Post-Season 2019-2020

Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:53 am

There's no doubt that a free range hunter can still make a good hunt or two in this state, for now anyway.


Come on DC, you make it sound like all of 29 ducks migrate to La when the contingent on this site alone killed thousands, and will again this season. There are a few groups that I know of that absolutely wrecked the birds all last season on SE La public areas, Biloxi Marsh and Venice specifically, with surprising consistency. Grays, pintail, mottleds, wigeon, redheads, cans, & teal.

"a hunt or two".....get out of here with all that


On the upside, Johnny's got my flat boat in for a full service, fluid changes, etc. so she'll be ready to run hard September to Jan. We've got some schemes coming along to check the teal area blinds and also the lease blinds in August, may go in with another teal area blind on a spot that usually has a few. Could also give the lease a shot for teal for a change of scene.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby MARSH BEAR » Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:33 am

2005 was Hurricane RITA our worst year for hunting - our entire marsh was destroyed
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby BGkirk » Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:59 am

Darren wrote:
There's no doubt that a free range hunter can still make a good hunt or two in this state, for now anyway.


Come on DC, you make it sound like all of 29 ducks migrate to La when the contingent on this site alone killed thousands, and will again this season. There are a few groups that I know of that absolutely wrecked the birds all last season on SE La public areas, Biloxi Marsh and Venice specifically, with surprising consistency. Grays, pintail, mottleds, wigeon, redheads, cans, & teal.

"a hunt or two".....get out of here with all that


On the upside, Johnny's got my flat boat in for a full service, fluid changes, etc. so she'll be ready to run hard September to Jan. We've got some schemes coming along to check the teal area blinds and also the lease blinds in August, may go in with another teal area blind on a spot that usually has a few. Could also give the lease a shot for teal for a change of scene.
Killers gonna kill


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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Wed Jul 22, 2020 4:05 pm

MARSH BEAR wrote:2005 was Hurricane RITA our worst year for hunting - our entire marsh was destroyed



Our public stomping grounds were torn up big time by Katrina that year, though one upside was it left us with lots of shallows (where land WAS)....and the ducks took to it big time.

Before K
Pre-K.JPG


After K
Post-K.JPG


As seen in the after-Katrina pic above, it left what was open water full of tiny grass islands, thus "thickened" the habitat and though it was hard to hunt the birds liked it, so we'd set up on small islands, sometimes each guy got his own island......and stacked grays and wigeon. Pictured below with my beloved, now-retired from the marsh AL390, my first 12g.

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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby MARSH BEAR » Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:34 am

Darren - I have a AL390 also - best gun I ever had, I still use it for teal season.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:54 am

MARSH BEAR wrote:Darren - I have a AL390 also - best gun I ever had, I still use it for teal season.



Yea its super sweet, cut a lot of grass to buy that gun back in 1996 or so I think. Fore end on mine has a crack but it still shoots all my clay tourneys and rare dove hunts. Had to retire it from marsh hunts, the salt was hell on the blued finishes.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby DComeaux » Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:48 pm

BGkirk wrote:
Darren wrote:
There's no doubt that a free range hunter can still make a good hunt or two in this state, for now anyway.


Come on DC, you make it sound like all of 29 ducks migrate to La when the contingent on this site alone killed thousands, and will again this season. There are a few groups that I know of that absolutely wrecked the birds all last season on SE La public areas, Biloxi Marsh and Venice specifically, with surprising consistency. Grays, pintail, mottleds, wigeon, redheads, cans, & teal.

"a hunt or two".....get out of here with all that


On the upside, Johnny's got my flat boat in for a full service, fluid changes, etc. so she'll be ready to run hard September to Jan. We've got some schemes coming along to check the teal area blinds and also the lease blinds in August, may go in with another teal area blind on a spot that usually has a few. Could also give the lease a shot for teal for a change of scene.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Johnc » Thu Jul 23, 2020 5:51 pm

Killers going to kill——hum awefully hard to do if the state is barren of fowl.


Pretty bold statement——I do know a lot of veteran waterfowl hunters that can make something out of nothing ,Rick is one,proof being the consistency trough even the lluulll as cited by his yearly logs.


We stopped killing any formidable duck numbers 16 years ago,guess we just suck
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby BGkirk » Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:14 pm

All I’m saying is I agree with and not surprised about darrens post mentioning groups in SELA on public land doing exceptionally well considering the state of waterfowl were in.
Do I understand some folks aren’t killing where they used to be 20 years ago? Sure, I get that. I wasn’t there to see it so I’m not angry at something I didn’t get to enjoy like many of you. Maybe I will In another 20 years If things continue to decline.
But there will always be some who will go out and find birds and have good shoots.
At least I hope it’s always.


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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:34 am

Johnc wrote:Killers going to kill——hum awefully hard to do if the state is barren of fowl.


Pretty bold statement——I do know a lot of veteran waterfowl hunters that can make something out of nothing ,Rick is one,proof being the consistency trough even the lluulll as cited by his yearly logs.


We stopped killing any formidable duck numbers 16 years ago,guess we just suck


John's notes above tell a lot, alluding to places people have been hunting for a very long time. Some are still good, others have evolved (declined). The game has changed and those with the most consistency these days are moving around, staying on birds as they adapt to pressure and changing habitat conditions (declining quality, specifically in our area).

There are no grays to be found in areas of my public stomping grounds that were absolutely stellar not 8-10 years ago, BUT there are some nice piles of them not too far away if you look. My circles used to all hunt off the same little bayou.......now no one goes, they're all using an entirely different launch to access an area miles away, still part of same public land complex though, and having success.

