Preseason 2018-2019

[Rick]

Migration Manipulation.jpg

Though Swan Lake NWR's Canada count did, indeed, once rise to 150,000, according to my quick search, it dropped below 100,000 around 1990 and has been steadily declining. Must have been those bastages providing food and refuge up north in Southern Illinois.

But if you want to hear some real short-stopping bitching and moaning, listen to the guys who hunted that once Canada goose Mecca before it went down the crapper. Having hunted there during it's prime, I can tell you it was an eye-popper for this Ohio Valley boy, but that's now long gone. Must have been those bastages up north at Wisconsin's famous Horicon Marsh NWR.

After all, just about everybody in the state of Wisconsin was either bitching about all the birds being held in the Horicon Marsh Zone or how tightly regulated the hunting was within it. But it turns out that even with the success of resident populations (and perhaps in part because of it) a steady decline in Canada numbers has occurred there, as well.

And so it's gone...

[SpinnerMan]

I was thinking about this discussion when field hunting on Friday. I actually thought of taking a video to show all the whole ears of corn laying on the ground.

[DComeaux]

Rick, are you noticing any rice in the craws of the birds you're taking?

[Rick]

Sure. Had some that rattled and some that didn't. But it's generally just the spoons that I'm curious enough about to push contents that rattle up and out the gullet, and that's been mostly rice.

[DComeaux]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

[Rick]

It's my impression that area farmers are starting to move away from the Roundup Ready varieties due to problems with out-cross between it and red rice. Seemed like more of the older varieties were back in use this year - at least from my casual eves-dropping. FWIW, though, the most mallards I've seen in a field were on flooded fallow ground. Perhaps a couple hundred in one cut.

[DComeaux]

It's my impression that area farmers are starting to move away from the Roundup Ready varieties due to problems

I'm hearing and reading the same thing.

[Ducaholic]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

Can't speak to that but I road thru Bunkie, Ville Platte, Eunice, Bazile, thru and then south of Jennings and then retracked north on 26 by Hathaway (now I know where that is lol) East on 104 in to Mamou back to Bunkie yesterday and didn't see a duck or a goose. What I did see was thousands and thousands of acres of unflooded rice. Both harvested, unharvested, plowed under and land leveled fields mostly all unflooded. I did see some ponds that will obviously be in crawfish but 75% of what I saw was mostly bone dry. It was a real eye opener...

[DComeaux]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

Can't speak to that but I road thru Bunkie, Ville Platte, Eunice, Bazile, thru and then south of Jennings and then retracked north on 26 by Hathaway (now I know where that is lol) East on 104 in to Mamou back to Bunkie yesterday and didn't see a duck or a goose. What I did see was thousands and thousands of acres of unflooded rice. Both harvested, unharvested, plowed under and land leveled fields mostly all unflooded. I did see some ponds that will obviously be in crawfish but 75% of what I saw was mostly bone dry. It was a real eye opener...

There's lots and lots of rice fields out there, though some of the area you went through has never been known for good duck hunting, even with all of the rice production. Try that drive again after the season closes. I bet you'll have a different report.

[Ducaholic]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

Can't speak to that but I road thru Bunkie, Ville Platte, Eunice, Bazile, thru and then south of Jennings and then retracked north on 26 by Hathaway (now I know where that is lol) East on 104 in to Mamou back to Bunkie yesterday and didn't see a duck or a goose. What I did see was thousands and thousands of acres of unflooded rice. Both harvested, unharvested, plowed under and land leveled fields mostly all unflooded. I did see some ponds that will obviously be in crawfish but 75% of what I saw was mostly bone dry. It was a real eye opener...

There's lots and lots of rice fields out there, though some of the area you went through has never been known for good duck hunting, even with all of the rice production. Try that drive again after the season closes. I bet you'll have a different report.

I know waterfowl use specific flight line corridors on their migration southward and never really heard much regarding these areas and waterfowl but the lack water and waterfowl was still an eye opener.

[Darren]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

Can't speak to that but I road thru Bunkie, Ville Platte, Eunice, Bazile, thru and then south of Jennings and then retracked north on 26 by Hathaway (now I know where that is lol) East on 104 in to Mamou back to Bunkie yesterday and didn't see a duck or a goose. What I did see was thousands and thousands of acres of unflooded rice. Both harvested, unharvested, plowed under and land leveled fields mostly all unflooded. I did see some ponds that will obviously be in crawfish but 75% of what I saw was mostly bone dry. It was a real eye opener...

Actually find that encouraging, as birds aren't quite as apt to be scattered across unpressured acreage as I feared given the rain we've had. Big chance this weekend coming through as well

Sounds like a neat drive nonetheless; I got started in SW La ag hunting near Hathaway.

[Ducaholic]

I was just curious, and wondering how much hybrid rice is out there that they might not like. We haven't seen any with rice this year. It's been mostly small grass seeds.

