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Unusual for me but starting the duck log with a goose hunt


Saturday Nov 2, 2019 - Goose opener
Avoyelles Parish farm
Johnny and I
Mid 30's, clear skies, wind 0-5


Farmer had reported yesterday that he wasn't seeing many geese but instead was seeing a lot of ducks. Sure enough, the story of this hunt was the ducks. Johnny wasn't back from hiding the bike before I'd heard then seen a huge flight of teal buzz by and it was steady from there. Literally, could have had our limit of 12 ducks within 10 minutes of LST this morning, with no duck decoys even out. Woodies, spoons, teal, pins and grays were out and about in encouraging numbers and most importantly were using this farm, not just trafficking it high.

We did get to call on three or four flights of specks but they were large groups. Got a few to check up and break off a minute but soon rejoined the big group moving on. Packed it up about 8:15 or so to get to work with the other buddies having just arrived, that was the real reason for the trip anyway. Also no luck in turning the lone pair of Ross’s that cruised by.

0 geese killed, just 10 more healthy black widows in the pit




Encouraged by the what the farmer had to say when we chatted at the camp and saw some nice collections on roadside fields on our way home.


Headed down to shell beach Thursday night to prep blinds Friday with what looks to be a front coming through ahead of our coastal zone opener next Saturday.

Saturday 11/9/2019 Coastal Zone Opener
Delacroix lease
Johnny, Beau and I with Harry
Clear skies, mid 40’s, wind north-NE 10-15


South blind at the lease. Brushed yesterday morning early and was disappointed in what we were not seeing given the weather conditions right behind a front. Just not many seen and strange to find no grays at all on the property. Was a slow start for first 20-30 minutes this morning but a six pack of grays dropping in got us started and had sporadic action till about 9:00a, picked up at 9:30. Lost two crips, and did some missing but had nice morning and thankful for what we got since reports were pretty tough around here including a buddy’s DNS just around the corner from us.

(11) 4 grays, 4 dosgris, 1 GW teal, 1 mottled, 1 spoon

Came on in to light like he thought it was still teal season





North blind on lease had 5 and got caught a few times tending their in-blind cooking efforts with birds in decoys, and kidney blind strapped a pair of spoons. Try them again tomorrow

Nice flag. Nice hunt. Nice morning.

Sun. 11/10/19
Delacroix lease - south blind
Uncle Bob, Johnny and I with Harry
Clear skies, wind NE 5-10+, 50’s

Much less wind today, especially early, and overall fewer ducks but was able to scrape together a nice strap of quality birds by the time it was over. Was plenty slow overall but very enjoyable with my uncle in the blind on a too rare occasion. On the chances we did have the birds worked us really well and Harry had an absolute monster day, perhaps his best ever. He was nails rooting up multiple crip teal and a long off downed mottled. Was nice to have two different wads of mostly green wings work us today after a hiatus of much of last season and absent yesterday. Missed an iffy op to get one more mottled to round out a blind limit but three in two hunts is way above average for us.

(10) 2 grays, 2 mottleds, 5 GW teal, 1 BW teal

Mottled pair worked to my cracked DR-85 just as beautiful as could be, shockingly enough.


Stud gray that dropped from the stratosphere to finish pretty in the sun


Had to break the flag out again coming off the big Tigers win


North blind had 4, refuge pond had 5. Have plans to try them again Tuesday in another area of Delacroix then back to our place for Friday and Saturday. No opener weekend limits but two really nice mornings in the blind.

Funny thing: we have a “refuge pond” as well


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BGkirk wrote:Funny thing: we have a “refuge pond” as well


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It was never intended to be a refuge, kind of a joke with us calling it that. Otherwise it may be our "central pond" or something

Came down to the camp last night as planned but ended up calling off today’s hunt with gale warnings issued. Too much boat riding and think it would have been a waste even once we got set up. Woke up to winds 25-35, and not upset on the decision. Hope it brings birds for my hunts here Friday and Saturday.

Darren wrote:Came down to the camp last night as planned but ended up calling off today’s hunt with gale warnings issued. Too much boat riding and think it would have been a waste even once we got set up. Woke up to winds 25-35, and not upset on the decision. Hope it brings birds for my hunts here Friday and Saturday.

Wise decision. Friday and Saturday look like good days.

Darren wrote:Came down to the camp last night as planned but ended up calling off today’s hunt with gale warnings issued. Too much boat riding and think it would have been a waste even once we got set up. Woke up to winds 25-35, and not upset on the decision. Hope it brings birds for my hunts here Friday and Saturday.

Do y’all have a big water boat ride that is too dangerous during high winds? Or just not enjoyable?

Duck Engr wrote:

Darren wrote:Came down to the camp last night as planned but ended up calling off today’s hunt with gale warnings issued. Too much boat riding and think it would have been a waste even once we got set up. Woke up to winds 25-35, and not upset on the decision. Hope it brings birds for my hunts here Friday and Saturday.

Do y’all have a big water boat ride that is too dangerous during high winds? Or just not enjoyable?

I have a pretty swift flat boat with high sides and a few small bays to navigate heading to my lease. However I was going as a guest to another area in a slow mud boat with low(er) sides crossing a few small bays and then setting up in very shallow water prone to falling out quick under such conditions. Given how we figured the birds would be tough to manage on such a day in addition to the above, just didn’t make sense.

That said, buddy of a buddy hunted not too far from us arriving at 8a and apparently had 18 for 10a, good sign! Look forward to going back down Thursday night.


As a PSA, skipping this hunt allowed me to go to a memorial service of a high school buddy in my home town. Through the event I realized I was very much supposed to be there for all things that goes with it, the highs and lows, rather than trying to chase a dang duck, and even putting myself at risk to do so. Just gives you some perspective when you could use it sometimes.

