2016-2017 Season Log

[Rick]

Rick, I hope I am able to hunt with John again this coming January as I had the pleasure last January. Glad he is still coming to hunt with you at Doug's.

Bruce.

He said you're scheduled to hunt together for his day in January. Has had some serious heart trouble and seems very frail in camp, but still does well in the field.

[Rick]

Date: 11/24

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light northerly

Temperature: cool

Moon phase: small waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: This "front" was a fizzle, and we saw about the same "flight" as yesterday.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully very good, with most of what was seen doing as bid. Might have to hang onto the teal-cut DC just for the way the jacks are turning (though certainly not stopping) to its burrs, but I also used it for most everything today with fine result.

Hunters: 2, buddy hunt with Kent and Charlie, two rice farmers who've each probably killed a bazillion or so birds.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh had a good, mostly easy, morning.

Special Equipment: SOS, though the mmm was being contrary. Might be time to get a backup, as it seem likely the trolling motor is the problem.

Curses: Just that it's going to be tough with our usual hunters until something changes.

Kudos: Most of what came by stayed. Was fun to watch.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 2 gw teal, 4 mallards, 3 pintails and 7 ringnecks

Photo Ops: Kent, Charlie and dead ducks:

[Rick]

Date: 11/25

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light to moderate ENE

Temperature: cool

Moon phase: small waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Very little moving, large or small, and not remotely enough for our purposes

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Most of what was seen came - or tried to.

Hunters: 3, Mike and two little nephews(?) sharing a gun

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh spoiled what would have been a super retrieve behind the blind by stopping along the way in to peel and presumably eat its neck skin. (Looks like a botched wringing job.) Otherwise did fine and was good with the kids.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Not nearly enough birds to get the wee ones much shooting.

Kudos: Could have been worse.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 1 mallard, 1 ringneck, 3 shovelers and a yet to be determined number of decoys.

Photo Ops: Mike and company:




Lagniappe:

[DComeaux]

.......and a yet to be determined number of decoys.

We have a dozen in the back of the truck now for repair. Seems my cousin was hard on the spread last weekend.

[Rick]

I was calling water swats for the boys, and there was never a case of them pasting a decoy, instead of a bird. So for practical purposes, I did it.

[Rick]

Date: 11/26

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: chilly w/wind

Moon phase: 7% waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Better than it has been, presumably because of breeze and weekend hunters. Even some teal on our end of the marsh.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Pretty darn good.

Hunters: 2, father and grown son, Ed and Robbie

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh and I are still bumping heads over getting him past birds on the water to handle to distant blind retrieves of crips. But I'm not much better, as I waited too long to send him for a "dead" speck, he then tracked to and lost in open water to our south.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Given how other blinds within hearing were doing, I'm not complaining.

Kudos: Nice folks had a nice morning.

Birds By Species: 3 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 4 gw teal, 2 mallards, 1 ringneck, 3 shovelers and 4 wood ducks

Photo Ops: Robbie and Ed:

[DComeaux]

The mud hole, it's a special place.

[Rick]

Was a good one today. Tomorrow???

[Rick]

Date: 11/27

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy to clearing

Wind Direction and Velocity: easterly moderate, nil and back to moderate

Temperature: chilly to cool

Moon phase: 3% waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Little but local ducks to be seen high, low or sideways.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Got lucky tripping up mallards that had plainly been here a while and seen the elephant.

Hunters: 1, my guys got stuck on the wrong side of a bad wreck, so I took a guy Doug had promised a hunt. See "Lagniappe".

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh ate a long chipped-behind-the-blind ringneck's head and peeled its neck and took a peeling himself. But also did some mighty fancy search and tracking work on other birds we'd of had no chance of recovering. That, and people keep asking me what kind of mix breed he is.

Special Equipment: SOS but mainly off

Curses: Marsh woes.

Kudos: pretty morning

Birds By Species: 5 mallards, 3 ringnecks, 2 spoons and 1 speck

Photo Ops: One of three long, tipped mallards:


and a DOA speck:


Lagniappe: I'm not a religious person, but I am spiritual in a fashion and spend a fair bit of time thanking who or whatever God might be for my many blessings and asking help in becoming a more deserving son and servant and in brightening every path I cross. Had been negligent in that regard the past couple days and tried to catch up on my way to camp this morning.

So who was the first person seen as I did my traditional little soft shoe/jig through the door, but a fellow who sublets from Doug and been a genuine PIA, thorn in my side and worse. So much so that I finally flat told him I was through fooling with him and was soon telling him just what a dumb ass and how full of shit he was this morning, in just those words.

Then, when my scheduled hunters failed to show, I learned Doug was trying to appease the whiny bastage with a guided hunt and wished I'd do it. Which I "hell no"ed in front of he, God and all others assembled. Whereupon it finally occurred to me that I wasn't making that particular poorly lit path any brighter, pulled the bill of his hat down over his eyes, said, "Come on." and made a pleasant morning of it.

