Looking Forward 2016-2017 Season

[DComeaux]

As of now our 2016-2017 season is up in the air as we don't have a for sure indication of a blind anywhere as of yet. It gives me a little anxiety not knowing whats up even though it's only March. Time fly's and before you know it we'll be running up on teal season. With the downturn in the oilfield I've lost the interest of those who might have helped with what seems to be soil made of gold in the SW AG fields. Not to mention the results of the past two seasons out that way. With that said, I'm still waiting on the dust to settle and for my prospect controllers to start there focus on the next season scramble, I still have a couple of months or so before that happens.

Without too much expense we've geared up for a possible marsh blind. I've had a starter issue with a go devil that I finally solved. After making sure the starter was operational, I changed the solenoid, key switch and it's wire harness and the main power leads and still nothing. I attached a jumper cable lead to the negative battery lead and the other end to the go devil frame and Voila! we have lift off. It was a grounding issue this whole time. I moved the main negative lead away from a ground lug that has way smaller ground leads attached to it's own bolt location on the motor.

AHH the memories. but all the others I've had were pull start. This makes me...

[Rick]

Keep your eyes and ears open. Still haven't heard pecans about your farm, and our only "new" land that I'm aware of is a section he's had and let go of before. Used to be good enough that the fellow in my marsh blind before we took that over did most of his hunting there, instead, but everyone bitched when we had it two years ago. (Was all sublet out and well off my travel routes, so I've no personal knowledge of what did or didn't happen there.) Doug says it was the farmer's fault, but he's leasing from the same one (my "favorite" from your neighboring piece) again, so...

And prices ain't going down. We lost "the big blind" that's long been a mainstay in Thornwell and may see the farm next door go, too, due to price increase from 40K to 50K for three blinds. Which could be just as well, since one of the two neighboring farms that weren't being hunted, held birds and created traffic over it has now been rented out - at 40K for three blinds. Pretty crazy out there.

[DComeaux]

It's getting way too expensive for me on that end and I think my time in those fields may be up. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a last minute rush on my marsh prospects... if either come through. It looks like I'm going to spend the next few months on pins and needles, but I'll stay busy tinkering with the toys I may need for next season.

[aunt betty]

Don't feel bad about losing one field. I'm losing a whole state.
AGFC is taking about having special site-drawings to exclude oos hunters. That's crazy but the locals been complainin' and want special local priveledges. I understand. I'll find somewhere else.

[DComeaux]

Don't feel bad about losing one field. I'm losing a whole state.
AGFC is taking about having special site-drawings to exclude oos hunters. That's crazy but the locals been complainin' and want special local priveledges. I understand. I'll find somewhere else.

WOW! I didn't hear about that, but know the influx of hunters in that state is high. Can't say I blame the locals, though. I'd like to be able to hunt areas in my own state without the worry of overcrowding from migrants.

[Rick]

Saw that another item on the table was a WMA spinner ban, which might offer more real relief than limiting OOSers by thinning the locals willing to go to the trouble of WMA hunting, too.

[Deltaman]

Other than rice farming, aren't the oos hunters one of the main monetary influences in the state? Seems like the guides, hotels, restaurants, etc......, would be screaming bloody murder without the influx of oos money.

[DComeaux]

I'm pretty sure the guides are set with their clientele and would not care about the public grounds. Now, the motels, hotels and eateries may see a drop in revenue. From the reading I've done in several Arkansas forums, I would avoid their public grounds like the plague.

[aunt betty]

I like where I go and don't have a lot of troubles with crowds or sky-blasting. Them bastards are going to mess it all up trying to fix it for some. I can deal with no spinners, 2.75 inch shells, and a shell limit of 15 but to limit the days afield is not going to work.

Another thing that irks me is these kids trying to complain about the good old days being over. Kids that are 24 yrs old and never even saw the good old days. (I'm not even old enough to recall the good old days) Heck they're just repeating legends of stories their grandfathers told. Those good old days were frickin 75 years ago.

[Rick]

I've only seen second hand accounts but gathered that the OOSer limitations under discussion only targeted some WMAs, so even if passed, could spare you - or cover you up in displaced OOSers...

