many a good dog inside this year; let alone worry for gators. I'd like to see a frost and less skeeters.
Just started walking my dog again, who has a long coat.
Saw our first BWT where one usually ain't last weekend. We were going 53 MPH through a cut and he left slowly right out in front of us. Maybe he was looking for new territory, but the mud flats were quite a bit away. Like you stated earlier: slow they are not.

Has Bieber been back?

[Rick]

Bieber is still alive, living with the pigeons and, I trust, ready to go a few more rounds in the flooded rice. Hope he survives to be returned to his home pond, but pups happen...

[Rick]

10/15:

Specklebelly day in Klondike. High, low, big bunches and small, saw and worked a mess of them while the dogs and I were checking out a blind on a farm that the big cheese unfortunately saw fit to sublet out everything on. After all these years, "specklebelly day" and, especially, watching them bow and turn to the call is still a great treat.

[Darren]

10/15:

Specklebelly day in Klondike. High, low, big bunches and small, saw and worked a mess of them while the dogs and I were checking out a blind on a farm that the big cheese unfortunately saw fit to sublet out everything on. After all these years, "specklebelly day" and, especially, watching them bow and turn to the call is still a great treat.

hooray for speck day! How does Oct 14 shake out on your similar days of recent years? Will be a tough few weeks waiting 'til you can really start tricking them

This morning a buddy who's likely a third or fourth hand source in this case passed on a report that Pecan Island is "LOADED" with birds right now. Maybe it's legit, maybe exaggerated, but where there's smoke there's fire usually, right? So i'll take a lil smoke to get us going

[Rick]

This morning a buddy who's likely a third or fourth hand source in this case passed on a report that Pecan Island is "LOADED" with birds right now. Maybe it's legit, maybe exaggerated, but where there's smoke there's fire usually, right? So i'll take a lil smoke to get us going

Cherry Ridge still had nothing but a few woodies yesterday...

[Rick]

hooray for speck day! How does Oct 14 shake out on your similar days of recent years?

I only had the patience to dig back through the logs to 2011, but oddly enough those entries declaring a "specklebelly day in Klondike" or noting my seeing bunches elsewhere, like at a Thornwell friend's place two years ago, occurred on either 10/14 or 10/15. So I guess they're pretty much on schedule. (Didn't show in numbers until the end of October on one of those five years.)

[DComeaux]

This makes me smile! .....Work bites!

[Rick]

With warm weather returning, they'll probably all go underground (or stick tight to water) for a while, but it was neat for a little while.

[Ducaholic]

Rick not sure if you are out and about but I am and there has been a steady flight of specks all morning long. Pretty big spectacle seeing several bunches all flying SW.

[Rick]

Happy to hear it. I was in the field all morning but didn't notice much movement here.

Did bury the blind that marks the end (I hope) of the Great Blind Shuffle of '015:


and take out the trash:


When I get to the end of this ham and Swiss sammich, it's off to crank the pump for DComeaux's blind. And if Jarren and/or company is lurking, yours is next. "Big" tractor's fixed and ready for buffalo duty when we get the water on. ('Cept Doug bogged it playing behind the camp this morning.)

[Ericdc]

Rick I didn't realize all this other work you do every year. You employed by the farmers or just working through Doug? Seems like you're always working on something, which beats a cubicle I'm sure.

[DComeaux]

Is that the new hoe you spoke of earlier this year?

[Rick]

Rick I didn't realize all this other work you do every year. You employed by the farmers or just working through Doug? Seems like you're always working on something, which beats a cubicle I'm sure.

More like a hobby than "employed".

[Rick]

Is that the new hoe you spoke of earlier this year?

"New" to us. Ain't she cute?

Your water's running.

[Ericdc]

Rick I didn't realize all this other work you do every year. You employed by the farmers or just working through Doug? Seems like you're always working on something, which beats a cubicle I'm sure.

More like a hobby than "employed".

Just curious. I was pretty sure you weren't doing the 8 to 5 during the offseason somewhere.

[DComeaux]

Is that the new hoe you spoke of earlier this year?

"New" to us. Ain't she cute?

Your water's running.

Yeah... and thank you.

Blake and I will be out there in the morning.

[Rick]

A couple pics from this morning's rounds:

A shot of DComeaux's secret honey hole (Hint, that's the Gueydan water tower.):


And one around the corner from it of specks hunting for a hole to take thick second crop from:

[DComeaux]

A couple pics from this morning's rounds:

A shot of DComeaux's secret honey hole (Hint, that's the Gueydan water tower.):


And one around the corner from it of specks hunting for a hole to take thick second crop from:

Now you've gone and done it!........


Besides spoons, what species did you see there? I didn't stay long enough to find out.

[Ericdc]

Looks like a lot of teal

[Darren]

Wow lookin good, those specks taking to the rice have to be the quintessential Gueydan image.

[Rick]

Besides spoons, what species did you see there? I didn't stay long enough to find out.

Saw lots of bluewings, spoons, grays and mottleds for sure and perhaps even a few mallards. No greenwings that could be pegged as such and whistling ducks seemed surprisingly absent.

[Rick]

Wow lookin good, those specks taking to the rice have to be the quintessential Gueydan image.

Spoke to the farmer(?) who told me there were a few heads sticking up from a nearby cut, but most were still just looking for a foothold. Probably be cannons popping this morning.

Rub is that, as with teal season, there are precious few such concentrations to be found. Most of the countryside is still barren. Buddy who runs Cherry Ridge tells me a few coots and couple hundred jacks are all that's new in what they call "the body," which normally holds swarms of birds before our marsh sees many.

[DComeaux]

We need a bit of rain on that land. Driving around this weekend I noticed a lot of dust devils and clouds of dust with tractors not visible in the middle of it.

[Darren]

Yea I've got to figure the drought aspect is concentrating birds, any maybe a good many are still waiting to flood closer to opener?

Back to our marsh next Friday but yesterday's visit gave me enough to float me along till then.

Here's the drake shirt that came to mind on the specks:

Capture.JPG

http://www.drakewaterfowl.com/product/g ... -s-t-shirt

[Rick]

Yea I've got to figure the drought aspect is concentrating birds, any maybe a good many are still waiting to flood closer to opener?

Second crops are just now being cut, and everyone is hoping for enough rain to at least seal the ground before burning diesel.

[Rick]

Still no cannons on Humble Rd, and lots of heads in the second crop there this morning:


Though not yet comfortable enough to tolerate the clown with the camera:

[Ericdc]

Great pics Rick.

[Ericdc]

Permission to share on social media?

[DComeaux]

It's funny to see those heads popping up out of the rice.

[DComeaux]

Yea I've got to figure the drought aspect is concentrating birds, any maybe a good many are still waiting to flood closer to opener?

Back to our marsh next Friday but yesterday's visit gave me enough to float me along till then.

Here's the drake shirt that came to mind on the specks:

Capture.JPG

http://www.drakewaterfowl.com/product/g ... -s-t-shirt

I want one!