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Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:03 am
by aunt betty
The rule for hedge trimmers is keep both hands attacked to the tool.
John N violated that rule and paid for it with a finger.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:08 am
by Rick
Some guys use them here, too, but I'm too picky about my canes for bulk cutting and find angled, knife cut ends handy for sticking them in root and spent hull bound ground around the blind.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:34 am
by aunt betty
I never cut anything because it's public. (in general)
When people do cut stuff they leave freaking punji stakes that are hard on waders and dog paws.
About half my public venues have it in the rules where you can not possess anything meant for trimming so I just don't do it.

Gave up private back 3 or maybe it was 4 seasons ago after the Smilin' Mallard fiasco.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 2:21 pm
by Rick
Dogs and I went for a ride in the marsh this morning and found our boat resting on "bottom" in its boathouse slip. Still made it out without much strain, but could be screwed without rain before we try it with hunters. Knocked down a lot of floating black dirt in the pond, but that, too, may see "bottom" issues without rain.

Noted more over-spray kill than expected with my little 2 gallon sprayer but am generally pleased with how that experiment seems to be going, and may very well expand it to include another of the neighboring cane clumps with the help of tomorrow's winds.

Also noted a plenty big enough gator in the run between Clyde's blind and mine. Grrr...

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 3:26 pm
by Darren
Ain't that some BS; all that rain a while back, flooded roads and all. How does it actually leave your marsh? controlled at all?

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 3:34 pm
by Rick
It overflows the IC spoil bank in places in high water, but there's also an open run to the location canal, the story behind which is a doozy best not put in print.

Given MB and DC's high marshes, it's just more proof that the great philosopher Rosanna Anna Dana was right, "If it ain't one thing, it's another."

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:13 am
by Rick
Back in the marsh this morning, I was diddy-bopping around on the flotant, thinking myself on a nice solid patch when I broke through to the "Cabela's" label on my waders. So I guess the marsh is still pretty deep around the Mudhole - and know it's not all that easy to get back up on top without filling said waders at that depth.

Still haven't seen or heard a speck, but am hearing reports of them in Thornwell and SW of Gueydan. Was even told where some have been hanging out daily, but looking them up seems too much like cheating. Maybe tomorrow...

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:52 pm
by Darren
Speck hunting before the hunting! Glad you made out OK with the marsh mishap, and also thankful my marsh's "land" is land when I hear these stories.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:29 am
by Rick
My making it out intact was never an issue, but my wallet, phone and camera's fate was touch and go. Turns out a 2gal sprayer bottle doesn't offer nearly the leverage of the gator stick, weedeater or even flat bottomed 5-gallon bucket that's usually at hand when I break through. Cheap reminder, in any event, to leave my perishables in the boat when thinning the blind island canes and pulling fourchettes for the dog before the big season.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:53 am
by Rick
In other news, I've assembled a list of flat marine enamel decoy paints to be ordered this morning.

Been having a little sand blaster and airbrush, both still in unopened packaging, for a couple or three or four years, but it's gotten to be time that I really, really need to learn to use them - or buy more decoys, of which I've already far more (with shot paint) than I'm apt to ever use again.

Have already at least learned that a pressure washer is a sweet first step prep tool, and am hoping that more thorough preparation will yield appreciably longer lasting results than I experience with repainting some of my G&H pintails a couple years ago. Despite using Rustoleum paints that are held in high regard for that purpose by many, wire brushing, acetone wiping and clear flat Krylon top-coating, the hens only held up for a season and the drakes for two.

Current plan is pressure washing, sandblasting, handling with gloves, flame-flashing, acetone wipe, plastic primer, paint and clear topcoat. And if that don't do it...well, we'll see...

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:08 am
by DComeaux
Sounds like a lot of time consuming work.... Much easier to open a box, dump em out, and tie strings with weights.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:20 am
by Rick
That's Plan B. Again.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:22 am
by Ericdc
Rick wrote:That's Plan B. Again.


You don’t use a whole lot of decoys though right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:44 am
by aunt betty
Was about to share my decoy painting tips but after thinking about it I better pass.
Comparing my garage-kept daily-use decoys to ones that get left out for weeks is why.

The guys at the club treat them with a special fire treatment and then buy a box of new ones bought with money they got from customers. :lol:

Lately I've been into flocking my mallards. They glow but I'm not sure it helps.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:08 am
by Rick
Ericdc wrote:You don’t use a whole lot of decoys though right?


Mostly poule d'eau. But planning to redo close to 2 dozen mallards and a mess of specks. (The later of which I've been "going to" paint for ten or so years...)

