2018-2019 Season Log

[DComeaux]

DC has was the first takings from the new location and pit?


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Yes, this was the first hunt's from the new location.

[BGkirk]

DC has was the first takings from the new location and pit?


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Yes, this was the first hunt's from the new location.

how was it*


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[DComeaux]

DC has was the first takings from the new location and pit?


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Yes, this was the first hunt's from the new location.

how was it*


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Very nice. First day's pirogue trip was 180 yards in high wind and was accomplished with no problem. I think we've settled in nicely. Looking forward to the remainder of the season.
I have some type of rodent's trying to claim the pirogue. I have it turned upside down on a nice stand of needle grass at it's staged location, and Saturday when I got to it in the dark it was partially covered with vegetation. I thought the water had possibly risen at sometime during the week and left some debris, until I flipped the pirogue. Under the piroge were two freshly dug holes. They'll be the only muskrats? in the marsh with a fiberglass roof. I'll let them use it for a couple of months.

[Darren]

Great hunt! Glad to see it turned for the better for you

[Duck Engr]

DC has was the first takings from the new location and pit?


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Yes, this was the first hunt's from the new location.

how was it*


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice. First day's pirogue trip was 180 yards in high wind and was accomplished with no problem. I think we've settled in nicely. Looking forward to the remainder of the season.
I have some type of rodent's trying to claim the pirogue. I have it turned upside down on a nice stand of needle grass at it's staged location, and Saturday when I got to it in the dark it was partially covered with vegetation. I thought the water had possibly risen at sometime during the week and left some debris, until I flipped the pirogue. Under the piroge were two freshly dug holes. They'll be the only muskrats? in the marsh with a fiberglass roof. I'll let them use it for a couple of months.

That’ll be all fine and dandy until you forget about them one morning in the dark and get a surprise when you go get your pirouge!

[DComeaux]

DC has was the first takings from the new location and pit?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, this was the first hunt's from the new location.

how was it*


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice. First day's pirogue trip was 180 yards in high wind and was accomplished with no problem. I think we've settled in nicely. Looking forward to the remainder of the season.
I have some type of rodent's trying to claim the pirogue. I have it turned upside down on a nice stand of needle grass at it's staged location, and Saturday when I got to it in the dark it was partially covered with vegetation. I thought the water had possibly risen at sometime during the week and left some debris, until I flipped the pirogue. Under the piroge were two freshly dug holes. They'll be the only muskrats? in the marsh with a fiberglass roof. I'll let them use it for a couple of months.

That’ll be all fine and dandy until you forget about them one morning in the dark and get a surprise when you go get your pirouge!

It'll get my blood flowing and wake me up.

[Deltaman]

Glad to see that Sunday helped make of for Saturday. I hunted South of Venice, and was damn glad we didn't have to venture out into the river to get where we needed to go.

[DComeaux]

Glad to see that Sunday helped make of for Saturday. I hunted South of Venice, and was damn glad we didn't have to venture out into the river to get where we needed to go.

That river can get downright ugly, so I'm told.

[MARSH BEAR]

Dave we noticed one of our blinds was being chewed up on the inside, but did not have any dead animals in the blind. Sunday when my hunting partner was getting into the blind - there was a large nutria very much alive in the bottom of the blind - he did not stay alive long, but surprise, surprise.

[DComeaux]

Dave we noticed one of our blinds was being chewed up on the inside, but did not have any dead animals in the blind. Sunday when my hunting partner was getting into the blind - there was a large nutria very much alive in the bottom of the blind - he did not stay alive long, but surprise, surprise.

HAHAHAHA! I've fished many of those out of blinds, dead and alive.

[Rick]

Many years back I hunted a father and son from Maryland in a pit (the original one at the "turnaround" spot Jarren and crew hunted) a new guide had brushed so high that we hunted with our feet on the seat bench and butts on the ground. (Had a sweet hunt, and I can still remember that bench shaking from one, or both?, of the guy's excitement as specks were landing.) When we finished, I asked the father to hand me the trash bucket out of the blind for our empties, and he about flew out of the pit exclaiming, "There's a beast in there!"

"A beast?"

"A beast!"

So I hopped in and discovered a cornered nutria under the bench that couldn't have fancied the commotion of our hunt and was in no mood to be pushed up the ramp I made of the bench for him. Ended up half-assed snagging him between my gun and its sling and getting him out that way. But not before he punched two holes through my hip boots, jeans and knee.

And that was how I learned to not just make them a bench ramp, but walk away and let them climb out on their own.

[DComeaux]

I can almost hear the water draining from our marsh today with this stiff northerly wind . Hopefully it becomes more attractive to the green wing and gadwall and they hang around for a bit. It's going to be a cold ride out in the marsh Thursday morning.

