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Been bothered by a couple things I'd left "Close enough for the opener." at my blind and went out and made them right shortly after LST this morning. Fellow who set up the back blind said a couple or three bunches of big ducks worked it while he was there yesterday, so I hoped to see some birds stirring, and especially so when the cold/wet front blew in just as I was starting down the trail. But I spotted just two little groups of jacks, both crossing the run between Ed and Gabe's east end blinds. Gabe said there were but three jacks on his big pond yesterday.

Did, however, have a farmer friend say a piece of fallow ground he's been buffaloing (too-wet-to-plow weed control for next year's rice) on Dixie was absolutely loaded with teal and big (mostly gray) ducks. So there are some birds in our general area...

Rick wrote:Been bothered by a couple things I'd left "Close enough for the opener." at my blind and went out and made them right shortly after LST this morning. Fellow who set up the back blind said a couple or three bunches of big ducks worked it while he was there yesterday, so I hoped to see some birds stirring, and especially so when the cold/wet front blew in just as I was starting down the trail. But I spotted just two little groups of jacks, both crossing the run between Ed and Gabe's east end blinds. Gabe said there were but three jacks on his big pond yesterday.

Did, however, have a farmer friend say a piece of fallow ground he's been buffaloing (too-wet-to-plow weed control for next year's rice) on Dixie was absolutely loaded with teal and big (mostly gray) ducks. So there are some birds in our general area...

I can't wait to get to the marsh, and I'll be in it early afternoon today. Big winds for tomorrow that'll have them coming at your back, correct?

If it’s a big NE wind it’ll be perfect for mud hole


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DComeaux wrote:Big winds for tomorrow that'll have them coming at your back, correct?

Ericdc wrote:If it’s a big NE wind it’ll be perfect for mud hole

Eric's got it. Blind faces NW, and NE wind should have them swinging around our left end to drop into the hole. N is OK, too. It's a NW wind, like projected Tue(?) that puts them tight over the top, where poor hunters are most apt to lose their water and get caught before the birds get out front and trapped against the wind.

Having knocked the canes behind us so far back will make it tougher just to get them over head on, but it also means I can turn them what can't or won't help hide themselves around if push comes to shove...

Anyone else notice the day before the opener can be the longest day of the year?

Rick wrote:Anyone else notice the day before the opener can be the longest day of the year?

Nope I’m doing logging contracts all day for loggers who haven’t worked in a week.

STOP RAINING PLEASE


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Rick wrote:Anyone else notice the day before the opener can be the longest day of the year?

Absolutely, and we’re 8 days away from ours instead of 1.

When I aired the bug this morning a chill northeast wind was blowing, the first blues I've heard in the dark this year were yelping overhead - in two directions, and public land hunters were passing with pirogue laden bateaus. All is well.

Rick wrote:When I aired the bug this morning a chill northeast wind was blowing, the first blues I've heard in the dark this year were yelping overhead - in two directions, and public land hunters were passing with pirogue laden bateaus. All is well.

Love it!

Ed and I took what's now our spare boat to the marsh this morning, and he took a test spin, while I put a new solenoid on my Go-devil that's been a two-try nuisance to start lately. Didn't solve my starting issue (ignition switch is next), but the repaired engine on the spare boat seemed fine, and Ed said there were "a lot" of birds on his pond.

That news coupled with a Cherry Ridge guide's that an eagle put up "a couple thousand mallards" on the east end of their marsh yesterday is encouraging. Maybe they've just been hiding out behind the barn waiting for us to leave.

Glad to hear it Rick!!!! Was beginning to wonder if the birds were ever gonna make it to the Gulf Coast.

Saw a video online of a local (SW La) outfitter's fields with what was said to be mallards. They were big ducks of some kind, lots of them, mallards or otherwise.

Have to like this front we've just had coupled with another on tap this weekend.

Have to wonder what's really new and what's just coming out of hiding.

Have been patching the last of my shot-up poule d'eau and rigging new replacements for my faded-out teal decoys to sweeten the pot a bit, but am otherwise about out of ideas for making more of what we're offered. Well, other than wanting to spruce up my fading flocked mallard heads and not yet having struck on a satisfactory paint scheme, which may have to wait until spring.

Rick wrote:Have to wonder what's really new and what's just coming out of hiding.

Have been patching the last of my shot-up poule d'eau and rigging new replacements for my faded-out teal decoys to sweeten the pot a bit, but am otherwise about out of ideas for making more of what we're offered. Well, other than wanting to spruce up my fading flocked mallard heads and not yet having struck on a satisfactory paint scheme, which may have to wait until spring.

Procrastinator...

Rick wrote:Have to wonder what's really new and what's just coming out of hiding.

Have been patching the last of my shot-up poule d'eau and rigging new replacements for my faded-out teal decoys to sweeten the pot a bit, but am otherwise about out of ideas for making more of what we're offered. Well, other than wanting to spruce up my fading flocked mallard heads and not yet having struck on a satisfactory paint scheme, which may have to wait until spring.

Going to run that war-struck spinner as-is or have plans for any patchwork on it ? Poor thing was shot up!!

Speaking of decoy adjustments, I'm making plans to take the bulk of my teal wad out of my marsh spread in favor of 6 more Avian X grays that I feel will not only show better due to size but allow me to scatter them out across the pond in a more relaxed look than a wad of bunched up teal.

Teal will come to about anything anyway I'm figuring, and we're not exactly seeing them in numbers so far.

Darren wrote:

Rick wrote:Have to wonder what's really new and what's just coming out of hiding.