As for the "good old days," they seem to come and go, http://flyways.us/status-of-waterfowl/population-estimates/2015-total-breeding-duck-population-estimates, even without factoring favorable weather.

My own "good old days," duck number-wise, were the mid-90s through 2001 or so. The 10pt days were OK, but not often the slaughter many seem to "remember" in my area. And the late '80's crunch that followed really sucked - unless you targeted our previously mostly neglected geese. Little doubt those sorry duck years made the late '90s shine all the brighter in memory and I didn't keep records, other than camp time sheets, for anything prior to 2007. But there was one late '90s September teal season I thought exceptional enough to talley those time sheets for it, and my parties killed 488 teal in 16 days. And near the peak of that period, we shot 14 drake wigeon and 16 drake grays on consecutive days to get four buster mounting birds of each before filling on other ducks. That's over, might not kill 14 wigeon in a season now.

But while those glory days took a dive after 2000-2001, we still have it pretty dang good most years, and it's always bounced back after the stinkers - pound timber.

[aunt betty]

I've only seen second hand accounts but gathered that the OOSer limitations under discussion only targeted some WMAs, so even if passed, could spare you - or cover you up in displaced OOSers...

As for the "good old days," they seem to come and go, http://flyways.us/status-of-waterfowl/population-estimates/2015-total-breeding-duck-population-estimates, even without factoring favorable weather.

My own "good old days," duck number-wise, were the mid-90s through 2001 or so. The 10pt days were OK, but not often the slaughter many seem to "remember" in my area. And the late '80's crunch that followed really sucked - unless you targeted our previously mostly neglected geese. Little doubt those sorry duck years made the late '90s shine all the brighter in memory and I didn't keep records, other than camp time sheets, for anything prior to 2007. But there was one late '90s September teal season I thought exceptional enough to talley those time sheets for it, and my parties killed 488 teal in 16 days. And near the peak of that period, we shot 14 drake wigeon and 16 drake grays on consecutive days to get four buster mounting birds of each before filling on other ducks. That's over, might not kill 14 wigeon in a season now.

But while those glory days took a dive after 2000-2001, we still have it pretty dang good most years, and it's always bounced back after the stinkers - pound timber.

Where I hunted for years we'd have a good season one in ten years. A "good" season was one where the ducks actually stopped and rested for a week or maybe two before being blown on thru. The other nine years were "fly overs". (that bad)
It's just how it works unless you're on some kind of sacred indian burial ground that's haunted...lol

A good season back then was where I went 20 days maybe and killed 10 ducks. East central illinois really sucks for waterfowl.
1999 was a really good season. Killed 52 greenheads. Was a senior at Parkland College that season.

[DComeaux]

Looks like old rice fields turned cow pastures and waterweed gardens may be on the way out in the next few years.

http://www.katc.com/story/27666015/new-cuba-relations-could-benefit-rice-farmers

[Rick]

That's the first time I've ever seen Louisiana rice priced by the 100lb, like the rest of the country, instead of by the (60 - or is it 70lb?) "barrel".

[DComeaux]

Looks like old rice fields turned cow pastures and waterweed gardens may be on the way out in the next few years.

http://www.katc.com/story/27666015/new-cuba-relations-could-benefit-rice-farmers

I grabbed the wrong article after noticing the date. This is the one they ran yesterday.

http://www.katc.com/story/31584028/acadiana-rice-farmers-set-eyes-on-cuban-market

[DComeaux]

First reports from the northern surveys. Dry seems to be the word, so far.

http://flyways.us/status-of-waterfowl/pilot-reports

[Rick]

If it's not all Skittles and rainbow farts, I ain't reading it and getting depressed so early on.

[DComeaux]

I like skittles. Just don't eat a lot at one time on an empty stomach, it'll make you feel bad.

[DComeaux]

I'm going to really miss those birds....

[Rick]

If anything managed to break me over to move to a better marsh blind to mine's east it would be the increase in speck traffic. When I hunted the east blind (cleverly so named for being on that end of the marsh), everyone raved about the mallard numbers we took, but what may have tickled me most was how many specks we killed there. Was every bit as good as most of our ag land.

