2018-2019 Preseason...

[Rick]

Don't let an alligator puke on you.

[SpinnerMan]

OK. I'll try not to. Sounds like you had a messy day.

[DComeaux]

Don't let an alligator puke on you.

That's got to be nasty!

[Rick]

...never heard that one before

Go Airborne, and on really bumpy rides you can watch sympathy puking roll down the sticks of guys packed shoulder to shoulder.

Giving the gators a rest to get blind prep underway. Saw a lot more teal SW of Thornwell yesterday in the say place there were few the day before, as well as video of serious swarms just NW of Lake Arthur, and Ed said there were some in our two most eastern ponds a couple days ago. So maybe I'll luck into getting buzzed at work today.

[Darren]

...never heard that one before

Go Airborne, and on really bumpy rides you can watch sympathy puking roll down the sticks of guys packed shoulder to shoulder.

Giving the gators a rest to get blind prep underway. Saw a lot more teal SW of Thornwell yesterday in the say place there were few the day before, as well as video of serious swarms just NW of Lake Arthur, and Ed said there were some in our two most eastern ponds a couple days ago. So maybe I'll luck into getting buzzed at work today.

Sounds whole lot more promising over your way as usual for teal. Dismal reports is all i'm getting on my end, but holding out hope that most haven't been poking around in what I deem the "right" places. We'll check that out this time tomorrow and see for ourselves, fingers and toes and everything else crossed.

[Ericdc]

In the Baton Rouge paper this morning Larry Reynolds gave a dismal report on the number of teal they are seeing in their survey. He said southwest LA had very few teal.
Do me a favor Rick - scare some teal early Saturday and send them south to our marsh, we need some.

Not surprising, we had one good front the first week of August and haven’t had anything since.


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[Darren]

North/NW winds forecast all weekend, will hope it moves birds.

[Rick]

Do me a favor Rick - scare some teal early Saturday and send them south to our marsh, we need some.

We don't often see teal in our marsh until the shooting's been underway in the rice for a while. Saw exactly one wood duck on the first trip to my pond this morning and two mottleds and a woodie on the second trip. Saw nothing but a wall of water on the way out. (Had forgotten how bad the old Hodgman parka in my boat leaked and trashed it as soon as I got to the house, so I won't again.)

Still farther than I'd like from ready to hunt, but closer...

[Deltaman]

MB, I've run into the same problem. Haven't been able to find a quality 3/4 length camo rainsuit either, and ended up buying a commercial grade green Helly Hanson bibs and just use a camo rainsuit top. A PIA in comparison to the 3/4 length poncho, but it damn sure keeps my ass dry when sitting

[Rick]

When they quit making the Hodgman, I stumbled onto Helly Hanson's Impertech (3/4 length) Guide's Coat, which they also seem to have quit making, but some in OD green are still around. Best designed and driest rainwear I've ever owned. My first two eventually delaminated after too many summers in a hot truck and under a likely hotter airboat deck. But I now own three more (one camo and two OD) and may well look for a fourth after this morning's reminder. Rub being I like them too well to stash them in handy but hot places.

[Rick]

Marsh seems to know it's the teal opener and has had me up and stumbling through our morning routine extra early, which has led to finding this from Larry's September survey in my e-mail box:

COMMENTS: The estimate of 59,000 blue-winged teal from this survey is 84% lower than last year’s estimate of 373,000, 32% below the most recent 5-year average of 183,000, and 75% below the long-term average of 236,000. It is the second lowest estimate for blue-winged teal on record for this survey with only the 50,000 estimated in 2013 being lower.

The bad news being that I'm not the only one who hasn't seen many, and the good news being that I'm going, anyway. And judging by the boat parade I passed on the road home from the marsh yesterday afternoon, I won't be alone. (Doug's still recovering from his back surgery, and I have "the list" which shows twelve going to a currently five blind marsh, so I may well end up with three for company. Hope one's a better entertainer than I, should the birds not show...)

Good luck to all going out today.

[Rick]

Just a few hanger-ons that from the party we broke up in the bog that was our side-yard when we got home from Sunday's hunt:

020a.jpg

Probably not a good thing when an in-town yard on a "ridge" is covered up with bec-croix. Lord knows I'm thankful it finally came, but I believe we've had enough rain now. (Photos sucked because, you guessed it: was raining.)

[Darren]

Now that we're back in full preseason mode; was that one report the only you got about specks in the area? No 3rd hand reports from questionable (or otherwise) sources?

Didn't get any reports of non-teal migrators on my end aside from the few usual references of mottled duck families as grays. Oh and I can't forget about those 4 "dosgris" at WL the first week

[Ericdc]

We saw spoons and pintails Saturday in the marsh


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[Rick]

Now that we're back in full preseason mode; was that one report the only you got about specks in the area? No 3rd hand reports from questionable (or otherwise) sources?

