2015-2016 Season Log

[Rick]

Was too lazy to pluck them, so the breasts will be split, stuffed with a spoon of cream cheese and chunk of canned pineapple, wrapped in partly cooked bacon and grilled. (Pretty white legs will just get bacon before grilling, and the gizzards and hearts will join some teal fillets for tomorrow's dinner.)

[Ericdc]

They are pretty hard to pluck

[Rick]

Seems to me that some are but most aren't, particularly if you snip the wings. But I'm lazy enough that I don't often pluck anything but teal and specks. Just pull the breast fillets, legs, heart and gizzard. Bugs Sweet Chereaux who loves cleaning bones.

[Ericdc]

You see the aerial survey for January? Pretty dismal numbers and big drop from December's numbers.

I've been very thankful for the herd of geese our farm has held for several weeks now. Although they are getting smarter. I've been rebrushing blind every morning.

[Rick]

I'm on the mailing list and noted that the mallard count was the second lowest on record. Which may also turn out the case for the Mudhole. Sitting at 96 in a spot that has broken 200 a couple or three times in the recent past. But our overall numbers aren't too awful far below the blind's previous eight season average, and it's been a stronger year than two ago was. That one darn near sent me back to the rice for specks.

[Ericdc]

We rely on mallards and gadwall at my place, especially in 2nd split. All we have are mostly very smart spoons, paired up mallards, and spooky pintail.the geese have made it worth going though.

[Rick]

Date: 1/16

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE light to moderate

Temperature: 40s?

Barometer:

Moon phase: still small waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Had a fair flight of teal early but very few big ducks were seen - not even the locals.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Most of the teal came pretty, but not nearly slow enough, even when landing, for our crew to be in the game.

Hunters: 2, father and grown son, Bill and Mark

Guns:

Malfunctions: good bit of operator error early on (and bent barrels all morning)

Dog(s): lost a spoon that had too much lead to open water

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: Mark was on his first ever hunt and Bill had only hunted pheasants a couple times and never ducks, so neither was in the new to them game with the teal. Or bigger ducks, for that matter.

Kudos: Super nice folks who had a big time.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 4 gw teal and 2 shovellers

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Rick]

Date: 1/17

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: moderate NW

Temperature: 40s

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: last day of ducks

Waterfowl Activity: Fair early teal flight, then next to nothing moving on our end of the marsh.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal wanted to get killed but crowd control problems usually negated it, and near curfew a couple dozen specks bought in completely for the prettiest speck op of the season.

Hunters: 2, young guns from the same group as yesterday's

Guns:

Malfunctions: bent barrels and operator error were the order of the day.

Dog(s): Peake is plainly spent, and it's spooky to see how old and worn out he acts. But his last retrieve of our duck season was a great track on a crippled speck that ended in a successful open water chase.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: Pretty much one big crowd control cluster flutch from beginning to end, with the worst of it being on fellow swinging across me to blaze away at the wrong, too distant, geese while the other failed to figure out his safety under duress of so many geese at 10yards.

Kudos: They were really nice guys. And this duck season is behind us.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 3 gw teal, 2 mallards, 1 redhead and 1 speck

Photo Ops: My old friend is looking and plainly feeling his age and mileage:


But he ended the season with a jam-up job of catching this fellow in the background water:




Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

Wow so 1 speck fell? Out of 20 at 10 yards?

[Rick]

Young marsh joined me at the blind for a short, fruitless, hunt and cleanup:


Throughout he was fine company, both of us enjoyed breaks to let him zip around on the flotant like a water bug unfazed by the places that fell out from under him. He's going to do just fine out there next season. And shame on me for not managing to have him ready to spell Peake with the paying folks.

Was late when we finally had the decoys in the truck and the blind denuded and buttoned up for the offseason:


Sunset on the mudhole 1/17/16:

[Rick]

Wow so 1 speck fell? Out of 20 at 10 yards?

They were a lot farther when the guy next to me and focused on the wrong birds finished shooting across my bow and I finally got to take a poke. Lucky to break a wing by then. Other fellow, who at least saw the right geese, apparently never managed to get off a shot.

Folks wouldn't pay for it if it wasn't exciting...

[Ducaholic]

Yikes...

But as always you did better than most...thanks for sharing!

[Darren]

Neat closing photos, especially that of the blind in all it's unmasked glory. Of course it's the best speck ops wasted on those unable to make the most of them......

[Deltaman]

Rick,
Thank You for sharing your season with us Kn

[SpinnerMan]

Folks wouldn't pay for it if it wasn't exciting...

Yep. The day the heart stops racing is the day it becomes too much of a pain in the ass. I hope that day never comes.

