2019-2020 Season Log

Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:13 pm

I'm all for banning them. That would help us more than the flooded corn issue.


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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby SpinnerMan » Tue Jun 02, 2020 5:03 pm

Darren wrote:So are the drakes just suckers for a free meal, despite the net hidden nearby, or are there really that many more drakes that make it to S. La than hens? Or, as a total population of mallards, that many more drakes than hens?

Have not noticed any discernible pattern of other species having drakes being more prevalent in my bags than hens.

So I looked at my logs. We shoot about 1.9 to 1 drake to hen mallards. While we shoot the drakes first, there is not a whole lot of letting Suzie go because we don't kill enough ducks to get picky so that's not far off the ratio that we see. Black ducks are 3 to 1 but that is literally 3 to 1 so wouldn't put any stock in that :lol: Wood ducks are 0.8 to 1 and almost every other species I have the drake/hen ratio is less than 1 to 1 and often a lot less.

The big flocks we see late season after it is closed seem like a lot more drakes than hens.

I think nesting mallard hens are very susceptible to predation and the ratio is skewed pretty heavily as a result.

Darren wrote:Lending credence to the long held idea that the juvi's of the year are hammered out well above us on the flyway, leaving us with the smart ones (think P Link's maps we recently discussed with the same exact patterns to safe places each day/night).

I've heard but not seen data that the late season mallards we get are older birds. So you get older birds hanging tough until froze out so the young birds are heading south without adequate adult supervision. No wonder they don't make it to your end :lol:
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Duck Engr » Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:01 pm

Darren wrote:
...without being absolutely wrecked over SWD's in dry fields north of the border in early season. Maybe "wrecked" is an exaggeration, but the photos and videos we all routinely see would seem to justify it.

Not wanting to get into SWD debates necessarily, but seems to be a significant factor in the mortality of new mallards up there.


We might be given the opportunity to test your theory, at least in Canada, this fall as I’ve heard rumors the Canadian government has considered not issuing any non resident hunting licenses this year due to the WuFlu.

Although I’m sure as soon as they hit North Dakota it’ll be double the war zone it normally is.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:30 pm

Ban the darn things.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Duck Engr » Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:27 am

I forgot who it was that said the big difference between swds and not up there is the size of the groups of ducks they trick. He said before, you’d get 5-10 to break off a group of 200. Now the whole group of ducks comes straight in and gets educated.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:20 am

Duck Engr wrote:...before, you’d get 5-10 to break off a group of 200...


My experience with Northern dry field mallards was all pre-spinner and differed from that, in that one might pull singles, doubles or even small groups of mallards from their destination "X" with good calling, but you could forget about pulling the big bunches or parts thereof even a couple hundred yards or so off it. Had to be spot-on where they were the evening prior to get shooting on bigger bunches.

I've never hunted dry field mallards (don't have 'em here unless the water's all frozen) with a spinner and can't speak to that. Just know without in the Midwest was boom or bust and usually the later if you didn't get yours before the big bunches showed up and started building "right over there".
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:28 am

DComeaux wrote:Ban the darn things.


Good luck with that, what with them being such an integral part of the current environment:
2012-2013hunting008-4.jpg


Meanwhile, I'll keep on banning my own for big ducks with the toggle switch on the left:
2012-2013hunting022-3_zpsaf5f61f5.jpg


(Gots to know it was a big duck day when that switch stayed off long enough for that kingfisher to make himself at home.)
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Ducaholic » Wed Jun 03, 2020 8:41 am

Cool pic.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:20 am

I "shot" that kingfisher after watching him bang whatever he had against the spinner, as though a woodpecker trying to peck through it. Turned out to be a small perch he was bludgeoning to death before swallowing it. Smart bird.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Deltaman » Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:52 am

Awesome pic and story! Love watching them when hunting, and know that they have put me on alert more times than I'd care to admit :o
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so"
Mark Twain
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Darren » Thu Jun 04, 2020 10:23 am

Deltaman wrote:Awesome pic and story! Love watching them when hunting, and know that they have put me on alert more times than I'd care to admit :o


Me too! But then you realize they're just hovering there and not coming any closer :lol:


Met with a client over in SW La yesterday that hunts Little Chenier and of course had to ask him how his season went. Interestingly, said his first split was "almost like the old days, outstanding" with mostly grays and bluewings, some dosgris and green wings. Second split, though, was too similar to the prior to seasons, very poor with many scratches.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Jun 07, 2020 6:01 am

Lacked the presence of mind to take a camera but rode our marsh yesterday and was reminded of how much I love it there. Only ducks were all at the east blind (a dozen or so woodies in a bunch and two trios of mottleds), but the marsh was flat gorgeous.

Mudhole is still in fair shape, though starting to clog up as usual and likely to be its normal mess by September. And, as suspected last fall, I killed too many canes and will want to fertilize the survivors when we do our farm returns or pick eggs there.

"...but the marsh was flat gorgeous."
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Bud » Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:45 am

I feel sure that marsh is filled with memories. Must be why I like my mounts so much, and pictures filled with old friends now gone......both dogs and people. Memories of great and small hunts, sunrises, 20 knot winds at our backs and still days. Painting decoys and fixing leaky waders. Memories of great times at Doug's. Seeing a part of that sure triggers thought.
All in a day's work.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Jun 07, 2020 10:38 am

As many memories as have been made at the mudhole, I still think about the Reese farm often, and a favorite memory from it is of our friend, Ronnie, whispering, "You're gonna want to take this one, Bud." before I could begin to see that the big duck silhouette coming on a string from the sun was a mottled.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Duck Engr » Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:36 pm

Nothing like a good dose of nostalgia to break the doldrums of summer. Glad to read the fond memories your marsh trip triggered.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Bud » Mon Jun 08, 2020 4:16 am

Sir Rick, That became my favorite hunt. The mottled is about six feet from me with pellet hole in the webbing of the foot intact.
Sharing your good friend with me made him a lasting friend of mine.

Fond memories dwell with each mount, each trip to the marsh, and each trip out to visit you and yours. I can get lost looking at my decoys. What you do with your hard work and calls is really quite awesome...and your "good dog".
All in a day's work.
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Re: 2019-2020 Season Log

Postby Rick » Mon Jun 08, 2020 4:34 am

Good memory. Was, in fact, Bon Chien (Good Dog) who retrieved that mottled.
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