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Hey Rick, ya need to tell Dave to smile. I know he can, I saw him do it.

He might smile if he knew someone had called him a comedian. Grumpy old fart drug up before the end of the season again last year, only this time burning the bridge behind him by doing it with hunters waiting to head to the marsh. Been struggling on a lease in Little Chenier, I'm told. But I wish him no illl, was a good hand and friend.

Rick wrote:He might smile if he knew someone had called him a comedian. Grumpy old fart drug up before the end of the season again last year, only this time burning the bridge behind him by doing it with hunters waiting to head to the marsh. Been struggling on a lease in Little Chenier, I'm told. But I wish him no illl, was a good hand and friend.

He quit guiding during season?


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Yup. Wasn't the first time, just the first time he didn't give Doug enough heads-up to find a replacement or shuffle the assignments.

Rick wrote:Yup. Wasn't the first time, just the first time he didn't give Doug enough heads-up to find a replacement or shuffle the assignments.

Yikes. Sounds like a few truck drivers or equipment operators I've been around in the logging woods.


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Rick wrote:Yup. Wasn't the first time, just the first time he didn't give Doug enough heads-up to find a replacement or shuffle the assignments.

WOW! Not good.

He'd been talking like it would be his last year of guiding, anyway, and decided to go out in style when Doug told him he had three hunters that morning, instead of just the two we're set up for. We can all get pretty cranky towards season's end and have joked about showing up the morning after it closes just to growl at each other.

Takes a special person to be able to satisfy a variety of clients day in and day out throughout the season in a duck blind. All of us know how to kill ducks, but being able to make each hunt "special" for the client, takes more than most realize. Don't imagine getting sick is an option when there is money to be made, and bet the grind is telling on most. I do know this, it is much easier at a younger age , especially if not out chasing the poontain at night

Rick wrote:He'd been talking like it would be his last year of guiding, anyway, and decided to go out in style when Doug told him he had three hunters that morning, instead of just the two we're set up for. We can all get pretty cranky towards season's end and have joked about showing up the morning after it closes just to growl at each other.

When I was there in late December he was audibly counting down the remaining days of the season......

There's a fungus among us...... Seems I may have picked up some sort of slow growing bacteria in a couple of spots on my hand, and I'm assuming that a couple of pricks from the barnacles on the blind let em in. These spots started out as small red bumps as though I had a splinter or sticker, as we call em, but they never came to a head or developed puss.

I've had this for a few weeks now and decided a visit to my family doc was in order. After a week of antibiotics things didn't change so he sent me to a general surgeon. After looking at these spots, he said, I'm pretty sure there is nothing in there and we have two choices. He told me that this bacteria is similar to the TB bacteria, if this is what it is, and is slow growing. He could take a chunk and send it off but it would take a couple of months for the bacteria to show itself, or we could treat it with a round of heavy antibiotics which would make a difference in the same time frame, so that's what we're doing. He told me to wear a cap and long sleeves in the sun, as I could burn more easily........not sure about this!

So I'll be fighting some sort of invader for the next few months, and kinda glad he didn't have to cut. I didn't want to have a gimp trigger hand for opening day of the second split.

It's not painful to the touch, but when I forget about it and pull on the boat or other things, it's as if I'm pushing a pin into my finger or hand. The worst ones for this are the smaller little buggers on on my callus at the base of my middle finger........... At least I don't have the nutria itch.

Wow! Hope it clears out. Guess we should all be more aware with all the blind building and brushing, lots of small cuts for stuff to invade in. I've been trying to keep a pair of work gloves in the boat for blind work to hopefully protect from cuts

keep us posted!

Tol' ya to let Blake do it.

Marsh Bear wrote:I had something similar about 5 years ago - family doctor treated me with antibiotics but did not get better, he sent me to a an infectious disease doctor. I had to have surgery to scrape the infection from the bone in my hand, then 2 months of antibiotics and I was cured.

Good to know..

I'm assuming my surgeon is attempting to kill it with these strong antibiotics, but it will take time. I have to see him every 3 weeks, and he''ll probably give it a couple of months before moving on to something else.

This big south wind we are having now, and will have for the next few days, will be the test for our latest work on the blind. We are most open to the big water from that direction. This past weeks winds were strong but were from the north, north east and east, and the blind is fairly well protected from these winds attempt to make waves that would pound the blind.

