Darren wrote:Check the blind in the background. They’re partying in front of some fella’s blind who must be at work.
Darren wrote:Headed to the salt marsh tomorrow for the weekend.
Rick wrote:Darren wrote:Check the blind in the background. They’re partying in front of some fella’s blind who must be at work.
Reminds of "the scratch blind" on what was Shot's/LaCrois' on the way to Oak island: geese will sit in the field between it and the road and giggle at the folks in the blind that's obviously just that.
Darren wrote:Darren wrote:Headed to the salt marsh tomorrow for the weekend.
Turns out, nope, marsh is out of the picture for us this weekend. Front blew through and took advantage of a weak tide range and just ran all the water out of southeast Louisiana.
It ripped over 30 kts at Shell Beach camp last night, alllll night long. So it fell awfully hard, and was still falling this morning. Think buddy's family is heading up to the farm so we may just be staying put this weekend.
That said, did get a report from buddy Will who apparently stacked the teal quick on his end of Delacroix this morning. Said apparently all their little hidey holes had been drained so they were wanting the only water he could find to float a decoy.
DComeaux wrote:Man that sucks.... I hope it took our water out a bit. We had too much. I'll find out this afternoon.
Rick wrote:DComeaux wrote:Man that sucks.... I hope it took our water out a bit. We had too much. I'll find out this afternoon.
If north wind does it, you got it.
5 stand wrote:Good pictures !
Boy i could use that rig on occasion.Darren wrote:Sat. Jan 21, 2023
SE La public marsh
Johnny and I with Harry
Winds mostly rippin to 20+ out the NE but came and went some, heavy clouds/sprinkles, 50’s
Back to same blind from Monday with more wind we’d hoped would stir them. Saw fair many birds again but seems they have largely found hideouts and aren’t doing much flying around unless jumped by boat traffic. Missed a couple birds but didn’t have too many ops either. Managed to stalk and flush a very-rare mallard pair that lid wide on us in a pothole. Got the drake and couldn’t be too bummed to have missed the hen. Hope she beats end of season next weekend to go north.
1 mallard, 1 gray, 1 BW teal
Visited lease yesterday afternoon and saw good many birds on the way there and back but next to nothing jumped when I was running through the heart of it. Got main blind we hunt cleaned up and benches tied off for offseason. Thinking about a field hunt tomorrow, no one hunted it today.
New “duck boat” concept of pirogues in the bay boat was awfully handy today when area lakes were nasty. Making plans already to do a good bit of this come September teal and beyond this fall.
Darren wrote:
Talked to guys of a neighboring blind that gushed over last weekend’s success. Noted it was “sunglasses” weather and can’t help but feel that I’m coming around to more than a few long-time field hunters’ thoughts on sunny and south winds being more promising than what had been good to me, post-front north winds and cloud deck. Know Eric here of WFF has long made sun his preference and another friend up his way also swears by it. The log doesn’t lie and outside of fog days, it’s telling us the last few years have not produced on north winds behind fronts in heavy clouds.
Ducaholic wrote:Thursday is the day D given what you just stated. Friday it appears the SW wind will be slight. And Saturday's strong SE wind has clouds in the forecast.
DComeaux wrote:Darren wrote:
Talked to guys of a neighboring blind that gushed over last weekend’s success. Noted it was “sunglasses” weather and can’t help but feel that I’m coming around to more than a few long-time field hunters’ thoughts on sunny and south winds being more promising than what had been good to me, post-front north winds and cloud deck. Know Eric here of WFF has long made sun his preference and another friend up his way also swears by it. The log doesn’t lie and outside of fog days, it’s telling us the last few years have not produced on north winds behind fronts in heavy clouds.
Nothing seems to be what it once was with waterfowl. I've given up on that and just go sit in the blind.
Darren wrote:DComeaux wrote:Darren wrote:
Talked to guys of a neighboring blind that gushed over last weekend’s success. Noted it was “sunglasses” weather and can’t help but feel that I’m coming around to more than a few long-time field hunters’ thoughts on sunny and south winds being more promising than what had been good to me, post-front north winds and cloud deck. Know Eric here of WFF has long made sun his preference and another friend up his way also swears by it. The log doesn’t lie and outside of fog days, it’s telling us the last few years have not produced on north winds behind fronts in heavy clouds.
Nothing seems to be what it once was with waterfowl. I've given up on that and just go sit in the blind.
I dont see it as a sign of diminishing production in the area, just that perhaps I was too bought in on one weather pattern and didn't give the other a fair shake......despite so many long-timers proclaiming the other to be their favorite. I still stand by "no wind, clear skies", no way, not going. And add in a full moon to that? Suicide. So I'll still be avoiding such combinations, given I've been-there, done-that enough to know, and the log sticks to it.
But I do have record of some notes, not sure if on here or on my own docs, of a couple of instances last season where we went with a group on Day 2, post-front, and they had hunted the day before as well, Day 1 pre-front south winds/warm, etc. and said flight was better Day 1 than 2. A matter also of falling atmospheric pressure, versus high?
Went and looked up a few entries from last year:
Sun. 12/19/2021
Bunkie area farm
Johnny, Will E and I with Harry
Strong front over night, rippin north winds 10-20+, 40s, heavy clouds
3-man limit about as fast as you could load
Sun. 1/16/2022
Bunkie area field
David R and son Will, Johnny and I w/ Harry
post-front, rippin WNW 15-30, low 40s, heavy clouds partially clearing later
2 spoons, 2 geese, very slow.
Also saw a hunt from last season that was post-front, north winds blowing, clear skies......1 speck taken. Nothing is fail safe!
BigHutch wrote:I have to agree with you on your overall numbers theory. The December count was 28% less than the long term average. That is after the long term average continues to decrease because of the poor numbers counted in the last 6-7 years. Throw those years put of the average and we are likely wintering close to 40-45% less than historical norms.
We hold birds on our managed marsh in Pecan Island. Depending on the wind direction we may have several days of hunts with easy limits while other blinds struggle. Then when the wind direction changes we struggle for a couple of days while other blinds do well. Even on days when our hunting is “poor” birds are still on the property as evidenced the clouds that get up and move a little when a boat passes too close.
We also never get significant numbers of “flight” ducks anymore. If/when we get true “flight” birds they come through (as Rick might say) in dribs and drabs. I hunted lots of places years ago that only had “good” hunts when you had “flight” ducks. We killed lots of flight ducks 20 years ago on cloudy warm hard south winds and the next day or so of sunny hard north winds. Now we rarely see a significant difference.
Just my 2 cents
Robbie aka Big Hutch
Darren wrote:Good observations. Got plenty pics of heavy straps and sunglasses on my face, but historically had plenty where no sunglasses needed.
Looks cloudy for Saturday, with south winds; we're goin see regardless.
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