Preseason 2019-2020

[Darren]

Looks like second crop water and that that crop may be late (to my non-rice farmer's eye).

In the past, anything growing this time of year has largely been left. Think they'll pull the water off and try to harvest?

[Rick]

Or they might leave water and standing rice for crawfish. Or harvest in the water, also for crawfish. But it looks like a lot of water to have been rain.

If they aren't cutting the rice and leaving it for crawfish, as is becoming common as an oxygenater to produce earlier, highest-dollar crawfish, you'll want to be sure your ponds are made before the heads get past milk stage or that the pond areas are harvested first to stay legal.

'Course if Dave and his pals get their way and flooded standing grain becomes "bait"...

[Darren]

Or they might leave water and standing rice for crawfish. Or harvest in the water, also for crawfish. But it looks like a lot of water to have been rain.

If they aren't cutting the rice and leaving it for crawfish, as is becoming common as an oxygenater to produce earlier, highest-dollar crawfish, you'll want to be sure your ponds are made before the heads get past milk stage or that the pond areas are harvested first to stay legal.

'Course if Dave and his pals get their way and flooded standing grain becomes "bait"...

It's certainly not from rain, very dry up there. Could well be the same practice as in past years, prepping for crawfish; or they may be harvesting very late. Lots of standing rice across that region based on our driving around yesterday

[Johnc]

For crawfish

[Johnc]

Appears you are hunting in crawfish pond

[Darren]

Appears you are hunting in crawfish pond

That was the case in 2017-2018 season, when last in rice, so figuring that to be the case.

[Johnc]

They open up a place to hunt in that I gather?

[Darren]

They open up a place to hunt in that I gather?

Based on the little bit of water show yesterday, we're really not in much need of much of any opening once a little more water is in place, particularly given that the geese usually do much of that opening for us. I don't plan to tangle with current baiting rules so we'll go with it as it is if we need to..........though from what I've seen most everyone just makes a tell-tale hole right in front and back the blind, thus showing birds exactly where the blind is.

[Darren]

Would hope the central area cold blasts bode well for significant arctic fronts through the central US as well

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https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather- ... ast/600647



Lot of chatter today of significant numbers of specks piling up in Arkansas, would seem timing of such is about right.

[Rick]

...though from what I've seen most everyone just makes a tell-tale hole right in front and back the blind, thus showing birds exactly where the blind is.

Gots to make you some nice round holes, so they'll know where to go - or not...

[Darren]

...though from what I've seen most everyone just makes a tell-tale hole right in front and back the blind, thus showing birds exactly where the blind is.

Gots to make you some nice round holes, so they'll know where to go - or not...

Found these grade A examples southwest of Mamou:

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THAT coupled with the farmer mowing the levee clean, end to end, save for the section we staked off on either end of the blind (but not without running over the stakes).

So grass is 2 inches from end to end of levee, but 6 feet where blind is pending whatever we choose to do to "blend" it best we can.

Next year......rebar with bright white PVC as our stakes to demark, might save them from the bush hog.

[DComeaux]

Back in 1980-81-82 I had the awesome experience of hunting with an older gentlemen that would prep and maintain a few leased blinds in the Gueydan area. He would get to hunt during the week or any day the lessee wasn't hunting and invited me along. The duck blinds in the harvested rice fields that he maintained were in the middle of the cuts and none of the stubble was manipulated. The decoys were placed in the combine ruts only, or in other open areas in the stubble around the blind. I could never see many of the decoys from those pits once inside.

He would harvest dry stubble to put at the pit, bundling the stubble to many many, sharpened poles. His blinds would virtually disappear in those fields. Other than a slight hump at the blind area, which just looked like a rise in the stubble, the camo job was excellent. We would always refresh things after a hunt, picking up every shot shell around the blind...... Oh the days when we had waterfowl.

[Rick]

I'm a huge fan of bare-assed levees and would be out there with a weed-eater:

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Just have to cut enough bundles to make more of the levee look like the blind.

[Darren]

Just have to cut enough bundles to make more of the levee look like the blind.

That was the idea......to leave as much levee bushy as possible thus blind wouldn't stick out. We're not at the inverse of that, having to bring down the blind cover to match levee......and have a lot of work ahead of us to achieve that.

[Darren]

The decoys were placed in the combine ruts only, or in other open areas in the stubble around the blind. I could never see many of the decoys from those pits once inside.

Think that's a fair point that just bc we can't see from our vantage point, roughly 6 ft "up" and lower, doesn't mean the birds can't. From what I saw Sunday it looked like there was enough open areas about as it is given a little more water on the field for more show. Before long the geese will have it wide open anyway, if history holds true.

Farmer re-did the water control structure for us and put a contiguous long (tall) board in. Figuring we'll see where ideal level falls for us and cut a notch in it or something to achieve our ideal depth. Had cut our own board last year for ideal height but it's moot now with the new structure and new (very old) board in place. I tugged on it a bit and didn't budge it.