Pressure and habitat evolved, and the birds moved. Anyone relegated to still be hunting that same old area, and only seeing those same skies without going poking around elsewhere, would say that SE La duck hunting is dead as a hammer.........but the gunfire in the distance tells the tale.

I've gotten away from my run-n-gun public land ways and tend to enjoy my own little spot where I can tend the blind, be comfortable for a good hunt or a slow one, not have to worry about anyone getting there before me, have a dog stand, etc. But you can bet that when push comes to shove, I'll be back to chasing birds on public land around me because there is success to be had.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Rick » Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:01 am

BGkirk wrote:Do I understand some folks aren’t killing where they used to be 20 years ago? Sure, I get that. I wasn’t there to see it so I’m not angry at something I didn’t get to enjoy like many of you. Maybe I will In another 20 years If things continue to decline.
But there will always be some who will go out and find birds and have good shoots.
At least I hope it’s always.


Believe someone mentioned "moving goal posts," and that's always been the case, both in reality and our memories of it. As one who came from a region where a growing human population and changing land use had already all but destroyed most hunting opportunity, I saw "the writing on the wall" and counted myself blessed to be among the likely last to enjoy Southwest Louisiana's waterfowl abundance nearly twice that 20 years ago. Just the way it is and will be unless something knocks our own population way the heck back.

Meanwhile, it's best to put the past behind us and enjoy what we still have. (The bug and I passed a fine time this morning thanks to cool breezes, a mess of black-bellies and some of those crawfish ponds I'm always cursing.)
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:34 am

In the spirit of BW teal discussion


From Grosse Savanne

Check out this April 2019 to April 2020 flight path of one the hens being followed as part of the ongoing telemetry projects Grosse Savanne is working with.

Her fall migration flight from North Dakota took her down the Gulf Coast of Florida stopping over in Cuba and Jamaica before spending the winter in Venezuela. On her return flight from Venezuela, she stopped briefly in Cuba. She also made two other stops offshore: one 13 miles off the coast of Cuba and one 130 miles off of Jamaica. Both stops were for approximately 6 hours.


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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Duck Engr » Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:28 pm

Isn’t that neat. I figured they’d go north in a route similar to the one they used to go south.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby BGkirk » Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:58 pm

Darren do you know the dollar amount it costs to fund just one duck? I’ve seen where they have provided links to donate.


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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:58 pm

BGkirk wrote:Darren do you know the dollar amount it costs to fund just one duck? I’ve seen where they have provided links to donate.


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No sure don't.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Rick » Mon Jul 27, 2020 5:43 pm

I've heard $1,500 a unit, but don't know whether that was duck backpack or goose collar transmitter, much less whether it included just the hardware or that plus monitoring...
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby SpinnerMan » Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:46 pm

She flew over my house and didn't even say "hi." :o

Duck Engr wrote:I figured they’d go north in a route similar to the one they used to go south.

I always assumed wind played a role in the exact path of their big pushes. They aren't going to fight the wind when flying hours on end. And then hop to where they want on short pushes. I'd be curious if I am even close on that.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Duck Engr » Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:58 pm

Noticed she flew pretty close to my house as well, though that looked to be a nonstop cruise from southern Illinois to Florida!
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Tue Jul 28, 2020 7:14 am

Do like how she stayed on the eastern ends of the two Dakotas.....areas that are said to be in great breeding shape right now.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Rick » Sat Aug 01, 2020 1:26 pm

Darren, I just learned that Ed, from the camp, is in ICU with fluid in his lungs from Covid. Apparently had been in earlier with 105-degree fever and been released to go home when it got bad again. Think good thoughts for him.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:48 am

Rick wrote:Darren, I just learned that Ed, from the camp, is in ICU with fluid in his lungs from Covid. Apparently had been in earlier with 105-degree fever and been released to go home when it got bad again. Think good thoughts for him.



OH NO, will certainly be sending prayers his way. Thanks for passing along
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Rick » Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:11 am

Was pleasantly surprised by a call from Ed this morning. Learned my earlier source, Douglas, was as lost in time and space on his situation as most all else. Ed's been deathly ill with fever and still miserable with that and fluid in his lungs, but he's never been on a respirator, as I was told, and hopes not to be. Have him on an IV regimen of some sort, which is scheduled to end Thursday, after which they'll reassess.

Apparently coincidentally, his wife's also been quite ill (at home) for about 10 days but tested negative.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:44 am

Rick wrote:Was pleasantly surprised by a call from Ed this morning. Learned my earlier source, Douglas, was as lost in time and space on his situation as most all else. Ed's been deathly ill with fever and still miserable with that and fluid in his lungs, but he's never been on a respirator, as I was told, and hopes not to be. Have him on an IV regimen of some sort, which is scheduled to end Thursday, after which they'll reassess.

Apparently coincidentally, his wife's also been quite ill (at home) for about 10 days but tested negative.


Thanks for update! Actually did a little FB messaging with Ed this morning myself, seemed like maybe he was at least stable and hopefully headed in the right direction from what he had to say.
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Re: Post-Season 2019-2020

Postby Darren » Thu Aug 06, 2020 1:55 pm

Streamed today's LDWF commission meeting today, and got to see one of our own stand up for hunter preference on proposed dates.

As for those (usually not around here) who continue to beat the drum on hunting late in January down in the coastal (tidal) marshes, the now-updated data still says its not a good idea:

harvest info 1.png


Harvest Info 2.png


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