Post-Season Ponderings

Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby DComeaux » Sun Apr 23, 2017 10:23 am

Rick wrote:Pretty sure those decoys are cursed.



They've had a fine but limited time in the field. Just need to blow off the high dollar Gueydan dust and they'd be ready to go. The floaters had to do most of the work out there, due to water conditions.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Sun Apr 23, 2017 10:34 am

DComeaux wrote:
Rick wrote:Pretty sure those decoys are cursed.


The floaters had to do most of the work out there, due to water conditions.


Was just picking, but that might be a good segue into suggesting that Darren use some sort of FB stake extension, rather than floaters in otherwise too-deep water. Most floaters are loafing, and specks can loaf most any time or where, but food's a greater attraction, and FBs raised to make the water seem ankle deep make that seem more likely. Easiest course with GHG FBs is just dropping their normally too-short stakes into the top of 1/2" metal or 3/4" pvc conduit extensions of the proper length. (1/2" pvc is too limber.)

When I hunted the eastern most blind in our marsh, we pretty darn regularly got most or all of our specks over three G&H speck shells jacked up on metal conduit to look like they were standing in super shallow water, rather than 3-4 feet deep. (Oh, how I long for that kind of traffic on my end...)
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby DComeaux » Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:14 pm

Rick wrote:
DComeaux wrote:
Rick wrote:Pretty sure those decoys are cursed.


The floaters had to do most of the work out there, due to water conditions.


Was just picking, but that might be a good segue into suggesting that Darren use some sort of FB stake extension, rather than floaters in otherwise too-deep water. Most floaters are loafing, and specks can loaf most any time or where, but food's a greater attraction, and FBs raised to make the water seem ankle deep make that seem more likely. Easiest course with GHG FBs is just dropping their normally too-short stakes into the top of 1/2" metal or 3/4" pvc conduit extensions of the proper length. (1/2" pvc is too limber.)

When I hunted the eastern most blind in our marsh, we pretty darn regularly got most or all of our specks over three G&H speck shells jacked up on metal conduit to look like they were standing in super shallow water, rather than 3-4 feet deep. (Oh, how I long for that kind of traffic on my end...)


The extended stakes are an excellent idea, and something I was just to lazy to implement while there. For me, at his point in time, knowing what needs to be done and having the gumption to do it just don't line up anymore. :lol: I wish I had the youngins around me that had my fever when I was their age, but we have fun, anyway.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Mon Apr 24, 2017 4:56 am

DComeaux wrote:For me, at his point in time, knowing what needs to be done and having the gumption to do it just don't line up anymore.


Me, too. Like the old joke where a young extension agent began to explain all the ways an old farmer could improve his crop and was cut off with, "Son, I'm not farming as well as I know how now."

And the reason I added "Do as I say, not as I do." after expounding on the importance of matching speck decoy colors. Those around my marsh blind aren't just left out (as necessitated by the flotant) but of three shades in color I'm too lazy (and intimidated by painting) to do something about.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:23 am

Rick wrote:
DComeaux wrote:For me, at his point in time, knowing what needs to be done and having the gumption to do it just don't line up anymore.

And the reason I added "Do as I say, not as I do." after expounding on the importance of matching speck decoy colors. Those around my marsh blind aren't just left out (as necessitated by the flotant) but of three shades in color I'm too lazy (and intimidated by painting) to do something about.



.......and then there's that occasional pink one, helps with visibility :lol:

We have a ramp area that goes into the rear cut and makes for a shallow spot where I've made a habit of setting my FBs, usually regardless of the wind direction. Makes for an attractive looking spot to root around if you're a shopping flock. Since it looks like we've got stubble coming for this fall, hopefully we'll capitalize on the draw of it alone and not goof it up with too many wonky dekes, just the small set.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:46 am

Short of them walking around, it's hard to imagine today's premium FB speck dekes looking much more realistic.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:58 am

I know for fact that a fellow could at one time call and kill a limit of specks over a decoy spread consisting of seven big piles of rags and windsocks and a white Toyota truck - and wouldn't bet anything I really cared about against it being done again today, given the right time and place. But even at the time I did that, there were a hell of a lot more specks I couldn't kill that way. And it makes a lot more sense to play to the ones that aren't searching for Kevorkian than the kamikazes.