Nope, haven't heard of any other specks. Have seen pins and spoons, but not many of either.

[Rick]

How did you come about trying the deceiver? Recommended by a friend?

I went on Allan Stanley’s website and listened to a sound file of the deceiver and holy cow is it loud!

It's long been touted as the loudest of standard (.010) reeded j-frames, and I was curious to see if it was louder than a over-bored MVP I was blessed with years back. Turned out it was and increased my distant big duck reach appreciably last year, and I'd been anxious since to try it with a teal-cut reed this September season. So tuned, the sucker flat screams and has more than proven its worth in that configuration, too.

The two I've now in hand both came tuned so low/heavy that I initially found them cumbersome to run, and even tuned as high as I prefer aren't as nimble as the standard MVP I favor for most big duck work. But they'll reach way the hey out with real leverage.

Still have another coming that's one of his earlier, non-CNCed calls with stepped insert boring that I'm anxious to compare.

I look forward to your review of that one.

Just now came across this while reviewing the log for a teal wrap-up, gave the two new-to-me Deceivers a side-by-side toot and find the presumably newer of the two much louder than the obviously hand turned one. But I see the "older" stepped and signed on the insert call has a narrower reed that could account for much or all of the difference. Don't know if that's how Stanley then made them or a prior owner modification. Will have to wait until the mood strikes to fit both with like reeds better tuned to suit my preferences.

[Rick]

Early this morning, the bug and I picked up the decoys I'd stashed on our piece south of Gueydan - and did not see a duck: coming, going or on our piece or the neighbor's, both of which had been holding teal. Albeit on puddled-up plowed ground which is now under foot-and-a-half or deeper water. Might well be that the season was as well timed as could be for us.

[Rick]

Spent some time with the new-to-me Deceivers and was disappointed to find that a wider/standard reed didn't bring the apparently older, step-cut inserted one up to snuff volume wise and even more so by the fact that it also requires thicker than standard cork.

But I'd have happily paid their combined price for the other, likely CNCed one that's proven even louder than the one that tickled me so last season and is now its backup. Hold your ears, kids!

[Bud]

Rick, Do you plan to place something between the call and a direct line to Marsh's ears? Never even thought about that til you spoke of the Coyote's hearing possibly damaged by the calls instead of just guns. Long retrieves would be best to have the bug's best ears on. Just a new puzzle; was wondering if you would give a thought to tackle it?

[Rick]

They make "mutt muffs" for airboat and aircraft riding dogs that some use when hunting, but they're one more thing to fool with, and I'll probably just try to remain more mindful of where I'm pointing the call than I was with Peake.

[DComeaux]

Rick, someone just sent me some videos of teal in the rice in Thornwell. Large wads rising as they were driving around and through the fields.

[DComeaux]

Rick, someone just sent me some videos of teal in the rice in Thornwell. Large wads rising as they were driving around and through the fields.

[Rick]

I'm told that the Riveanna Co. land Tim Litel bought by his new/big camp on 14 has been loaded for some time. But if our stuff just north of Thornwell ever got strong, they were tight-lipped about it.

[Rick]

Don't know that it's the same video you saw, Dave, but learned that there's one circulating of Litel's birds behind Kevin Berkin's house (white one by Goose Island Rd and 14). Kevin's cousin Ric told me Kevin had him come over to see the show yesterday, and as soon as he got out of the truck in Kevin's drive, he could hear the bird's chattering and nipping water and nearly feel the vibration in the air. Having been in the middle of such, I was flat envious.

Kevin confirmed rumors that those birds went unhunted.

[DComeaux]

Don't know that it's the same video you saw, Dave, but learned that there's one circulating of Litel's birds behind Kevin Berkin's house (white one by Goose Island Rd and 14). Kevin's cousin Ric told me Kevin had him come over to see the show yesterday, and as soon as he got out of the truck in Kevin's drive, he could hear the bird's chattering and nipping water and nearly feel the vibration in the air. Having been in the middle of such, I was flat envious.

Kevin confirmed rumors that those birds went unhunted.

That's it.

[Darren]

Don't know that it's the same video you saw, Dave, but learned that there's one circulating of Litel's birds behind Kevin Berkin's house (white one by Goose Island Rd and 14). Kevin's cousin Ric told me Kevin had him come over to see the show yesterday, and as soon as he got out of the truck in Kevin's drive, he could hear the bird's chattering and nipping water and nearly feel the vibration in the air. Having been in the middle of such, I was flat envious.

Kevin confirmed rumors that those birds went unhunted.

What's up with that? Holding for regular season? Is it said to be all BW's?