Preseason

[Rick]

I'm sure after making a ride to the blind and camp or hearing a few reports of some bluewings in the area will lift my spirits and I'll bounce right back.

Parked on the equipment pad (where you will during the season) at prime time and in prime weather for a while last evening and didn't see a stinkin' teal.

But there weren't any with the kazillion-and-two squealers in your old "cow field" yet yesterday morning, either. So there's that...

[Darren]

So this cow field was productive?

Made a hunt with Bin There in Welsh a few years back that was just flooded cow fields......was surprised to see cows not far outside the dekes on arrival. Was good for a few birds but nothing great. Also usually deal with cows on the few trips to the White Lake lottery fields we made

[Rick]

Too soon to tell what difference it will make, but your farmer has more indigo and red rice in his rice than rice, so it could all just get turned over and be super-duper feed lot. Or not.

[Rick]

Indigo canape will probably keep the wind and rain off the "rice".

[Rick]

Haven't been to the blind lately, either, but that's a whole lot cleaner rice than what's to its south. And I'd not worry about whatever might be happening at the barn being close enough to affect your hunting. It's a fair ways over, and the birds don't seem to pay much mind to what's going on in such benign-to-them places. From what I've heard from others, Gator Valve's crew in the middle blind will be your bugaboo. Nice, nice folks but apparently not proud or particular about shooting range.

[DComeaux]

WOW! That's unreal.

[Rick]

Hate to see what's happened and yet to happen to so many folks. Been blessed by our personal situation and high ground home with our worst suffering to date limited to survivor's guilt.

[Darren]

Hate to see what's happened and yet to happen to so many folks. Been blessed by our personal situation and high ground home with our worst suffering to date limited to survivor's guilt.

Rick we've kind of felt the same way this weekend, volunteered at a medical shelter on lsu's campus last evening. Wife is in medical field so she is of use, I was just a serviceable young back to help set up.

Jarren really sorry to see your situation, know there's a whole lot of folks around here in same boat. Lots of duck hunters did great deeds this weekend with their rigs. I'm fortunate enough to know one of them that's been shown on TV over and over pulling s woman and her lil dog out of a sinking red convertible, also a fellow duck hunter.

[Rick]

Been thinking about you and those around you, Jarren. Don't know what else to do but hate it for you, but that I do.

[DComeaux]

I'm praying for you guys out that way..... Hang in there.

[Rick]

Your priorities are well in line, and your boy made me smile, too.

[Rick]

Only reports I've heard were above Welsh and below Abbyville(?) via someone Dave knows. I've not seen a teal since June. But this is about when they normally start showing in numbers. Guess we'll soon see. Or not...

[Rick]

Had coffee this morning with a reliable Thornwell source who says there's a big mess of teal over there on the Henning farm (between 99 and the bayou) and another reliable fellow living below the Big 4 school section a mile or so west of your blind (and getting in and out by boat) who saw maybe a hundred total go by his place evening before last.

Waiting on a load of alligators that will take us through a lot of rice country and marsh, so perhaps today will be my day, too...

[Rick]

Haven't been near it, but may make a pass this weekend.

[Rick]

Marsh and I took a stroll/wade back to your old turnaround stomping grounds this morning and took a little postcard pic of the hump/island:


Most of the grass road beyond the hump is above water now, but that's still all, and Marsh was swimming just off the turnaround, itself. Took the south fork from what was your second gate back to the pump yesterday, and the water was coming across that road at a good clip, so it wasn't too surprising to find it appreciably lower today. Though it will still be a while before there's any point in cranking the pump.

Only duck on the water back there was a woody that flushed as I slipped and slid across the hump. Saw three or four other wood ducks, as many mottleds and maybe a dozen tree ducks crossing during our two trips, but nary a teal.

[Rick]

Much the same scene back there now, only you shot more birds than I saw. There are, however, two twenty or so yard strips of something tall, lush and green sticking well up out of all that dead water on the "ridge" west of the turnaround ("cow levee"?) that the teal hunter in me really wanted to check out, just to see what the heck they were. But all I managed to do was find out hip boots wouldn't get me close enough to see what kind of vegetation it is, much less why it might be there.