Back when I was hunting the rice daily, I experimented a great deal with speck spreads to include mixed spreads of differing shades, even when they all came out of the same DSD mold, as was the case with my original and newer ACE DSDs, the later of which are darker. If I used them "together" is was best to keep the two shades grouped and well separated. Same for using DSDs and the '04-'05 Hardcore FBs that were killer - until the paint came off: was best to keep them on opposite sides of the blind.

And I'm not the only one to see an appreciable difference. Have a Thornwell friend who runs 10 dozen FBs, which were originally 5dz DSD and 5dz fully-flocked GHGs. When removing the later improved his draw, he replaced them with Blue Collars - and when removing the BCs improved his draw, he set things right by painting both brands to match.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Mon Apr 24, 2017 3:33 pm

Well...it's only been smart until he gets lazy about picking them up and moving them to the levee between hunts. After that, it's like most hit a wall when they see where all that sweet calling is coming from. (Has the only roll-top I've ever liked, and concealment's not the hitch.)

But you'd like RIc, he's speck crazy enough to have experimented with more stuff than anyone else I know:
Image
(WIngs are broken at the shoulders to flap freely.)

Before that, he tried stationary baskets and a ram-run lander. Most recent was a couple RC decoys that ran intermittently around their loops in the spread. But no magic gizmo, yet. Keeps coming back to good contrarian calling, top shelf decoys and concealment that hides itself, as well as its hunters.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:32 am

Might help draw them, but then, like any other stationary airborne decoy, makes too many nervous when they get there. He's toying with the notion of adding a pivot at the bottom of the pole and ram to lower it when birds approach, as his most universally successful experiment to date has been a Goose Magnet on a ram driven pole that would "land" it.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:37 am

While we're on latest and greatest speck dekes, Higdon debuted these on Instagram yesterday, and I've not found them yet under their "New Products" section of their website.

IMG_3938.PNG


Some barred up, some not, maybe just attracting hunters' $$$?
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:43 am

John how new are your "new" GHGs? When you say one piece, are the heads all attached to the bodies?

Got my harvester pack somewhere in the 2010-2011 range I guess, and they look great, but re-attaching heads in the dark isn't much fun when setting up. Sure wish they were attached. Guess I could just glue them in???
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby DComeaux » Tue Apr 25, 2017 1:02 pm

The're having an orgy.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:12 am

johnc wrote:I hate those damn things,makes me cringe when I see them in fields from the road. and the remote,nope still got white wings, sometimes blatently showing unless rigged to stop with dark on top...


Comme ça?

Image

Painted to disappear against the dark water of the Mudhole from above, hardwired to a toggle switch and rheostat (to control speed: slow to show early on, then faster as light increases) and almost always stops white down. it's on for teal and black-bellied whistling ducks and off for all other ducks, as well as geese, unless my guys simply won't help hide themselves, and it's going so badly the spinner's distraction seems the lesser of evils for all ducks.

Re: flagging, I'd throw a black mesh decoy bag straight up in my Canada days and was somewhat famous for what folks called my "goose dance" of moving back and forth in the spread, perpendicular to distant flights snapping rags horizontally, then dashing for my spot in the gun line and "landing" as they approached. But I've had at least as much bad luck as good trying to flag specks from a pit and, consequently, done my only relatively recent experimentation with a remote controlled X-Flapper Ric gave up on and sold me at 1/3 price. Have modified and worked out the bugs of wind wrapped wings and too short remote range, and it will pull birds from afar, as seen here with only it (not shown but to my right), one blue and one snow shell in the field out front and no calling, just flapping:



Draws them well in clear conditions, too, but they don't care for the look of it once close, hence the need for increased remote range to get it farther away from the rest of the spread. But it's "just one more thing" to have to fool with, and I didn't at all this year.
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Thu Apr 27, 2017 9:16 am

Was able to confirm with Larry this morning that the 2017-2018 waterfowl seasons were finalized at last commission meeting, presumably earlier this month. Teal will open on Friday Sept 15!

