2016-2017 Season Log

[Rick]

Date: 11/30

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: strong NNW

Temperature: chilly

Moon phase: n/a

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Might as well have been fogged in tight again, as we saw quite literally next to nothing workable. But there was a substantial HIGH flight out of the south much of the morning.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Our speck was shot but three or four feet from lit, but that was our highlight. When I managed to break high birds, they'd make a lap and apparently decide we weren't worth the effort of fighting the wind to get down.

Hunters: 2, Harold and Mark again.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): easy morning

Special Equipment: SOS with a lot of spinner experimentation that made no difference in how the high birds acted.

Curses: We were in the barrel.

Kudos: Everyone else in the marsh fared much better, with a couple blinds limiting.

Birds By Species: 1 gw teal, 1 shoveler and 1 speck

[Rick]

I'm half afraid to go this morning.

[Darren]

I'm half afraid to go this morning.

Nice and sunny, cool day at the mudhole.......I've got faith!

[Rick]

Date: 12/1

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: mid 40s to low 50s

Moon phase: 4% waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Had a much better working bird show than we'd been seeing of most everything early on but it fizzled.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Lord knows many tried to get in, but we had three callers in the blind and blew most out.

Hunters: 2, father and grown son, Loni and Lacey

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh lost a bird he tracked to open water to our south and couldn't track another past where it apparently went in, leading me to believe it either took off or dug into the flotant, because he's becoming quite the tracker.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Too many cooks...

Kudos: Wonderful folks and a fine time all the same.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 2 gw teal, 1 mallard, 1 pintail, 1 shoveler and 3 wood ducks

[Rick]

I'm half afraid to go this morning.

Nice and sunny, cool day at the mudhole.......I've got faith!

Should have gone much better than it did, but we'd still need to shoot very well to fill.

[Rick]

I'm half afraid to go this morning.

Hell I feel like that every hunt now--unless in a pit in NE Arkansas

'Spose there's a worse sound than the buzz of primaries when a group of specks blows out right overhead? Believe I'll be hearing it in my sleep tonight.

[Ericdc]

I'm half afraid to go this morning.

Hell I feel like that every hunt now--unless in a pit in NE Arkansas

'Spose there's a worse sound than the buzz of primaries when a group of specks blows out right overhead? Believe I'll be hearing it in my sleep tonight.

That is the WORST sound


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[Ericdc]

How was their calling Rick? Non complementary I assume?


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[Rick]

They may be criticizing my calling as I type, and it could be they felt I was stepping on what they were trying to accomplish. But they'd generally join in with a lot of indisciminate, to my ear, calling after I'd broken birds down and was trying to use reflex turns to shape the birds' flight to finish out front and center, which entails giving them auditory, as well as physical, space to go over and get out to where a turn would give them a good approach between calls hard enough to spur a turn. And it was my impression the resulting racket was blowing our birds out.

[Darren]

Rick,

Do a lot of folks insist on calling? If I'm paying to be "guided", I'm going to be guided, and have always felt said guide, regardless of location, knows their spot and their birds' patterns better than I and that I should let them do all calling unless requested otherwise. I rarely see you mention guests calling in the log entries, and know I've only called with you when you were off on a crip chase.

[Ericdc]

Yea I've got new guys in the lease this year that do a lot of what I call "public timber calling" and it's just not what the ducks working the rice seem to like. Especially on calmer type days. Even on big wind days I prefer quacks over feed. I will hail on them, but once they're broke and working I let the decoys do the work and just call to get them where I want them.


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[Rick]

Rick,

Do a lot of folks insist on calling?

No, it's pretty rare. But I figure it's their hunt, and if that's what floats their boat...

Then, too, there's always the chance that someone will come along who I can learn something from. Always a treat to hunt someone else's blind and see how they do things.

[Rick]

Date: 12/2

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy, partly, cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly fairly strong

Temperature: cool to chilly in wind

Moon phase: small

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Started off looking good, then dropped to nothing. Again leaving wondering if birds weren't waiting on the wet front. Was one hunt better than ours with 12, but the whole marsh struggled badly.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Birds worked well during the brief period they flew, and I can only blame myself for not calling a shot on a big bunch of "close enough" grays I wanted to finish for a big kill - only to have them banged out by others' shooting on final approach. Greed got me.

Hunters: 2, Mark, a regular, and Mike

Guns:

Malfunctions: just my greed

Dog(s): Marsh had a good morning, though Mike called him "a peculiar looking little dog". Told him Marsh's dad was a basenji that raped a coyote, and he agreed that would explain it.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: just yet another slow morning

Kudos: Good guys made a pleasant morning out of what could have been a very long one.

