Season log

[Ericdc]

Yes on the low end. I have been blowing the smaller bored acrylic RNT speck which sounds great on it's limited range, have had a few issues with guts coming loose and it sticking on me.


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[Rick]

Gettin' serious up in here.

[Ericdc]

Gettin' serious up in here.

Been hearing too many sound clips I can't replicate with my little call.


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[Darren]

Lot of birds! Going to get ice this weekend?

[Ericdc]

Yea our field will freeze next 2 nights. Hopefully we'll have plenty around on 17th


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[Rick]

Gettin' serious up in here.

Been hearing too many sound clips I can't replicate with my little call.


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Three of the five most successful speck callers I've known are still running small-gutted calls - but that still hasn't stopped me from trying most every magic flute to come down the road.

[Ericdc]

Gettin' serious up in here.

Been hearing too many sound clips I can't replicate with my little call.


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Three of the five most successful speck callers I've known are still running small-gutted calls - but that still hasn't stopped me from trying most every magic flute to come down the road.

The RNT will still be on the lanyard. Feel like I have the best of both worlds now.


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[Ericdc]

The split is a good time to spend with your lady before it gets going again.

Brought the pooch too



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[Rick]

I'm all for cozying up to your sweety and hanging with your dog, but it looks like you did jail time together.

[Ericdc]

I'm all for cozying up to your sweety and hanging with your dog, but it looks like you did jail time together.

Haha, just wanted to get a few pics of Amos in front of the old downtown police station.


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[Ericdc]

2016-17 season totals

First split

7 mallards
17 Gadwall
3 Pintail
23 Shovelers
15 Green winged teal
1 Ring neck
1 wood duck
12 Specks

67 ducks
12 specks

12 Hunts




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[Ericdc]

Went up to the farm this afternoon to freshen up the grass on our pit, and pump a few inches of water out so it would be below the grates we stand on. Few ducks in our field but while we were pumping a good many wanted to come in. Mostly gadwall, mallards, and teal. Big rice field south of us where next blind is on farm had a pretty good herd of teal on it. No geese on our farm, but a big body of them west of us about 5 miles. Got our water level fixed now just how I like it, just enough to float a decoy and make FB duck decoys look realistic. Had good help from my sweetie.





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[Ericdc]

Excited about opening weekend and the big transition in weather we'll see Saturday through Monday. Partner was on the farm at sunset this evening and reports lots of ducks and geese moving around. Very good reports from public ground in Monroe area, including lots of mallards.

Hoping Sunday will be a hunt to remember and will be picky that morning. Our temps will barely get above freezing Sunday with sunny skies by mid morning and stiff north winds.

Our plan for Monday is to get to the blind around 10 am, make some open water unless wind kept some open for us. Expecting 19-21 degrees Monday morning, but the temp should get above freezing by 10-11 am. Forecast calls for sunshine and a 10 mph north wind. Hoping birds will be moving around midday looking for food. Have had success with these hunts before but they are always usually in January.

Hoping the strong winds tomorrow and Sunday will have the geese flying lower than normal and eager to get down.

Main thing is staying safe, warm, and dry and enjoying God's creation with good friends. Hope I'll have good hunts to report.


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[Rick]

Good luck to y'all

That.

[Ericdc]

Date: dec 17 2nd split opener

Time: left at 10:15

Location: pit cloud

Cloud Cover: mostly clear to mostly cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: 15 mph to well over 20 SSW sustained with gusts a lot better

Temperature: hot 70's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: too much wind, same ducks as first split

Waterfowl Activity: decent

Waterfowl Responsiveness: wouldn't work in wind

Hunters: Eric ridge Stuart Glynn

Guns:

Malfunctions: my magazine tube spring might be getting bad

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos: good company

curses: I didn't call the shot on a good group of teal and messed up our best chance to kill more.

Birds By Species: 3 green winged teal

Photo Ops: nah



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[aunt betty]

Mag spring. Probably not bad. Take it apart and run something thru the magazine and see how cruddy it is.
Mine was giving me the blues until I cleaned it really well then oiled it. It'd work fine until I wanted to unload and then had issues. Was a symptom of a future "fail to shoot" so I started cleaning.
Now it works like new. If it makes you feel better put a new spring in. Can't be more than 8 or 10 bucks.

[Ericdc]

It's cruddy. Going to try to clean this afternoon. Spring catching inside tube


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[Ericdc]

Date: dec 18

Time: hunted till 1 pm

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: partly to mostly to clear by 11

Wind Direction and Velocity: 15-25 North

Temperature: hovering around 32 until 11 or so when it rose a few degrees

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: high hopes were immediately met when 4 gadwalls came straight in at shooting time but quickly fell some as we saw the rest of the ducks weren't as eager to finish. Sooo many specks almost in range but hung up in wind and slid off..not one buzzed or flared.

Waterfowl Activity: lots and lots of high ducks heading south, big waves of snows, and more specks than yesterday
Working ducks came from south. on big north winds when new ducks come through they seem to make a big loop around farm and make their way back to me on north end of farm lower and ready to work. Mostly pintails with a few mallards and decent gadwall showing.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: gadwalls responded best, mallards ok, pintails did their own thing, specks would break from pretty high...especially later in morning when sun came out. Really enjoyed blowing at em with new redbone and watching them break. Teal and spoons came pretty.

