Preseason 2018-2019

[Ericdc]

I like big open water. Hunted in thornwell with no crop and just open water and had one of our best seasons. For ducks and geese. We kept the water level enough to float a decoy but also be able to put out full body ducks and of course geese too. Without food in it they may not be drawn to your field like they would be to a feeding pond, but I wouldn’t be worried about no crops. I actually would prefer it.




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Yep. Just enough water to float the ducks is gonna put your full bodies well above water line which is way more natural then full bodies touching the water = crap

Yep yep yep...4” is all you need.


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[Darren]

I like big open water. Hunted in thornwell with no crop and just open water and had one of our best seasons. For ducks and geese. We kept the water level enough to float a decoy but also be able to put out full body ducks and of course geese too. Without food in it they may not be drawn to your field like they would be to a feeding pond, but I wouldn’t be worried about no crops. I actually would prefer it.


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Yep. Just enough water to float the ducks is gonna put your full bodies well above water line which is way more natural then full bodies touching the water = crap

Use pvc stakes to make 10 inches or 10 feet of water look 4 inches with your full bodies. Birds won't know it's not 4 inches until you're shooting at them

[Darren]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

That north pond always seems to have the most SAV, but its deeper than the other two ponds which are the main ones I hunt, and right around the corner. Same salinity, same water flows, tides in and out, etc. The pond we lost access to two seasons back is such that you could walk across the SAV right about now, wigeon grass and all kinds of stuff but it's very shallow and a no-go when the fronts start barreling through

[Ericdc]

I like big open water. Hunted in thornwell with no crop and just open water and had one of our best seasons. For ducks and geese. We kept the water level enough to float a decoy but also be able to put out full body ducks and of course geese too. Without food in it they may not be drawn to your field like they would be to a feeding pond, but I wouldn’t be worried about no crops. I actually would prefer it.


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Yep. Just enough water to float the ducks is gonna put your full bodies well above water line which is way more natural then full bodies touching the water = crap

Use pvc stakes to make 10 inches or 10 feet of water look 4 inches with your full bodies. Birds won't know it's not 4 inches until you're shooting at them

I have been using extended stakes since full bodies came out. We just kept quiet about it.

I disagree that geese don’t know. I think they do know.

Yea I feel like they can see the bottom in real shallow water. If they landed in my 50 acres of water last year, they were gonna land in water less than 4” or on the mud east of our flooded area.


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[Darren]

For local birds, yes, they will know what's deep and what's shin deep on them if they've visited before.

But you can't tell me a bird that doesn't know that particular cut's depth can discern 4" chocolate (turbid from feeding or otherwise) water from 4 feet of chocolate water from flight. He may have some kind of radar built in, but he doesn't have sonar too.

[Ericdc]

Only thing I would say is deep water isn’t going to be churned up unless it’s an actual backwater from a flood, because it’s too deep for birds to churn up and probably too deep for wave action to churn it either?




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[SpinnerMan]

Only thing I would say is deep water isn’t going to be churned up unless it’s an actual backwater from a flood, because it’s too deep for birds to churn up and probably too deep for wave action to churn it either?

Exactly, if you could keep it like chocolate milk with inches or less of visibility, then sure the birds cannot tell. However, how often does 4' of water, especially stagnant water, look like that? Not often in my experience.

But ducks and geese are smart, but not that smart or we would never kill any. So they see a bunch of ducks or geese that look like they are in shallow water but the water doesn't look shallow, what will they do? I'm sure some will think it is shallow and be fooled. Not nearly as many as would in actual shallow water.

[SpinnerMan]

I hunt like geese are that smart. Have for about the past 10 years.

And obviously, that is the best way to do that. But when you have to make do with less than ideal conditions, you are thankful that they are not all that smart.

[DComeaux]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

[Darren]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

[Darren]

Yes hunt the mudd for specks. You are in a super place for geese. Capitalize

I'm talking about ducks primarily, but like I mentioned before, really hoping we can keep the water off of cut behind us and/or a few others around us as a speck attractant in the mud. Not sure if farmer sprayed to keep volunteer growth down but would be curious to see what might grow on its own between now and end of growing season

Early season though? Salt marsh for the grays and green wings!

[Darren]

Aug 23, 2018 flyway moisture update

Drought Monitor Aug 23 2018.JPG

[DComeaux]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

Rough chop and flood. I'd recommend a sheet water scenario, or just enough to float the decoys. Bring a bumper with you and in the mornings send harry on multiple retrieves through the decoys to muddy the water. You don't need feed. It's time to go natural, or normal AG situations. It's been a free for all for far too long. We have a whole generation of bait baby's with pimps.

[SpinnerMan]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

Rough chop and flood. I'd recommend a sheet water scenario, or just enough to float the decoys. Bring a bumper with you and in the mornings send harry on multiple retrieves through the decoys to muddy the water. You don't need feed. It's time to go natural, or normal AG situations. It's been a free for all for far too long. We have a whole generation of bait baby's with pimps.

Flooding is not natural? The farmer wasn't going to flood that field for you to duck hunt, so it is neither natural nor a normal AG situation. It's don't purely to kill more ducks.

[DComeaux]

Darren your marsh looks great. Put a picture of our marsh next to yours and you could not tell the difference, except we don't have the SAV you do.
I have a solution for you in Bunkie - corn, put out a couple hundred pounds in the field, tell the game warden it was left after harvest

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

Rough chop and flood. I'd recommend a sheet water scenario, or just enough to float the decoys. Bring a bumper with you and in the mornings send harry on multiple retrieves through the decoys to muddy the water. You don't need feed. It's time to go natural, or normal AG situations. It's been a free for all for far too long. We have a whole generation of bait baby's with pimps.