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[Darren]

And SW of Gueydan

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[Rick]

Only seasonally appropriate shot on Google Earth of my last rice field blind:

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Blind was centered on the diagonal levee centered in the photo, and what look like they could have been cuts to its north and south were either rough plowed or buffaloed, depending on that year's conditions, sections of the big cuts nearly filling the center of the photo. Tried to keep the north side scarcely more than puddled and the south at a foot or so for reservoir against dry times. Had a whoooole lot of fun there.

[Johnc]

Funny that farmer allows geese too eat that field out. Especially if used for crawfishing

They sure are diligent to run birds out of stubble meant for crawfish around us

[Darren]

Funny that farmer allows geese too eat that field out. Especially if used for crawfishing

They sure are diligent to run birds out of stubble meant for crawfish around us

Yea I don't get it either but I'm not upset. Knock on wood, never hear canons up that way, and don't see the usual flags, flashers, etc. set out in fields either. There's also a fair bit of sugar cane mixed in the area and often see geese in the cane stubble.

[Rick]

Our experience with geese and duck decoys in flooded stubble, pasture growth or second crop has been that the contrary things will roost and mash all around the decoys but not in them. Have had my best luck getting them to take uncut stuff by getting out there before it's past milk stage and mashing openings for them to start in where I want them to take it. Seems they're like doves in not wanting to land on standing stuff and being much more likely to hit the ruts or thin patches and work their way out from those.

[Darren]

Our experience with geese and duck decoys in flooded stubble, pasture growth or second crop has been that the contrary things will roost and mash all around the decoys but not in them. Have had my best luck getting them to take uncut stuff by getting out there before it's past milk stage and mashing openings for them to start in where I want them to take it. Seems they're like doves in not wanting to land on standing stuff and being much more likely to hit the ruts or thin patches and work their way out from those.

Did notice that there is currently a 10-15 yard wide swath, parallel to the blind levee, about 15 yards out from the blind that goes from one end to the other. Looks like it was maybe cut different or something some time back, certainly not recently as the growth is different in it. Hoping that serves as you mention and birds will open it from there; its nonetheless a handy start of a "show" for decoys to be placed.

This was early in the 2017 season, wad of specks and various shorebirds jumping out of the decoy hole on arrival one afternoon

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Also planning to give a standing goose spread a go this time around with a mix of specks and blues. They aren't doing us much good stored in the camp, may as well put it out to give us a different look from the rest of the farm. I've not noticed any other such spreads in the area, just the usual duck spread with a few speck floaters.

[Darren]

Two fronts on tap for next week, the 2nd looking to have some punch for next weekend's weather. The GFS model is hanging on to a really good one for the following week, right around Halloween (below)

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[Darren]

Front #1 of 2 for the week, coming in hot this morning.

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[Rick]

Praying the sub-50% humidity afternoon or two forecast to follow it actually materialize. Still have a mess of specks, ducks and mallard heads to clear-coat, and time's getting short.

Oh, suppose it would be nice if a few birds tagged along, too.

[Darren]

Praying the sub-50% humidity afternoon or two forecast to follow it actually materialize. Still have a mess of specks, ducks and mallard heads to clear-coat, and time's getting short.

Oh, suppose it would be nice if a few birds tagged along, too.

Now that I've seen we have water on the field (and more than we could want in the marsh), I could do without so much of this rain, but really just glad to have the patterns in place to allow for these recurring fronts this week and next. Did get a report of some grays on Friday in an area not far from our marsh lease.

Hope your humidity gets right for the final touches on those dekes.

[Darren]

Per Colby Daniels' videos today, quite a few specks and ducks showing in mer rouge area over the weekend.

[Rick]

Took 14 to LC and back this morning in the kind of rain that usually draw ducks to the rice - and saw one. Mottled, I think.

[Darren]

Took 14 to LC and back this morning in the kind of rain that usually draw ducks to the rice - and saw one. Mottled, I think.

Yikes! From what DC had passed along yesterday evening, looked like at least a good wad of grays had made it through there down near his stomping grounds.

[MARSH BEAR]

Darren - another storm in the gulf - more high tides. I know we don't need it, but it appears your area will get more of the storm than my southwest louisiana.
Good cold front coming next week, but if the water is too high won't do me much good.

[Darren]

Darren - another storm in the gulf - more high tides. I know we don't need it, but it appears your area will get more of the storm than my southwest louisiana.
Good cold front coming next week, but if the water is too high won't do me much good.

Yea it looks like just more east winds and heavy rain. The fronts are turning the winds north but unfortunately only for a day or so. Still feel like we're ahead of the game for overall front timing, especially looking out to next week around Halloween, BUT, longer range forecasts leading up to the CZ opener are looking pretty stale at the moment.