Post-Season 2018

Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:02 am

Depends. Good farmers are getting harder to find and gaining more control.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:09 am

I've never seen traps in these ponds during the season so hoping this next one is no exception; it didn't sound like anything would be changing in that regard when we spoke to the fella last Saturday.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Ericdc » Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:01 pm

Maybe being further north.....the season is delayed and it’s not profitable to start fishing them until February?


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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Mon May 07, 2018 7:14 am

Offseason rolls on with all things S. La outdoors:

Friday made it out on the marsh near where we hunt in St. Bernard parish and gathered up some redfish for the grill:

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Kept our limits and headed on in.

Sunday made it up to the fields for some more work at the lil camp, solo with Harry along for the ride. Did some cleaning around the camp, scrubbing years of mildew and algae off and did a fair bit of tree and shrub trimming all around the structure. Also cleared an area for where we plan to build a cleaning station along small bayou.

No mice, rats, birds, bees or wasps inside camp, but multiple LARGE snake skins up in the eaves.
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Also found one in the flesh hiding in a contractor bag full of snow dekes......that slithery sound in the bag when you nudge it.....yeaa that was fun. Resisted the initial urge to just set the bag ablaze and just took my time rooting him out. Turned out to be a chicken snake in the 3 ft range.

Propped open the lids on the blind for an inspection for critters and accumulated water. No water, but plenty of creepy crawlers including THREE black widows on the lids alone. Didn't go rooting around down inside the pit to see if others were around.
IMG_6992.JPG


No teal initially seen but ended up seeing quite a few that were in front the blind and stuck around all day even after I'd bump them up riding around on breaks.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume we're not the only crew in S. Louisiana trying to keep snakes out of a camp or barn, would love to hear any recommendations on doing just that. I do understand that the snakes are a likely key to the lack of rodents, but would rather be without either one.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Mon May 07, 2018 8:18 am

Mothballs are supposed to be the snake ticket, but I hate them worse than snakes. (I try to keep a rat snake in my shed to eat the mice and keep the grandkids from rummaging, and have found two small ones this spring, so I may have more big ones than I think.)
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Mon May 07, 2018 9:00 am

I use paradichlorobenzene (moth balls) when I store honey supers. Keeps the honey combs from getting eaten by moths or mice.
There are more than one type of moth balls. Use the ones with paradichlorobenzene because they work.
Not sure about the other 'flavors'.

Speaking of snakes...one day I helped a buddy get all his dead bee hives out of a certain yard. He was carrying a box and suddenly he started acting goofy. Tossed the box down and ran screaming something about a rattle snake.
(It's central Illinois)

I had to laugh a minute but acted concerned and actually had a shovel ready to decapitate the offensive serpent.
When I saw it was a corn snake I really started laughing. Rattle snakes in Illinois? There is only one place. Allerton Park. The goofy bastard (Robert Allerton) imported some snakes to guard the place. :lol:
I've heard that it's incredibly stupid to fuck around with a crazy man's head.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Mon May 07, 2018 9:10 am

Rattle-headed-copper-moccasines. They're everywhere.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Mon May 07, 2018 9:18 am

It's actually nice to live in a place with almost zero chance of crossing paths with a poisonous snake. There are a few Eastern Massagauga Rattlesnakes in the area, but this is an endangered snake. They were thought to be extirpated from this area until maybe a decade ago, but there have been a few found in the area.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Ericdc » Mon May 07, 2018 9:21 am

We have corals, cottonmouths, copperheads, and timber rattlers.


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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Mon May 07, 2018 9:43 am

Yea the ones in and immediately around the camp are non-venomous, mostly these "chicken snakes" or rat snakes, and you'd likely have to step on them to get bit. There was also a good size snake near the blind that slithered off, I was more focused on keeping the widows at arms length before they got the boot. Most of the snakes in and around the ponds are broad banded water snakes, non-venomous, but there are a few moccasins around too.

On the way up there I took my scenic route through heart of the Hwy 71 ag corridor and found a number of fields I know to have blinds only now with crawfish traps. So apparently the practice of crawfishing these ponds used for hunting only after the season is over is throughout the area, not just this particular farm. Saw a few that had been de-watered and planted, but whole lot still with water and traps.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Mon May 07, 2018 12:31 pm

From what I've seen of the cottonmouth snakes in Arkansas I don't want nothing to do with anything bigger, more deadly, or more aggressive. One day someone caught me pointing my shotgun at a limb. They thought I was just being weird, I do that, but when I shot and a 6 foot snake fell into the blind got everyone's attention. About the time they all had reacted and gathered their wits enough to take that breath of air so they could chew on me a little I interrupted and said, "I know you didn't call the shot, it's not snake season, and it's against the law to kill cottonmouths here, and fuck you" then added, "you want me to shoot the other two?".
Lots of laughter followed by the group muttering "Acorn...did it to us again".


Some of you might wonder how I got that name.
It's kind of stupid. Alcohol was involved. There were 5 Mikes in the blind and I snapped. Hungover big time and couldn't figure out which Mike was what. They called me a nut so I said "oh yeah?!?" then I sang them "The Acorn Song" and they couldn't quit calling me 'corn. Too many Mikes. Oh God...

I'm a nut...I'm a nut. ;)
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Sun May 20, 2018 3:33 pm

Johnny and I got in a few hours of work up at buddy's place in the ag land. Agenda mainly consisted of a bird cleaning station that will eventually, hopefully sooner than later, get a roof so we're sheltered in our cleanings from the usual rain we often hunt in.

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Left those side posts high with intentions of using them to tie in a roof structure in coming months; otherwise mission accomplished right at curfew.

