Preseason...

Re: Preseason...

Postby Ericdc » Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:51 pm

Jarren wrote:I have a love hate relationship with pintail


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Yea those big mobs will circle forever it seems like. Just gotta watch for a few to drop out and be ready to shoot. We do better on them late in the year when they are pairing up.


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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Mon Oct 30, 2017 3:50 pm

Took an early ride to check out word of 10,000 specks, which didn't find, but there were a nice mess of them and a small body of blues scattered in pods along a mile or so long stretch of rough plowed fallow ground. And I found two bodies of blues in nearby freshly cut rice. This being the smaller but easier to film of the two:


Then it was off to the marsh for a "fun filled" day of pulling fourchettes on the flotant. Got everything I could find on the north side and the blind's island before crying "uncle" and turning to cutting any and everything along the main boat run that might end up being wind whipped into someone's eye.

Was only interrupted by the rush of wings one time, and that was a dandy big midday flight of pintails headed south to Comeaux's blind. We didn't have pecans for bird in our marsh, but some of that might be blamed on this fellow working it over:
016.JPG


Second one I've seen this week, though several miles apart.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Darren » Mon Oct 30, 2017 5:30 pm

Though far from biggest body ever, those sites and sounds hard to beat
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:01 am

Some specks, too, but most of those I saw were on rough plowed fallow ground - that day. Didn't pay close attention, but the rice shown will almost surely be crawfished and was probably cut with the water still on, making it a bonanza for those ibis, too.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:53 am

I really miss our little Canadas, their pass through SWLA was much too brief. Lucky to see some once or twice a season, at least where I've been hunting.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby aunt betty » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:14 am

For y'all that crave the Canada goose I'm really sorry but you're going to just have to accept that Effingham, Illinois is the new south as far as that species goes.

Three factors...
One. Illinois imported some giant Canada geese from the famous Minnesota flock and they do not migrate. They actually prevent the other subspecies from migrating as well.Those giant geese took over and are the locals that almost never leave.
Two. About the same time there were all these federal projects where lakes were constructed. The gubment thought it'd be a great idea to build refuges as well. Then of course they had to grow corn on them and just flood the corn seasonally.
(starting to get it?)
Three. No-till farm practices means there is grain laying on the ground pretty much everywhere in corn and bean country.

Come and see sometime. There are high dollar guides and such up here in "the new south".
Canton, Illinois is a good place to start.




Orrrr you can just go to the mall and do a jeff foiles on them. :lol:
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Re: Preseason...

Postby DComeaux » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:30 am

johnc wrote:One day before I die I would like to witness a Big Canada coming in---I have only seen that on TV



I got the opportunity for those a few years back in High Level Canada (Alberta), hunting pea fields. It was a wonderful experience, just seemed too easy. The large wads of ducks in a tornado dropping in over you in a dry field was almost overwhelming.... Drab, everything looking the same.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby aunt betty » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:50 am

Have shot enough Canadas to experiment around on cooking them.
Really the only way I like it is jerky. (but I love jerky)

Baked Canada goose is not very good. It will not impress anyone.
Smoked is good like roast beef if you eat it cold on sammiches. Warm? Not so good.
Slicing it thin and grilling is excellent. (like steak) Try marinading it.
Making gumbo or soup would work but that's my last resort kind of thing.

It's been quite a while since I trespassed to sneak onto a borrow pit and blast a pair of them. :clap:
Now that everyone has an obamaphone...
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby aunt betty » Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:23 am

Braidwood Hunt Club.
Try and get Malone or Cody Fink as your guide and you'll get to see the Canada geese up close.
Those two speak fluent Canada goose.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Ericdc » Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:27 am

Adding an avian x flocked Canada to the spread this year, mainly going to use as a yardage marker.

Buddy bought it for $5 at cabelas.

Not as cool as the flamingos but it’ll have to do.


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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:45 pm

johnc wrote:One day before I die I would like to witness a Big Canada coming in---I have only seen that on TV


When I lived in the Mid-Ohio Valley, most of what we shot were "giant" residents, and we'd land virtually all of them, then flush and shoot - as if killing a goose two feet off the ground was more sporting than on it. All God's little goose hunters should be right where they're landing at least once, and my favorite big Canada moment wasn't a sight but the sound of one's big flat feet going "Plop, plop, plop." right behind my head as a lay in a shallow dug-in depression covered with bean stubble.