2017-18 Migratory Bird Seasons
DOVES:
South Zone: Sept. 2 – 10
Oct. 7 – Nov. 26
Dec. 17 – Jan. 15

North Zone: Sept. 2 – 24
Oct. 7 – Nov. 12
Dec. 17 – Jan. 15

TEAL: (Friday) Sept. 15 – (Saturday) Sept. 30 :thumbsup:

DUCKS AND COOTS:

Coastal Zone: November 11 – Dec. 3 (Youth Nov. 4-5)
December 16 – January 21

West Zone: November 11 – December 3 (Youth Nov. 4 and
December 16 - January 21 Jan. 27)

East Zone: November 18 – December 3 (Youth Nov. 11 and
December 16 - January 28 Feb. 3)

Daily Bag Limits: 6 and may include no more than 4 mallards (no more than 2 females), 2 canvasback, 1 mottled duck, 1 black duck, 3 wood ducks, 3 scaup, 2 redheads, and 1 pintail.
Daily bag limit on coots is 15.
Mergansers - The daily bag limit for mergansers is 5, only 2 of which may be hooded mergansers, in addition to the daily bag limit for ducks.
Possession Limit - Three times the daily bag limit.

LIGHT GEESE (SNOW, BLUE and ROSS’) and WHITE-FRONTED GEESE

North Zone: November 4 – December 3
December 16 – February 11

South Zone: November 4 – December 3
December 16 – February 11

Daily bag limit on light geese (snow, blue and Ross’): 20
Possession limit on light geese (snow, blue and Ross’): None
Daily Limit on white-fronted geese: 2
Possession Limit on white-fronted geese: 6

CANADA GEESE:

North Zone: November 4 – December 3
December 16 - January 31

South Zone: November 4 – December 3
December 16 – January 31

Daily Limit on Canada geese: 1 per day
Possession limit on Canada geese: 3

CONSERVATION ORDER FOR LIGHT GEESE (SNOW, BLUE AND ROSS’S):

North Zone: December 4 – December 15
February 12 – March 11

South Zone: December 4 - December 15
February 12 - March 11




Maybe with the later teal season, I might actually see a teal before opening day. But we've learned in recent years to just go anyway, even if not a teal one is seen the morning before opener. Shot birds both times!
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Rick » Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:21 am

Will be interesting to see how many folks we hunt on the Friday opener and whether anything comes to the marsh without a crowd in the rice...
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:44 am

Yea that's a good point; you'd figure (hopefully) enough make a go of it to stir the birds. Maybe just 4 guys on the levee instead of 12. That actually could play into my success as well since I think those birds we have seen on a couple of opening mornings (that weren't there day before) were due to hunters stirring in the dark for opener bumping them out and southward.

That said, one of my public stompin' grounds isn't open on Fridays and I doubt they make an exception for this, guess I need to verify. Otherwise may give the Delacroix blind a shot just to have a place to go
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Re: Post-Season Ponderings

Postby Darren » Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:35 pm

Yea it was the only means of taking advantage of the way the calendar falls this year, being able to hunt the last two weeks of September and end on a weekend. In recent memory, seems like though there are usually some birds around to make some good hunts, the bulk of the BWs are arriving at end of season and into October. Rick's monitoring of drake/hen ratio seems to further support that, with the bag being mostly drakes.

When it's on, it can be awesome, though I understand a lot don't go due to the heat, bugs, etc. Guess some of us want to be there regardless.
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