Have been patching the last of my shot-up poule d'eau and rigging new replacements for my faded-out teal decoys to sweeten the pot a bit, but am otherwise about out of ideas for making more of what we're offered. Well, other than wanting to spruce up my fading flocked mallard heads and not yet having struck on a satisfactory paint scheme, which may have to wait until spring.

Going to run that war-struck spinner as-is or have plans for any patchwork on it ? Poor thing was shot up!!

Speaking of decoy adjustments, I'm making plans to take the bulk of my teal wad out of my marsh spread in favor of 6 more Avian X grays that I feel will not only show better due to size but allow me to scatter them out across the pond in a more relaxed look than a wad of bunched up teal.

Teal will come to about anything anyway I'm figuring, and we're not exactly seeing them in numbers so far.

I Didn't have a teal in the spread on Sunday and took 11 GWT teal all drakes but one. And a nasty greenhead...lol

I don't think teal give the last centimeter of a rat's tail what type duck they toll to and am only using a baker's dozen teal decoys scattered around with my mallards for size contrast I believe adds to the spread's illusion of life and, thus, attraction to warier big ducks. Almost all of my September teal spreads are big duck decoys, with a precious few teal thrown in for my hunters that might think them meaningful. Believe those using all or mostly teal for teal are hurting more than helping their chances.

DComeaux wrote:Procrastinator...

Damn skippy I am. One of the best.

My buddy redid his flocked decoys this summer, I can share his contact info if you’d like.


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Those decoys are pretty

Thanks, Eric, but mine's mostly a problem of procrastinating on experimenting with mixes of the colors I already have on hand to get the head shades I want.

Darren wrote:Going to run that war-struck spinner as-is or have plans for any patchwork on it ? Poor thing was shot up!!

I've already pounded out the dings around the new wing holes, straightened the bent up wing as well as a could and repainted the camo side - as if it would matter to anything but me. (Thought about dipping into my new wing stash, but reckon it will get hammered again sooner than later.)

Any guesses on how the average 1993 lease holder rated his spot?

Answer, according to a survey at the time, is "fair".

Look like gnats on my tiny flip phone screen, but a friend who farms on Dixie and knows what a lot of ducks look like sent me a couple videos of new to there swarms he says are pintails.

Rick wrote:Answer, according to a survey at the time, is "fair".

Look like gnats on my tiny flip phone screen, but a friend who farms on Dixie and knows what a lot of ducks look like sent me a couple videos of new to there swarms he says are pintails.

i didn’t even shoot at a pintail The 1st split.. but we did work some groups... I slightly expect them to be around sat


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Rick wrote:...a Cherry Ridge guide's that an eagle put up "a couple thousand mallards" on the east end of their marsh yesterday is encouraging. Maybe they've just been hiding out behind the barn waiting for us to leave.

Had an invite to take a boat ride with that fellow this morning and, while seeing a better show of geese than we've been having en route to their camp, was disappointed by the lack of ducks we'll usually see along the way this time of year. But there were, in fact, a sweet mess of mostly mallards where the eagle put them up on the marsh's east end last Tuesday:


Have seen a whole lot more in the same area shortly after season's end, but my pee-poor video doesn't begin to do our little ride justice. Also saw a fair show of mostly little ducks while skirting wide of the reserve area they call "the body" with generally good reason.

And a friend with an Arkansas camp reported that mallards finally showed up in force there last Wednesday, and they'd been having a ball until a hard freeze cleared their skies this morning, so maybe we'll get a bump from that...

Boy oh boy! does that look good. Saturday will be a surprise for us. I'll be down there early afternoon but will not run the marsh until Saturday morning in the dark. I hope the locals stayed out of it these last two weeks.

Re-watching that video and thinking what I might have paid at one point in my life just to take such a ride reminds me of how blessed I am to live when and where I do. Lord willing, I expect to be keeping a long time second opening date with a gentleman who's grown quite frail with age and would sure enjoy some of those big, slow birds. Know it will go however it goes, and opening morning gunfire will make getting them over the plate a booger at best, but I'm still crossing fingers and toes...

Headed to our marsh today to take advantage of calm winds while I deploy repaired decoys and the gizmos taken in for maintenance. Will also see if a new ignition switch does any more for my balky starter than a solenoid did, put some more rock on my rutted parking spot, open and setup my blind - and hope I've not left anything we can't do without for the last minute.

Glad to hear that the birds are finally starting to show for y'all, and like Dave, that video got me excited!
Had to order a new cowl for my Yamaha 25 (dammit man, $400+, and that is w/o graphics ), and hope that is the only issue we will have to deal with from the wreck. Our season is still open, and appears we finally got a few Greys and Cans showing up, but I am paralyzed until I get our rig back in action. If I don't get the new cowl by this weekend, guess we will be searching for Reds and Specks in the fishing boat instead, and listening to the surrounding gunning action. Hope the opener with your older gentleman is spot on for you Rick, and Thanks for sharing the video!!!!

Glad to hear that the birds are finally starting to show for y'all, and like Dave, that video got me excited!
Had to order a new cowl for my Yamaha 25 (dammit man, $400+, and that is w/o graphics ), and hope that is the only issue we will have to deal with from the wreck. Our season is still open, and appears we finally got a few Greys and Cans showing up, but I am paralyzed until I get our rig back in action. If I don't get the new cowl by this weekend, guess we will be searching for Reds and Specks in the fishing boat instead, and listening to the surrounding gunning action. Hope the opener with your older gentleman is spot on for you Rick, and Thanks for sharing the video!!!!