Preseason 2022-2023

[Ricky Spanish]

Last marsh hunt I made in the low 20s was one of the best hunts at our old lease near Anahuac refuge. That morning I had to shelve ice for the first and only time out there. The temps warmed up quickly once the sun came up and the ducks were all over the place. My regular partner cancelled on me the night before so I was going by myself. One of our guides got called into work at 3:00 am to deal with a plant going haywire with the cold temps so I let the random 3 guys he was supposed to take hop in with me. First time I have ever "guided" a hunt though I have always been the unofficial guide dating back to high school. These poor guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I never shot a single mallard out of that blind except for this day. Group of ~50 teal coming in tight at the end presented an opportunity that even they couldn't miss.

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Describe ice shelving. Do it twice because the kids I hunt with won't do that but will bring sledgehammers (brand new ones) instead. They ain't very smart

[Rick]

All this cold weather talk sent me back in logs to the 2017-2018 season, and now I'm something like home sick:

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That last "real winter" was a bittersweet reminder of the best of "the old days".

[Ricky Spanish]

All this cold weather talk sent me back in logs to the 2017-2018 season, and now I'm something like home sick:

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That last "real winter" was a bittersweet reminder of the best of "the old days".

can do that too don't tempt me please.

[Darren]

Yea Rick had a helluva stretch in Jan 2018 if I recall correctly, that 17-18 winter was something around here, did well in field, snow twice in Baton Rouge.

[Darren]

Darren there is a western element to the next split openers weather pattern. You got to do better than that

Nah there's some real deal stuff on the horizon it looks like. See model run snippet I included on Eric's log and see note below from our local met. Looking promising for second half of December, right when we really want/need it. Got no problem with mild right now with us closed.

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Hope you right. I see decent weather for the early part of the week following the opener but nothing that gets me giddy. Where I hunt we always do better with significant weather. The coast on the other hand has ducks so it’s whatever gets them stirred up and moving that works.

Oh we tried our best to tuck those grays in cozy when we left on Saturday, hoping they stay put for us !

[Ricky Spanish]

Yea Rick had a helluva stretch in Jan 2018 if I recall correctly, that 17-18 winter was something around here, did well in field, snow twice in Baton Rouge.

It sure is bizarre how it seems like the migration moved westward. I recall lots of muttering about it shifting eastward not that long ago.
From my perspective I'd say westward is what's happening.
It was extremely dry along the Mississippi everywhere I've been until just recently like this week.
I'm hoping some ducks end up at the refuge. They always do.

[Darren]

No one down here at the end of the flyway would tell you eastward, most think west, given how Oklahoma has become a hot spot, parts of Texas, etc. Wigeon being a particular species many gripe about on my end on east side of La, where'd they go?

[Ricky Spanish]

No one down here at the end of the flyway would tell you eastward, most think west, given how Oklahoma has become a hot spot, parts of Texas, etc. Wigeon being a particular species many gripe about on my end on east side of La, where'd they go?

Im in east illinoiz and they sure as hell aint here.

[Darren]

Not mad about it...but could be a significant severe weather event. Storm prediction center already issuing advisories for Tuesday into Wednesday

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[Ricky Spanish]

Weak. That low is going to go thru my area and...usually thats great. The back side, cold front usually brings a rain to snow event that's crazy to travel in but I've done it so many times that I'm used to it .
But not this one. Sigh.
Maybe the next storm will move some ducks here in time for seasons end. Dec 27th it's over but I'm leaving the 25th unless I'm covered in ducks.
Not likely.

[Darren]

As we've been watching for a while now, still on track

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[Deltaman]

Looks like it we will only get mid to upper 30's out of this one along the Al coast, but we'll take anything that will change the daily fog we've had for the last week and a half!

[Darren]

Looks like it we will only get mid to upper 30's out of this one along the Al coast, but we'll take anything that will change the daily fog we've had for the last week and a half!

Indeed sure better than 80 deg every day, with overnight lows that are higher than average daily highs for this point on the calendar.

Yea anyone looking for a frigid cold blast down here.....isn't getting it any time soon....but the overnight few runs of the GFS think Christmas weekend could be chilly, below from the midnight model run. 12 deg for Eric in NE La. The runs from yesterday showed similar pattern so could be on to something.

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[Ducaholic]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

[Darren]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

Feel quite remiss in failing to also point out that the same runs are showing a pretty significant snow/ice event for that timeframe/Christmas weekend, extending well down into La. Will be fun to keep an eye on, it's a pretty impressive arctic surge they're picking up on for now.

[Ducaholic]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

Feel quite remiss in failing to also point out that the same runs are showing a pretty significant snow/ice event for that timeframe/Christmas weekend, extending well down into La. Will be fun to keep an eye on, it's a pretty impressive arctic surge they're picking up on for now.

Music to my ears

[DComeaux]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

Feel quite remiss in failing to also point out that the same runs are showing a pretty significant snow/ice event for that timeframe/Christmas weekend, extending well down into La. Will be fun to keep an eye on, it's a pretty impressive arctic surge they're picking up on for now.

Music to my ears

The local guy gave us 0.05% chance of snow for Christmas.

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[Ricky Spanish]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

Feel quite remiss in failing to also point out that the same runs are showing a pretty significant snow/ice event for that timeframe/Christmas weekend, extending well down into La. Will be fun to keep an eye on, it's a pretty impressive arctic surge they're picking up on for now.

Music to my ears

The local guy gave us 0.05% chance of snow for Christmas.

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Just head north and you'll find some in south Dakota

[Rick]

The local guy gave us 0.05% chance of snow for Christmas.

Bummer.

