Duck Season 2022-2023

[Duck Engr]

All went to plan in todays mid-day heavy brush gathering effort until we got within eye sight of the pond and saw all the little feathered heads in it. Opted to leave brush staged nearby and ease out. They still bumped but went down all around our area just as they were doing on the previous trip on closing Saturday. TBD whether they show tomorrow but sure were there today.

On way back to launch finally saw some impressive wads of green wings in broken marsh and far more grays than we’d been seeing along those travels in first split.

Good luck all, we’ll go see

Sounds promising! Good luck!

[Rick]

Like the night before Christmas...

[Darren]

Sat. Dec 17, 2022 LA 2nd Split Opener
Delacroix
Beau, Raymond, Johnny and I with Harry
Winds NNW 10-20, mostly heavy cloud deck, low 50s

Nothing but mergs and dosgris to start, thought maybe we’d been Black Cloud Beau’d but sure enough grays got up and going and we started shooting. They were sketchy today, little more than usual, but shot decent with our chances, and for the most part got about what we could. I still spent way more time than I’d want out the blind working Harry on stuff that fell or swam far (which of course cost us ops when they’d come looking and see us doing that) but overall a great time with old friends, and nice to be able to keep passing on the dosgris. Could’ve easily filled us out if we weren’t being picky.

(16) 3 mottleds, 1 GW teal, 12 grays

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Not even Beau could keep us out the grays

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Stuck it out till 10 but they had quit and wind was strong, seemed they were staying down in that. Planning to try em again in same hole tomorrow but with a cap at about 8-830 to make our way in a lil early. Many struggled around here today but some had some nice hunts. No one hunted the bunkie blind so no report there.

[DComeaux]

Nice strap.

[Darren]

Sun. 12/18/2022
Delacroix
Johnny and I with Harry
40s to start, strong NNE winds 15-20+, clear skies

Thought maybe the sunshine would have them out and about while also fearing all the wind yesterday would have them just sit today. Fears came to fruition, no flight while we were there, and we’ve seen this before out here. Took home one of a pair of grays that have us a marginal chance and never thought of shooting any others. Few nice groups we saw were either really high new arrivals or just getting up for a brief moment and back down. Packed it early up as planned for about 8:00a to get back home early.

1 gray

Watching weather this week to see about a field hunt or two before it freezes up for the Christmas weekend.

[Darren]

Wed. 12/21/2022
Bunkie area farm
Just Harry and I
Heavy cloud deck/mist, occasional light NE to E wind but mostly calm, upper 40s to start

Wasn’t wild about the forecast but had a window to go and needed to get the bike up there anyway. Could see on the drive up just how much new water is everywhere up that way after the rains of the other day. Not much for ops on my end, killed two of the three total teal I fired on. Some other blinds did some bangin but most of the duck traffic was on the big open floods north of me. Did see more goose activity and even had a speck turn and lock until distant shooting shut that down. Enjoyed the trip nonetheless, nice to be out there on a seasonable but comfortable morning just hangin with the dog.

1 BW teal, 1 GW teal

Easy morning for Harry, barely got his legs wet working the front cut for both retrieves. Well earned break from the slogging at the marsh hole

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Eyeing Friday’s weather but blind might be booked, so TBD. Back at em next week regardless. Merry Christmas, all.

[DComeaux]

Wonderful way to spend the morning. Beats what I was doing, by far.

[5 stand]

I like that picture of Harry...
Scratch him behind the ear and tell him there's a hillbilly in Arkansas that thinks he's a good boy....

[Duck Engr]

Some of my fondest memories with my lab were when we were hunting solo. So much so that I was first to volunteer to be left out if we were getting tight on room to hunt somewhere so that she and I could sneak off and hunt alone.

[Rick]

"No show? I wouldn't mind taking the hickey."

[Darren]

Since the field hunts come without the risks of my marsh hunts (10+ mile boat ride in deep waters with plenty of commercial fisherman traffic {usually without running lights}), the field hunts are much more viable solo. Given my flexibility with work and the usual availability of the field during the week, hoping to make my share of week day trips in January when weather is promising.

[Darren]

I like that picture of Harry...
Scratch him behind the ear and tell him there's a hillbilly in Arkansas that thinks he's a good boy....

Will pass it along!

[BGkirk]

Since the field hunts come without the risks of my marsh hunts (10+ mile boat ride in deep waters with plenty of commercial fisherman traffic {usually without running lights}), the field hunts are much more viable solo. Given my flexibility with work and the usual availability of the field during the week, hoping to make my share of week day trips in January when weather is promising.

Ever thought about getting one of those radar setups?
I saw a legit in on a Jon boat setup last year. I’m sure they are expensive. The “dome” was on a rear sight fishing/casting decks above the motor. I remember researching it when I got home. I think if I hunted places regularly that required passing commercial traffic I’d have to have one…..

Quick google search and it was called a “sim rad”.


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[Darren]

Yes radar would be an asset for sure, particularly on foggy hunt days which we try to keep pretty minimal. Simrad is a brand of marine electronics, but lots of brands make radar products either in open array (the kind you see on big boats with the spinning thing going, or closed array, the sorta mushroom-shaped thing you see mounted on tops and such). I'd have to have a tower added to my boat to mount one, though.

