This and that...

[Darren]

Welp.....maybe it were, maybe it werent

Neat to see ducks no matter

Will keep an eye out for unusually early specks on our Bunkie trip Sunday

[Rick]

Should be thick by now. Read on the internet that Bunkie's their new hotspot.

[Rick]

Having absolutely zero artistic aptitude or ability, I hate painting decoys.

But I got it into my head that three bright drake pintail make-overs of some G&Hs from my first (circa '70s) spread have been of some service, and since one was shot up beyond salvage last season and the other two polka-dotted with shot patches, I decided to break out my remaining three drakes and re-do them along with the polka-dotted ones.

Passed some off-season and didn't turn out as funky as my newly-blued mallard drake heads - at least in the shadows of my shed:

033a.jpg

Briefly considered giving some ringnecks I retired as ineffective in the mudhole some years back a face-lit, but had little trouble talking myself out of it...

[Darren]

Sand bag as you will, those pins look great. Look forward to seeing them in the mudhole

[Rick]

Distance and low light are my friends.

Praying no one shoots these, 'cause I'm not up to doing them again any time soon.

And wait until you see my drake blueheads!

[Darren]

From the factory:

Capture.JPG

Think they'd be pretty proud of you! Almost as proud as they are of their dekes, given the pricing.......goooood night.

Noticed the pintail feeder butts are ON SALE for $45 a pair, down from $55. Granted, those I own have been the best feeder butts of my collection, but shheeesh!

[Rick]

...as proud as they are of their dekes, given the pricing.......goooood night.

Noticed the pintail feeder butts are ON SALE for $45 a pair, down from $55. Granted, those I own have been the best feeder butts of my collection, but shheeesh!

Made in the USA. Their early decoys looked a whole lot better than their current ones, but only my pintails and teal lived up to G&H's reputation for durability. My over-sized mallard drakes all split down their back seams and the keels broke off all my over-sized Susies. My standard mallards were more consistent and drakes and Susies, alike, cracked along the edges where their sides and bottoms met.

[Johnc]

Those repainted pintails look damn good as do the back of those specks

[Rick]

...as do the back of those specks

Again, distance and poor lighting are their friends. Airbrushing kicks my ass, and the arts of smooth transitions and detail with it remain well beyond my grasp (sprig were mostly brushed). Just getting the specks "close enough" gave me a whole new level of appreciation for the little Chinese kids supposedly knocking out the factory versions, much less the good taxidermists' fish.

Currently have 13 flocked Dakota drake heads that, even after much experimentation, came out bluer than expected, at least in part because of ham-handed airbrushing, and am having an easier time convincing myself to give them a go as it than try to make them "right"...

[Darren]

Blue Heads, Green Heads, same difference


So long as not Blue Bills........

[Rick]

Blue Heads, Green Heads, same difference


So long as not Blue Bills........

Ut, oh...

008.JPG

[MARSH BEAR]

looks like a blue bill to me

[Rick]

looks like a blue bill to me

Am hoping that when the masking take comes off after clear-coating, the yellow bills that stood the sun much better than the flocking the contrast will help tone down the heads' overall blue hue a bit. Seemed to with my test heads:

004.JPG

But we'll see...

[Darren]

Look plenty close to life like to me for what you're looking to do

If they're swimming amongst them studying up close.......you're doing it wrong.

[Rick]

Went to the marsh with Ed this morning to check out some aerial spraying results and pump out and cover our blinds (thereby increasing the serious Gulf storm chances exponentially). Found the pilot missed the pond cresent he was supposed to do at Clyde's, skimped on the back blind (which was the spot in greatest need) and either missed the area Ed said he and Isaac had directed him to spray in our "refuge" south of Clyde's or was redirected(?) to do most of his spraying between Isaac and Clyde's ponds. Will be interesting to see if what was done bumps up the easterly marsh blinds' take or just screwed the back blind.

Was relieved to see no mistake was made at my blind and my marsh-scaping remains as hoped:

005a.jpg

and the black dirt in the pond isn't nearly as bad as some years - at least so far:

009a.jpg

Pond looks tiny from the blind, as the "bank" flotant is, of course, still encroaching and the blind island continuing to grow, but both are things I'd much rather address manually than with poison.

Aside from the disappointment of how little was sprayed where needed most to benefit the back blind, it was sweet to be in the marsh and see a few birds, even if only woodies and whistlers.

[Darren]

With only a month to go, looks like you're well ahead of what could be.

[Darren]

At what point are you going to start working at opening the (mud)hole up? Couple weeks before?

[Rick]

Yep, early next month.

[Rick]

Heard my first believed reliable local teal report this morning of 20 spotted over Dixie in Klondike yesterday.

[Rick]

Triaged my September marsh rig this morning and found seven more shot ones than I had sorted out at pickup. May have to start tucking them all up against the blind and, hopefully, under line of fire.

[Darren]

Triaged my September marsh rig this morning and found seven more shot ones than I had sorted out at pickup. May have to start tucking them all up against the blind and, hopefully, under line of fire.

Salvageable? Ever do the Great-Stuff injection method for those that are particularly shot up instead of patching each hole individually?

[Rick]

Haven't tried it myself but have heard that even the two part foams eventually water-log. And know some of the canned stuff seems to pretty quickly.

In any event, I patched 16 with 5200 yesterday and should be good through September 2019...

[Darren]

............... and should be good through September 2019...

You say that, but you don't know who all is coming through your blind just yet.

All could survive to serve in Sept 2020, or........


Wasn't it not long ago you mentioned taking a party that included a fella who asked if he could shoot your dekes if no real ducks came in?


P.S. Anyone able to reach out to Olly about getting 2019-2020 logs set up? I sent a PM but no response, hope all is OK with him.

[Duck Engr]

P.S. Anyone able to reach out to Olly about getting 2019-2020 logs set up? I sent a PM but no response, hope all is OK with him.

I’ll send him a text. Texted back and forth with him a couple times two or three weeks ago when I was out on his general vicinity. Sounded like all was good. Said he’s still loving living out on the west coast.

[Darren]

P.S. Anyone able to reach out to Olly about getting 2019-2020 logs set up? I sent a PM but no response, hope all is OK with him.

I’ll send him a text. Texted back and forth with him a couple times two or three weeks ago when I was out on his general vicinity. Sounded like all was good. Said he’s still loving living out on the west coast.

Good to hear

[DComeaux]

Said he’s still loving living out on the west coast.

Probably involved with that ANTIFA bunch up that way...

[Rick]

Wasn't it not long ago you mentioned taking a party that included a fella who asked if he could shoot your dekes if no real ducks came in? :lol

John's then-16yr-old grandson, who I hope to see again, since it will mean John's still able. Hell, if that's what it takes to get John out again, he can shoot all of my September decoys. (Love John dearly, but don't know about getting that much of my first string regular season spread shot up...)

[Ericdc]

IMG_0028.JPG

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Tol' y'all the bluewings got whacked in that Montana hail storm.

[SpinnerMan]

Our Canada goose limit got bumped up from 2 to 3 for the regular season

Now let's hope the weather cooperates.

A number of our late season pits didn't get any crops planted at all. I think enough crops are in and doing well enough food won't be an issue to hold the birds once they arrive.

For the fields that didn't get planted, they are going to mow the weeds and put in rye grass. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Once covered with snow it doesn't really matter. I'm definitely curious to see if the geese zero in on that grass when there is no snow on the ground. Might have to go down there early season if we get a warm snap and see if we have any birds using those grass patches. Maybe it will attract them like the golf courses do.