Flooding is not natural? The farmer wasn't going to flood that field for you to duck hunt, so it is neither natural nor a normal AG situation. It's don't purely to kill more ducks.

Your're twisting my words, or maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. Harvesting a field for market is a normal AG process. Flooding a harvested or"set aside" field with natural vegetation growth, or one that is manged for such has been the norm in forever, at least down here. I'd image you northern boys did the dry field thing back in the day, as the majority of crops did not require water in the growing process, and most weren't set up for this process. This flooded standing crops thing has become a cancer, and IMO, has taken the focus off of the breeding grounds. My guess is, there's not enough money to be made in that scenario.

[SpinnerMan]

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

Rough chop and flood. I'd recommend a sheet water scenario, or just enough to float the decoys. Bring a bumper with you and in the mornings send harry on multiple retrieves through the decoys to muddy the water. You don't need feed. It's time to go natural, or normal AG situations. It's been a free for all for far too long. We have a whole generation of bait baby's with pimps.

Flooding is not natural? The farmer wasn't going to flood that field for you to duck hunt, so it is neither natural nor a normal AG situation. It's don't purely to kill more ducks.

Your're twisting my words, or maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. Harvesting a field for market is a normal AG process. Flooding a harvested or"set aside" field with natural vegetation growth, or one that is manged for such has been the norm in forever, at least down here. I'd image you northern boys did the dry field thing back in the day, as the majority of crops did not require water in the growing process, and most weren't set up for this process. This flooded standing crops thing has become a cancer, and IMO, has taken the focus off of the breeding grounds. My guess is, there's not enough money to be made in that scenario.

Not twisting. You said natural, which of course it is not. And you said normal Ag situations. Which it may or may not be, but given your recommendation on what to do implies it is the duck hunter and not the farmer deciding. That makes the discussion here about a normal AG situation, but manipulating the water level for the sole purpose of killing more ducks.

That level of manipulation is morally acceptable to you. It's an arbitrary line.

[DComeaux]

DC, under your perfect world rules, what are we allowed to do here? Can't plant anything at all? Or can but cannot put water on it? Just hunt the mud?

Think they were still looking in inquire with farmer on millet prospect

Rough chop and flood. I'd recommend a sheet water scenario, or just enough to float the decoys. Bring a bumper with you and in the mornings send harry on multiple retrieves through the decoys to muddy the water. You don't need feed. It's time to go natural, or normal AG situations. It's been a free for all for far too long. We have a whole generation of bait baby's with pimps.

Flooding is not natural? The farmer wasn't going to flood that field for you to duck hunt, so it is neither natural nor a normal AG situation. It's don't purely to kill more ducks.

Your're twisting my words, or maybe I didn't explain myself well enough. Harvesting a field for market is a normal AG process. Flooding a harvested or"set aside" field with natural vegetation growth, or one that is manged for such has been the norm in forever, at least down here. I'd image you northern boys did the dry field thing back in the day, as the majority of crops did not require water in the growing process, and most weren't set up for this process. This flooded standing crops thing has become a cancer, and IMO, has taken the focus off of the breeding grounds. My guess is, there's not enough money to be made in that scenario.

Not twisting. You said natural, which of course it is not. And you said normal Ag situations. Which it may or may not be, but given your recommendation on what to do implies it is the duck hunter and not the farmer deciding. That makes the discussion here about a normal AG situation, but manipulating the water level for the sole purpose of killing more ducks.

That level of manipulation is morally acceptable to you. It's an arbitrary line.

I agree that "natural" should not have been my word of choice, but instead "traditional". We have strayed so far from what was a normal, legal process for hunting and this is what concerns me. With what's happening today we need a revamp of the baiting laws. The bird count this year, though IMO is not 100% accurate, is telling. It's all we have.

[SpinnerMan]

Traditional, another equally arbitrary word. The tradition on the Chesapeake Bay would arguably be the market hunters. Spinners obviously are not traditional. Live decoys on the other hand were. Mud motors were not traditional.

BTW, I was on a charter in the Pamlico Sound in North Carolina a couple of years ago. This is a famous duck hunting area in the east. The guide was also a long time waterfowl guide. So we talked a lot about duck hunting. They use sink boxes, which are illegal everywhere else but grandfathered in there. Also, they have always baited. Literal baiting. Now the bait is far from their blinds, but intended to get the flights over their blinds. Sounds illegal to me, but given the large distance between the bait and the blinds, supposedly legal and apparently part of the tradition for generations.

How long does it take for something to be "traditional" and therefore what should be legal? Where is the line?

This is all arbitrary.

And obviously, all depends whose ox is being gored.

[Ericdc]

Bird count is low due to drought on the PPR.


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[DComeaux]

Bird count is low due to drought on the PPR.


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Pump water in those holes.......

[Darren]

Bird count is low due to drought on the PPR.


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Pump water in those holes.......

I agree with you both!

[Rick]

"Traditional" until maybe 20 years ago in our part of the country was flooding and buffaloing second crop that wasn't harvested. Everyone was operating by the dove rules, ie: as long as you don't move grain from one place to another, it's OK.

[Darren]

"Traditional" until maybe 20 years ago in our part of the country was flooding and buffaloing second crop that wasn't harvested. Everyone was operating by the dove rules, ie: as long as you don't move grain from one place to another, it's OK.

So current SOP is doing same but it's harvested 2nd crop?