This and that...

Re: This and that...

Postby Darren » Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:02 am

SpinnerMan wrote:The only people in the midwest that plant corn this year may be those planning to flood it for ducks. I've heard rumors that the farmers are already starting to collect insurance on corn since it is too late to plant it. They still might be able to get some beans in the ground if it ever stops raining long enough to dry out the fields. I haven't seen a single field that has been planted yet :o

I doubt we see the fields stacked full of mallards after our ducks season closed like last year. Maybe this will prompt them to move down before our season closes. This might really change behavior.

I'm really worried that our goose pits might be in weed fields. Without the corn, there won't be anything to hold them once it gets really cold.


Just looked into all of this for a quick story I did; as of the June 3 update the total corn crop in the field was only something like 60% average for the entire collection of major producers, when it should have been nearly 100%. S. Dakota alone was in the 20's for example (%). For most the date had passed for max yields, so could be interesting for southern hunters, and likely to be pricey at the marketplace for corn eaters.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Sun Jun 16, 2019 6:16 am

The itch to be doing something ducky finally got bad enough to prod the onset of experimentation with the color mixes I'll want to use on my faded Dakota mallard drake heads, which is really bad. As I've zero artistic talent to help take some of the trial and error, error, error...out of getting it at least right enough that I'll not be kicking myself for not doing better. "Measure twice..." and all like that there.

Current leaders are 2-parts black x 1 part cobalt blue base coat; 8-parts cobalt blue x 1 part chrome yellow over much of that; and 4-parts cobalt blue x 1-part chrome yellow highlights.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Duck Engr » Sun Jun 16, 2019 8:21 am

I’ll be very interested to see your results Rick. The last few days have been about as prime June painting conditions as we’ll ever see.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:10 am

Duck Engr wrote:I’ll be very interested to see your results...


Me, too. There are so many variables in airbrushing that sorting through what will result from the paint mixes, layering and thicknesses thereof is on the very edge of my willingness - and well beyond my aptitude. Trying to come up with something approaching the bird's iridescence out of flat colors and dark enough to hold up to seasons in the sun without bleaching out too soon.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:18 pm

Rick wrote:Current leaders are 2-parts black x 1 part cobalt blue base coat; 8-parts cobalt blue x 1 part chrome yellow over much of that; and 4-parts cobalt blue x 1-part chrome yellow highlights.


The underscored record keeping and methodology errors are prime examples of my aptitude, as that mix comes out plain old black, instead of the 2 parts cobalt blue x 1 part black that still has the blue cast of a mallard's crown, and further experimentation now has me thinking the 8x1 green makes a better base color. To be continued...
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Re: This and that...

Postby Darren » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:15 am

Guess I'm missing the mark in thinking we could just go with plain ol green :lol:

Likewise found myself tinkering with duck gear yesterday; ran boat motor on the hose, rigged some new soldiers for 2019 season
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:36 am

Darren wrote:Guess I'm missing the mark in thinking we could just go with plain ol green :lol:


Rustoleum's forest green would be way too easy. Been jumping through all sorts of hoops to get what most will think too blue. Perhaps self included...
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:50 pm

Watching a serious flight of wood storks over Coteau Platte yesterday had me thinking them mighty early for birds that had already nested well to our south, but a web search suggests their nesting is more related to falling water levels any time after November than season, per se. Another mystery solved...
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Re: This and that...

Postby MARSH BEAR » Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:47 pm

Rick - we tried for a few years to paint our mallard decoys, but it just did not work out very well for us. So now we buy new mallard decoys, and take the old mallard decoys and make mallard hens and gadwall out of them.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Ericdc » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:02 pm

What about painting old decoys black and white for contrast purposes?


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Re: This and that...

Postby BGkirk » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:26 pm

Rick would flocking the heads not be easier?


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Re: This and that...

Postby BGkirk » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:28 pm

MARSH BEAR wrote:Rick - we tried for a few years to paint our mallard decoys, but it just did not work out very well for us. So now we buy new mallard decoys, and take the old mallard decoys and make mallard hens and gadwall out of them.
do you think it matters that ya use so many mallards even if that is not your main duck.?
As in if we have loads of mallard decoys it just seems unrealistic but maybe a duck doesn’t think that way


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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:32 pm

Kirk, I'm only tackling the project after such a relatively short time because the flocked heads have faded so badly compared to how well the painted heads Dakota used to also include with them held up. The painted portion of this, my second batch of Dakotas is still fine - though that also having eventually faded on my first couple dozen is what finally broke me over to try to learn airbrushing. (And my butchered-by-hurry attempt at those relegated them to "on long hold" status.)

Can probably still buy just the heads from Dakota, but at this point, I'm still pretty determined to keep at it until I can get them "right" or nearly so. Just wish it came easier to me.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Duck Engr » Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:10 pm

Ericdc wrote:What about painting old decoys black and white for contrast purposes?


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For field hunting, we’ve started painting old decoys matte black and trying to find drake-only packs of decoys to buy. Hens are designed to blend with their surroundings. Not what we’re looking for in a decoy.

