Post-Season Ponderings

[SpinnerMan]

I struggle with this especially in the early season because I could be shooting a greater Canada goose that could be pushing 14 lbs (most 10-12 lbs) at as far as I'm comfortable or a wood duck buzzing by on the deck at mock 3. Probably shoot about 2 to 1 big geese to little ducks and not unusual to shoot them from the same blind.

I've tended to gravitate toward just using BB for everything, but I still jump around a bit, especially early in the season when snap shots at woodies hauling ass by are not uncommon.

[aunt betty]

Since I'm basically shooting slag (wincester expert) I figure it don't really matter much. You know my style. Wait til you can see their eyeballs then shoot. At that range twos will take down pert near anything. (opinion)
Heck I killed a deer with bird shot once. It was self-defense.

[SpinnerMan]

The strip pits where I do most of my hunting in the early part of duck season, the geese fly above the treetops, and the the wood ducks fly below the brush tops at eye level or lower. If you get geese inside 30 yards it is rare. I much prefer them feet down after I called them in, but at that time of year at that place, that just doesn't happen often and there is a good chance that will be your only opportunity for the day. They are heading out from water going to the fields and your small water setup is just not of any interest, but they may fly over by chance. If they gave us that last half hour in the evening, I'd hunt every evening. I've practically had them try to land in the boat with me picking up on many occasions.

[aunt betty]

Pass shooting is so highly frowned on in Arkansas that I pretty much will not do it and you actually experienced it.
Ten or twenty years ago I would have called the shot on them geese without hesitation. Sorry about that. Have thought about it a time or two. We should have shot at least two out of that bunch.

Something I was not aware of that day is that LST is at sunrise for teal during teal season.
Read the regs last week and went "oof". How did I miss that? It's a Betty thing I guess.

Down here we almost never see lessers. The local geese are giants and don't migrate more than about 100 miles south. They never leave for long. There were some lessers at the Menards pond this spring but they only rested then left.
In fact there were lessers all over the twin cities for a couple weeks. Rare.

[SpinnerMan]

Pass shooting is so highly frowned on in Arkansas that I pretty much will not do it and you actually experienced it.

Pass shooting ducks is actually not allowed at the club. Pass shooting geese is allowed and the norm. Until a few years ago, it was probably 90% of our geese. Now we cleared two fields and put in goose blinds, so we shoot a fair number of decoying birds in those blinds, but still most are passing over the duck blinds.

Ten or twenty years ago I would have called the shot on them geese without hesitation.

No worries. I shoot plenty geese. I don't get excited about pass shooting a goose any more like I did years ago when I first started hunting in Illinois. At that time I had shot a lifetime total of 3 and those with me a few more, and except for 1 I shot flying over were all taken on a trip to the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I got 10 last year and my buddies 18 more, all but a few of which I called in to feet down. If I don't think I have a chance for decoying birds, I whack any goose that flies definitely in range, but I don't stretch the barrel and I don't worry about not shooting. I don't remember what shells I had in the gun, but I didn't give it a second thought that we didn't shoot at those geese.

Down here we almost never see lessers.

About 1/3rd of the geese I get are lessers. I really want to get a cackler. We see a few of them here and there. The north zone had a split zone a number of years back. The down week there were a bunch of cacklers in the area

[Darren]

Cut one of them Winchester shells open and lets see how good the steel is.
I've cut open two's, four's and BB and it never looks very good.
Still shoot them though. At the range I shoot 6's would work.
Got to where I shoot #2 at everything so I'm not crying when the geese go by.
One size for everything. Less stress.

20 years ago I was changing chokes and shot size so often that I screwed myself many times. Hunting at bayou bottoms changed that. I mean when there are eight or ten guys shooting, and nobody knows who shot what, does it even matter?

Have seen the slag first hand in some Xperts about 10 years ago, surely nothing has changed since then. Kills ducks dead though at reasonable ranges where you're not too concerned with some "flyers" breaking off the pattern. I figure these #6 shells are similarly filled with #6 slag but there's enough of them in that little hull to take a dainty little early season teal at close range. Not sure yet if I'm going to stick with my regular season carlson light mod or try a similar carlson in skeet constriction

[Darren]

Early season mallards already arriving at False River

IMG_4621.JPG

Harry had his eyes on the prize over the weekend, even gave some valiant swimming efforts, but then they just flew off.