[Ricky Spanish]

It really looks like my Arkansas trips this year will be typical. I leave a blizzard where it's teens or single digits. Drive 5.5 hours south and it's fall-like weather.
30s or 20s for lows and it gets 50 or 60 during the day it's great but the locals think I'm crazy.
Camping out in winter.
I kind of love it. I get to roll the season back a couple months and do over.

[Darren]

Good Start Darren...Crank it up a bit in January

Feel quite remiss in failing to also point out that the same runs are showing a pretty significant snow/ice event for that timeframe/Christmas weekend, extending well down into La. Will be fun to keep an eye on, it's a pretty impressive arctic surge they're picking up on for now.

Music to my ears

The local guy gave us 0.05% chance of snow for Christmas.

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More than one of the local mets here in BR were famously quoted in 2017 that we'd be lucky to get just a few flakes.

Think we got 3+ inches, some others 6+, winter wonderland.


For all on here asking for polar plunges instead of storm fronts from the pacific northwest, here ya go:

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[Deltaman]

C'mon Siberian Express

[Duck Engr]

Nothing like a weatherman downplaying a weather event to make it a doozy. Same was said about “snowmageddon” in 2014.

[jrock75]

Describe ice shelving. Do it twice because the kids I hunt with won't do that but will bring sledgehammers (brand new ones) instead. They ain't very smart

Pretty simple. You walk a circle or rectangle around the entire perimeter of your hole. It leaves a floating "island" of ice. You then get on once side and push this large sheet of ice under the ice outside the hole. If you have a huge hole then you can walk through the middle and turn it into 2-4 large pieces to then push under the ice. Works much better than breaking it all up because it keeps it from refreezing nearly as fast and allows any wind to keep it from refreezing and even open the hole more. I thought everyone did it this way. Certainly hard to do if you have a bunch of decoys frozen in the ice. Back in North LA, we would always clear out a big hole in our rice field spreads if there was any freezing weather on the way. Then toss those decoys back into the open hole after shelving. In the marsh we don't leave decoys out so that isn't a problem.

[Ricky Spanish]

Describe ice shelving. Do it twice because the kids I hunt with won't do that but will bring sledgehammers (brand new ones) instead. They ain't very smart

Pretty simple. You walk a circle or rectangle around the entire perimeter of your hole. It leaves a floating "island" of ice. You then get on once side and push this large sheet of ice under the ice outside the hole. If you have a huge hole then you can walk through the middle and turn it into 2-4 large pieces to then push under the ice. Works much better than breaking it all up because it keeps it from refreezing nearly as fast and allows any wind to keep it from refreezing and even open the hole more. I thought everyone did it this way. Certainly hard to do if you have a bunch of decoys frozen in the ice. Back in North LA, we would always clear out a big hole in our rice field spreads if there was any freezing weather on the way. Then toss those decoys back into the open hole after shelving. In the marsh we don't leave decoys out so that isn't a problem.

So if some guy with a 18' jon boat and a 70 horse engine comes along and gets helpful by pounding your ice island to bits ain't good?.
You get just about to start shoving and he shows up to "help".

I've been there.

[Ricky Spanish]

I just did this ten days ago.

It dont even take two weeks for two dogs to dirty up a carpet.

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Ever see the dog on Beverly hillbillies actually do anything?
That's where Milo is at.

[Ricky Spanish]

Looks like it we will only get mid to upper 30's out of this one along the Al coast, but we'll take anything that will change the daily fog we've had for the last week and a half!

Indeed sure better than 80 deg every day, with overnight lows that are higher than average daily highs for this point on the calendar.

Yea anyone looking for a frigid cold blast down here.....isn't getting it any time soon....but the overnight few runs of the GFS think Christmas weekend could be chilly, below from the midnight model run. 12 deg for Eric in NE La. The runs from yesterday showed similar pattern so could be on to something.

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Two words caught me attention there. Northeast Louisiana. I actually looked on a map once and for some reason that area was attractive.
I don't know shit it probably isn't worth a damn for waterfowl. Eric? What say u?

[Darren]

GFS still sticking to some serious cold for the flyway all the way down to us in S La for Xmas weekend.

Sunday Morning w/ Santa Toys

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[Ericdc]

Looks like it we will only get mid to upper 30's out of this one along the Al coast, but we'll take anything that will change the daily fog we've had for the last week and a half!

Indeed sure better than 80 deg every day, with overnight lows that are higher than average daily highs for this point on the calendar.

Yea anyone looking for a frigid cold blast down here.....isn't getting it any time soon....but the overnight few runs of the GFS think Christmas weekend could be chilly, below from the midnight model run. 12 deg for Eric in NE La. The runs from yesterday showed similar pattern so could be on to something.

Capture.JPG

Two words caught me attention there. Northeast Louisiana. I actually looked on a map once and for some reason that area was attractive.
I don't know shit it probably isn't worth a damn for waterfowl. Eric? What say u?

The flyway bottlenecks down pretty tight where I hunt, so we see a lot of traffic. Due to farming practices, field leveling and post harvest tillage, we do not have the holding power in my local area (Jones) that areas further south (highway 15 area southeast of Monroe and Dave's Bayou south of there) those 2 areas hold a lot of birds. We are on the same Boeuf river flyway though.

We are hunting traffic this year as far as ducks, we have a tilled up flooded bean field, no food.
We do show a lot of water on our farm though so that helps to at least get their attention. Our area general holds a good bit of geese, I'm hoping we'll have more specks for the start of the 2nd split. We didn't have many left by the last weekend of first split.

My place is going to freeze solid Thursday night and stay that way through Christmas weekend. I'll be hunting this Saturday then Monday through Thursday or Friday depending on freeze up. So I'll see the push if it happens.

We'll be in southwest LA for Christmas weekend, hopefully we can find some softer water for Christmas Eve morning hunt.


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[Ericdc]

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