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I went up yesterday morning for a meeting with a timber buyer and stopped by the 1 acre woody hole. Rice there is really going good. Thigh high and healthy.

After I left we got a 1” rain yesterday afternoon but had some big time wind associated with it. Had an oak down in the pasture and two pine trees across the driveway. Pretty confident the wood duck hole rice is shielded enough due to terrain but I’m concerned about the younger rice in the impoundment across the county road. I won’t be able to inspect any possible damage until Saturday at the earliest.

Healthy looking stand.

Quick trip to the timberland yesterday to deploy about 100 moth balls around the wood duck hole. My old porky friends are back rooting around in the area that was too wet to plant by the drain so I’m hoping the napthalene will keep them uncomfortable for a little while.





Also noticed some “streaks” in the rice. Evidently I had the spreader set to where it was spreading more on one side than the other. Whoops. Oh well, should still be plenty of seed for the few ducks that might, or not, show up.



Rice should start heading out in the next week or 2.

Nice. Hope produces for you

No more evidence of pig activity on the wood duck hole as of yesterday’s trip. Moth balls seem to be doing their job. Only issue we’re facing is late season emergence of morning glories. By the time I realized how prolific it’d become, I was already outside of my window to spray chemicals without damaging the rice. Hope they don’t over run the whole pond. Time will tell.

As for the impoundment project across the road, we sprayed it a little later than the wood duck hole, so it seems to have nipped the morning glory issue in the bud. Rice is doing well over there. Seemed to get a more even distribution with fertilizer. No streaks yet. We do have some grasses poking through in spots, but most of that looked to be barnyard grass, which is ok with me. Hope the ducks agree.

Looking forward to seeing that flooded.

As am I. I’ve had just a ball valve and standpipe system in for a couple years but recently discovered a more detailed topo map that shows 240 acres drains into the impoundment. With the less detailed map, I’d assumed only about 100 drained. Explains why I’ve had to fix the spillway the last couple years. Decided to upsize my pipe and while I’m at it install a flashboard riser. That is supposed to arrive next week.

Every time I see your patch, I can't help but be struck by how strange white rice without water looks.

Rick wrote:Every time I see your patch, I can't help but be struck by how strange white rice without water looks.

We’ve been very lucky this year with ample rain. It was a gamble. Incidentally from the rice planting activity we learned how to get moist soil grasses to respond in this field where I’ve tried and failed in year’s past. Likely won’t try rice again until I get a pump installed (though I’ll probably get brave by next spring and try again), which is a couple years away. Those aren’t cheap. Also want to make sure we have enough ducks to justify the expense.

Duck Engr wrote:

Rick wrote:Every time I see your patch, I can't help but be struck by how strange white rice without water looks.

We’ve been very lucky this year with ample rain. It was a gamble. Incidentally from the rice planting activity we learned how to get moist soil grasses to respond in this field where I’ve tried and failed in year’s past. Likely won’t try rice again until I get a pump installed (though I’ll probably get brave by next spring and try again), which is a couple years away. Those aren’t cheap. Also want to make sure we have enough ducks to justify the expense.

Would love a low lying pasture to control like that. Sounds fun


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It would be a killer teal hole

Went on a cruise Sunday morning just to get the boat out and do a little looking. No teal spotted. It was fruitful, however. I found a little dirt ramp I didn’t know about which is closer to the area that I hunt. It’ll be a lot safer boat trip in from there, especially in thick fog.

Sweet find, that.