2022-2023 Season Log

[Duck Engr]

I admire your loyalty Rick. I suspect should anything unforeseen happen late in the game that anyone with sense would make room for you.

[SpinnerMan]

I hope it works out for you whatever way it goes. If you do end up guiding somewhere, let me know. I'd like to wrangle up a couple guys and join you for a few days. Maybe some other guys from here as opposed to my usual crew would be fun.

Plus I don't want to stop living vicariously through your posts.

[Darren]

The power behind the throne, Doug's widow, Miss Mary, wants to keep the camp open, and Adrienne who's long handled the business end (and is, like me, family by love) is still in. Our marsh is for sale, but at a price no one's jumping on, and its executor says we have it until it does sell. Fellow owning the access passed last fall, but his widow and daughter who has her power of attorney want to continue our lease on it. So we're still in, so far, but everything's pretty tenuous.

Know I'd be best off bailing to a more stable situation if I still can, but I've been with these folks since '85 and can't quit on them.

Two posts up, hurts my heart; this above soothes it a bit. Glad to hear of Ms. Mary's take on it, and was glad to hear Adrienne's take (at the time) first hand for myself rather than hearsay, and had held hope it hadn't waivered. So there may yet be uncertainty, but we have a few dates on the books, juuuust in case.

[Deltaman]

Rick, you have built a life doing what you love, and I'm sure, one of the reasons Doug's camp has been so successful, and
we are all happy to hear that Mrs. Mary and Adrienne have intentions of continuing the business after Doug's passing.
As mentioned on this board recently, all of us live vicariously through you and your adventures in the Mudhole, and well appreciate your diligence and successes!!!!!

[Ducaholic]

Sorry to read this Rick but understand by having heard you engage people in a way that would have them coming back that you will be ok no matter what happens

[DComeaux]

The power behind the throne, Doug's widow, Miss Mary, wants to keep the camp open, and Adrienne who's long handled the business end (and is, like me, family by love) is still in. Our marsh is for sale, but at a price no one's jumping on, and its executor says we have it until it does sell. Fellow owning the access passed last fall, but his widow and daughter who has her power of attorney want to continue our lease on it. So we're still in, so far, but everything's pretty tenuous.

Know I'd be best off bailing to a more stable situation if I still can, but I've been with these folks since '85 and can't quit on them.

Two posts up, hurts my heart; this above soothes it a bit. Glad to hear of Ms. Mary's take on it, and was glad to hear Adrienne's take (at the time) first hand for myself rather than hearsay, and had held hope it hadn't waivered.

Darren has conveyed my exact feelings and thoughts, Rick.

[Rick]

Greatly appreciate the sentiments. Fingers and toes crossed...

(If his behavior the past couple mornings is any indication, Marsh might even miss it more than me.)

[5 stand]

Sounds like there's more hope than what I thought... I've wanted to hunt with you for years Rick, just didn't have the heart to leave Trigger or her mother Teal at home... But now that I think that I have missed the boat, I do regret that decision... Hopefully I get a chance next fall, I would like to scratch Marsh behind the ear and tell him he's a good boy...

[Rick]

...Hopefully I get a chance next fall, I would like to scratch Marsh behind the ear and tell him he's a good boy...

He'll not let anyone ride in his boat without paying that toll.

[Rick]

Was feeling too somber to mention this curiosity found by my boat hide entrance yesterday:

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[DComeaux]

What species of fish was this?

[Ricky Spanish]

Was feeling too somber to mention this curiosity found by my boat hide entrance yesterday:

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Did a crocagater eat it?

[Bud]

Maybe the marsh is leaving you a message, "There's still meat for you here."

[Rick]

What species of fish was this?

That's a mystery, too. Guessing from the shad family.

[Rick]

Did a crocagater eat it?

Doubt it, given the water temp. I'd think an otter more likely.

[Rick]

Maybe the marsh is leaving you a message, "There's still meat for you here."

A mature eagle was out there working with me for a while, though never close enough for a photo op. Watched him make a couple power dives to no apparent avail, before heading north to Cherry Ridge for easier pickings. Guys there had been shooting black-bellies with feet rotted or gone from what they're guessing frost bite during the Christmas freeze, which would seem a handicap in getting out of an eagle's way.

But I like your read. "We'll see..."

[Ricky Spanish]

Maybe the marsh is leaving you a message, "There's still meat for you here."

A mature eagle was out there working with me for a while, though never close enough for a photo op. Watched him make a couple power dives to no apparent avail, before heading north to Cherry Ridge for easier pickings. Guys there had been shooting black-bellies with feet rotted or gone from what they're guessing frost bite during the Christmas freeze, which would seem a handicap in getting out of an eagle's way.

But I like your read. "We'll see..."