Did find another long snake shed in the camp in same spot I removed a comparably long one on last visit, but again no sign of mice or rats so figure those observations to be hand in hand. More concerning however is our continued struggle against the carpenter bees, they're already drilling away into our shiny new awning with a vengeance. Killed a half dozen or so but saw dozens and dozens milling about, including in the exposed floor joists at rear of the camp.

Have got to find a way to effectively combat them or we won't have a structure to worry about keeping the snakes and mice out of.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Sun May 20, 2018 3:50 pm

You're going to have to poison them carpenter bees and keep doing it for a couple years. Once they've made babies in a certain spot they get territorial. (I think)

They can't sting is what I've been told so go out after them with badminton rackets.
Bumble bees on the other hand can sting you repeatedly. Sorry but my stinging insect knowledge stops at the point where a bug can sting you more than once. I stay away from that kind of bugs or kill them.
Got stung twice this morning. It stings. ;)

$2.97/can at Lowes to get the spray that kills wasps and hornets. That'll do it.
To prevent re-infestation is going to take repeated spraying even if they aren't there.
My brother in law had me deal with his front porch that was super infested with carpenter bees. The spray works real good but again...you have to find their nest holes and keep soaking them every spring and summer.
Took me three years of spraying at the in-laws.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Sun May 20, 2018 4:04 pm

The ones with a white dot on their nose definitely cannot sting. Something I did as a kid and still do is catch them out of mid air. People get shocked first time I do it.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Sun May 20, 2018 4:10 pm

Spinner you better look at some pictures of bald-faced hornets before you hand-capture any more white dot-nose bugs.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Sun May 20, 2018 4:25 pm

Since no one's staying there to pop 'em with rat shot or a tennis racket, I'd think traps your best bet.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Sun May 20, 2018 4:58 pm

Italy has a nutria problem. Who knew?
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Sun May 20, 2018 8:47 pm

Internet search mentioned only the females can sting, no idea if accurate. Not really concerned with stinging from them, I swat with my hand but could sure use a tennis racquet next trip.

Looks like spraying up in the holes is critical and then later plugging those holes. Only trouble is repeated visits with any frequency, tough to get up there this time of year. Will try a trap or two with some focused spraying next
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Sun May 20, 2018 8:59 pm

aunt betty wrote:Spinner you better look at some pictures of bald-faced hornets before you hand-capture any more white dot-nose bugs.

The bumblebees living in your wood. I've heard the others can't sting either, but don't know one way or the other. Haven't felt like risking it or bothered looking into it.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Mon May 21, 2018 4:47 am

Stayed at war with them when I had a place in Klondike and never found a deterrent with lasting effect. Hard to imagine no one's got their number, yet.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Mon May 21, 2018 6:15 am

So I bothered to look. The male carpenter bees, the ones with the white dot on their face, do not have a stinger. The females do have a stinger and can sting, but rarely do.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Rick » Mon May 21, 2018 6:30 am

Never heard of one stinging, and I've bare-hand batted a bazillion or so but never grabbed one of them, either. Always heard but never quite trusted, "They don't sting."
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Mon May 21, 2018 6:51 am

Only ten more days until the season starts.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Mon May 21, 2018 7:05 am

Will return with a plan for eradication, it is currently carpenter bee season; no limit, no plugs required, e-callers allowed. :D
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Mon May 21, 2018 7:13 am

Rick wrote:Never heard of one stinging, and I've bare-hand batted a bazillion or so but never grabbed one of them, either. Always heard but never quite trusted, "They don't sting."

My impression was that while the females definitely can sting, unless you more or less grab hold of them they will not. I never heard of anyone being stung either which of course is why I wasn't sure. Like you, I never trusted it and it seems I was right to not.

The ones with the white dots, the males, definitely cannot. I've snatch zillions of those out of the air. They come buzzing around, and I just grab them. Even today, I do it. One of those little kid things that never leave us. Grab them, feel them buzz in my hand and then let the shocked and confused little bee go on his merry way. The reactions of the people around me is always funny.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby aunt betty » Mon May 21, 2018 7:26 am

I was a framer for years. Each year about the time the weather gets suitable for construction we'd hit it.
There'd be piles of pine and plywood which attracts the carpenter bees.
The carpenter's answer to every problem is "pound it". You get incredibly good at smacking them carpenter bees in flight.
Makes good nail grease.
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby SpinnerMan » Thu May 24, 2018 3:05 pm

SpinnerMan wrote:The ones with the white dots, the males, definitely cannot. I've snatch zillions of those out of the air. They come buzzing around, and I just grab them. Even today, I do it. One of those little kid things that never leave us. Grab them, feel them buzz in my hand and then let the shocked and confused little bee go on his merry way.

Like this :D
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Re: Post-Season 2018

Postby Darren » Wed Jun 13, 2018 2:18 pm

Kinda sorta little bit letting my mind look toward teal season. As teal time is also time for gadgetry, we'll be making some changes from last season:

1.) Ditching the flock-a-flicker's (FAFs): They rarely ran right, or when they did it was often with a squeal. Given the small surface area for flash, really doubt they were doing me a whole lot of good on teal, particularly being so low and not readily visible from distance. Likely will try to sell them

2.) Trading Mojo's for new lucky ducks. So instead of two mojo teal and/or doves, will be going with a Lucky Duck full size mallard and a GW teal, both on same remote. Hoping full size bird helps with that long off flash many report as effective.

Thoughts on pole lengths? Prefer them as high as possible in effort to get as much visibility at distance as possible, or more realistically closer to water surface? Deeper ponds we hunted in marsh last year would need a LONG pole to account for the mud, the water and any real height above water.

Really hopeful that all the time I spent running around day before opener last year will pay off with minimal scouting to be done this year. Was funny how we went from bummed not seeing a teal anywhere we had access to all day long, then stumbled upon a few groups to make the set up next morning exciting, followed by limits a couple hours later.
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