Preseason 2017

[Darren]

These are certainly not S. Louisiana problems. One morning last year, I was shocked to skid to a stop at an intersection. First I can recall doing that in a very long time. That was the Jan 7 morning when our ponds were locked up; should have never got out the truck.

[Rick]

My last Ohio River hunt was in freezing rain, didn't pop a cap.

Last freezing rain hunt I recall here may have been twenty years back. Spent the first part of the hunt in and out of the blind don't know how many times righting ice overturned water keel decoys and trying to beat said Ice off them. Finally gave up on that and hammered the birds over decoy keels. Did park the truck tail-to - and broke my tailgate latch trying to open it.

[Rick]

That was the Jan 7 morning when our ponds were locked up; should have never got out the truck.

Should have been at the mudhole that morning and the next few. Ice was tough on the Bug, but mallards were thick. Even had what I'm certain was a little bunch of true blacks trying to get right for the wrong party the next day.

[Rick]

Out best hunting weather - lows mid 50's highs mid 60s partly cloudy with a south to southwest wind - 1 to 2 days before a cold front.

Seems like when wind turns anything westerly at my blind, a front of some sort will be there within the day.

[SpinnerMan]

Out best hunting weather - lows mid 50's highs mid 60s partly cloudy with a south to southwest wind - 1 to 2 days before a cold front.

For me, I want a very specific weather pattern.

Between now an 9/1 (opening day of early goose), I need a good cold snap. A few days with lows in the low 40's. Then it can warm back to normal. This is needed to get the local geese moving right now most have left the area for the molt migration or took their fledglings and left. Those that haven't are mostly loafing around eating park grass and fly very little. The first cold snap gets the ones here moving more and starts bringing back those that left. This often doesn't happen until the season is over. And it changes from famine to feast seeming in a few hours, if that happens before 9/15 I have a good year if not I may not get a goose if I hunt every day. As soon as I start seeing birds flying at my house or work I hunt everyday I can. Before that, I hunt weekends mostly just to work out the kinks and make sure I have everything in order while doing a little bird watching and very little to no actual goose hunting more just goose hoping for a random bird to come by.

After early goose until early November it needs to stay nice. One cold snap at the wrong time and the wood ducks leave. The first couple weeks, wood ducks really determine whether I'm going to have action most days or not. The local mallards get shot up opening day and the geese have typically transitioned to where they are a lot tougher where I hunt. Also I do a lot of hunting before work and by now they tend to not fly until I have to leave for work anyways.

Then it needs to get cold, enough to freeze to the north but not freeze us out. This pushes the mallards through. The right weather we can have a couple really good weeks until we start fighting the ice. One cold calm night in the 20's and we can go from open water to a real pain to break and set decoys, plus most everything in the area freezes so not a lot of ducks stop. Local geese are now very hard to hunt.

At this point it needs to get arctic, snow, cold, really really cold, freeze up the rivers and everything in the area and put a good dose of snow on the ground, but not too much. Then I hop to hunting by the cooling lake. If the weather is right there can be 100,000 Canadas and 10's of thousands of mallards there. Then it can warm back up to freezing, but not much more. A few ups and downs when the birds start getting stale to push bring new birds back from the south or push new birds back from the north and we are golden. Warms up too much and it goes from 100,000 to near zero quickly, but they can come back almost overnight if the weather changes.

Most years I will kill birds everywhere from the mid 80's to well below zero. And what is best really depends on the weather to our north and what has happened the last few weeks. Best hunting can be in the 80's, bluebird 60's, or minus 20 windchills. They can also all suck.

Very weather dependent and it needs to be very specific weather at the right time. When it is good it can be great, but a whole lot of days where the total number of bird seen is under a dozen.

[Darren]

Out best hunting weather - lows mid 50's highs mid 60s partly cloudy with a south to southwest wind - 1 to 2 days before a cold front.

I tend to prefer that general scenario as well, as we have generally not found that braving particularly cold temps (for us being 30's or lower) to be worth the miserable boat ride. Whole lot of birds on the log from days in 50's and 60's and easterly/southerly winds. Day after a big front with the big north winds usually good but have seen a handful not pan out as hoped, but also had plenty that were a blast in all kinds of ways.

Last one in particular that comes to mind was entry from last season, where a buddy and I had our 12 grays something like 15 minutes after LST

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Also had a big hunt last December at a blind with Rick's outfit on a morning the front passed through while we were in the blind which made for a lot of fun

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.....and rewards.