Birds By Species: 2 gadwall, 3 gw teal, 3 mallards and 1 ringneck

[Ericdc]

Date: 12/2

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy, partly, cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly fairly strong

Temperature: cool to chilly in wind

Moon phase: small

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Started off looking good, then dropped to nothing. Again leaving wondering if birds weren't waiting on the wet front. Was one hunt better than ours with 12, but the whole marsh struggled badly.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Birds worked well during the brief period they flew, and I can only blame myself for not calling a shot on a big bunch of "close enough" grays I wanted to finish for a big kill - only to have them banged out by others' shooting on final approach. Greed got me.

Hunters: 2, Mark, a regular, and Mike

Guns:

Malfunctions: just my greed

Dog(s): Marsh had a good morning, though Mike called him "a peculiar looking little dog". Told him Marsh's dad was a basenji that raped a coyote, and he agreed that would explain it.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: just yet another slow morning

Kudos: Good guys made a pleasant morning out of what could have been a very long one.

Birds By Species: 2 gadwall, 3 gw teal, 3 mallards and 1 ringneck

Rick I always try to let the big groups finish and most of the guys that hunt with me are of the same mind. I just hate wasting a good bunch to only kill 1 or 2.


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[Ducaholic]

We all want the perfect finish but truth be told if we shot more on the first good pass we'd likely kill more over all.

[Rick]

Had there been more shooting within earshot, I'd not have taken then chance. But there wasn't, and the birds were buying in so completely until...well, there was.

[Ericdc]

It's the memories of when they do it right that keep me going.


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[Ducaholic]

Had there been more shooting within earshot, I'd not have taken then chance. But there wasn't, and the birds were buying in so completely until...well, there was.

Not second guessing you Rick. I would have done the same. Just saying in my opinion that first good pass is often the best pass and lots of good ops are lost waiting on them to drop in to the spot we had in mind when we set the blocks.

[Rick]

Wouldn't mind if it was second guessing. Working birds is my vice, and I know it costs my hunters who shoot well (which those did) some birds. But I can't seem to help myself, as I seem to "one more pass" us out of game at some point most mornings. Just bugs me more when it's slow like yesterday.

Anxious to see what, if anything, this morning's wind and rain sends our way...

[Darren]

Wouldn't mind if it was second guessing. Working birds is my vice, and I know it costs my hunters who shoot well (which those did) some birds. But I can't seem to help myself, as I seem to "one more pass" us out of game at some point most mornings. Just bugs me more when it's slow like yesterday.

Anxious to see what, if anything, this morning's wind and rain sends our way...

Just got down to the camp, light rain and gusty here but radar shows a big mess west of you. Good luck and be safe

[Rick]

[quote="Rick"]Right up front (where it's easy for me to copy), here is the template I will be using:

Date: 12/3

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: peeing rain sideways much of the morning

Wind Direction and Velocity: screaming from the east all morning

Temperature: low 50s, but cold for those unprepared for wind and rain

Moon phase: n/a

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: not nearly what we generally expect on a first day of rain (which has me worried for tomorrow) but better than it's been

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Those that were low enough to not have to fight too much wind getting down, wanted to work.

Hunters: 3, father, son and father's buddy: John, Justin and ?

Guns:

Malfunctions: Maneuvering the boat around the little pothole without wiping out the spread made me feel like a complete novice operator.

Dog(s): Marsh isn't much on taking direction these days, but flat tears up the marsh and doesn't miss much, if anything, that doesn't make it to open water.

Special Equipment: A spinner wing needs replaced, as wind has it cracked nearly in two. Pretty much literally flapping in the wind.

Curses: Two of the three guys weren't well dressed for the weather, and none of the three was experienced enough to shoot well in it. That, and we got caught a lot.

Kudos: Nice folks who still seemed to manage a good time.

Birds By Species: 3 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 3 gw teal, 2 mallards, 5 ringnecks and 2 shovellers

[Rick]

Went back to the marsh this afternoon to get a boat running that was inop this morning, replace my broken whirligig wing and redo the blind cover this morning's crew flattened, and I found the east end absolutely loaded with ringnecks that got up like black birds in places. But there were very few big ducks with them, and one has to wonder if the little devils have the guys patterned...

[Rick]

Date: 12/4

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy with intermittent rain early

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE to E moderate to stronger

Temperature: Found ourselves shedding clothes when wind went east.

Moon phase: n/a

Special Notes: last morning of first split

Waterfowl Activity: Finally had a greenwing day!

Waterfowl Responsiveness: We were too big of a mess for most big ducks, but the teal didn't care and came pretty to lots of kacking.

Hunters: 3, same as yesterday: John, son Justin and John's buddy George

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh was passing dead birds on the pond when told to and handling to distant chipped ones.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Was going to sit out this morning's shooting and wait to shoot with friend on the split's end "after" hunt, but so little was falling early on, that I joined in and missed shooting with Bobby later.

Kudos: Got to enjoy a jam-up teal shoot.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 21 gw teal, 1 pintail and 1 wigeon

[Ericdc]

Awesome, we killed 6 teal yesterday and I hope we get some "jam up" shoots in the 2nd split. Absolutely love them little dudes.


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