2022 Preseason...

[Rick]

Back in the marsh yesterday to help open another fellow's pond and the boat slips. Made good progress on both, but didn't see a teal. Nor did I see any taking the Thornwell waterfowl tour, er...back way to a Welsh high school game at prime time and with prime weather last evening. Game was called for lightening, but there were no more teal along that route when we retraced it in mid day today in similarly ducky weather. Did, at least, see a mess of the tiny shorebirds that generally precede blue-wings, and an area hunter who knows what he's looking at stopped me at the rescheduled game to report seeing his first blue-wings of the year in their marsh south of ours.

Also opened my blind at the mudhole this morning and found some still-ultra-slow seeps when the covers came off. Got them stopped with Quick Steel and will cover that with 5200 for good measure at the first dry opportunity, but if we're still there next year, I'll need a new pit. Installed the current one in 2011.

Still breaking up big mud muffins in the pond and grinding out the boat slip again on each visit. And still not seeing so much as a single teal. But the black-belly flight has been increasing.

[Darren]

Seems like precursors are well in motion, but still fairly scant on the overall teal picture.......between your own non-sightings in the usual places and fairly nominal numbers reported by those advertising rice hunts.

You recall a recent season seeing so few (or none in your own case) so close to the season?

One rice outfitter sold it as "last time we had so few before the opener, we limited out every hunt." While I could see that certainly possible, current bigger picture makes it hard to see it as anything but a desperation ploy for bookings when the videos of swarms can't do the talking for them as in recent years.

[Rick]

I think of Gueydan Duck Festival week as the "sure thing" for my seeing teal in numbers, but still nada for me. Though I've heard of enough "loaded" ag spots the past few days to feel confident I could find some without going too far out of my way. And Fred even saw a few fly over the road to our marsh, yesterday, so they're sneaking up on us. Several days of northerly winds are slated to begin tomorrow, which coupled with the brightening moon you mentioned in your log should bode well, and I'm pretty confident we'll be fine. Still, never have been one to push expectations of limits.

[Rick]

Could add that the mudhole is nearly ready for business, as brush went on and decoys went out yesterday. Nothing left to do there, aside from "amenities" like light, gun pads and bug spray. Well, those and the spinners. Still plenty of jungle to cut at the boat slips.

Past couple mornings out there, I could see a squealer or twelve most any time I looked around. Mostly to or from Cherry Ridge, which, I'm told, is also holding a ton of woodies, as well - perhaps where those that were molting on our easterly ponds are now. Always nice to at least see "ducks" (even if you know they're not really that) while prepping for the season.

[Rick]

Had coffee with Clark this morning and learned he saw three and Neil saw four on Cherry Ridge yesterday. Bracing myself for the onslaught...

[Darren]

Had coffee with Clark this morning and learned he saw three and Neil saw four on Cherry Ridge yesterday. Bracing myself for the onslaught...

LOADED !!!

Boat slips at the shed dredged?

We're preparing to divide and conquer for opener with two different blinds about 17 miles apart as the pelican flies, short of finding one of those two significantly more promising than the other on Friday morning's outing. Just excited to go cut some brush and go see; don't know anyone that's been out and about, much less seen a bird with a blue wing.

[Rick]

LOADED !!!

Boat slips at the shed dredged?

One of the local "loaded" reports was a farm along 14 between Klondike and Gueydan, but they were AWOL when I went to G&H this morning. So I took the back-road Gueydan bird loop home - and scratched again.

[Duck Engr]

Had coffee with Clark this morning and learned he saw three and Neil saw four on Cherry Ridge yesterday. Bracing myself for the onslaught...

Your dry wit always entertains.

[Rick]

Your dry wit always entertains.

We get drier with age, until we start wetting ourselves. Still have that to look forward to...

[Rick]

Darren, I meant to answer you about the boat slips, even quoted the question before forgetting it. But did get them all at least mostly washed out. Probably going to get the last of the crap out of mine tomorrow and start clearing the parking area - barring rain.

[Rick]

Well, fudge. Marsh and I spent prime time yesterday morning in ag land, where he got to chase shore birds while I didn't see teal. Then checked a spot where I've often seen and sometimes videoed my first nice bunches over the years. Found a lot of it flooded for teal and looking sweet, except for their absence.

Ran into Clark and learned "thousands" had taken to second crop NW of Cherry Ridge and us, which was, of course, welcome news for both of us, as they'll be scattered by a private camp Saturday.

(Thinking of area private camps, don't know if Darren's hunted with Robert at Oak Island, but I saw him for the first time in a good while yesterday and learned that a total shoulder replacement has him out for the season.)

Spent the afternoon on final mudhole prep and boat slip and parking area jungle removal at our marsh. Believe Marsh and I may do a little dress rehearsal at LST this morning and at least mess with some squealers.

[Darren]

Bummed to hear Robert's out for the season, hope it heals right for him.

Seems it possible you head to the blind opening morning without having seen a single teal beforehand........that happen before?