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[Rick]

That's Issac's blind. "Hell of a hunter" in a hell of spot makes a mighty neat combo. Hell of a nice kid to boot.

[Darren]

was that with Issac Woods? hell of a hunter

Sure was, great morning.

Think Rick's blind made out ok that morning as well a little ways over from us:
"1 black-bellied whistling duck, 1 bw teal, 5 gadwall, 6 gw teal, 3 mallards and 2 pintails"

Rick, any word on Isaac's status to return?

[Rick]

He'll be there. Went back to school and probably going to milk it as long as we've the blind - or his dad lets him get away with it.

[Darren]

He'll be there. Went back to school and probably going to milk it as long as we've the blind - or his dad lets him get away with it.

Thumbs up to that, look forward to sharing the blind with him again. And you of course, can't miss out on the mudhole.

[Rick]

Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I'm too old to have any left. Really ought to make a hunt with Clyde, if you haven't already.

[Darren]

Haven't yet, might try to schedule him for next trip.

[Rick]

He was there as a pony-tailed "Hippie" for the "good old days," and his blind sits on the inside bend of a watery crescent the birds tend to follow. That, and it's a front row seat for my blind's follies.

[Rick]

Dunno. He was talking about a marsh blind - but may have changed his mind when Issac came back...

[Darren]

Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I'm too old to have any left. Really ought to make a hunt with Clyde, if you haven't already.

Needed to call Adrienne anyway to confirm my arrangements, and made the switch per your recommendation as Clyde was available. Look forward to seeing another neat spot in that marsh; I can yak with you at a meal or two during the stay

[Rick]

I can yak with you at a meal or two during the stay

Nope, now that you're not hunting with me, I don't have to know you

[Darren]

I can yak with you at a meal or two during the stay

Nope, now that you're not hunting with me, I don't have to know you

Sure don't have to, indeed, should you choose.

[Rick]

So much for humor.

You'd asked about Gabe, and I ran into the guy who'll be hunting the back blind this season, and he told me Gabe will be hunting the big pond where Nelton was last year.

[Rick]

Much better, thanks.

[Darren]

Harry and I got a chance to piddle on the lease yesterday, checking the three main ponds we hunt for condition on SAV and marsh grass, all three looking really good thankfully. Was also happy to see that the grass around my blind has rebounded nicely after being trampled to a slop by mid season last year. Did a lil cleaning in the blind and emptied a spray can of paint on it. Opted to leave the remaining brush in place so that it will help support the half-ass cover job I'll do with roseau cane before the teal season opener. Figure after that I'll pull all the old brush out and start from scratch for the regular season brushing job.

north pond SAV is strong

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kidney pond is getting a blind this year from about this vantage point, will face the SW

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my blind's pond (south pond)

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In all her offseason glory

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For comparison, hotel in stature.......but it worked

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The nutria's and various seabirds have been in here

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And after a quick can of paint, wouldn't hurt to bring another can next time

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Best of all, this morning while fishing we put eyes on our first band of teal for the season, about 30 birds. Local guide hunting in the Buras area reported seeing quite a few down that way lately during his chat with the radio show we were listening to on the water.

I did get a laugh, Rick

[Rick]

Pretty pond.

[Darren]

Front coming this week, though likely won't feel much of it down this way. Looks like we'll at least get a (brief) wind shift.

http://firsthandweather.com/3047/cooldo ... southeast/

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Should be enough to encourage some blue winged birds down the flyway nonetheless

[Darren]

Darren after your blind is brushed, is it the only spot that stands a little taller than the surrounding marsh grass? Doesn't seem to bother the birds from your previous seasons logs

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For maybe a 200 yard radius, it is the tallest thing by far. But not too far out from us there are other stands of roseau cane and/or mung bushes, etc. Would have thought the birds would avoid it but we stacked 'em pretty good in there, though limited outings in 2nd split for that blind so maybe a bit unproven for late season.

The kidney pond has much thicker marsh grass on the bank so we're planning a shorter version of our south blind for that pond, using only marsh grass and mung bushes cut to proper height only, no roseau. There's another type of grass/cane out there we refer to as "filler grass" because it grows in very thick stands but only about 4-5 ft tall, easy to harvest a lot of it in a hurry and makes for an exceptional means of filling in gaps in the cover along perimeter of blind/walls, with frilly tops. Probably will use good bit of that as well