Got reports and video of snow in Shreveport and Houston this morning. I wonder if this is a first for this time of year down here?

[DComeaux]

11/15/2018

Temp - FROST Wind - None to very, very light NE later

Bennett, Bill and Me

Birds- (2)- Shoveler

Very still and quiet this morning. Had a few GW in the west and east decoys just minutes before LST. We hunted until 9:30 and it seemed to take forever to get there. Skies were empty pretty much all hunt long. We had two big pods of pelicans feeding near us which kept us entertained. We had (1) crab in seven traps, and the fish aren't biting. Sitting at the camp now typing this and I'll soon indulge in a few adult beverages and start a seven steak and sausage gravy. This was a back up for the boiled crabs we were supposed to have.

[Darren]

wow, wind was gettin it over on our end of state from NNW. Not that it made for great hunting, though. Hope more pressure from weekend guys coming in stirs them for you

[MARSH BEAR]

Dave I will be hunting in the morning - hope we have a few more ducks than you this morning. If we have extra I will send them over to you.

[DComeaux]

Dave I will be hunting in the morning - hope we have a few more ducks than you this morning. If we have extra I will send them over to you.

We'll take all you care to give, Thanks!

[DComeaux]

11/16/2018

Temp -39 - WIND - None all hunt Clear skies

Me and Bill

Birds- (4)- 1 Shoveler 2 green wing 1 Scaup

Very still and quiet again this morning. Had a little more movement early with a few low level surprise missed opportunities, but it died quickly. We watched for a very brief time, high, large flocks coming from the north bouncing off the gulf and going back north at lower altitude in disorganized flocks. Seems we may have a southerly wind in the morning and I hope it brings a change.

We had a blast this afternoon with cast after cast of large red fish. It was amazing. This is what we kept to to put on the grill. We released many over 27".

Red fish.jpg

As I uploaded that that picture I thought how disheartening it is that I posted a fish picture on a duck log. I sure hope things turnaround soon. We did get an opportunity to ride on the reuge this evening and it was absolutely amazing the number of fowl on that place. Gives me just a glimmer of hope.

[Rick]

I'd think you'll see some bump from this weekend's new pressures. If not today, then tomorrow. Maybe not all we'd want, but something.

[DComeaux]

11/17/2018

Temp -49 - WIND -Light SE Sky high thin overcast

Me, Bill and Blake

Birds- (12)- 5 green wing 5 Scaup 2 mottled ducks

Saw way more birds than the last couple of days which kept us on our toes for the first hour or so. Still not what it should be with the water as low as it is.

Birds (1).jpg

Birds (2).jpg

[Rick]

Blind looks good in that last pic.

[DComeaux]

Blind looks good in that last pic.

Thanks! It sure is comfortable, and a confidence builder.

[DComeaux]

11/18/2018

Temp -50's - WIND -Light NE Sky high broken clouds to clear

Me, Bill and Blake

Birds- (8)- 2 green wing 6 Scaup

Very, very few ducks seen this morning, seems the teal have disappeared. Thank God for the scaup, which are beginning to increase in numbers ever so slightly. We've seen what I thought were flocks of redheads over the last few days and one of the south blinds took one this morning. We may get a chance or two on those in the near future, I hope. I'd did more brr brr brr calling this morning than I've done in a long time.

I took this shot of the blind while leaving for the pirogue this morning. The guy's are sitting on the seat and I wanted to see what it looked like from the outside. We have plans to use some of the fast grass to make panels around Ellie. That wild ass dog does the two-step when I start calling. I'll try the panels first and if that doesn't work I'll sink the bottom half of a plastic 55 gallon drum, putting her head level with the ground.

20181118_083544.jpg

[BGkirk]

11/18/2018

Temp -50's - WIND -Light NE Sky high broken clouds to clear

Me, Bill and Blake

Birds- (8)- 2 green wing 6 Scaup

Very, very few ducks seen this morning, seems the teal have disappeared. Thank God for the scaup, which are beginning to increase in numbers ever so slightly. We've seen what I thought were flocks of redheads over the last few days and one of the south blinds took one this morning. We may get a chance or two on those in the near future, I hope. I'd did more brr brr brr calling this morning than I've done in a long time.

I took this shot of the blind while leaving for the pirogue this morning. The guy's are sitting on the seat and I wanted to see what it looked like from the outside. We have plans to use some of the fast grass to make panels around Ellie. That wild ass dog does the two-step when I start calling. I'll try the panels first and if that doesn't work I'll sink the bottom half of a plastic 55 gallon drum, putting her head level with the ground.

