2020-2021 Preseason...

[Rick]

(Sorry about the repost, guys, but wanted this where I was apt to save it to Word later for the sighting date.)

Was bummed to find my farmer friend pulling the boards to drain what have been the bug's exercise and training crawfish ponds this morning, but did run into these guys taking a break on what was left of the shallowest:


Continued on south without a hint of circling what must have been a rest-only stop.

[Rick]

Would have been a great morning in the marsh, if I'd not been there to pull blind covers to at least let some rain for ballast in before storm related high water starts popping or rupturing them. All the ponds to my east were absolutely loaded with, mostly wood, ducks. Dangedest duck show I've seen out there in some time, let alone wood duck show. Must be their year, because I've seen and heard of similarly unusually large concentrations elsewhere. Were, of course, squealers, mottleds and blue-wings (swarms of which buzzed me at Isaak's), too, but the woodies!

But the mudhole was still the mudhole:

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Got stuck twice just taking that picture. The "back blind" and small holes around it were loaded, too, so I'm really feeling the odd man out.

And speaking of getting stuck, I started pulling covers on the west end of the marsh and worked my way back and was so surprised by how many birds I'd not run out of what was Ed's east blind the first time by that I ran up on flotant trying get a camera out and underway:


Ed's making a career change that precludes guiding, and I've been so, so very tempted to crater and take that sweet, sweet spot back. Still telling myself no one else will do what it takes to make the mudhole right and someone else needs the gimme more than me, but today's reminder, even without its fall speck flight, has rekindled the notion that this old fart is due some cush.

'Course, when I start feeling sorry for myself, it's easy to think of a lot of others far worse off...

[Ericdc]

Time for an upgrade, imagine what you could pull to a place they actually like.


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[Rick]

Should add that serious swarm of what appeared mostly blue-wings blew up from flooded stubbles on a piece of Dixie we used to lease as I drove by on the way home. Sweet to see, even knowing they're about to be blown out of our part of the country.

[Darren]

Wow, that's a serious show indeed. Doing OK on my end so far with surge from Marco, hoping we're about done with that one. Certainly hoping for the best to all of you with interests on the west end, homes included most certainly.


Wouldn't be the mudhole without you in it, doubt many others could bring out it's best (though last season almost got my own chance given Isaac's no-show that morning). When at Isaac's, it usually seemed that Ed was in our back pocket, seemingly much closer than the 450 or so yards that it really is.

[Rick]

When at Isaac's, it usually seemed that Ed was in our back pocket, seemingly much closer than the 450 or so yards that it really is.

They are close, and the east blind pretty much faces Issac's, so you have to watch a lot of birds fly down his run right to it. Back when I was hunting the east blind and Robert was running the rest of the marsh, that was his blind - in the middle of what was otherwise reserve, naturally. He didn't do much but run a spinner, and when big birds pushed off it, either Clyde or I would usually get a crack at them. Unfortunately, he seldom hunted, and without the spinner to push them off, birds would load that area up. Many a morning I wanted to go turn it on in his absence.

Course, that wasn't the only flight I could draw from there, just the most annoying.

Day dreaming, now. In the end, I'm as apt to go down with the mudhole as I am to go down with the camp...

Had to walk the mile in to the boathouse from the road this morning, but hope for an open gate, so I can haul in a jaeger pump to partly fill the blinds as insurance tomorrow.

[Darren]

Still gate/farmer/access issues I presume, and not just you left your key at home?

[Rick]

Still gate/farmer/access issues I presume, and not just you left your key at home?

Our access lease ran out after the season, and thinking he could keep us out, Robert probably threw our lock as far as he could. But his sister now controls their dad's affairs, and we're back in for another five years without a legal battle. Knock wood...

[Duck Engr]

Rick are you and yours planning to ride this one out?

[Rick]

Had plenty to do in my neighborhood for Rita and Ike, and expect more of the same. Not sure why, but Chereaux's bucking some about going to her son's safer place, where she's ridden storms out in the past. Might not know it, yet, but she's going.

Unless one of our oaks takes the house, we'll be luckier than a great many regardless. Chereaux's oldest daughter's family is among those living much closer to landfall, and dropped off most of what they may still own after the storm yesterday on their way to what will, hopefully, be safer relatives with power to our east. She's done it twice before, and the kids are troopers, (he's stuck at work in SE Texas), but it has to be a horrible feeling.