The eagles at big lake are well fed.
The penis comparers always come out with stories of "we knocked down 12 but only found 6". I tell them I DNS'd and they're satisfies that their manhods are intact but they just told me how sloppy they are.
My friends had to be cut free because they kept narcing on themselves and leaving evidence all over their yard.i had to explsan to them that if WE get caught I go to jail automatic and they just pay a fine.
Non-residents get put thru the meat grinder.
Once is enough.

[Rick]

It's a "mallard morning" or should be: clear sky and a north wind with serious teeth. A "great to be alive in the marsh morning" or would be. Instead, I've been trying to warm up after giving Marsh his due in the field and trying to warm up to wrapping this past season's log up. Grandpa Harper used to call me "windy" with ample reason, but I expect this will be uncharacteristically brief.

Date: September teal and the first two splits all saw better than five birds fall per gun, which made them mighty fine in my book. That the last split's take fell below four birds per, with the last two weeks seeming agonizingly slow, speaks to how spoiled I'd become and, perhaps, to the wisdom of stretching the season so far.

Time: Our ag land situation was so screwed up that my only afternoon hunts were three September teal attempts that sucked.

Location: This might be as good of a place as any to note how much I think the addition of synthetic Blindgrass improved our cover. I'm a big believer in scabby, see-through cover that mirrors the marsh's scabby, see-through vegetation, and Blindgrass that mimics it so well but doesn't deteriorate like natural cover has been a great blessing.

Cloud Cover: Still prefer clear skies to clouds, but might be slower to say, "If it's going to be cloudy, I'd as soon it rained." as I have been in the past. Rain just didn't seem as apt to inspire strong flights as it once did. Or, maybe, I'm just getting too old to appreciate it.

Wind Direction and Velocity: Still not a fan of westerly winds or fronts, but they didn't seem as uniformly bad as the general rule. Conversely, though, the regional favorite southeast wind seemed to let us down more often than usual, hoping it would bring teal with it was often just hoping.

Temperature: November cold fronts were well timed for the first split, and the really cold Christmas front was a gem.

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: The mudhole remained our marsh's poorest bet for early little duck and black-belly shooting - though a great place to listen to those in the blinds to our east enjoy it. Did most of our little duck good later in the morning, when they could see our spinners or be seen and called from their more natural flyways. Pintails were our most commonly seen big ducks by a strong margin and mallards a too rare treat. Specks being rarer, yet, on our end of the marsh.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: As has always been the mudhole's case, heavy straps most often depend largely on breaking distant birds and horsing them in before one of 10 or 12 other blinds shoots and bangs them out. Just seems to be getting harder as migrating mallards get rarer. Will, once again, be auditioning an extra loud cutdown call next season, in hopes its thick reed will provide a bit more leverage at distance to help take advantage of what passes.

Hunters: Haven't attempted to keep count over the years, but just have to have to have carried a record number of octogenarians afield this season. Though they're slow rising enough to need to be hunted standing in the blind - and generally too quick to shoulder their guns and telegraph our intent when birds are trying to finish before being too slow to shoot - I find the usual pleasure of their company well worth the frustrations. Few appreciate their marsh time more, and they offer hope for my own, soon-to-be 73yr-old arse.

Guns:

Malfunctions: The most notable in memory was a newish inertia action A5 that's bolt link managed to hop out of its recoil spring plunger and lock it up.

Dog(s): Marsh learned he liked eating duck - and that it was bad for him. Aside from that, he continued to be a fine ambassador for the Chesapeake breed and made many new friends.

Special Equipment: The modified Mallard Machine still seems to help with teal and be of questionable value with big ducks. And more and more teal seemed to push off the spinners, though I believe them still far more boon than bane - as long as I can kill them white down.

Curses: Had our first loose round in a couple or three years, and the majority view of most guests remains that birds are blind. Would be so, so much easier if more folks would at least try to help hide themselves.

Kudos: Nary a bunghole in the this year's guest crop. Lot of tough to hunt cases, but no bungholes.

Birds By Species: My parties shot just over 1,200 birds of 15 species, 2 of which were banded

Photo Ops: Not doing a better job in this category is my the great regret of the season. My little "point and shoot" camera started acting up, my smarter-than-me phone doesn't download to my PC as it should, and I've been too lazy to work out a work-around. Shame the heck on me.

Lagniappe: Lots of uncertainties ahead - fingers and toes crossed...

[Duck Engr]

As always, and sentiments I’m sure are shared here by many, thank you for painting the picture for us to witness on our phones and computers Rick. It is truly a pleasure to be taken afield daily during the winter when many of us cant physically make it out as much as we’d like.

15 species?!! Wow.

[Deltaman]

As always, and sentiments I’m sure are shared here by many, thank you for painting the picture for us to witness on our phones and computers Rick. It is truly a pleasure to be taken afield daily during the winter when many of us cant physically make it out as much as we’d like.

15 species?!! Wow.

Well said DE!!!!!

[Darren]

Fortunate to have shared that blind twice this season, with a fine host and working dog. Have a few fingers crossed to keep doing it this fall.