20181118_083544.jpg

i see no problem with that setup


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[DComeaux]

11/18/2018

Temp -50's - WIND -Light NE Sky high broken clouds to clear

Me, Bill and Blake

Birds- (8)- 2 green wing 6 Scaup

Very, very few ducks seen this morning, seems the teal have disappeared. Thank God for the scaup, which are beginning to increase in numbers ever so slightly. We've seen what I thought were flocks of redheads over the last few days and one of the south blinds took one this morning. We may get a chance or two on those in the near future, I hope. I'd did more brr brr brr calling this morning than I've done in a long time.

I took this shot of the blind while leaving for the pirogue this morning. The guy's are sitting on the seat and I wanted to see what it looked like from the outside. We have plans to use some of the fast grass to make panels around Ellie. That wild ass dog does the two-step when I start calling. I'll try the panels first and if that doesn't work I'll sink the bottom half of a plastic 55 gallon drum, putting her head level with the ground.

20181118_083544.jpg

i see no problem with that setup


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Just need some ducks.

[Darren]

Blind looking like my dream for our Delacroix ponds.

[DComeaux]

Blind looking like my dream for our Delacroix ponds.

I plan to fertilize the area around the blind in the spring hoping to boost the growth. If we can avoid a natural disaster next year we should have little to no brushing to deal with. The blind will be filled with water after the season.

[DComeaux]

11/23/2018

Temp - upper 50's - WIND -Light NE High overcast

Me and Bill

Birds- (5) 3 pintail 1 gadwall 1 scaup

Very little low birds seen this morning, and the divers are gone. Refuge numbers have dwindled significantly. With that said, we did witness large high flocks (50 to 100 each)coming from the north starting just after LST. This lasted about 45 minutes with sporadic waves afterwards. We did not see a return flow of these birds and we're only 3 miles from the beach. Even the better controlled marshes around us did nothing this morning. We hunted until 9:45.

The one gadwall broke from a way high flock and was very vocal all the way to the decoys. I did break a few others during the morning (becoming very dizzy with Bill laughing at me) but they climbed back up to join the flock.

Bill and his Pintail

PINTAIL.jpg

The final take

Birds.jpg

[DComeaux]

This is what we're staring at this morning. 9:00 and still in the blind. Fog has got a grip on things.

20181124_090105_resized.jpg

[DComeaux]

11/24/2018

Temp - upper 50's - WIND -none to occasional light NE Heavy Fog

Me and Blake

Birds - (7) 5 green wing 1 gadwall 1 scaup

We heard wings and vocalization all morning above the fog. We called often at the sounds we heard and got the gadwall to to drop through the fog take a look. I'd like to think the teal came to all the noise Blake and I were making on the whistles, and I'm sure our neighbors got tired of listening to it. We heard no other calling this morning from any other blind.

We did have a few missed opportunities ( sneak pass) and some in your face shots on a big group of GW front and center where only two fell. I think we had maybe 100 yard visibility at the most until 11:00 am.

This is what you look like after staring into the fog for 5 hours.

Blake.jpg

[DComeaux]

11/25/2018

Temp - upper 50's - WIND -Moderate SE Low broken cloud cover early

Me, Blake and Cyrus

Birds - (5) 1 green wing 3 gadwall 1 mottled (BAND)

Had a lot of low big duck activity this morning and saw LARGE flocks of GW, which was encouraging. We got to play with a flock or two of pintail and many gadwall, none would fully commit. We had a few flocks work overhead but felt they were just a bit too high and I would rather not cripple or educate these birds. It was really good to see the birds react to the calling and at least give us a pass or two, or three when it came to the darn pintail. Shooting to our SE was amplified in the SE winds and this screwed up a few flocks that had turned and cupped to our calling. Most activity had stopped @ 9:30, right when we had planned to leave.

Mottled duck band info. Larry Reynolds name was on the certificate that popped up on my phone but I didn't save it. I'll get an email with the certificate in a day or so.

INFORMATION FROM OUR FILES:
Species: Mottled Duck
Date banded: 07/11/2018
Banding Location: NEAR GRAND CHENIER, CAMERON PARISH, LOUISIANA, USA
Age: HATCHED IN 2018
Sex: MALE

The mottled duck came to calling and was very vocal. Cyrus, our guest for the morning, was positioned on the north side of the blind and the mottled came from the northeast, flared over the east pond and was going to land. I called the shot to Cyrus and after his second missed shot I took the bird on the climb out. Cyrus told me "thanks for the back up" as Ellie was retrieving the bird. As soon as I took the bird from her I noticed, and loudly proclaimed It had a band. I didn't see his face but there was silence, except for Blake. That makes five bands for me, three taken in the last two years.

mottled.jpg

The crew leaving the blind.

Blake 11 25 (1).jpg