2017-2018 Season Log

[Ericdc]

I’m waiting on my shrimp guy to call, if I can’t get any shrimp I’m not driving down to teal hunt tomorrow.

Next Saturday looks good if forecast holds.



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[aunt betty]

move to Egypt --- ARKANSAS that is

Yuh gotta be kidding. I liked Cash better.

[Rick]

Ag land having any luck? Saw a report on local TV show where an outfit over that way was saying the afternoon hunts have been a bit better than the mornings for them.

The best ag land reports I've heard have been doing their good in the afternoons, but I also heard of one of those that's "always" strong drying up. What we have in ag land went to crap along with the rest - unless someone's remarkably tight lipped. Know we went from 13 Sat to just 2 Sun where I tried afternoons.

DIL from Creole just walked in and told me the kids' spot there took a dump after the weekend, too, but Oak Grove has some Little Chenier blinds that are still killing well. So maybe Bcorey has the honey hole...

[Rick]

May have to shoot sporting clays if this carries into November or move to Egypt --- ARKANSAS that is

Reminds me that Erwin Cooper and Boo were here (said hunting went to crap quickly down the river for their friends) and passed along the Dee has had a tough go with bad burns on both hands, forearms and across his midsection from a steam line/hose fitting letting go while redoing Bourbon St. pipes. Said he's recovering well, but still must have been hell.

Re: the duck derth, I heard an interesting theory, attributed to a biologist, this morning. That being that the week or so of north winds we had earlier in the month carried birds that then had time to rest and fatten up enough to feel ready to continue on south across the Gulf when guns erupted all around them last Friday, instead of still being tired from getting here and needing to stick it out. Dunno, but it sounds plausible and fits what we've observed.

[Ericdc]

Ag land having any luck? Saw a report on local TV show where an outfit over that way was saying the afternoon hunts have been a bit better than the mornings for them.

The best ag land reports I've heard have been doing their good in the afternoons, but I also heard of one of those that's "always" strong drying up. What we have in ag land went to crap along with the rest - unless someone's remarkably tight lipped. Know we went from 13 Sat to just 2 Sun where I tried afternoons.

DIL from Creole just walked in and told me the kids' spot there took a dump after the weekend, too, but Oak Grove has some Little Chenier blinds that are still killing well. So maybe Bcorey has the honey hole...

It’s so much of a honey hole that the guys who could hunt today went to south Cameron to hunt.....


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[Ericdc]

May have to shoot sporting clays if this carries into November or move to Egypt --- ARKANSAS that is

Reminds me that Erwin Cooper and Boo were here (said hunting went to crap quickly down the river for their friends) and passed along the Dee has had a tough go with bad burns on both hands, forearms and across his midsection from a steam line/hose fitting letting go while redoing Bourbon St. pipes. Said he's recovering well, but still must have been hell.

Re: the duck derth, I heard an interesting theory, attributed to a biologist, this morning. That being that the week or so of north winds we had earlier in the month carried birds that then had time to rest and fatten up enough to feel ready to continue on south across the Gulf when guns erupted all around them last Friday, instead of still being tired from getting here and needing to stick it out. Dunno, but it sounds plausible and fits what we've observed.

I ran into Larry Saturday morning in creole and that’s exactly what he suspected while also seeing a higher than normal amount of adult females harvested.


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[Rick]

I suspected Larry the probable "a biologist" referenced, but my coffee shop source was also relaying hearsay without attribution beyond that.

Haven't tracked our hen ratio but it's been such that I'm more than confident it's the highest seen since I've started paying attention.

[Ericdc]

I suspected Larry the probable "a biologist" referenced, but my coffee shop source was also relaying hearsay without attribution beyond that.

Haven't tracked our hen ratio but it's been such that I'm more than confident it's the highest seen since I've started paying attention.

The thought is that the adult hens migrate later, so could we have missed birds


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[Rick]

Past few years when I have tracked it have been heavily weighted to drakes right to the end, so one has to wonder if the hatch was either early or largely failed to have so many hens ready to go in September.

[Rick]

Well, it's the long awaited weekend: will there be strongholds of birds somewhere for weekend pressure to scatter or will we continue seeing next to nada?

[Rick]

Date: 9/23, Sat

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: southerly strong enough to ward off the heat until the sun cleared the canes shading us.

Temperature: warm

Moon phase: waxing 13%

Special Notes: Weekend pressure I'd been waiting for didn't provide much bump.

Waterfowl Activity: Saw more mottleds than any day to date, had a couple spoons land to our north and saw a few more teal than during the week, but not many.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had two HIGH bunches I broke down but couldn't turn, but generally still able to work most of what's around into the hole.

Hunters: 3, Fred (who usually comes with son Fred Jr. and grandson Charles) and new to me son Eric and grandson Matt.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Easy morning.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Wasted three sweet ops where I broke flights down and around only to bump off me in the boat working poor Marsh on birds Fred thought went down but weren't there.

Kudos: Matt was the star of our show: hit more than either his dad or granddad, and they were always right where he said they'd be.

