2022-2023 Season Log

[Rick]

Date: 11/18 Fri

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear for the first time in forever

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly light to strong

Temperature: nippy when the wind came up

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: fewer teal but a few more big ducks around - though no new bird flights were seen

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Felt like I'd brought a butter knife to a gun fight.

Hunters: 2, young bucks

Guns: I shot the blind 870

Malfunctions: My guys showed up late enough that I expected to hunt alone and was already shuffling gear from the camp truck I carry hunters in to my little one. Hustled them into the camp truck and got to the boat before realizing my gun and shell box with my calls were now back at the camp in mine. One of my guys had an Echo Timber double-reed without a lanyard that I used until dropping it in the pond, after which I used the even quieter original Duck Commander double-reed on his lanyard that he liked better but was even quieter than the small-bored Echo.

Dog(s): Marsh had a much easier morning than he should have.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just that my calls ended up in the wrong truck.

Kudos: The guys had a big time and got the mounting mottled on one's wish list. (Couldn't help with the cinnamon teal>)

Birds By Species: 1 blue-wing teal, 1 gadwall, 3 green-wing teal, 3 mottleds, 2 mallards, 1 ringneck, 1 shoveller and 1 wood duck.

[Deltaman]

Ole Murphy reaching out, da bastard!!!!!
Bummer on the lack of your own calls, but glad you had a spare gun in the blind (and don't forget to replace those spare shells too )
I look forward to, and appreciate your daily report Rick, Thanks!!!

[5 stand]

Deltaman when I read Rick's post I thought,
There may be a spare call in with that spare gun from now on...

[Rick]

Spare duck (and speck) call and another box of 12ga shells made it to the truck this morning. But whether they'll make it all the way to the blind remains to be seen...

[Ericdc]

I don't know if I could blow a double reed if I had to.


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[Rick]

I don't know if I could blow a double reed if I had to.

Just like riding a bike with training wheels: you could do it, just couldn't do as much with it.

[Rick]

Date: 11/19 Sat

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy cover to steady light rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: calm to strong easterly

Temperature: ok to pretty chilly

Moon phase: N/A

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Precious few little ducks on our end but lots and lots of little duck binging and banging to our east. Fred, who's now in Clyde's blind just east of me, said they should have been out by 7:30, and I believe that conservative.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: One of those mornings when someone, somewhere shot every dang time we got something out of the precious few reasonable flights seen going. And I broke some crazy high pintails, grays and mallards with the Stanley Deceiver only to have the inevitable upwind volley send them back up.

Hunters: 2, Eddie and Brady

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): easy morning

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: No flight to speak of on our end and couldn't catch a break.

Kudos: Good guys to spend a tough morning with.

Birds By Species: 3 black-bellied whistling ducks, 5 green-winged teal and 2 shovellers

[Rick]

Date: 11/20/22 Sun

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE mod to strong

Temperature: 40s

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Finally started seeing high migrants and a fair teal and spoon flight, to boot.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had a fine time breaking down big duck flights, even though usually boogered by others' shooting.

Hunters: 2, Jimmy and Mike, new to the game but great guys

Guns:

Malfunctions: Starter/bendix was sticking and noted my dip stick has gone missing, as well.

Dog(s): Several chipped birds, but just one really long one.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Only the missing dip stick

Kudos: Good guys had a big time and got so they could hit birds.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 6 green-wing teal, 1 mottled, 2 pintails, 3 ringnecks, 3 shovellers and 2 wigeon.

[Darren]

Any leads on the dipstick caper? They aren't known to just walk away huh??

[BGkirk]

You know my 35 Briggs vanguard tends to pop the dip stick also. It’ll rise about an inch on long runs


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[Rick]

Mine's always stayed seated, to the best of my knowledge. Guessing it's now in crawfish boat. Have a chicken tree plug in it until I can get a proper replacement.

[DComeaux]

Pretty low to take a man's dip stick.

[Rick]

Once returned after the split between September teal and big duck prep to find the little shackle my bow rope was tied to gone and the rope tied directly to its hole. What the heck someone else with a gate key needed it for remains mystery, but it wasn't on another of our boats.

[Rick]

Date: 11/21/22 Mon

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: northeasterly light to strong

Temperature: 40s

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Not as much of anything as yesterday, but enough spoons to get new duck hunters well underway.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Aside from the mottleds, just fine.

Hunters: 2, deer hunting father, Kevin, and young son, Creed

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Mostly routine with one super long fly-off.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Kevin lost his water and jumped up to shoot when a BIG flight of pintails dropped from the heavens and cut his corner too tight for him to stand.

Kudos: Nice folks, both of which were eventually hitting well. Which was particularly nice since young Creed didn't initially seem at all anxious to be there.

Birds By Species: 3 blue-wing teal, 2 gadwall, 1 green-wing teal, 3 mallards, 1 ringneck and 8 shovellers

[Deltaman]

Ouch on the Pintails, but glad to see that you ended the morning with a another Mudhole limit!!!!

[5 stand]

I realize we're just a little over a week in to the season, but your numbers seem to be good...

[Rick]

I realize we're just a little over a week in to the season, but your numbers seem to be good...

Given the givens, we've been blessed. So far...

[Rick]

Date: 11/22 Tue

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy with occasional very light rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: light to moderate NE

Temperature: still chilly

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Much slower than yesterday.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Much better than ours

Hunters: 3, dad, Jason, who hadn't duck hunted in years and high-school aged daughters, Bella and Emily, on their first duck hunt.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): easy morning

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Not nearly enough of a flight to get the girls into it, and poor Emily coughed all morning, didn't shoot, and likely had a miserable time.

Kudos: Bella was at least getting shots off.