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:34 am
by Rick
Finally heard, saw and even kinda sorta worked some specks in Klondike this morning. First few were HIGH and showed no response whatsoever to my call. Next bunch was much bigger, high and far enough I didn't know if they'd hear me at all, but six broke and drug the others my way. Had the six locked and dropping, but when the bunch kept on going, they went with them. (Might have has something to do with the man and dogs on the grass road below, too.)

Still great fun and a chance to test yesterday's toneboard work on the poly Riceland living in my pocket this time of year.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:02 am
by DComeaux
I miss those.

After seeing what was up in Arkansas yesterday I figured it'd be just short, short while before you'd posted that.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 11:44 am
by Darren
"Speck day in Klondike!", well at least sorta kinda it sounds like.

Looks like that was on Oct 21 last year, Oct 14 year before which coincided with a Mandeville area "speck day" of sorts; I was figuring that this Monday or Tues coming would be your big day with the front on tap

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 12:19 pm
by Rick
Far from what I've been calling "speck day," when they seem all over the place, but a start.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 2:42 pm
by Ducaholic
DComeaux wrote:Sounds like a lot of time consuming work.... Much easier to open a box, dump em out, and tie strings with weights.



More time for :beer:

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 2:44 pm
by Ducaholic
Rick wrote:Far from what I've been calling "speck day," when they seem all over the place, but a start.



Look up Monday Tuesday Wednesday...Nice cool snap on the way!

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 6:56 am
by Rick
Ducaholic wrote:
Rick wrote:Far from what I've been calling "speck day," when they seem all over the place, but a start.



Look up Monday Tuesday Wednesday...Nice cool snap on the way!


Making the wild-assed assumption that that front will actually make it, I'd think the likely vehilcle for Speck Day.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:15 am
by Rick
While Speck Day remains spec(k)ulation, today is definitely going to be Patch Day at my place. Finished pressure washing the crud and loose paint off all the Mudhole's duck and coot decoys yesterday (then, after the tiresome fact, ordered a wandless sprayer) and was surprised to see I've more shot coots than solid ones. Guess I'd gotten lazy about repairing them as they were shot and just let them pile up. On the plus side, there aren't but a couple or three boogered duck decoys - albeit because I tuck most of them close to the blind and under the line of fire and in the supposed-to-be "No Fire" zone to the right of the whirligig.

Sure be nice if everyone other than the young and old folks I intentionally cut loose on targets among them would cut the decoys some slack. (Thinking now of a hen mallard someone absolutely centered next to the spinner pole during teal season...)

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:53 am
by Rick
Patch Day turned into Push Pole Day when a POS motor the boss got a deal on returned from the shop trying to salvage it, and Ed and I took it for a "quick" test run in the marsh. In their defense, the shop expressed concern over the long term well being of the Kohlar's fuel pump, as well as wonder that the little prop someone had stuck on a non-stainless replacement shaft would push anything.

Turned out it was, in fact, "The Little Prop that Could Not," and the fuel pump question was answered as we were putting along at full throttle coming out of Ed's pond and it, or something new and just as exciting, called it quits. Was dumb of me to leave the boathouse without a second boat, so I grabbed the pole.

Did get out in time to still get the decoy patching that could be done with a soldering iron done but not that requiring 3M 5200 - due to an LSU game break that brightened my day considerably. (Way too soon for the LSU "faithful" to be calling for Coach O's head.)

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:33 am
by aunt betty
Have needed rescuing a couple times. First I build a big ass fire on the bank where no fires are allowed. Figure a GW will show up lickety split when I start breakin the laws.
That never works but he will show up the very next day sniffing around with his ticket book.

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:52 am
by Rick
Better morning this morning. Hoping to encounter some specks when it broke, the dogs and I were out in the fog when we encountered this fellow in a place I can hunt (albeit along with who knows how many others):

005.JPG


Would have been a much better pic had I not had to "No! Leave it!" the bug who was chasing it. Was his first deer encounter, and he was, in fact, good enough to stop.

Also saw a nice little mess of mixed ducks, mostly teal and spoons, but at least a few grays, too:

007.JPG

Re: Preseason...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 4:52 pm
by Rick
Have to click on it twice to get it big enough to see on my PC. The deer had run toward me, then stopped cold not 40yds away to pose until the bug came bounding up and forced the decision between deer breaking and picture taking. Camera is a little "point and shoot, travel zoom" I carry in a belt case, but I didn't have time to zoom.

Finally finished Patch Day festivities around the Saints game, which was a hoot in a high school football sort of way.