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Duck Engr wrote:And the coup de grace of a loooong season, a banded bologna snatcher!!!

"Oh, the ignominy."

Another one in the books Rick, and we appreciate your sharing with us

Went back out to put covers on the blind this morning and didn't see much of anything - until a pair of mallards flew right overhead at the blind. God bless 'em.

Ya'll come back now!

Indeed.

When will you have to decide where you hunt next year Rick? I recall some midseason talk of regret creeping in about not taking an east blind.

The then head guide and I once went nose to nose in the road over whether he was going to bump me out of a spot, and I'll not bump anyone now in a spot, either. So someone would have to give one up again, as was the case when Ed left my old east blind last summer. Doubt I'm going anywhere, as long as we're in the marsh.

That’s admirable, and makes sense too.


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Thanks, Rick. Shame you guys have nowhere to roost some of those black-bellies. However, you did shoot a good share of 'em.

Though it didn't often seem so at my spot, the black-bellies were a blessing for our marsh, as well as Cherry Ridge's. My mudhole just shot 18 the whole first split, but they became much more significant in our last two split's bags, despite not often having folks capable of taking advantage of most of what seemed our best mornings for them. (Still stinging from the great poule d'eau decoy shoot of '22 and the thought of repairing the additional casualties collected at season's end.)

Far as I know, there were no disease issues on Cherry Ridge, but it will be interesting to see what effect the black-bellies have on their habitat. Put Clark and Paul together on the possibility of trapping there, and believe we may look for potential sites later this week.

Hate to see Black Bellies become important to your bag Rick. Seems as though it's a sign that the migration change is here to stay.

Ducaholic wrote:Hate to see Black Bellies become important to your bag Rick.

Me, too.

Rick, have you passed on them in previous years? This year seemed more necessary than opportunistic on them?

I know guys have that shot them on purpose for 20 years down there due to their table fare quality.


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Can't say we've never given them a pass, but it's not been often. Still, they had always been more novelty than staple. Sort of like regular season blue-wings once were - only less fun to gun...

Rick wrote: only less fun to gun...

I've probably made the comparison 100 times or more, "like shooting sea gulls, almost doesn't seem fair"

Bout like shooting a goose


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Darren wrote:

Rick wrote: only less fun to gun...

I've probably made the comparison 100 times or more, "like shooting sea gulls, almost doesn't seem fair"

Ericdc wrote:Bout like shooting a goose

There having been a phase of my life when I wiled away off hours reclining on a Great Lakes ore boat hatch cover and plinking sea gulls with a Whamo slingshot and pea gravel, I like the sound of "goose" better...

Call them black-bellied marsh geese. Think they should put a limit on them while they have a chance; maybe four.

Bud wrote:Call them black-bellied marsh geese. Think they should put a limit on them while they have a chance; maybe four.

The general wish, to include that of our biologists, is to increase their utilization with some sort of early opening on them. The chance to include even a couple, much less six, is exceedingly rare for all but a very few here and nearly always fleeting, as they generally seem much more inclined to shift about than settle in.

Bud wrote:Call them black-bellied marsh geese. Think they should put a limit on them while they have a chance; maybe four.

Clark, at Cherry Ridge, has been calling them "brown-headed mallards."

The general wish, to include that of our biologists, is to increase their utilization with some sort of early opening on them. The chance to include even a couple, much less six, is exceedingly rare for all but a very few here and nearly always fleeting, as they generally seem much more inclined to shift about than settle in.

Had my grubby (and frickin' frozen for a while) mitts on literally hundreds of long-tailed sprig today, not to mention hundreds more of buffed-out blue-wing drakes.

You are blessed and well-deserved to witness such sights, as much as they are a large part of your life. Good visions to you!

Rick, I'll bet that is a beautiful sight with those birds fully dressed and looking sharp!!!!
Good on you to be paying it forward
Do you net many that have already been banded from a previous year?

Deltaman wrote:Rick, I'll bet that is a beautiful sight with those birds fully dressed and looking sharp!!!!

Do you net many that have already been banded from a previous year?

They're all looking their very best now. Capture before this included one with the longest sprigs I've ever seen, and this last one caught the most white-headed blue-wing I've seen. Would have taken time to photograph that one if I hadn't left the camera at home. Well, that and if I didn't drown it along with my phone and wallet. The water's shallow, so we pull birds on our knees, but I reached far enough forward prioritizing a badly tangled pintail to go over the not-so-waterproof zipper in my waders' "waterproof" compartment - and the waders' top. Lordy that was cold.

"Recaps" are fairly common, and we even had three with transmitters yesterday.

Material losses aside, sure sounds neat to interact with the birds like that.

Darren wrote:Material losses aside, sure sounds neat to interact with the birds like that.

"Neat" it is, at least to someone as duck crazy as I am, but it also lets me feel like I'm doing a little to further their, and our, causes.

Rick wrote:

Darren wrote:Material losses aside, sure sounds neat to interact with the birds like that.

"Neat" it is, at least to someone as duck crazy as I am, but it also lets me feel like I'm doing a little to further their, and our, causes.

And we thank you for it. If I lived nearer the prime trapping/banding grounds, I'd like to think I'd have joined Paul's crew a time or two by now to do the same. Still hope to some time

Paul's working out of Rockefeller now, and fall/winter focus seems to be there, Cameron Prairie and Lacassine, but they'll little doubt be after Port Barre blue-wings and perhaps some other ops closer to you this spring.

Paul's working out of Rockefeller now, and fall/winter focus seems to be there, Cameron Prairie and Lacassine, but they'll little doubt be after Port Barre blue-wings and perhaps some other ops closer to you this spring. (Can't offer a contact number until I replace my phone, which I freely admit putting off.)

Yea that's a good point, I'd expect he'll be working that way in March-April. I do have his number though, thanks anyway. Guess I'd need to remember to grab my waders from the SB camp next trip to be prepared in event of being called upon.

Darren wrote:Yea that's a good point, I'd expect he'll be working that way in March-April. I do have his number though, thanks anyway. Guess I'd need to remember to grab my waders from the SB camp next trip to be prepared in event of being called upon.

His right-hand gal, Liz, has been doing the crew gathering. Can't access her number until my new phone arrives, but I'll PM her e-mail.