That's the thing I really love about archery hunting. Nothing like a wary deer 20 yards or less.

[Bruce Yerkes]

Rick- looking forward to hunting with Marsh (and you) next season. I remember a trailer in the lot next to Doug's the first year I hunted with you, on the side it was painted, 'It ain't about the duck meat, it's about the Heartbeat." I use that quote quite often and agree with it. Have a well deserved few days off.

Bruce.

[Rick]

Sometimes think of that sentiment when a trash bird, or mosquito, sparks an adrenaline rush: just had half the fun without even popping a cap.

An army of young guides and their pals have been camping in our precious few goose holes, so poor Marsh still isn't getting any real deal work, but we've been making a daily point of continuing his more or less formal education to insure that Peake need only hunt when he's anxious to next season. So far, so good...

[Rick]

Of course it's the best speck ops wasted on those unable to make the most of them......

I'm still having some trouble getting over having so many so close so boogered. Should have rained geese.

But also remember you and Beau not wasting a very similar op toward, or at, the end of a speck hunt.

[Darren]

Of course it's the best speck ops wasted on those unable to make the most of them......

I'm still having some trouble getting over having so many so close so boogered. Should have rained geese.

But also remember you and Beau not wasting a very similar op toward, or at, the end of a speck hunt.

That was a great afternoon for sure, and a sure spoiler for Beau's first speck trip.

What is your assessment of the speck situation right now in the area overall? Reasonable (for lately) numbers around? Miss your solo hunt entries of post-duck season's passed when you and Peake would go make a nest of sorts on a levee top.

[Rick]

A relatively stable weather pattern has what birds are around dug into their own safe patterns. And, as noted above, most every possible hole is already occupied, so I can't go without stepping on someone's toes.

Do have an invite to share one of our leased blinds Saturday and am very much looking forward to that just to be out there, birds or no.

[Ericdc]

A relatively stable weather pattern has what birds are around dug into their own safe patterns. And, as noted above, most every possible hole is already occupied, so I can't go without stepping on someone's toes.

Do have an invite to share one of our leased blinds Saturday and am very much looking forward to that just to be out there, birds or no.

How far would you drive to make a hunt?

[Rick]

Certainly appreciate the thought, but that's too far.

[Rick]

Marsh goes one up on the old man, who remains scoreless for the goose only season:


All this talk of geese, plus a stout pre-front wind sent us on a long-shot this afternoon that payed off for the pup when he flushed and ran down that not quite flight-worthy speck. As for myself, I had a big time breaking down flights of blues but wasn't able to get them to keep coming over the world's worst hide. Oh, well...

[Ericdc]

Certainly appreciate the thought, but that's too far.

I'd like to see you work these "not so pressured" specks, and well duck season is still open till the 31st.

[Rick]

Marsh would tell you I don't know a damn thing about specks.

[Ericdc]

Marsh would tell you I don't know a damn thing about specks.

Ok well heck just come hunt

[Rick]

Did a little sandbagging yesterday by not mentioning that I'd spent much of the afternoon next to a little body of geese, enjoying their too rare company and the chance to count coup with the call without shooting that would have run them off the place. Made a slick little spider hole on a levee where Marsh and I were invisible and planned to return there this morning, set out Charlie and Agnes (two decoys), shoot the first two specks that came and haul my two buns out of there without further disturbing the spot.

But when I arrived this morning there was already a crew setting up a couple hundred yards or so from my hole, so Marsh and I went exploring for a plan B that wouldn't disturb their hunt - and ended up going though B, C and D looking for a workable hide and opportunity for the bip-bap double I had in mind. Never happened.

And now I'm certain Marsh believes me the worst speck hunter ever.

[Rick]

DComeaux and I joined WFF browser, Jarren, in his blind for a pleasant, if not productive, speck hunt this morning. Didn't see many but did get to work a few well enough to inspire Dave to say "Oh, boy." and put the gris-gris on us. (In all candor, both of them called much better than I'd expected, and it was yours truly's calling decision that may have screwed up one mighty promising op.)

Did enjoy one shooting opportunity - but not watching the pair somehow fail to fall to our expert marksmanship. One eventually went down on a neighboring farm in a spot where I was confident I'd find it, but that search went no better than the shooting that precipitated it.

All that said, it was a drop dead gorgeous morning in a comfortable blind with good company that beat snot out of kneeling on a levee by myself. Thanks again, Jarren.

[Ericdc]

8 spoons today Rick, and should have been 9 or 10. Also a pair of gadwall and a nice pintail drake.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1453597979.690321.jpg

[Rick]

When I saw that on the 'Fuge, I thought, "Look the proboscises."