[Deltaman]

"Not sure why, but Chereaux's bucking some about going to her son's safer place, where she's ridden storms out in the past. Might not know it, yet, but she's going."

Wise Man................

[5 stand]

Thinking about you guys and your families. Stay safe!

[Duck Engr]

Agree with Deltaman.

Stay safe Rick!

[Rick]

Thanks, guy's, being a displaced hillbilly, I live on the highest "ridge" around and should survive to help those less fortunate. Being an old flip-phoner, I'm sure to fall off this radar for an extended period, regardless, so don't think the worst.

[5 stand]

I hope those oaks hung in there for you.

[Rick]

Power's back! Been thankful for a 4,500KW generator and small window unit, but central air sure feels fine. Sinfully so, given how many poor souls are still doing without. Chereaux's oldest daughter's family did, as feared, lose everything but their slab - as did so, so many others. We fared much better.

[Duck Engr]

Great news to hear on your end Rick!

Equally as unfortunate to hear about your daughter and her family.

[Duck Engr]

How did Doug’s facilities fair? Been able to get back in the marsh yet?

[Rick]

Camp fared well and even had power before we did. Was out there again yesterday and found Doug and family back at home and reporting everything was as sound as it had appeared from the outside when I'd checked on their and neighbors' places after the storm.

Also went to the marsh yesterday, and found the boathouse kind-of-sort-of standing, but missing another wall. Boat we left for summer use was still afloat and had (just) gas enough for me to check the blinds back to mine - none popped! (Yet.) Water was still very high but no sign I could discern of salt, so the surge, for whatever reason, wasn't remotely as predicted or even on par with Rita and Ike, both of which killed most everything but the crabs they left behind. And the high water broke up the mudhole's usual floating black dirt and should make opening the pond much easier than most seasons. Hope to get a start on that today - tomorrow "for sure".

Did not see a single duck of any make in the marsh, which is much closer to the pre-teal norm than the show out there before the storm. Usually spooky barren until the rice shooting starts. Nor have I seen any over ag land in my travels, but hear they're thick in some Thornwell area rice.

[Deltaman]

Glad to hear you have your power back Rick! Post hurricane heat and humidity is unbearable! Glad you at least had a generator and window unit, and am sure there are many not as fortunate.

[Darren]

So glad to hear that you made out OK as did the camp, was really having my doubts when I ventured to Lake Charles saturday to help out wife's family, what a scene over that way, just horrific.

[Rick]

Duck count is trending up in the marsh: two woodies passed while I was opening my pond, and I saw four mottleds in transit near Isaac's run.

Water's actually a bit higher than yesterday, so we're not out of the woods on the blinds yet. But it sure was nice to be opening something besides a mud slurry at my blind.

[Duck Engr]

Good to hear things are picking up a hair rick. I figured all the mottleds would be blown all the way to Stuttgart.

[Rick]

If there's been a silver lining to Laura's mess, it was getting the mudhole opened with record ease: just a day and a half of grinding.

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Also took advantage of the high water to locate new seams to the more open stuff to my north and south and start cutting them deeper for boat passage at more normal water levels, so we can perhaps add a few fly-offs that might otherwise have beaten us on the strap.

[Duck Engr]

Mudhole looks great Rick. Marsh grass looks flatter than a fritter. Shouldn’t have any trouble seeing low buzzing teal in any direction.

[Rick]

Lot of that grass will "grow" as the water drops, which it's finally started to.

[DComeaux]

Looking good, Rick.

[Duck Engr]

Lot of that grass will "grow" as the water drops, which it's finally started to.

Ah, the ole optical illusion. Will the bottom of the mudhole become the top again as the water falls and require more grinding?

[Rick]

We'll see, but hope not until next summer...

[Rick]

Forgot to mention that there were a dozen or so woodies in the southwest corner of the east blind's pond, eight or ten squealers at the back blind, and a few woodies and mottleds passed from time to time to keep me company while working on my pond and the cuts to nearby bigger water. Didn't see any teal (was 9am before I got out there) or any of the passing birds put in on us, but the return of traffic of any sort seems a good sign.