No idea of our prospects as of this morning but have plans to be out and about in two different areas tomorrow morning with hopes. If that is fruitless, we'll no doubt double down on hopes and head to the blinds Saturday regardless, juuuuust in case.

[Duck Engr]

Rick are you sure you haven’t forgotten what a teal looks like?

[Rick]

Tealz!!!!!!

The long drought is over. The bug and I met LST in the marsh this morning and didn't see much of anything but woodies until 7ish, when a little bunch of blue-wings passed headed north well to my east. Not too much later, another passed headed south, following their usual open water path half-way between me and the back blind. That was it for flights of teal until one passed over the east blinds, as we were on the way out.

But two lonely singles also did drop into our pond and swim around briefly before smelling the rats.

Squealers were just getting underway as we were leaving, and a very few mottleds were seen. A highlight, however, was a trio of pintails or grays passing just far enough out that I couldn't be certain if they had tell-tail "boobs".

[Duck Engr]

SWEET! Limits every day. Print it!

[Darren]

SWEET! Limits every day. Print it!

Run with it !!

[Rick]

Bummed to hear Robert's out for the season, hope it heals right for him.

Seems it possible you head to the blind opening morning without having seen a single teal beforehand........that happen before?

Robert's still going to have to go through a second such replacement of his other arthritic shoulder, but says this one now feels great.

Re: my teal drought, this was my blue ribbon winner by weeks...and weeks.

[BGkirk]

I’m not sure I’ve ever spotted a teal in our marsh before the opener. Most of the time the first sighting isn’t until 10-20 min after shooting time. However I can recall a morning in the past couple years when they were on us quickly.

I spotted a trio and a “wad” around the sweet lake area today while bringing the boat down and setting decoys. We ready


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[Rick]

Set gator lines on Cherry Ridge yesterday and found a bazillion or so squealers in and above the now cut rice of the piece we've leased at marsh's edge just west of there. And on our way to run them this morning saw what just had to be a couple groups of specks hopping across the road from it and dropping back in there. Alas, sunrise and tall roadside itch grass precluded absolutely positive ID.

So while I may have been among the last to see teal this go-round, I'm could be near the forefront of speck spotting...

[Darren]

Cajun country's edition of zero to hero

[Rick]

Taking shades this morning and hoping catch a better look some among the squealer spectacle.

Might also note that most of last weekend's teal push seems to have cleared out with the strong northerly winds that protected us from Ian. Saw few on Cherry Ridge while fooling with gators and none at all in our marsh when I picked up and buttoned up the mudhole afterwards.

[Rick]

Still no speck confirmation, but the current front has added "miscellaneous ducks" to our rice and Cherry Ridge's marsh, to include what I'm, again, "virtually certain" was a big wad of green-wings over our stuff. Neat to see, even when the great majority of the show is squealers.

And we brought another load of tatailles out of the marsh:

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[Ricky Spanish]

Still no speck confirmation, but the current front has added "miscellaneous ducks" to our rice and Cherry Ridge's marsh, to include what I'm, again, "virtually certain" was a big wad of green-wings over our stuff. Neat to see, even when the great majority of the show is squealers.

And we brought another load of tatailles out of the marsh:

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Chute em Jacob

[BGkirk]

No gator hunts for customers?


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[Rick]

Hoping not. We're just fishing them on places we pick eggs on to target big males and avoid the hens that may not be worth any more than one of their hatchlings. Those were from Cherry Ridge:

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Hoping to finish their marsh this morning...

[Deltaman]

WOW!!!!!!! Helluva a boatload Rick!!!!!!!
I know you've said they are worth less and less every year, and I'm thinking because the hide prices are down, but doesn't the value of the meat make it worthwhile? Lots of good eating in dat boat!!!!!!!

[Rick]

I know you've said they are worth less and less every year, and I'm thinking because the hide prices are down, but doesn't the value of the meat make it worthwhile? Lots of good eating in dat boat!!!!!!!

Don't know what this year's price is, but best I saw last year was $10 a foot for 10' or better, with smaller gators' pricing dropping rapidly down to pennies a foot: primarily, or entirely, for the meat.

'Course, if you buy it retail, it was $13 a pound, last I heard.

Someone else can have mine, I can smell the stinking things just thinking about them.

[Rick]

In other news, while the continued cold has shut down our gator fishing (just four today) until next week, the teal show over our new ag land piece has become something to see.

[Darren]

In other news, while the continued cold has shut down our gator fishing (just four today) until next week, the teal show over our new ag land piece has become something to see.

What flavor(s)? You mentioned the GW's.....seem early to see them in a big wad?

[Rick]

What flavor(s)? You mentioned the GW's.....seem early to see them in a big wad?

Didn't see any of the tight twisting swarms I thought likely green-wings this morning. Just scads and scads of teal the likes of which I'd not seen in the past several years. That, and was told "You ought to see the teal that have showed up on Ed's place." by a Thornwell farmer friend this morning. So I gather their big show is under way.