All I can do now is hope she hangs in there....We may head to the lumber yard after the hunt Saturday for more 16 foot boards to drive around the pit. I need some peace of mind during these big south winds we have in between fronts. The better thing would be to move to a more protected pond when able, but this may be a while, as those are occupied and few and far between.

BGcorey wrote:

DComeaux wrote:This big south wind we are having now, and will have for the next few days, will be the test for our latest work on the blind. We are most open to the big water from that direction. This past weeks winds were strong but were from the north, north east and east, and the blind is fairly well protected from these winds attempt to make waves that would pound the blind.

All I can do now is hope she hangs in there....We may head to the lumber yard after the hunt Saturday for more 16 foot boards to drive around the pit. I need some peace of mind during these big south winds we have in between fronts. The better thing would be to move to a more protected pond when able, but this may be a while, as those are occupied and few and far between.

how do you drive a 16' board when you're maybe 7' off the water standing on a boat deck? Sounds fun to watch haha


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I figure we'll be able to push it down by hand (hanging on it after a few feet) to a little past half way of it's length. The twelve footers we drove by hand to a depth that allowed for easy sledge work, about 4 feet off the water. We stopped pushing by hand because it was getting too low to have enough board available for two men to grab hold of. You'd be surprised how far you can drive a pointed 2x4, by hand, in this marsh. The ridge, as I call it, where you are may have firm ground a bit shallower, if I remember correctly.

I got a call just before noon today from a guy that checked on our blind from a distance. All seemed okay and said he jumped 1500 to 2000 ducks from around our blind area, his words: there were some brown ones, some brown and white ones, it was a big mix.. He watched them work back down to the water. Hopefully they stick around and we have a target rich environment on Saturday morning. My only concern at this point is the forecast south wind...... I'm pretty sure we'll have a diver extravaganza.

There are two other guys headed down there today that hunt the adjoining marsh section to our east. They will be in the marsh checking decoys and other things today, so I should get another fowl report this afternoon or in the morning.

DComeaux wrote:My only concern at this point is the forecast south wind...

Don't s'pose you'd get any perverse pleasure out of knowing your old blind is under water, and the subleter who has it sub-sublet to some other poor guys and is supposed to be handling all water concerns is just getting around to trying to do something about it today? Well, maybe yesterday, as he told me that's when Doug told him he'd call me, which still hasn't happened. Wasn't going to lift another finger over there, but felt sorry for whoever it is that's getting crapped on. Again...

Rick wrote:

DComeaux wrote:My only concern at this point is the forecast south wind...

Don't s'pose you'd get any perverse pleasure out of knowing your old blind is under water, and the subleter who has it sub-sublet to some other poor guys and is supposed to be handling all water concerns is just getting around to trying to do something about it today? Well, maybe yesterday, as he told me that's when Doug told him he'd call me, which still hasn't happened. Wasn't going to lift another finger over there, but felt sorry for whoever it is that's getting crapped on. Again...

Wow! I have bittersweet feelings for that place, but this is one that's sour. Knowing how that place drains, they'll more than likely be hunting the levee this weekend. Blake and I have been meaning to drive out that way, and I came this - close to doing that this past Sunday. Now that I saw the pictures, I'll have to do a drive-by at Jarren's place.

Nope, I've gone out of my way not to know. Still burns my buns that Doug ever started subleting your old blind in the first place, and I may not of gone today if I didn't figure whoever else tried to close the outside water gate would pop the rod out of what's left of the gate and make pump-off impossible until someone went diving. Turned out the guy who's now running the pump told me he refused to get out on wobbly plank to it, anyway.

Thinking of old blinds: was out by the turnaround the other day, and it looks just like a Lake Pontchartrain dogris blind sitting out there all bold and proud.

Rick wrote:Thinking of old blinds: was out by the turnaround the other day, and it looks just like a Lake Pontchartrain dogris blind sitting out there all bold and proud.

I laughed out load...

I just got a "had to call ya" phone call from the guy out on the lease that I talked to yesterday. Seems the birds he saw yesterday are still thick around my blind, gadwall, GW, Pintail, and even saw a few mallards. Of course, we have the divers. He rode out south of us in his boat to work on a couple of blinds and bumped big wads of birds. He mentioned the GW being thick, thick in big wads.

Can't do nothing but at this point. Praying for a light south wind in the morning, at least till we finish.

Duck Engr wrote:Y'all got me excited for you Louisiana fellers


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The way our last few seasons have been, this is a welcomed change. Though part of me is still a little gun shy, reluctant to get too confident, for fear of the ole slap in the face.