Got a second hand report of a farm that's "loaded" in Bunkie area last night; confirmed today that we're headed that way next Friday for the EZ opener weekend. 'Til then, getting in a few marsh hunts down at the Shell Beach camp, starting tomorrow and Saturday with good north winds.

Fri. 11/15/2019
Delacroix lease - south blind
Canaan, Lenny and I with Harry
North winds 10-20, 40's, clear skies, lingering big moon

Was quiet for first little while and overall pretty slow for us but ended up seeing a lot of grays. We had our chances to put a decent strap together but crooked barrels prevailed. Grays are on a pattern we've seen before using the smaller water around us, may try a change up on them tomorrow. Easily should have doubled our take plus a few.

4 grays, 1 GW teal

Sat. 11/16/2019
Delacroix lease - refuge blind
Party hunt - 6 hometown buddies set up on a shoreline + Harry the dog
North winds 5-15, 40's, clear, lingering big moon still


Had watched these birds from my vantage point yesterday, big numbers, so figured we'd combine two blinds of hunters on a guerilla type set up on the north shoreline of the pond. Worked out pretty swell even though the big numbers from yesterday didn't show. Had them raining out early and fairly often at times, but was surprised to also see what could escape 6 guns.

(24) 13 grays, 6 GW teal, 5 mottleds

Mottleds worked in like grays again today, no reason we shouldn't have had our blind limit of 6 but bent barrels


Good time with hometown buddies, and one tired dog who was nails for us today, not one bird lost despite our share of them scattered in the grass or diving in the pond. Only reason we didn't strap 30+ was our crooked barrels


Looking at forecasts for later this week to see if we might come back down for one more before opening the East Zone in Bunkie next Saturday.

That’s awesome, love when a plan comes together


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Niece job!

BGkirk wrote:That’s awesome, love when a plan comes together


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+1

Huge hunt. Good on ya.

Nice hunt Darren, congrats

Deltaman wrote:Nice hunt Darren, congrats

Wish it felt like a season of that magnitude, but just too many reports of poor hunting near and far from me. Hoping to get back out there this week one day before heading north on Friday.

A friend of mine has a lease around Marksville, and they had a youth hunt on Saturday and the boys did very well - Bunkie isn't very far from Marksville.
Good luck this weekend.

Thurs. 11/21/2019
Delacroix lease
Beau R. and I with Harry
Wind 0-near 10 from ENE, mostly clear skies, 60 to start

Pretty calm and clear to start but got surprised with three grays in close off the bat to get us going. All three fell but believe one ended up swimming off on us after falling behind an island. Shot well overall with our few chances and Harry was handy as usual gathering them. Missed ops were a pair of mottleds coming to die before noticing the dog in the decoys on return from a retrieve and bailing out, one of a pair of grays that got out unscathed, and a nice wad of about 16 grays that circled three times to about 90% and edged off just before shot would be called each time. Hope they work out for someone else tomorrow, was glad to not educate them.

Didn't see a whole lot, but also no pressure on them with very few hunters out. Nice morning and happy with our take under such fair conditions and poor overall numbers around. Will also add that we were far from covered up with our makeshift hide using only the marsh grass, that likely cost us a few ops as well.

(7) 5 grays, 2 dosgris



Off to Bunkie area tomorrow around lunch time to hopefully get decoys out before rain comes in. Think someone will probably try our marsh piece this weekend so should get report in my absence.

Nice pic of you and Harry!

Duck Engr wrote:Nice pic of you and Harry!

Thanks, he had a good morning, and we had to let him slide on flaring the mottled pair as he was returning with a very lively gray from the shoreline across the entire pond

Sat. 11/23/2019 - East Zone Opener
Avoyelles Parish ag land
Johnny, Phillip, Kyle and I with Harry
Low 50’s to start with winds NW 5-15, heavy clouds

Got our decoys put out in the rain yesterday afternoon and didn’t see (or hear) hardly anything. Did see good many ducks and geese down the road though. Started hot and heavy and overall saw a whole lot of ducks, mostly teal and spoons. Chipped away with some passing and decoying ops. Specks looked hard at our standing spread but tough to work with the shooting going on. Had one op I should have called shot on a pair just up wind of us. Not as much shooting as usual on the farm or area in general but happy with what we saw on us and high. Harry was huge for us rounding up crippled birds in the stubble. Great morning!

(24) 7 spoons, 2 BW teal, 15 GW teal

Now we know where a mess of them were. Glad to see it.

Nice hunt. Good to see someone with some green wings. I bet that marsh dog had a ball retrieving in shallow field.

MallardBay wrote:Nice hunt. Good to see someone with some green wings. I bet that marsh dog had a ball retrieving in shallow field.

Loves it up there and he’s learned the tricks of the savvy crips. Was just glad to see numbers of how it’s supposed to be, we saw a lot.

Tues. 11/26/2019
Avoyelles Parish ag land
David C and I with Harry
Wind 5-10 from south, 60 deg to start, heavy clouds

Very few ducks out and about, none presented a shot all morning on their brief flight before it fizzled. Had a pretty good flight of mostly snows and some specks but largely traveling without interest. Was going to pack up just about 8:00a when we noticed a nice wad of specks coming from the north looking hard. Sure enough they turned and set up right for us and the shot was called with them hovering between the standing spread and the pit, they fell in the ditch along the levee. Got my two easily and David got one down as well. Was really thrilled that my buddy that mostly deer hunts got to shoot at specks in right. Was great to salvage the hunt like that!

3 specks

Standing spread in the back drop





Not much shooting but some early volleys in the area today. Hope to try again this weekend

Nice man.

Good deal on the specks!