Mom used Mom Magic and browning bags to make those big Canadas taste like good roast beef, but I was short on Mom Magic and usually ended up making BBQ sandwiches with them. (Crock pot the breasts and legs over night in cider, shred the meat and put it back in the pot with your favorite BBQ sauce and enough of the cider.broth to moisten to your taste and let it slow cook together while you go hunting again. When you get back the house will smell wonderful, and the sandwiches will be first rate.)
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:51 pm

Started my day off on a great note by calling a big flight of apparent new specks down from the heavens to where I was running the dogs. Then spoiled it, well, not really, by spending most of the next four hours slogging around on and through flotant in the marsh - but that chore's done. Also reground the floating sludge in my boat hide and cleared the dog's "backdoor" through the canes to the marsh south of our blind.

Didn't dawn on me until I got back to the boathouse that I had not seen a single duck. Not even headed for Comeaux's blind.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby DComeaux » Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:35 pm

Rick wrote:Didn't dawn on me until I got back to the boathouse that I had not seen a single duck. Not even headed for Comeaux's blind.


That's because there all on the water down there with mouths full of wigeon grass.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Tue Oct 31, 2017 5:32 pm

That, and in fresh floods up here. Dang good thing they'll at least traffic by our marsh when the shooting starts.

Really thought I'd at least see some more jacks, as they're what spends the most time with us. But not yet...
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Re: Preseason...

Postby DComeaux » Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:11 pm

Rick wrote:That, and in fresh floods up here. Dang good thing they'll at least traffic by our marsh when the shooting starts.

Really thought I'd at least see some more jacks, as they're what spends the most time with us. But not yet...


The mud hole will do it's thing, just like it does year after year. That little peninsula of marsh jutting out into the ag fields, it just don't get much better than that.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:11 am

A whole lot of folks are hoping so. Was a time, though, when it, too, could put on a serious pre-season bird show. But the 2010 and '11 drought years seem to have negated most of that. Would think we'll see some refuges from speck season after the weekend.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:21 am

Had coffee with Clark this morning, and he moved mallards in three or four places while in Cherry Ridge yesterday, so it should just be a matter of time before I see the first I can positively ID as such.

(Took advantage of the rainy morning to string the new mallard decoys that my painting procrastination cost me. Grrr...)
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Ericdc » Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:23 am

Rick wrote:Had coffee with Clark this morning, and he moved mallards in three or four places while in Cherry Ridge yesterday, so it should just be a matter of time before I see the first I can positively ID as such.

(Took advantage of the rainy morning to string the new mallard decoys that my painting procrastination cost me. Grrr...)


What kind did you buy?


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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:14 am

More Dakotas ("on sale" at Rogers). Not too happy with their current darker paint scheme, but my old ones have been great, just faded after six seasons in the sun - and until April one year. Still anxious to develop my airbrush and paint mixing skills to where I can do the old ones as I envision and go back to using them, instead.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:54 am

Got sidetracked, but meant to add that I think Dakotas may well be the only duck decoys with varied enough postures to perhaps make some difference on birds that are looking hard.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Ericdc » Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:01 am

Rick wrote:Got sidetracked, but meant to add that I think Dakotas may well be the only duck decoys with varied enough postures to perhaps make some difference on birds that are looking hard.


They do ride high. We aren’t really adding any more floaters this year, but we are adding more full body duck and goose decoys to help with visibility.


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Re: Preseason...

Postby Darren » Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:17 pm

Rick wrote:Got sidetracked, but meant to add that I think Dakotas may well be the only duck decoys with varied enough postures to perhaps make some difference on birds that are looking hard.


I really like the postures of the Dakotas but also the variety Avian X is offering as well.


Any youth hunters this weekend, Rick?
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:41 pm

One of our guys ran a largely Avian-X mallard spread last season, and you can't see 'em. Paint scheme is so dark it's dang near camouflage against the dark marsh water, which is why I'm not so keen on my new Dakota's darker paint scheme, either. That, and his spread rode with a lot of wind slap. Which is a shame, because the A-X teal I've been running seem to hold up well.
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Re: Preseason...

Postby Darren » Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:48 pm

Any young guns in the marsh this weekend?
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