2016-2017 Season Log

[Rick]

Never been afraid of an easterly wind of any sort - unless there have already been three or four days of it.

[aunt betty]

East wind.
Here it's a signal of good things to come. No school etc.
At least when there is a hump in the jet-stream like used to happen all the time back when we were kids. The winter storms that had east winds ahead of them were "time to wax the sled".
Eventually I figured out what it means to a duck hunter where I live up here in Yankeeopolis. (east side)
Ride the storm out and then they will come.
East wind in late-November?
Hook up the boat and fill up the tank. Get the propane heater ready.

[Ericdc]

Where do you live?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aunt betty]

In a duck desert. EAST-central Illinois.
Ducks do come thru here but they don't stay but a week or so.
aka:obama-land
It sucks I'd rather live anywhere with no liberals but it is what it is.
Was borned heer.
Home of the Fighting Illini.
Grumble...I mean Go Hogs!

There's a member named ASmythe that lives a bit north of me.

[Ericdc]

I would imagine anywhere but Chicago would be ok?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aunt betty]

I would imagine anywhere but Chicago would be ok?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It sure isn't like what it used to be.
There's talk of making Champaign County a sanctuary county. (the whole county)
Aw hell no! First it was Urbana (Champaign's twin-city and it's actually GAYbana) and it's fucking spreading.
Urbana is listed in the top 5 gay friendly communities in the USA.

[Ericdc]

Rick, how are things down that way? Has the recent big rains affected any of the farming?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

The flooding kept a lot of the guys jumping (to raise levees) and pumping, but on the whole, most seemed to come out alright without replanting. On our camp's ag land level, we had some setback of laser leveling projects that may or may not (given a dry summer/early fall) result in a blind or two or three or four in limbo or lost for the season. That we'll just have to see. (Know - or at least was told - we lost a three blind farm to one of the guys Doug sublet it to outbidding him for next season.)

[Ericdc]

Subletting = somebody's getting screwed.

Or seems that way

The crawfishing ponds, have they all been drained and planted in rice by now?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Some are still crawfishing for the market and some for seed crawfish for next year's ponds. Others are done for the year. It's not feasible to crawfish, even through peak Lent market, get the land dry and worked up in time for this year's rice.

Instead, crawfish are rotated with rice: this year's newly flooded rice fields are seeded with crawfish from current ponds to reproduce and be fished after the rice has been harvested. And this year's rice stubble crawfish ponds will eventually be dried and the ground worked and prepared as conditions allow for next spring's rice planting, which begins in March.

[Ericdc]

Some are still crawfishing for the market and some for seed crawfish for next year's ponds. Others are done for the year. It's not feasible to crawfish, even through peak Lent market, get the land dry and worked up in time for this year's rice.

Instead, crawfish are rotated with rice: this year's newly flooded rice fields are seeded with crawfish from current ponds to reproduce and be fished after the rice has been harvested. And this year's rice stubble crawfish ponds will eventually be dried and the ground worked and prepared as conditions allow for next spring's rice planting, which begins in March.

Oh I see. That makes sense.

I don't know much about crawfishing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Subletting = somebody's getting screwed.

As with any leasing, some get screwed and some don't. Many are afforded the chance to rent a single blind on land they couldn't otherwise access without renting the whole often unaffordable farm. Some of those many then put groups together to rent the whole place.

Aside from having met some good folks through it, I hate most everything about subletting.

[Darren]

Know that's all too often the game down there but hate to hear it from the perspective of trying to run a business and having blinds swiped out from under you. Unless these were all just subs and not kept for the camp?

Hoping all is back in place for us this year on our marsh piece from last, should know soon

[Rick]

Know that's all too often the game down there but hate to hear it from the perspective of trying to run a business and having blinds swiped out from under you. Unless these were all just subs and not kept for the camp?

Best I just don't think about the camp's sublet practices, much less put those thoughts in print.