Unofficial report I got from the Bunkie blind this morning was "1 mallard." Report from buddy hunting other end of farm was "Crazy cold bike ride, one of our cuts was frozen, the birds that showed came to die, didn't limit but was able to put together a pretty strap, not one teal in the mix, none working today. The two blinds next to us didn't even fire."

Goes to show what we "think" we know of the birds, I guess. I stirred on a gumbo all morning and enjoyed being with the kids two days out from Santa's visit, they hope.

[Ricky Spanish]

Radar reflector?
I thought it can pick up migrating birds.
Do they wear little reflectors?

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[Darren]

Tues 12/27/2022
Bunkie farm
Around 30 to start, north wind 0-5+, clear skies
Johnny, David, Will and I with Harry

Not big on these conditions for a field hunt but had window to go. Sure enough ducks mostly stayed high on us and most of what’s at workable height doesn’t want us, favoring some wide open floods just north of us. Had terrible luck on the ducks but eventually specks got on the move, and all geese in general were out and about. Had couple iffy ops and one or two I passed on gimme ops for my end of blind trying to do better for the rest of the pit but we made good on two sweet ops and scraped two ducks late in hunt despite the bazillions seen overall.

1 spoon, 1 pintail, 4 specks

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On drive out the area saw ducks just south of us stacked in quantities I’ve not seen before. Ducks are here for sure, but they didn’t want us today at all. Westbound to try some fresh marsh for a couple of days below Lake Arthur.

[DComeaux]

Oh the specks..... sigh

[Ericdc]

Good deal on specks, I hope they are ready to play in the sun and south wind tomorrow.


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[Deltaman]

Purdy Specks

[Darren]

Wed. 12/28/2022
Klondike, LA fresh marsh
Johnny & I w/ Rick & Marsh at their office
30’s to start, mostly clear skies, winds 0 to light from easterly

Kicked things off with a pair of mallards floating in right after LST and enjoyed sporadic but mostly steady action thereafter. Little bits of this and that, and shot pretty well with opportunities we had to get us back to the dock before 9:00a. Really pleasant morning in the marsh. Most other blinds did well too.

(18) 3 mallards, 2 pintail, 5 spoons, 1 ringer, 5 GW teal, 2 BW teal

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Hangin out today to try them again tomorrow in another blind of same marsh. Thanks again, Rick.

[DComeaux]

NICE!!!

A rare photo of Rick with the strap.

[Duck Engr]

Shot well and brought ducks. What a customer!

[Deltaman]

Glad to see that you got Rick in a picture, and that is a fine strap of birds, Congrats

[Rick]

Glad to see that you got Rick in a picture...

My picture used to be on the wall of many a post office. (For those old enough to remember those times.)

[Darren]

Wed. 12/28/2022 PM speck trip
Klondike area rice
Johnny and I tagging along with Cole
Good south winds gusting, 60s, partly to mostly cloudy


Chatted with Cole this afternoon just catching up and he asked if we’d want to go make a sit at his dad’s blind??. Saw a lot of birds on drive into there and they were moving as we got settled. Specks surely tried to come do it right but bunch after bunch just would not finish the deal as they got near. Blind cover was good, we were down, calling was kept simple. My gut said it had to be the 40+ snow goose silo-socks put out, just gave them too much to look at on a spot they were already wanting to traffic LOW. Enjoyed the afternoon with Cole who worked very hard to make it work, can’t gripe, and got to see a new-to-me beautiful local spot despite hunting nearby a number of times. Having deer hunted this morning, Cole got to take a pretty pair of mallards.

1 speck, 2 mallards

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Made a new friend

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[Rick]

Grrr... Hate hearing about goose decoys left out at any of our field blinds, much less a little pod of "HUNTER HERE!!! white ones.

But Cole's a good kid, despite an awful lot in his life.

[Darren]

Grrr... Hate hearing about goose decoys left out at any of our field blinds, much less a little pod of "HUNTER HERE!!! white ones.

But Cole's a good kid, despite an awful lot in his life.

Indeed he handled himself very very well with adults, know Doug had an awful lot to do with that.

And the decoys were all put out and then picked up in same hunt, just duck floaters left. Small spread of a couple or few speck FBs would have made a pile.

[Darren]

Thurs 12/29/2022
Klondike, La fresh marsh
Johnny and I with Isaac and Sue
S/SE winds 10-15, heavy clouds with some high fog to start, 60s

Not the teal bonanza most expected it to be today on the south winds but we got our share and had ringers actually working us surprisingly well. Shot pretty well with what we had and made it two days in a row of first group to the breakfast table. Was my first hunt seeing Sue work and she did very well rounding up some lively birds near and far.

(18) 9 ringnecks, 8 GW teal, 1 BW teal

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That wraps up the trip down this way, watching weather to see where we head next. As always, was a great visit albeit bittersweet without the namesake Mr. Doug around, greatly missed by all. Had to laugh when I mentioned the pelican of yesterday evening’s hunt to Isaac, he said “that’s Doug.” Maybe so, either way he sent us plenty birds for our visit here.

[Duck Engr]

Nice trip!!!

[DComeaux]

AWESOME!