[DComeaux]

Looks like a good hatch.... Do the north and south flats still have duck blinds out there?



I got this email while I was reading this post

LDWF Schedules Drawdown on False River

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in conjunction with the False River Watershed Council and Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury, has scheduled a drawdown for False River on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, as a management tool to improve water quality, decrease sedimentation and improve sportfish habitat.

The lake will be lowered at a rate of 1.5 inches per day to a maximum of 6 feet below pool stage.

The drawdown structure is scheduled to close on January 15, 2018, and the lake will be allowed to refill.

Property owners should take necessary action to secure or remove vessels, floating docks and other items potentially impacted by the drawdown prior to its commencement.

The lake will remain open to fishing and other recreational use during the drawdown. However, caution is advised for boaters during the low water period, as boat lanes will not provide normal clearance of underwater structures.

For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Brian Heimann, LDWF Biologist Manager, at bheimann@wlf.la.gov, or (225) 765-2337.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at http://www.wlf.la.gov. To receive email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.

[Darren]

Have never seen blinds on the north flats......its all houses. On the south flats I used to see blinds but they did a big restoration project where they dredged up soil to build a big island that now looks like a jungle. I'd figure a few birds can still be killed down there but not sure if still allowed. Always plenty of home grown mallards hanging around and they usually fly within range of the piers.

[DComeaux]

I haven't been there in a while. I used to fish that lake a lot, night and day, with quite a few tournaments in the mix, but the fishing success died off after they killed off all of the coon tail to please you camp owners, weekend skiers and joy riders...

It used to be a fairly quiet and sparsely populated area, but I think the Baton Rouge bunch has lined the lake with camps. I spent a lot of time at the old, and now closed, Bonaventure's landing. I would slip away after work on Fridays to fish the night tournaments held out of that place.

[aunt betty]

Looks like a good hatch.... Do the north and south flats still have duck blinds out there?



I got this email while I was reading this post

LDWF Schedules Drawdown on False River

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in conjunction with the False River Watershed Council and Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury, has scheduled a drawdown for False River on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, as a management tool to improve water quality, decrease sedimentation and improve sportfish habitat.

The lake will be lowered at a rate of 1.5 inches per day to a maximum of 6 feet below pool stage.

The drawdown structure is scheduled to close on January 15, 2018, and the lake will be allowed to refill.

Property owners should take necessary action to secure or remove vessels, floating docks and other items potentially impacted by the drawdown prior to its commencement.

The lake will remain open to fishing and other recreational use during the drawdown. However, caution is advised for boaters during the low water period, as boat lanes will not provide normal clearance of underwater structures.

For additional information regarding the drawdown, contact Brian Heimann, LDWF Biologist Manager, at bheimann@wlf.la.gov, or (225) 765-2337.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at http://www.wlf.la.gov. To receive email alerts, signup at http://www.wlf.la.gov/signup.

Oh boy. When AGFC did that to Arkansas' lakes they planted millet along the muddy banks and it was ducktopia for a few seasons.
Fooled me into thinking I was the great white waterfowler or something.

[Darren]

I haven't been there in a while. I used to fish that lake a lot, night and day, with quite a few tournaments in the mix, but the fishing success died off after they killed off all of the coon tail to please you camp owners, weekend skiers and joy riders...

It used to be a fairly quiet and sparsely populated area, but I think the Baton Rouge bunch has lined the lake with camps. I spent a lot of time at the old, and now closed, Bonaventure's landing. I would slip away after work on Fridays to fish the night tournaments held out of that place.

Wife's family been renting a camp there since she was a little kid, i've enjoyed our annual trip. Its definitely lined with camps, I'd say 85% or more. Bonaventures was re-born a couple years ago into a bar & grill type place that also has a boat ramp and sells fuel, named "The Sand Bar" I think. Pretty good food and seems to be doing ok. We catch our share of bream, etc. with crickets
along the wooded banks and canals when I bring my flat boat. Think the lake is planned for drawdown the next two or three years to come.

[Darren]

Might have been her mallards we were watching over the weekend, stayed on island side.