Can't speak to that but I road thru Bunkie, Ville Platte, Eunice, Bazile, thru and then south of Jennings and then retracked north on 26 by Hathaway (now I know where that is lol) East on 104 in to Mamou back to Bunkie yesterday and didn't see a duck or a goose. What I did see was thousands and thousands of acres of unflooded rice. Both harvested, unharvested, plowed under and land leveled fields mostly all unflooded. I did see some ponds that will obviously be in crawfish but 75% of what I saw was mostly bone dry. It was a real eye opener...

Actually find that encouraging, as birds aren't quite as apt to be scattered across unpressured acreage as I feared given the rain we've had. Big chance this weekend coming through as well

Sounds like a neat drive nonetheless; I got started in SW La ag hunting near Hathaway.

There is always a silver lining! Lots of ducks showed up on Sunday in Avoyelles Parish and would have to think more came afterwards.

[DComeaux]

nsm_depth_2018120905_National.jpg

[SpinnerMan]

We are froze up pretty hard. Kids were playing ice hockey on the the one lake by my house when the wife and I went for a walk yesterday afternoon. However, there just isn't any snow and none in the forecast. Although, I hope the snow holds off for a few weeks since I won't be hunting locally again until January.

[DComeaux]

The imprinting on corn is so strong they're landing on rail cars with can openers. CRACK....Addicted.

Rail Car.jpg

[Deltaman]

The imprinting on corn is so strong they're landing on rail cars with can openers. CRACK....Addicted.

Rail Car.jpg

LMAO.............Good one Dave!!!!!!!!

[DComeaux]

"Fox2Now US National Weather Service Saint Louis Missouri #stlwx Radar can see a great many things besides weather. Tonight, it appears to be tracking a "V" formation of geese flying south...in rather large numbers...out of far southeast Illinois and into western Kentucky. Move your cars indoors if you are under the flight path or you may need a carwash tomorrow Kudos to former inter n Meteorologist Nick Hausen at WSIL-TV for pointing it out to me"




https://www.facebook.com/ChrisHigginsFOX2/videos/262429767783944/

[Darren]

"Fox2Now US National Weather Service Saint Louis Missouri #stlwx Radar can see a great many things besides weather. Tonight, it appears to be tracking a "V" formation of geese flying south...in rather large numbers...out of far southeast Illinois and into western Kentucky. Move your cars indoors if you are under the flight path or you may need a carwash tomorrow Kudos to former inter n Meteorologist Nick Hausen at WSIL-TV for pointing it out to me"




https://www.facebook.com/ChrisHigginsFOX2/videos/262429767783944/

Saw that on the Weather Channel this morning but they weren't attributing it to birds, just didn't know what it was. I was wondering, though, if it may be fowl on the move en masse.

[Ducaholic]

Friend works on the river near Baton Rouge and reported wave after wave of ducks moving south yesterday.

[DComeaux]

I was wondering, though, if it may be fowl on the move en masse.

It has happened before.

[Darren]

I was wondering, though, if it may be fowl on the move en masse.

It has happened before.

yea that was the instance that came to mind, forgot what year but was some time ago.

[Darren]

Friend works on the river near Baton Rouge and reported wave after wave of ducks moving south yesterday.

Pretty certain a wad of specks were cruising over Baton Rouge yesterday when I was heading to the office. Had to stay on the road, but from what I saw they were definitely not local Canada's pond hopping.

[DComeaux]

I was wondering, though, if it may be fowl on the move en masse.

It has happened before.

yea that was the instance that came to mind, forgot what year but was some time ago.

It was November of 1995.

[Johnc]

We had mallards that year. Airport radar picked up the migration I think

[Johnc]

Or maybe late 90’s was the airport radar picking up the giant blob of migration.

Things were different. Once we started killing mallards it was at least a few per hunt until the end of the year

That stopped few years later and we switched focus totally to geese and the kill numbers completely switched

[DComeaux]

Or maybe late 90’s was the airport radar picking up the giant blob of migration.

Things were different. Once we started killing mallards it was at least a few per hunt until the end of the year

That stopped few years later and we switched focus totally to geese and the kill numbers completely switched

I recently posted this on another forum, and a few times over the years.

"When major cold fronts pass, we see them, on radar, moving from adversity." You may recall a mass migration of waterfowl in November 1995. It was reported that 90 million waterfowl may have engaged in that "grand passage"; so dense were the flocks of birds that radarscopes at major Midwest airports couldn't distinguish birds from airplanes".

http://www.ducks.org/Hunting/Waterfowl- ... tion/page2

[DComeaux]

DON'T MESS WITH MY BABIES!!

[Duck Engr]

Haha love it. After living on the coast, I was pulling for momma hen to drown that flying rat.

[Rick]

A friend tells of watching some sort of bird hawk grabbing a wee wood duck and getting it's butt kicked in the ensuing air battle until it dropped its prize. Madonna and a child apparently none the worse for wear then returned to the rest of her brood, while the hawk sought dinner elsewhere. Would have enjoyed seeing that.

[DComeaux]

A friend tells of watching some sort of bird hawk grabbing a wee wood duck and getting it's butt kicked in the ensuing air battle until it dropped its prize. Madonna and a child apparently none the worse for wear then returned to the rest of her brood, while the hawk sought dinner elsewhere. Would have enjoyed seeing that.

Me Too.