2017-2018 Season Log

Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:50 am

Rick wrote:Nothing "new" but still sweet, sweet, sweet.


Nice NE wind up here this morning that we’ve been missing since teal season began. At least feels like fall.


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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:30 am

Date: 9/28 Thur

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: zip to nil Easterly(?) to light NE when I was working on the big spinner after

Temperature: warm

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Still no push of new birds high or low, and the other blinds were slow. But enough of what's around came my way to finish in an hour.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Fine when I was in the blind but for crap when gator concerns has us in the boat. Don't think there's been a single bird killed while I was in the boat this year, while we've killed a bunch of teal with me in the pond and just holding still in the past. Perhaps attributable to smarter stale birds?

Hunters: Just "the bug" (Marsh) and I. (Well just us and those other bugs - which remain exceptionally thick at the blind, seeming to thrive on both permethrin and Yard Guard.)

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Been proud of my boy's marking (which seems a whole lot weaker in training) and hunting instincts. He's a fine hand.

Special Equipment: SOS Have been bothered by a resonant sound from the big spinner when run really fast, and finally thought about the possibility of it coming from the hollow 1/2 metal conduit the Mojo's stand slides down over. Taped over the end the spinner sits on, and that did the trick. Between that and the muffled battery door, it's now virtually silent at any speed.

Curses: Only that yesterday's guys hadn't come this morning - though it still may not have been enough birds for a man who quit over steel and son just starting out to kill something.

Kudos: Enjoyed not having to produce and being able to take the shots I wished.

Birds By Species: 6 bw teal (4 drakes and 2 hens, which I'd guess close to our ratio to date, but this was the first time I actually counted)

Photo Ops: The bug's been a blessing:
005.JPG

021.JPG


Lagniappe: Was just "our turn" today.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:31 am

Ericdc wrote:
Rick wrote:Nothing "new" but still sweet, sweet, sweet.


Nice NE wind up here this morning that we’ve been missing since teal season began. At least feels like fall.


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Felt a bit of it here after I'd finished and was out working on the spinner. But wiped sweat from my brow a time or two earlier, so it's not fall here yet.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Deltaman » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:35 am

Congrats on a fine hunt Rick, it was well deserved!
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so"
Mark Twain
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 12:05 pm

Yesterday was just "our turn in the barrel" and today "our turn" outside it. Spoke to Ed, another of the four guides out there this morning, a little while ago, and despite being in what was once my choice of ponds for teal, he was struggling until joining up with Gabe, who'd been having a pretty tough go at his blind prior to this morning. Gabe ended up with 6 and Ed with 4 by the time they were done. Just how it fell today.

Tomorrow???
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:30 pm

Hadn't kept a bird for the house until today, and plucking them reminded me of the really good thing about stale birds in rice country: they're fat.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:36 pm

Rick wrote:Hadn't kept a bird for the house until today, and plucking them reminded me of the really good thing about stale birds in rice country: they're fat.


Opening weekend birds were really fat except the 2 young birds. Love when they are plump and fat. Really pretty when you pluck em.


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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby aunt betty » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:39 pm

Rick wrote:Hadn't kept a bird for the house until today, and plucking them reminded me of the really good thing about stale birds in rice country: they're fat.

And that's why my wife don't complain about me traveling to the ducks. First Arkansas green heads she saw she said how fat they are. She actually likes cleaning, cooking, and eating them.
When she figures out I ain't shot shit in two years and the freezers empty I'm in trouble.
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:48 pm

aunt betty wrote:She actually likes cleaning, cooking, and eating them.


Hmmm...my Sweet Chereaux hasn't picked a teal in years (and literally laughed the only time I asked her if she wanted help with specks), and thinking on it, I've done all of our bird cooking in recent years. But she still eats the heck out of 'em. Bones are ready for Smithsonian display when she's finished with one.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby aunt betty » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:55 pm

Like duck commander said "you gotta marry a 17-year old". (I think he said 16)
Marry one like that an she'll pick your ducks. Wait til she's twenty to marry her and she'll pick your pockets.
:lol:
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:11 pm

aunt betty wrote:Like duck commander said "you gotta marry a 17-year old". (I think he said 16)
Marry one like that an she'll pick your ducks. Wait til she's twenty to marry her and she'll pick your pockets.
:lol:


Doesn’t hurt if they are poor either


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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby aunt betty » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:34 pm

You guys have no idea how lucky I was when it came to finding the right woman. She found me one day.
(it was 37 years ago)

The bayou bottoms boys couldn't handle it because they're all miserable when it comes to women. (sad)
They sensed something was different about me and picked at it for a whole duck season.
Am spoiled rotten. (and I know it)
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:43 pm

Rick wrote:Hadn't kept a bird for the house until today, and plucking them reminded me of the really good thing about stale birds in rice country: they're fat.