God's got a twisted sense of humor.

[Ericdc]

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[DComeaux]

Interesting hunt, I must say..... It had to be a bit awkward on the ride and in the blind, for a time anyway.

[Rick]

I'm just hoping I wasn't so damn pleasant that my phone starts ringing again.

[Deltaman]

At least you dressed him down and got that off your chest............and confirmed to him that he was an asshole People with abrasive personalities need to be put in their place, and probably the only humility they will experience because they tend to run over most folks. Now you've gone and made him a friend for life

[Rick]

Date: 11/28

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly to very

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to strong S

Temperature: warm

Moon phase: new?

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: One of those days when nothing seems to be moving, but enough do.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had to make due with local pond hoppers, but had pretty good luck with spinner off and off species calling.

Hunters: 2 regulars, father and grown son, Harold and Mark

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh upped the ante by tearing a chunk from a bluewing, so he and I got off to a very bad start. But, again, he proved super hunter, so we've a real love/hate thing going.

Special Equipment: killed spinner for most everything, big or little

Curses: Just my dog troubles.

Kudos: Harold and Mark were both on their shooting games and made the own hunt from next to nada.

Birds By Species: 4 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 1 gw teal, 1 mallard, 3 (hot damn) mottleds, 7 ringnecks and 1 shoveller

Photo Ops: One of our trophy mottleds:

[DComeaux]

3 (hot damn) mottleds

Must be some birds new to the area....Texas coast birds.

[Darren]

Blind limit of mottleds is a winner any day

[Rick]

3 (hot damn) mottleds

Must be some birds new to the area....Texas coast birds.

Had the motion shut down when the first pair got up where our mottleds stay out front and came on the deck with me just doing the occasional burrs I started when they were far and low enough to have me thinking "jacks". Bore down with a continuous series of burrs when they started to bug and, wonder of wonders, they kept coming all the way to the guns. (As they often do for continuous single quacks before learning that trick.) So I did the same with other mottleds, and a single apparently fell for it, too. But no bands, so we'll never know if they were OOSers visiting local relatives.

[Rick]

Took a roundabout route on my way to the Thornwell Warehouse for shells to check out a new area commercial camp and stumbled onto these exotics:






First blues I've seen on the ground this year - and it's nearly December.

[Rick]

Rick I may have asked before but don't you paint the underside of your mojo wings a darker color so when you shut it off it isn't white facing up?



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No. I've experimented with muting the white but could see no advantage to it.

What I do is run the old metal wings the weight of which hanging from their axle almost always stops with the wing below the axle. For some reason Mojo assembles them with the white against the axel and, subsequently, up when stopped, but they can be unbolted from the axle and reversed to be painted side against the axle and, subsequently, up when stopped. Which I do. Also repaint the dark side of the wings and bird to match the pond below, so the rig pretty much disappears from above when no spinning.

[Bud]

At least you dressed him down and got that off your chest............and confirmed to him that he was an **** People with abrasive personalities need to be put in their place, and probably the only humility they will experience because they tend to run over most folks. Now you've gone and made him a friend for life

I Corinthians 2:17
King James Bible
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

God knows what He is doing.....with us. Notice you were then blessed with mottled ducks....my favorites! Good reading, and great hunting.

[Rick]

Think the mottleds just came to see what the hey was wrong with me.

[Rick]

Date: 11/29

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: dense ground fog

Wind Direction and Velocity: southerly light to moderate to nil

Temperature: hot

Moon phase: n/a

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: We sat and looked at fog, while most blinds on broken marsh to our east banged at jacks following the water. Saw zero flight birds - if there were any up there. Took no shots at jacks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Killed everything that came by except a woodie that got up when I boated Marsh to where it went in down the way.

Hunters: 2, Doug, NAPA big wig that scratched the day before and Kent, the fellow who he was trying to stroke - but who, thankfully, has had some big hunts with me, going way back to the white spread days.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh didn't pluck a feather!!!

Special Equipment:

Curses: dead morning

Kudos: good conversation

Birds By Species: 1 gw teal and 2 mallards

Photo Ops: A mighty rare shining moment:

[DComeaux]

I dislike thick fog that stays too long.......

[Rick]

I'm fine with real fog, but ground fog is the debil at my blind, Clyde's blind just to my east is on the inside bend of a crescent of water the little ducks follow, and he had 18, nearly, if not, all jacks. Sucked to sit twiddling our thumbs while listening to that.

[Deltaman]

Rick, great picture of Marsh, and I am curious as to what brand and model of camera you are using??? the detail is incredible.

[Rick]

That shot was with a little Panasonic ZS-50 "travel zoom" that's small enough to have handy most anywhere in a small belt holster. Not the best, but almost always there.