Preseason

[Darren]

The marsh has been good to us this year so far.

Shrimp and crab stew.

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Looks legit, DC. I was inspired by your stews to start doing my own, thanks for that, been awesome. Goin with a gumbo for opener-eve on friday.

[DComeaux]

Thanks guy's! It was delicious, as will be the leftovers for lunch today and tomorrow.

[MARSH BEAR]

Damn Dave that stew looks good.
Hoping the ducks show up for you like the shrimp and crabs

[DComeaux]

Frost on the pumpkin! If this doesn't move em, we're doomed.

https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/2019-11-03-rounds-of-cold-air-ahead-early-november

[Rick]

Too far out for me to get excited about. Crossed fingers and toes are cramped from the wait on our pending best chance of salvation for the opener. Need to feel some cool breeze PDQ.

[BGkirk]

https://youtu.be/cAKKN-nJK8w

Dave could this be the video of you speak of? Friend sent it to me and I uploaded it to YouTube to be able to get it on here


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Cory, hit the quote button for my post, and you'll see the section of url code between the "=" and "&feature" needed to embed it here.

[Rick]

Didn't hear a goose, but at least there was a new wind to enjoy while airing the bug this morning. That's a start.

[DComeaux]

Cory, hit the quote button for my post, and you'll see the section of url code between the "=" and "&feature" needed to embed it here.

That is it.

[DComeaux]

This comment from the survey make me semi excited.

"Notable concentrations of ducks in SW LA were mostly gadwall seen on the west side of Rockefeller Refuge"

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[Deltaman]

Thanks for posting Dave!
Glad to see good numbers of birds have shown up, and I am surprised to see the number of Canvasbacks counted in SE. Where we hunt, they usually don't show up in numbers until after Christmas most years.

[DComeaux]

Thanks for posting Dave!
Glad to see good numbers of birds have shown up, and I am surprised to see the number of Canvasbacks counted in SE. Where we hunt, they usually don't show up in numbers until after Christmas most years.

Hopefully the arctic blast next week makes those loafers to the north do what they should. I saw teens in Arkansas.

[Darren]

Had to ask myself Friday, unfortunately, "Where are the ducks?"
Survey says third lowest on the record, but all the folks at The Weather Channel can talk about is record cold, record early snow, this that and the other along the same lines. This is the most early weather we've had that I can recall in recent memory, and this is the survey result?

Many are holding hope for tonight's front, because otherwise, what else you going to do??? We are getting the weather, folks, but where's the bulk of the birds? Tony V @ HF is shooting mallards, as they should be, so wheres the rest of the early migrators between there and here? Bluewings filled many bags in Delacroix area this weekend, Venice as well. What??? Usually theres a good few, but no, they're hanging on about every strap I saw over the weekend.


Following Saturday's hunt I saw a fair many birds over the course of the morning, but wasn't near the grays we'd normally see, and there's food all over.



Knew this was the right thread to lodge such ponderings

[DComeaux]

This next front (today/tonight) will be a defining event for our waterfowl situation for many. I'll be in the blind on Thursday of this week through the weekend and will see what it brings, or doesn't bring with it. After the pipe buster cold weather we had at the marsh camp three?? years ago that didn't produce more fowl, I have my doubts with this one. Nothing nature wise with migrating fowl is as it once was. Tell tale signs just aren't working anymore.

You will have those that are in the right places here and there, where the few fowl we do have happen to be at any given time, but I think for the majority it'll be slim pickens. I stopped by the very busy Pecan Island store on my way home yesterday to the site of long faces and sounds of grumbling by many. This is a quote from an older gentleman I overheard in conversation. "For an opening weekend, it sure was very disappointing". The look on his face was telling.

A lot of the younger guys that happened to get a limit on one of the days are giddy with that but have no idea of the bigger picture. We didn't always get our limits in my early years for one reason or another, but we sure as hell saw a lot more fowl. You knew tomorrow could be the day, and it usually was.

[Ducaholic]

This next front (today/tonight) will be a defining event for our waterfowl situation for many. I'll be in the blind on Thursday of this week through the weekend and will see what it brings, or doesn't bring with it. After the pipe buster cold weather we had at the marsh camp three?? years ago that didn't produce more fowl, I have my doubts with this one. Nothing nature wise with migrating fowl is as it once was. Tell tale signs just aren't working anymore.

You will have those that are in the right places here and there, where the few fowl we do have happen to be at any given time, but I think for the majority it'll be slim pickens. I stopped by the very busy Pecan Island store on my way home yesterday to the site of long faces and sounds of grumbling by many. This is a quote from an older gentleman I overheard in conversation. "For an opening weekend, it sure was very disappointing". The look on his face was telling.

