2015-2016 Season Log

[Ericdc]

Would be nice to have the reassurance of flight ducks, but I've not seen them here for a while. Feel absolutely blessed to be doing what we are with what we're seeing.

Yea, we have been unable to do anything with the local pond hoppers for last 2 weeks so fresh birds were a very welcome sight.

[Rick]

Date: 1/11

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to moderate E

Temperature: frost

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Was another magic act with next to nothing seeming to move after the early teal that again put it on us, but we thought we finished right at 9:30 curfew

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had to trip some locals with reflex stuff, but most high stuff dropped and came prettier than our shooting made them look.

Hunters: 2, Bruce and Stephen

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake's beat but still beat snot out of no dog.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: Would curse the lack of a flight and our shooting if the morning weren't so pretty and didn't work out so well. Will curse Stephen's borrowed gun that was ported behind the choke tube.

Kudos: Nice guys who were blessed with the kind of hunt nice guys deserve.

Birds By Species: 4 gadwall, 2 gw teal, 7 mallards, 2 pintails and 2 ringnecks

Photo Ops: Bruce with their booty:


Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

Good strap! Can't wait to be out next 2 mornings in clear cold weather.

[DComeaux]

Nice hunt!

I'm glad it's closing this weekend. I've lost my drive.

[Rick]

You know the specks are going to take over your north cut again - if they're not there as I type...

[Rick]

Date: 1/12

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: zip to ultra light northerly

Temperature: mid to upper 30s

Barometer: 30.29 rising

Moon phase: waxing 9%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Had a brief early teal flight, then virtually nothing, zip, nadda.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: teal were nice enough to land, and the woodies nearly did, but little else (2 local mallards and a little pack of pintails) was even worked.

Hunters: 2, Bruce and Taylor

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake couldn't find a teal on the flotant (and another that was "dead on the water" apparently wasn't.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: No game. Taylor said he was cursed for mallards, and it may be he was right. Certainly didn't break that curse this morning.

Kudos: Beautiful morning and good company.

Birds By Species: 4 gw teal and 2 wood ducks

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: "Never count your money at the table." Made the mistake of telling the guys that our supposed seventh and eighth ducks finally put us over 1,000 birds for the season (September teal inclusive) - before the dead teal turned up missing. So we remain at 999 with no hope of reaching the mudhole's previous eight year average of over 1,100. Might not see 1,000. (He says trying to dodge more bad juju.)

[DComeaux]

Lagniappe: "Never count your money at the table." Made the mistake of telling the guys that our supposed seventh and eighth ducks finally put us over 1,000 birds for the season (September teal inclusive) - before the dead teal turned up missing. So we remain at 999 with no hope of reaching the mudhole's previous eight year average of over 1,100. Might not see 1,000. (He says trying to dodge more bad juju.)

The reason I find this amusing is that it's so "me" like..... I've unwillingly acquired that feeling over the last few years and I've shy'd away from confident predictions, for the time being anyway. Slaps in the face are beginning to sting

[Rick]

When it comes to predicting how hunts will go, I almost always low ball to manage expectations - and make surprises good ones. Very nearly shot my mouth off about this being the morning Taylor would break his mallard curse but didn't.

[Rick]

Date: 1/13

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: dead

Temperature: cool

Barometer:

Moon phase: small

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Almost exactly the same as yesterday, ie: a few teal early followed by barren skies.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Again the same as yesterday, except that I tripped a local mallard pair into a too close pass.

Hunters: 2, Bruce's last day with me and Steve from MS

Guns: Steve had some sort of assault type gun with as much magazine as barrel, pistol grip and sights that he, perhaps fortunately, tried to use.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake defied my direction to track our mallard way the heck away from where it went in. Good bad dog.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: no wind, no game, beat our previous lowest kill tally by half

Kudos: Good guys who were easy to share a bad morning with - except that I was showing good guys a bad morning.

Birds By Species: 1 gw teal, 1 mallard and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

Dang he used a pistol grip self defense / turkey gun.

[DComeaux]

ooooofff! I may be better off trying to catch crawfish out there this weekend.

[Ericdc]

Thankful there's a weather change coming

[Rick]

Doesn't look all that helpful to me, but I suppose that's a hope to cling to. Have an older gentleman tomorrow who struggles in good times, so I'm more than a little nervous for him.

[Ericdc]

Doesn't look all that helpful to me, but I suppose that's a hope to cling to. Have an older gentleman tomorrow who struggles in good times, so I'm more than a little nervous for him.

Well these pretty clear light wind days do nothing for us up here.

[Rick]

Date: 1/14

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE 4mph

Temperature: 40s

Barometer: 30.05 flat

Moon phase: waxing 26%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: About the same as yesterdays, except our few teal ops came later.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: seemed like everything that did pass our end of the marsh, teal included, knew us

Hunters: 2, Bruce was supposed to go to the rice but got stuck with me again plus long time twice a season regular, John.

Guns: John brought a neat old 16ga Model 12

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake had a very easy morning.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: Sure wish I could have shown these guys more birds.

Kudos: We passed a very pleasant morning anyway.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 3 gw teal, 1 mallard and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: Years ago I'd mentioned my long time hankering for a clean 16ga Model 12 to John, who has quite a gun collection, and he was nice enough to try to bless me with the old beauty he brought today. He's been talking about coming to the end of his hunting road the past couple visits, and I was deeply touched by what he may have viewed as a parting gesture, but told him I thought it should rightly go to his sons or grandsons. Said if I'd not take it now, he'd will it to me. To which I replied, "Just bring it back next year."