Hunters: me, ridge who left at 9:30, and dakota who had to leave at 10:20 for work. I stayed till 1

Guns:

Malfunctions: ridges beretta hung up a few times on our best early opps and cost us some birds on his end, some oil seemed to fix it. My magazine spring is fine, just had some crud on inside of tube causing it to catch. I also had a misfire on a pintail drake. Gun did it's job, shell didn't.

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 3 Mojos on remote

Kudos: saw birds all morning till about 12:30, teal in decoys at 11:40 always a treat. Redbone has more range for windy day speck flights.

curses: after others left I whiffed on 4 gads right in the hole and missed on 2 specks that had their backs to me looking at decoys. Also had some should have shots because I was trying to get them in just right...since I was alone.

Birds By Species: 3 gadwall 2 green winged teal 1 mallard 1 pintail 1 speck

Photo Ops:

Ridge


Late morning teal


Cold

Bonus: buddy had good shoot at his brake north of Monroe.



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[Ericdc]

Date: dec 19

Time: hunted until 1 pm

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NNE 10-15 mph (perfect)

Temperature: 24 at daylight and about 32 by noon

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: my hopes of pond not freezing due to wind blowing all night were just that, hopes. We were frozen pretty hard. Got the water on south side of blind churned up and a good pocket open by 8:30 by riding in circles for 10 minutes and letting wind do the rest of the work. North side never thawed.

Waterfowl Activity: decent duck flight early but all high.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: ducks very poor other than the pair of wigeon that came pretty. Specks very good

Hunters: Eric garrison and shack

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: Mojos on remote

Kudos: specks worked pretty to a half frozen pond with frozen duck decoys.

curses: disappointing duck flight, yesterday was the best duck day, we just didn't do our part.

Birds By Species: 6 specks 2 wigeon

Photo Ops:

Icy sunrise

Imagine crashing on ice hurts



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[Ericdc]

Limit of specks is always a good hunt


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Yea, had a good time calling and watching them work today. Had 3 groups of 20 plus get in range, not perfect but decent and we picked a few each time.

Considering most of our pond was solid ice, I was very pleased.


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[Ericdc]

Date: Dec 22

Time: hunted till 1:15

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: partly cloudy to clear by 8:30

Wind Direction and Velocity: light N to 10-15 mph NNE

Temperature: 40's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: finally got to bring long time friend Perry and Jonas who was a little dude last time I saw him. Was able to put some specks feet down for them, their first specks.

Waterfowl Activity: started off ok then got pretty slow

Waterfowl Responsiveness: specks decent, ducks were mighty stubborn, which was disappointing given then pretty sunshine and perfect wind

Hunters: Eric Todd Perry Jonas

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): perry's dog moon did great and got to haul her first 3 specks.

Special Equipment: 2 Mojos on remote

Kudos: first speck came as pretty as you'd want.

curses: lots of mallards but they couldn't be bothered.

Birds By Species: 3 specks 3 gadwall 2 mallards

Photo Ops:





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[DComeaux]

Nice hunt! I can't wait to get out there.

[Ducaholic]

Thanks Eric...It was a blast!

[aunt betty]

It's cruddy. Going to try to clean this afternoon. Spring catching inside tube


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Mine was doing the same thing. The only symptom was that when I tried to unload the gun the shells would hang up and not do what they're supposed to do. Something about the recoil of when you shoot helps prevent these hang-ups. Once I cleaned it spotless and oiled it with some sewing machine oil it started performing exactly the way it's supposed to.
Finicky little assembly there. No like dirt especially the gooey kind that forms from the powder residue.
Speaking of that...them cheap winchester xpert shells are DIRTY!

[Ericdc]

Date: dec 23

Time: hunted till noon

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: mostly clear to mostly cloudy and back and forth

Wind Direction and Velocity: dead calm to light E to 7 mph SE

Temperature: 38 and warming up quick

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: hunted with my cousins, one of whom pitches for LSU

Waterfowl Activity: seems a lot of our specks have left and what few are left are wise. Mostly localized ducks have become very tough. Mostly mallards and pintail

Waterfowl Responsiveness: specks would break but lack of wind and they'd leave. Mallards still pretty stubborn.

Hunters: Eric John Will Reese

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 2 Mojos on remote

Kudos: hunted with cousins

curses: couldn't put them on any specks and missed 2 mallard drakes we should have killed, although 1 took a load with him. Got caught working specks and had 4 teal come right through decoys.

Birds By Species: 2 pretty green winged teal drakes

Photo Ops:

Deer in decoys



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[Ericdc]

Date: dec 24

Time: hunted till 8:30

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: SSW 10-15

Temperature: 60's...I sweated

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: fun hunt with me and my nephew

Waterfowl Activity: we have no new ducks on farm or coming through. Locals plainly know the game. Thankfully specks returned and wanted to play.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: specks very good to yodels and clucks then let decoys do the work.

Hunters: Eric and Colin ( who everyone says looks like me haha, but he's my wife's side blood relative)

Guns: Colin shot my first gun. Old mossberg 20 gauge pump, and it had some stored up venom for being closeted for over a decade.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: pulled Mojos since ducks weren't moving, specks didn't like them even though they were off.

Kudos: landed 10 specks right outside duck decoys and in front of speck decoys (25-30 yards)

curses: if any, maybe a full blind to share the speck action with.

Birds By Species: 4 specks

Photo Ops:




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[DComeaux]

Got to love those specks!