Pre Season

[DComeaux]

[Rick]

Been some years, now, since I had ready access to big ag land flights:

[Rick]

Not sure why you now have to hit "watch on youtube" to view my videos here, but yours works fine.

[DComeaux]

Not sure why you now have to hit "watch on youtube" to view my videos here, but yours works fine.

I was able to watch it without going to youtube.

[Rick]

Hmm... just a quirk with my PC and this forum, I guess, as it works as it should with my phone here and with my PC elsewhere.

[Deltaman]

Not sure why you now have to hit "watch on youtube" to view my videos here, but yours works fine.

I was able to watch it without going to youtube.

Same here Rick, I didn't have to go to youtube either.

[Ricky Spanish]

I'm lucky to see even one bwt.
We used to get them but not anymore
The teal I see are greenwings.
They come thru early.

[SpinnerMan]

I'm lucky to see even one bwt.

I've never got a BWT or even shot at one.

Most years I get one opportunity or tease without shots fired.

A couple examples.

Wood duck flies down the channel. Another wood duck. Another wood duck. Another wood duck. "Oh, there's another wood duck." "Oh shit, that wood duck had a bright big blue wing patch."

I usually hunt alone, but my wife tags along, before she was hunting with me. About a dozen BWT hook around the point I am on at about 15 feet. OK, maybe 25 feet. By the time the gun is up, they are too far to my left and I'd ring my wife's ears. All I can do is watch them fly straight away

Every day I was out prepping the blind before regular season I got buzzed by a BWT. Opening day. A teal buzzes me and I grab my gun and make a dumbass luck shot. Teal hits the water dead at about 50 yards. Dog makes a beautiful retrieve of that GWT. My buddy in the next blind over shot MY BWT that morning

I usually see a few around in the summer and some flying around in the early season. Nothing huntable but I do usually throw out a few hen mallard decoys when goose hunting. Even had one feet down over the decoys while I was talking on the phone with my dad We saw each other at the same time. They get out of the decoys a whole lot faster than a honker

[DComeaux]

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[Rick]

That old favorite Far Side gets less funny more worrisome by the year.

[DComeaux]

That old favorite Far Side gets less funny more worrisome by the year.

I understand, fully.

[DComeaux]

An update on my duck lease situation.

On the 12th of last month I was told that the purchase fell through and we had the place for the season, which was a great relief, at least for this year. A week or so later I received another call saying that the original buyer had made a last minute deal under pressure from another offer, and the sale was final. (Emotional roller-coaster ride)

We can keep our blind if I agree to just over double the price I was paying, with the possible loss of the crabbing on this place. I've been looking hard and have found through friends other properties nearby, but the cost of those are more than what I'd pay with the increase on where we are now. On one such place I'd be a partner on 900+ acres with 7 blinds, with more work and expense involved for upkeep, (Salvinia, water hyacinth, etc.) and no change in bird numbers taken from what we have now. The other prospects haven't fully developed yet and are ongoing.

So I've decided, with the blessing of my wife (she doesn't want to deal with me not duck hunting this year, and said so ) and the advice given by friends who are turning up these new places, that I will pay the increased price and keep this place for this season.
The property that meets our current lease property to the south is in the very, very final stages of completion, which is a 400 acre restoration which involved pumping dredged sediment from offshore. The levees were rebuilt and planted, and the control structures were rebuilt and are operational. We will no longer be affected by tidal flow on our lease, which means the salinity level will drop. From a good (THE) source, this same restoration plan was submitted and has been approved for our place within the next 5 years but with a more detailed duck hunting friendly plan. The crabber next door is worried and isn't happy, and I do feel for him. It will effect his lively hood.

I'll have a better handle on things once the guy I used to lease from and the buyer, who know each other well and have hunted together out there for 40 years, meet and ride the property in the next week or so. The new owners first expenditure will be to dig out the trenasse so we can get out of the boat slip. Something we had to do with the mud motors, as I face planted into the trolling motor bracket last year during that effort.

Stay tuned for more of as MY world turns.

[Deltaman]

Dang, that is frustrating Dave, and too bad the current owner couldn't have worked the upcoming season lease into the the sale.
Fingers crossed for you brother, and it would suck not to have Dave's famous Roux Crab pics during the season. Hope it works out for you, and keep us posted. If things start to go South, we can start sending hate mail to the new owner Just when you think prices in the marsh have topped out, sheesh!!!!!!!

[Darren]

Fingers crossed for you DC, hope it shakes out your way all around. Surely you can locate some other crabs nearby to go chase?

[MARSH BEAR]

Tough getting this news this close to hunting season, you really are on an emotional roller coaster.
We cannot fish or crab on our lease - those are separate leases which other people have.

[DComeaux]

Fingers crossed for you DC, hope it shakes out your way all around. Surely you can locate some other crabs nearby to go chase?

There are other places to put our traps, but we'd have to deal with strong tidal currents during the winter and possible theft. We'd have to bait in the dark on Friday nights and go deploy, pick up on Sunday mornings, and store every weekend instead of leaving them out as we once did. I would need a four day weekend every weekend during the season to make this hassle free.

As I thought about it after typing that, I came to the realization that it will become too much of a hassle to deal with these traps in this new scenario. I may have 7 used traps for sale in a month.

[DComeaux]

Tough getting this news this close to hunting season, you really are on an emotional roller coaster.
We cannot fish or crab on our lease - those are separate leases which other people have.

Sure is. Teal season opens in 5 weeks.

[BGkirk]

That’s rough DC. But exciting news for the marsh restoration and future projects as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DComeaux]

We had a long day working on our soon to be screened area toady. We'll have one solid wall with 3 windows framed with 2x4 studs. The other 3 walls have 4x4 studs with the door entrances framed with 4x6. The screens will be installed as removable panels, and we'll have more panels made with thick mil clear marine vinyl. These will also be removable to allow wind flow in the summer.

The sink you see in the picture and the wood stove were the only two things that stayed exactly in place on the slab after the hurricane. The kennel also made it through both hurricanes. It collapsed and folded flat. We just had to dig out of the mud.

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The numerous rains we've had lately have filled the dry marshes down there. Everything is green and lush. The water in our marsh has even come up a bit.

[Rick]

I applaud your ambition.

[Ducaholic]

DC ain’t playin!

[Deltaman]

Coming along Dave!
Looking good, and glad to hear that your marsh got some rain.

[MARSH BEAR]

Nice place you are building - great area to cook trout, redfish, shrimp and crabs and lots of ducks

[DComeaux]

Thanks everyone.

I will be going out in our marsh this Saturday with my former lease money collector. If I should remember too to do so, I'll take a few photos during our outing.

[DComeaux]

Age and sex early blue wing.

https://www.facebook.com/DeltaFans/videos/434133618746870

[Duck Engr]

Thanks for the reminder DC! I always have to brush up on that each year

[Rick]

Lot more females than normal last September, and it will be interesting to see how that goes after this year's late spring on the breeding grounds.

[Deltaman]

Great post Dave
I've always brushed up each year from Rick's teal posts as well.

[Darren]

That's some good info on the bluewings

[DComeaux]

It's official. I have a duck lease for this year. Although the price has doubled, I'm still grateful to have a private place to hunt. Now I have to find out if we can use our crab traps.