Birds By Species: 2 blue-wing teal, 5 green-wing teal and 4 shovellers

[Ericdc]

Tough weather for first timers


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[Darren]

Yea it’s awfully stale, same wind for days, need a shake up.

Tough draw today, glad y’all got a few. Can certainly relate on the ongoing cough, staying in tomorrow in the stale conditions in hopes it pays off in improved health for me.

[Ericdc]

Yea it’s awfully stale, same wind for days, need a shake up.

Tough draw today, glad y’all got a few. Can certainly relate on the ongoing cough, staying in tomorrow in the stale conditions in hopes it pays off in improved health for me.

I started coughing Saturday evening.

Hasn't gotten any worse, but haven't hunted since and won't go until maybe Friday.

I'd rather miss days in November and be 100% in December and January at my place.


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[Rick]

Addendum to 11/22: See I logged 4 spoons, when we actually had 5. God bless the spoons.

In other "news" that might someday be meaningful to someone with a similar engine, my 16hp Vanguard had been seeping oil from a rocker cover gasket and losing fuel prime (needing the bulb pumped periodically while running), which is something a low oil level can cause in engines with its type diaphram fuel pump. Finally replaced the badly warped gasket (and missing dipstick) and brought oil up to snuff yesterday afternoon, and she ran like a champ (albeit, an old, slow champ) to the mudhole and back without issue.

[Ricky Spanish]

Yea it’s awfully stale, same wind for days, need a shake up.

Tough draw today, glad y’all got a few. Can certainly relate on the ongoing cough, staying in tomorrow in the stale conditions in hopes it pays off in improved health for me.

I started coughing Saturday evening.

Hasn't gotten any worse, but haven't hunted since and won't go until maybe Friday.

I'd rather miss days in November and be 100% in December and January at my place.


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Imagine if you will...
A place and time were duck season is Nov 1- 30 AND THATS IT.
GO back in time just a few dozen years..

Twilight Zone Episodes Ranking Main.jpeg

[Rick]

Date: 11/23/22 Wed

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear, wonderfully clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: East nil to barely moderate

Temperature: 50ish

Moon phase: no moon

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Not a lot of anything, just enough for a pleasant hunt.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Not as much little duck shooting to mess us up as usual, so got to work more big ducks down to where my guys needed them. Did have a speck on final blown out.

Hunters: 2, father, Kevin, and young son, Creed, from Monday again

Guns:

Malfunctions: Haven't gotten all the kinks out of their barrels yet.

Dog(s): Marsh wad better than his man.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Lost a teal that hit the blind under the blind island flotant, which drove Marsh batty. Then had a chipped greenhead rising and circling before "bleeding out" (according to the ace guide) and crashing with a muddy splat in cattails at the edge of the west run. Found feathers and enough lingering scent to again bug pee outta the bug, but no bird. "Stuck in the slop under the surface." said the ace guide, who returned to the scene of the crash with the bug at hunt's end in hopes the stuck bird had popped up. Had a loaded gun in the boat and even thought of carrying it up on the bow "just in case" with me while letting the bug make another pass through the area. But the gun was in the back of the boat when Marsh flushed the "dead" greenhead, shinning beautifully in the sun, as it flew off, as though not hampered at all. Bad guide.

Kudos: Pleasant morning with some super nice folks, who I hope are now duck, as well as deer, hunters and will return.

Birds By Species: 2 blue-wing teal, 1 gadwall, 2 green-wing teal, 4 mallards and 2 pintails

[Rick]

Date: 11/24/22 Thur

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly to cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to moderate SE

Temperature: 60s

Moon phase: zip

Special Notes: Thanksgiving party canceled, affording a play day

Waterfowl Activity: SE winds are supposed to be best in our area, but it was a mighty slow morning. Even teal, which should love it, were far and few between.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Fortunately, quite good.

Hunters: 1, just my youngest grandson, Ethan

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh got frustrated enough waiting for something to fall that he started whining as greenwings too swift for the boy came and went, came and went. Got fussed for it and again when something finally fell and he broke. Also failed to come up with two chipped fly-off teal, but did find a jack I didn't think he could.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just that Ethan didn't have more chances to catch up with teal.

Kudos: Ethan killed his first greenhead, mottled and gray. Much better morning than those when he had to compete with older, hotshot cousins.

Birds By Species: 1 blue-wing teal, 2 gadwall, 1 green-wing, 1 mallard, 1 mottled, 1 pintail and 1 ringneck

[5 stand]

Three 1st's in one morning, that's a successful hunt in my book... Here's to hoping Ethan gets another chance to catch up to those teal, later on this season...

[BigHutch]

Great job on a hunt full of unforgettable memories for Ethan. As far as I am concerned that is what qualifies as real “Ace Guide” stuff!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Robbie aka Big Hutch

[Rick]

Great job on a hunt full of unforgettable memories for Ethan. As far as I am concerned that is what qualifies as real “Ace Guide” stuff!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Robbie aka Big Hutch

As you know, Ethan can be a tough read, but he was beaming and texting the news after this one. Has that old marsh in his blood, don'tcha know. (Wish I knew how to get the phone pics I took for he and his folks onto this PC.)

How goes it at the Club?

[Rick]

...Has that old marsh in his blood, don'tcha know....

Guess I should clarify for others that that's not a reference to my old displaced hillbilly self, but to the generations of Louisiana marsh men who's blood young Ethan and Robbie share. I'm only the boy's "grandfather" by love.

[Ricky Spanish]

...Has that old marsh in his blood, don'tcha know....

Guess I should clarify for others that that's not a reference to my old displaced hillbilly self, but to the generations of Louisiana marsh men who's blood young Ethan and Robbie share. I'm only the boy's "grandfather" by love.

Cool story but what matters is who halfway shot that bouncing mallard. Well?