Have I noticed a difference? We don’t keep enough things constant year over year for me to even sniff an educated guess.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Thu Jun 20, 2019 11:43 am

Ericdc wrote:What about painting old decoys black and white for contrast purposes?


Brings back old memories of my first duck...well, retrieving. Was an older gentleman's "rock ape," and that Lake Erie "bill" hunter used nothing but bright black and white drakes on the belief that they drew better than hens.

Aside from that old memory, though, I've always used decoys more as finishers than for their draw, per se, so I want to shoot over decoys I believe look good at close quarters.

But when I was hunting big ag land fields, like you are, I'd widely scatter my old, funky decoys all the heck over acres and acres of the flood, then concentrate my best ones in little bunches by the blind. Looked a heck of a lot more real than all the other blinds clearly marked by a cluster of decoys surrounded by acres and acres of empty water...
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Re: This and that...

Postby Ericdc » Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:40 pm

Rick wrote:
Ericdc wrote:What about painting old decoys black and white for contrast purposes?


Brings back old memories of my first duck...well, retrieving. Was an older gentleman's "rock ape," and that Lake Erie "bill" hunter used nothing but bright black and white drakes on the belief that they drew better than hens.

Aside from that old memory, though, I've always used decoys more as finishers than for their draw, per se, so I want to shoot over decoys I believe look good at close quarters.

But when I was hunting big ag land fields, like you are, I'd widely scatter my old, funky decoys all the heck over acres and acres of the flood, then concentrate my best ones in little bunches by the blind. Looked a heck of a lot more real than all the other blinds clearly marked by a cluster of decoys surrounded by acres and acres of empty water...


I’ll have to try that scattering method, especially in the 2nd split. I usually scatter mine good but not as much as you’re saying.


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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:03 am

First year I did it, I was scared to death birds would want to land with decoys way over yonder and make me look the fool, and a few mostly teal, did. But most were greedy bastages that were easily called to the trough the biggest concentration of decoys appeared to enjoy. Had a season with six banded mottleds over that rig.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:06 am

Rick wrote:Kirk, I'm only...


...old and lock-brained. Sorry, Corey.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Johnc » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:05 am

Rick wrote:
Rick wrote:Kirk, I'm only...


...old and lock-brained. Sorry, Corey.


At least your brain still functions,could be waaay worse
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:21 am

More or less, more or less...
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Re: This and that...

Postby BGkirk » Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:31 am

Rick wrote:
Rick wrote:Kirk, I'm only...


...old and lock-brained. Sorry, Corey.
with 2 first names, I’ve learned to answer both. No big deal


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Re: This and that...

Postby Duck Engr » Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:10 pm

Rick wrote:First year I did it, I was scared to death birds would want to land with decoys way over yonder and make me look the fool, and a few mostly teal, did. But most were greedy bastages that were easily called to the trough the biggest concentration of decoys appeared to enjoy. Had a season with six banded mottleds over that rig.


I’ll try to see if I can convince our crew to try that one too. I’m like Eric, my fear is watching gadwall after gadwall land with the “yonder” decoys. Of course gadwall have been known to land by their lonesome without any yonder decoys anyway.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Ericdc » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:50 pm

I’m going to try it, we hunt over 50 acres of water. They gonna land wide if they want to


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Re: This and that...

Postby Duck Engr » Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:12 pm

Yeah we hunt about the same amount of water as y’all do. In years past If a spoonie landed 500 yards away, he was getting a shot across the bow. Maybe we were doing ourselves a disservice.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:37 pm

'Tis the season:
005a.jpg


002a.jpg


Not in a league with spotting our first teal or specks, but walking up a few nests is still a nice harbinger of egg season's arrival.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Ericdc » Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:51 pm

Duck Engr wrote:Yeah we hunt about the same amount of water as y’all do. In years past If a spoonie landed 500 yards away, he was getting a shot across the bow. Maybe we were doing ourselves a disservice.


We do the same. Usually we have a big slick on at least one side of pit from beans and at first light it’s always interesting to see what roosted on us.

As far as landing wide, Spoons and gadwall seem to be the most common offenders for us.


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Re: This and that...

Postby Duck Engr » Sat Jun 22, 2019 7:15 am

Rick wrote:'Tis the season:
005a.jpg


002a.jpg


Not in a league with spotting our first teal or specks, but walking up a few nests is still a nice harbinger of egg season's arrival.


A sign that we’re getting closer, that’s for sure. Yesterday was the longest day of the year. Downhill to Fall from here.

I think I say this every year, but you have bigger cajones than I for partaking in that endeavor.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:51 am

Just regular ol' balls, but a big stick.
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Re: This and that...

Postby Ericdc » Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:21 am

Rick wrote:Just regular ol' balls, but a big stick.


Touché


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Re: This and that...

Postby Rick » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:57 am

Moved a big batch of way-early wood storks in Klondike this morning. Seasons are all out of whack...
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