A lot of the younger guys that happened to get a limit on one of the days are giddy with that but have no idea of the bigger picture. We didn't always get our limits in my early years for one reason or another, but we sure as hell saw a lot more fowl. You knew tomorrow could be the day, and it usually was.

It better bring the million we were lacking plus December's LTA as well because starting Sunday the weather is going to get stale through the weekend of the East Zone opener. Winter weather at least for the short term appears to have lost it's punch after this week.

[Darren]

Yea saw that, looks stale next week with fronts stalling north of us. The cold north of us could still help but would sure love to see the fronts continue to barrel through here.

Speaking to the long faces Dave alluded to, my buddy logged a DNS not far from us on Saturday. On a season opener, that's a hell of a punch in the gut for sure, I know how I would have felt. Things didn't get better for him that night, he's a Bama grad Tough day!! Felt bad for him but he got on a few birds Sunday at a different location.

His DNS was not the only one I heard of in the greater Delacroix area either

[DComeaux]

#16

[Ducaholic]

Yea saw that, looks stale next week with fronts stalling north of us. The cold north of us could still help but would sure love to see the fronts continue to barrel through here.

Speaking to the long faces Dave alluded to, my buddy logged a DNS not far from us on Saturday. On a season opener, that's a hell of a punch in the gut for sure, I know how I would have felt. Things didn't get better for him that night, he's a Bama grad Tough day!! Felt bad for him but he got on a few birds Sunday at a different location.

His DNS was not the only one I heard of in the greater Delacroix area either

If only he could have gone 0 for the weekend...lol

[Duck Engr]

Haven’t seen any Arkansas counts, which won’t come till late November, but counts around St. Louis area have been below the 10 year average almost all fall. Hopefully they’re all loafing in Arkansas.

[DComeaux]

Was Just looking at the current temps in the U.S and it has made me anxious to see the migration results behind this front. I got a text just before 9 this morning from a guy that hunts a blind on our place saying he took his one man limit this morning. 2 BW, 1 GW, 1 gadwall and 2 scaup.

[Darren]

It better bring the million we were lacking plus December's LTA as well because starting Sunday the weather is going to get stale through the weekend of the East Zone opener. Winter weather at least for the short term appears to have lost it's punch after this week.

Standby; latest GFS runs showing a front next Friday. We'll see if that continues to hold up or just wishful thinking. It's been pretty good in recent weeks showing these fronts well ahead of time.

[DComeaux]

It better bring the million we were lacking plus December's LTA as well because starting Sunday the weather is going to get stale through the weekend of the East Zone opener. Winter weather at least for the short term appears to have lost it's punch after this week.

Standby; latest GFS runs showing a front next Friday. We'll see if that continues to hold up or just wishful thinking. It's been pretty good in recent weeks showing these fronts well ahead of time.

That's all good, assuming weather will push the birds.

[Ducaholic]

It better bring the million we were lacking plus December's LTA as well because starting Sunday the weather is going to get stale through the weekend of the East Zone opener. Winter weather at least for the short term appears to have lost it's punch after this week.

Standby; latest GFS runs showing a front next Friday. We'll see if that continues to hold up or just wishful thinking. It's been pretty good in recent weeks showing these fronts well ahead of time.

Yep it's a reinforcing front with some pop but not anything close to what we will get tonight. By Sunday the wind in Central La. will be out of the East. Then southerly flow ensues until a front of Pacific origin hits on Thursday Night/Friday morning time frame.

We should be holding some birds in the area on the 23rd. How that translates is undetermined.

[Darren]

That's all good, assuming weather will push the birds.

Was less concerned about pushing new birds, more concerned about having good conditions to hunt the ones we do have.

[DComeaux]

That's all good, assuming weather will push the birds.

Was less concerned about pushing new birds, more concerned about having good conditions to hunt the ones we do have.

Those will be in south America by Wednesday.

[Darren]

That's all good, assuming weather will push the birds.

Was less concerned about pushing new birds, more concerned about having good conditions to hunt the ones we do have.

Those will be in south America by Wednesday.

blue wings, yes. GW's and grays, no.

For those blasting BW's this weekend, hope something backfills for them when they move on

[DComeaux]

IF this doesn't bring em we're screwed.

http://hint.fm/wind/

[SpinnerMan]

IF this doesn't bring em we're screwed.

http://hint.fm/wind/

This will help as well. 9F when I got up this morning.

Swans.jpg

[DComeaux]

Frozen swans.

[SpinnerMan]

Yep. All lakes and ponds will be froze out by tomorrow.

Although, the rivers and streams won't be freezing any time soon. Not sure if it will push a lot of birds to the cooling lakes or not.

But a lot of birds will definitely be relocating as their place of residence ices over.