When trying to improve our speck chances at the mudhole, I can't help but think about that spot and how we hunted it over three standard G&H speck shells on conduit stakes raising them out of the pond, as though it were ankle deep feeding water. But it was a much, much larger pond where it was always easy to boat around those staked decoys without being blown across them, as would too often happen in the mudhole. Sometimes have enough trouble just missing the spinner stick.

[DComeaux]

I'm going to get you one of these for the mud hole.

[Rick]

That's right generous of you. Last time we had a buggy in our marsh it was a couple grand a day. And while I don't mean to sound ungrateful, it won't do much good at the mudhole unless you throw in a 6" or so industrial sludge pump...

[DComeaux]

The land owners should be supplying these for you guys, as this would act as a lubricant for the....well, you know.

[Rick]

It's a mighty rare thing to see a landowner do anything but take the check.

[DComeaux]

This thinking or behavior has manifested from the ignorance of those acquiring this property outside of the outfitters control. I was privileged to overhear a conversation in a local farmers gathering place one morning in Gueydan a few years ago that told the whole story. It just took a while to manifest itself to its current level. These locals are laughing all the way to the bank.

[Rick]

I don't know what you mean by that first part. Just know it's a sellers' market: take it or leave it, because those who will are lined up behind you. And who knows when, or if, the bubble will burst?

[DComeaux]

There's a sucker born every minute, I guess is what I mean by that. When we picked up the blind we had, I told my son and Blake that it was once prime time and was now a has-been, and that the only reason we were able to be there at the price we paid was that no one wanted it. We were desperate for a place so we took it. I was surprised with the hunts, and had a blast there the first couple of years. We rode it out as long as we could. Even without the purchase, I don't know that we would have picked it up again this year, even without a price increase.

I'm not sure what the buyers of these properties have in mind. Are there enough suckers to keep this land grab and rent scheme rolling? ...Probably so. I know that during my younger years the area from SW Kaplan to Doug's was but a dream for me to hunt due to price. I'd spend days sitting on my tailgate at the entrance to some awesome properties watching and listening to these fowl in the air and on the ground. One of my first experiences hunting the Gueydan area was with an elderly gentleman who helped some lawyers from Baton Rouge acquire some property. He would do the setup and removal work for them. In doing this, he could hunt weekdays and any day the lease holders weren't using the blind. I got to make some awesome hunts with this gentleman, taking days off of work to do it, and always being a last minute ( evening before) invitation.

In my opinion, the hunting it that area now is NOT worth the price of admission. Even marsh blinds are on the rise in the name of coastal restoration. I just hope I don't get priced out of something I really love to do..... I'd rather pull teeth with channel locks than hunt public.


Sorry for the rant.... I'll be Ok in the morning.

[Rick]

The trick to renting from Doug has always been timing, and I've seen him rent a bunch of blinds he should have kept for the camp at a loss, just because someone showed up with a handful of money when he happened to need or want some. Other times he'll make a serious lick. Or at least he once could. Now it's gotten so land's so steep that even the relatively sweet deals suck. A handy "for instance" being that after we got the boot from our best two Thornwell pieces this year, he was hoping to get a neighboring farm for $40,000 until one of our long time sublets who was being displaced with us got wind that it could be had and offered the owners $50,000 for its three blinds with a mess of usage restrictions.

Tough market.

Don't know where you'll land next, but will suggest you continue to treat it like your own in terms of doing all you can with its upkeep, as you did with the Marceaux blind. Not that you need me to tell you that, just that I know Doug passed on more money for your blind from others because you'd been so helpful, rather than being the additional burden most are. As with so many things, relationships are huge.

[DComeaux]

I have to say that Doug worked with me, and for that I'm grateful. He gave us poor boys a chance to hunt a few years and I hate to see it end. I haven't talked to him since the season ended, but my past season neighbor has...

[DComeaux]

I had been wanting a little tractor to use around here and at our duck lease for some time. My son recently purchased a home and a few acres just down the road from here so we decided to get one. I sure wish I would have had this thing during our time in that blind. Not that I could buffalo with it, but I sure could have kept the grass under control, disced those cuts in the dry years and patched some levees. Oh well, maybe next time. It is 4WD and a pretty neat little machine.

We have a rotary cutter and box scraper now, and I'm looking at a 3 point disc. Spent the day today pulling fence post and cutting grass.

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