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/14

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE 4mph

Temperature: 40s

Barometer: 30.05 flat

Moon phase: waxing 26%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: About the same as yesterdays, except our few teal ops came later.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: seemed like everything that did pass our end of the marsh, teal included, knew us

Hunters: 2, Bruce was supposed to go to the rice but got stuck with me again plus long time twice a season regular, John.

Guns: John brought a neat old 16ga Model 12

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake had a very easy morning.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: Sure wish I could have shown these guys more birds.

Kudos: We passed a very pleasant morning anyway.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 3 gw teal, 1 mallard and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: Years ago I'd mentioned my long time hankering for a clean 16ga Model 12 to John, who has quite a gun collection, and he was nice enough to try to bless me with the old beauty he brought today. He's been talking about coming to the end of his hunting road the past couple visits, and I was deeply touched by what he may have viewed as a parting gesture, but told him I thought it should rightly go to his sons or grandsons. Said if I'd not take it now, he'd will it to me. To which I replied, "Just bring it back next year."

That would have been a nice tip!

[DComeaux]

Lagniappe: Years ago I'd mentioned my long time hankering for a clean 16ga Model 12 to John, who has quite a gun collection, and he was nice enough to try to bless me with the old beauty he brought today. He's been talking about coming to the end of his hunting road the past couple visits, and I was deeply touched by what he may have viewed as a parting gesture, but told him I thought it should rightly go to his sons or grandsons. Said if I'd not take it now, he'd will it to me. To which I replied, "Just bring it back next year."

Wow! It's awesome to know that long standing friendships are made doing something you love for a living, It's the best of both worlds. Like all jobs, there's the good and the bad, but it seems your longevity there has given you returning "Friends" that's become generational with some. This in itself is worth the time in the blind.

[Rick]

I'm very much an introvert who, given a dog for company, could easily have been a hermit, but my camp "family" has been a great blessing for which I'm most grateful.

(Besides, when the hunting's as slow as it's been the past few days, it's a mighty fine thing to like the folks your with out there.)

[Ericdc]

I'm very much an introvert who, given a dog for company, could easily have been a hermit, but my camp "family" has been a great blessing for which I'm most grateful.

(Besides, when the hunting's as slow as it's been the past few days, it's a mighty fine thing to like the folks your with out there.)

Yea bad company when there are ducks is almost worse. Hope you get a decent couple hunts to end the season on.

[Rick]

More teal should show with the southerly wind tomorrow, then back to northerly wind and pot luck on the weekend. Used to favor NE winds above all, but this season's lack of big ducks has me dreading them.

[Ericdc]

Yea we had a northeast when we hunted with you and had a nice strap. Supposed to be SW to NW for us tomorrow. We are going to ride it into the afternoon if we have to.

[Rick]

Woke to dense fog and no wind. Guess if the teal don't fly the "scenery" will at least be different.

[Ericdc]

Woke to dense fog and no wind. Guess if the teal don't fly the "scenery" will at least be different.

Going to start out with a south and be WNW by early afternoon. 10-15 mph too.

[Rick]

Good west wind came up and cleared our ground fog before LST here - though it came back in before we were out of the marsh.

[Rick]

Date: 1/15

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: westerly moderate

Temperature: nice

Barometer:

Moon phase: waxing but still small

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: A very rare for us westerly wind apparently made ours the catbird seat with plenty of greenwings and our season's first bunches of blackbellied whistling ducks coming by.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The blackbellies had plainly had the course on spinners, as had many of the teal, but the whistlers came well to the herding dog whistle and the teal to aggressive kacking.

Hunters: 2, Rick and Ray from Michigan's UP

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Easy morning except for a tipped cripple chase while helping the back blind crew gather their birds and get moved to my blind. (Where they shot but two more ducks - perhaps because they left my spinner on?) Peake was screaming in frustration chasing the crip, and I could see him messing with it when he finally caught it. Thought he was eating it's bill, but found he'd just given its head a couple crunches before bringing it in. Believe that was a first and didn't fuss, or blame, him for it.

Special Equipment: Spinner was problematic today, MMM remained useful

Curses: Only that I had to go back to the marsh after brunch to help a boat stuck in the marsh for lack of tools.

Kudos: Being done in 30 minutes was a pleasant change from the recent norm, made all the sweeter by good company and shooting - and the likelihood that it would be the last such hunt of this season.

Birds By Species: 5 blackbellied whistling ducks, 1 bw teal and 12 gw teal

Photo Ops: Ray and Rick with an odd limit for Yoopers:


Lagniappe:

[DComeaux]

NICE!!

I bet that feels good?

[Rick]

These guys should have bought Power Ball tickets, because they hunted with Clyde yesterday and had the lion's share of the marsh's shooting (though not hitting, as they ended up with just eight), and we were the only one finishing early today - by almost an hour and a half. West winds have been good to the mudhole, but only seem to come around a couple or three times a season.

Light northerly winds tomorrow and stronger ones head on from the NW Sunday, which we could live with given the right hunters and some big duck traffic, but without...well, I won't mind closing the marsh blind up nearly so much as some seasons. Not what I'd like to think of as a good year for the strap, but I'm mighty grateful for what we had and getting to share it with such a generally great group of guests.

By the by, those blackbellies went home with me.

[Rick]

Like most, these were stuffed stiff with rice, so we'll be looking forward to stuffing ourselves with them.

[Ericdc]

Like most, these were stuffed stiff with rice, so we'll be looking forward to stuffing ourselves with them.

Care to share a recipe?