Birds By Species: 8 bw teal

Photo Ops: The bug chilling in the shade:

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The man, Matt:

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[Rick]

9/23 Curses addendum: Came back out and permethrined the blind yesterday afternoon to no discernible effect this morning. Don't know if a bazillion bugs were all hanging in canes beyond the boat hide or thought the permethrin sauce.

[Rick]

9/23 Lagniappe addendum: At one point Fred dug in his bag for his calls which included what appeared a D2 Olt fresh out of the box. Said it was an "Alt" he'd inherited from an uncle and allowed that it didn't sound very good, but seeing the keyhole in its insert made me suggest he hang onto it as something his duck hunting grandsons could fight over.

Was a coolish northeasterly breeze when I aired the dogs this morning, so it will at least feel right for a while this morning. Maybe that plus last evening's storm cells will stir things a bit. Maybe not...

[Rick]

Date: 9/24 Sun

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly moderate

Temperature: coolest of the season to date

Moon phase: Waxing but insignificant

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Few woodies and big ducks than we've been seeing, but had our first little bunch of 6 or 8 greenwings come through. Cool wind didn't move any more teal than yesterday's "flight".

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Switched to squacky DC after a couple ops passed on teal MVP without a twitch, and all three subsequent ops did as bid. Likely coincidence, but "we'll see..."

Hunters: 3, Fred, Eric and Matt again.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh had another good morning.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Just that there are so few birds in the area.

Kudos: Got extra lucky with our last chance, when I broke down a BIG flight from way the hey up and got the guys to hold their water while it regathered with pieces of it were buzzing the pond and making poor Fred keep asking "Why are we waiting? Why are we waiting?" Which he got to see when they finally got regrouped out front and came en mass. Doubt I was the only one with a Scottish double in his tally and know a total of nine birds fell out. If ever there was a chance for a Marceau Ledbetter shot "up amongst 'em" to pay off, we had it.

Birds By Species: 12 bw teal and 3 gw teal

Photo Ops: Our heroes:

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[Ericdc]

Big attaboy for holding your water, i would much rather not shoot at big groups of anything if they aren’t “right”. 1’s and 2’s are one thing, but I want the big bunches right or I’d assume just not shoot.


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[Rick]

I'd of looked the arse for letting so many pass if they hadn't eventually gotten together and done it right - but they did. This time...

[DComeaux]

Passed a few bunches over the last hunts with downwind speed, and was sure they'd turn on the call. I just wanted a better set up for the guns. This seems to not happen as much as in the past, or we just don't have enough birds around to forget about those missed opportunities.

[Rick]

No pay hunters in camp tomorrow, so you're more than welcome to come see how it's done. Or not...

[Rick]

Hunting sucks, but you're welcome to join me. Comeaux's going to pretend he has to work to get out of it, but there's room for you either way.

[DComeaux]

Hunting sucks, but you're welcome to join me. Comeaux's going to pretend he has to work to get out of it, but there's room for you either way.

If it were at all possible I'd be there. I'd hunt every day for the remainder of teal season if I could. The NE wind we had early on this morning made it comfortable.
We've had lots of low flying squealers in the area on every hunt out there, and I played with some this morning using my whistle. I hope we get a chance at these during the first split. I've had the opportunity over the last few months to listen to em on the ground while feeding. They make some interesting sounds.

[Rick]

I never had much luck drawing them with a 6in1 whistle, but have a lot fun messing with them with good metal herding dog whistles. (Acme's cheap metal or plastic versions don't cut it.) Been keeping a Montana Lite on my dog whistle string and jacking with them all year while running the dogs in rice/crawfish country. OK, and while otherwise bored crapless in the teal blind, too.

PJ's going to meet me at the camp, and we'll make a point of thinking of you while viewing the birdless sunrise.

[Darren]

I never had much luck drawing them with a 6in1 whistle,

My haydels 6-in-1 been bringing them round and round this season when they come a'squeakin, kind of trill it I guess you might say, picked up on it from an in-law at Oak Island on first hunt I killed any

[Rick]

You've learned to push a button I haven't. Always seemed a case of they either wanted the spot or didn't (unless you dropped one and the others came back to land with Mom) until I got closer to their pitch.

[Rick]

Date: 9/25 Mon

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly moderate.

Temperature: Comfortably cool for the most part.

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Nearly all ones, twos or threes. Remember just one fair sized bunch within hailing.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had at least one single burn by without a twitch, a trio bounce hard off the big spinner and another small groups push off and only work right when I killed the big spinner. Also let the best bunch we saw beat me when I let them get too far out before really jumping on the call - thought finesse had them, thought wrong. But enough ops did just as bid to make a fair hunt for now.

Hunters: 1, PJ and I on a buddy hunt

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): easy morning

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Just the lack of game.

Kudos: Good company and good shooting/hitting.

Birds By Species: 8 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Rick]

...and we'll make a point of thinking of you while viewing the birdless sunrise.

Turns out I lied. Not that we had much for ducks to look at.