Greasy is what I call em...The ones we've cleaned were plump and full.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:42 pm

aunt betty wrote:Like duck commander said "you gotta marry a 17-year old". (I think he said 16)
Marry one like that an she'll pick your ducks. Wait til she's twenty to marry her and she'll pick your pockets.
:lol:


We were both 41 and had been through enough crap to know how small things like who cleans game or most often cooks were when we met. I could hardly feel more blessed in all the import regards and hope she feels at least a little likewise.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby aunt betty » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:45 pm

In the name of humor I implied that I married a teenager. Sorry. It's not true but I was enjoying the benefits like we were. :mrgreen:
The truth is we lived together until I was 25 and she was 22. It took me over 5 years to get her to decide she wanting a ring and the marriage license.
By then she was already pickin' ducks.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Fri Sep 29, 2017 12:05 pm

Date: 9/29 Fri

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Wind, glorious NE wind, strong enough to feel great and blow the mosquitoes out when the Thermacell warmed up.

Temperature: comfortably cool

Moon phase: waxing 58%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Nothing "new" appearing, but enough around to make the first hour of so interesting.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully good, though the only high bunch we saw kept going after breaking down like they were going to come around. Wind helped line finishing birds up pretty.

Hunters: 2, Jay and Paul, who'd hunted with me on last year's last teal day after making a White Lake (Amaco Club) marsh lottery hunt the day before. This year they'd won another there, only for the last day.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Only one flotant bird, a "still going" maybe behind the blind, but Marsh came up with it pretty quickly.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Might have done better if I'd started holding Paul's gun down on too-fast passes sooner: "Thought my sling was caught on something." Pretty common for folks to want to jump the gun when teal surprise us, but he was so programed to try whatever came by that, even when we saw them coming, my "Let these pass." wasn't enough. Or he may just not have trusted me to bring them back around...

Kudos: Nice guys had a nice time. They're from SELA and have been having an even tougher teal season than ours.

Birds By Species: 10 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Fri Sep 29, 2017 2:11 pm

I had no idea that field could be rented. Was ours until Dixie was sold, and that's the first of heard of the new owner leasing anything out.

Been passing there everyday and hadn't noticed ducks, let alone specks. But those feeling my head's up my arse may be right...
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:28 pm

That's as I thought. Have it in my head part is plowed and part flooded, but really haven't paid attention beyond noting that the teal didn't seem to be staying in the flooded part.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:48 am

Date: 9/30 Sat

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: perfect

Moon phase: 68% waxing

Special Notes: last morning of September teal

Waterfowl Activity: Heard the most shooting since opening weekend from the rice starting pretty early, while no one was apparently seeing anything in our marsh of Cherry Ridge's for what seemed a long time. But eventually scattered ops started showing, including one really sweet bunch my anxious crew bumped. Still no show of high/"new" birds. However, we later learned nine specks flew over Gabe's blind.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Excellent, when we let them. Pretty much just the ticket for my guys.

Hunters: 2, father and son from Wed's scratch.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The bug was jam-up with the exception of not initially finding one I thought surely down on the flotant. Had him make another pass at the area at hunt's end, and he found it, too.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Could either wish for more chances or better crowd control on some of those we had...

Kudos: But I really thankful for the chance to offer my guys a lot more opportunity than on their first hunt.

Birds By Species: 13 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Sat Sep 30, 2017 5:33 pm

Very nice!...Glad it worked out.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sat Sep 30, 2017 8:32 pm

Date: 9/30

Time: afternoon

Location: cemetary

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Northerly moderate

Temperature: waited until 5:30 and cooling

Moon phase:

Special Notes: Last hunt of teal was supposed to be grandsons', but they had the good sense to bail.

Waterfowl Activity: Had just two little groups pass high.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Neither so much as missed a beat when called.

Hunters: 2, buddy hunt with Mike and his nephew, Josh.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: spinner and decoys

Curses: Neither Mike of Josh had a chance to kill a teal this season.

Kudos: Enjoyed the visit.

Birds By Species: DNS

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: While we were picking up, a pair nearly took Josh's hat. We wished them bon chance.
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