2022 2023 Season Log

[Darren]

Good work, guys. Those final three days being MTW......so what!?

[DComeaux]

In retrospect I think you might be right because of the number of splits. That sucks if so.

This was in an email from Jason Olszak back in September. We were discussing this 3 split stuff

"Our zones & splits selection was for 21-22 to 2025-2026."

This was in another exchange we had today.

"We have 5 years of 2 splits. The 25-26 season will/may be the last. We will be required to conduct a survey near the end of this as we are the only state in the flyway with 2 zones and potential 2 splits."

I got the exact same email lol. The proposed dates for the for the 23/24 season have Saturday openers for each split but the season closes on a Wednesday making the last three days M-T-W 29/30/31 inconsequential for most I would think. That actually creates a scenario where as the West Zone will hunt later than the East Zone for the first time ever.

Edit: I also voiced my displeasure with the current arrangement with you in mind

I had looked at next seasons dates and I'm okay with those in this 3 split crap. It'll give me more time to hunt, especially with Christmas and new years on a Monday. I want to go back to the (2) split system, though.

[DComeaux]

Good work, guys. Those final three days being MTW......so what!?

I visualize the MTW ending of next season as the tattered end of a strap that's been whipping in the wind for a long time. It needs to be cut off.

[Darren]

Good work, guys. Those final three days being MTW......so what!?

I visualize the MTW ending of next season as the tattered end of a strap that's been whipping in the wind for a long time. It needs to be cut off.

Great way to put it, agreed. Rick might be bangin 'em til the closing Wednesday bell, but the majority will not. As our current framework can attest, not all decisions are based on the majority, though.

[Rick]

...Rick might be bangin 'em til the closing Wednesday bell, but the majority will not...

At that point in the season, like most, it just depends on what the weather happens to be. Local and localized birds will be beat up, so we'll have fingers and toes crossed that something, anything stirs the pot a weekend pressure bump won't.

[Ericdc]

What are proposed EZ dates next season?


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[DComeaux]

What are proposed EZ dates next season?


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Proposed dates.

WEST ZONE:
NOV. 4 - NOV. 5 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)
NOV. 11-DEC. 3
DEC. 16-JAN 2
JAN. 13-JAN. 31


EAST ZONE:
NOV. 11 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)
NOV. 18-DEC. 3
DEC. 16-JAN. 28
FEB. 3 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)

[Ericdc]

That early January split is so dumb


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[Darren]

Few other items of note on the fall 2023 season dates:

NO dosgris/scaup or mottled ducks for first 15 days

Friday Sept 15th teal season opener, like we had in 2017 last I think. Weekday opener doesn't bother me but know plenty won't be able to go till Saturday. I actually like it, get a 3-day weekend out of the opener.

[Ricky Spanish]

What are proposed EZ dates next season?


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Proposed dates.

WEST ZONE:
NOV. 4 - NOV. 5 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)
NOV. 11-DEC. 3
DEC. 16-JAN 2
JAN. 13-JAN. 31


EAST ZONE:
NOV. 11 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)
NOV. 18-DEC. 3
DEC. 16-JAN. 28
FEB. 3 (YOUTH AND VETERANS ONLY)

Face slap...
Put the youth veteran thing at the end only.
Illinois hasn't had a decent opener in decades since they give it to the children.
You'd be surprised how many kids turn 18 and continue youth hunting until they're 26. Teaches the little poachers early.

One of the kids I mentored still thinks he's a youth.

[Ericdc]

It's unpopular, but I didn't understand the need for a veteran's hunt.

Disabled Veterans Day? Maybe I could get behind that.

We get 60 days as adults, that's enough.

I do like the youth hunt for the intended purpose and have made many good memories taking kids.


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[Ricky Spanish]

It's unpopular, but I didn't understand the need for a veteran's hunt.

Disabled Veterans Day? Maybe I could get behind that.

We get 60 days as adults, that's enough.

I do like the youth hunt for the intended purpose and have made many good memories taking kids.


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When my state introduced the youth hunt it was because a state rep had a son.
The son probably grew up and was sent to OCTS and hunts the veteran day now.

[DComeaux]

Date: 1/14/2023

Temp - 30's frost

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NNW 5 to 10

Waterfowl Activity: very few seen

Waterfowl Responsiveness: N/A

Hunters: Me and Blake

Birds By Species: 5 GW teal


Blake with the birds.

20230114_103520.jpg

The traps did well again this weekend, and Blake and I indulged on a few for lunch.

20230114_132051.jpg

As I mentioned we saw very few ducks while those few we know on managed, shallow marsh did well and were out early. It was a long morning. The two blinds on our property south of us took 8 and 12 birds. I don't like NW winds in our current set up.

[5 stand]

That lunch looks good... I've never had fresh crab like that, jealous again...

[DComeaux]

Date: 1/15/2023

Temp - 40's?

Cloud Cover: Some clouds to overcast quickly.

Wind Direction and Velocity: Light NE early, shifting to E then SE 10 to 12 later in the morning.

Waterfowl Activity: Maybe the most ducks we've seen high and low this season.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Not good

Hunters: Me and Blake

Birds By Species: 1 spoonbil 2 blue geese

Blakes face sums up our morning.

20230115_075206.jpg

The spoon sandwich

20230115_094919.jpg

We' got the attention of many today, but they didn't finish, with most flocks of pintail, teal, and other big ducks just continuing on to the south while losing altitude. We watched a few big groups of geese trafficking high from the west and they started getting lower as the morning progressed. The flock we took those two from I called at and pulled close enough for a shot.

We watched many flocks of ducks pass us high go down in the shallow flats north of us as we've done for a few years now. We've listened to the loud chatter on the last few hunts. The previous landowner's son had a blind up there and did well but didn't hunt often, and I've been contemplating another move before someone else slips in. On the ride in when I got the most northern pond near the road I turned and headed to our east north/south border ditch to go have a look around. As I neared the entrance, we jumped hundreds of fowl. I stopped immediately and watched them swarm and go back down. Not wanting to push those out and to blinds that were still occupied I turned around and we left with smiles on our faces. We will look for a spot in those flats once the season closes but the sparce vegetation will make it a challenge to hide a blind and boat. Stay tuned.

[Duck Engr]

Glad things seem to be good and looking up Dave!

[5 stand]

I like entertaining the thought of moving... There's no way I could sit there and watch birds land somewhere else...
But I also don't have a clue how to hunt in Louisiana...

[DComeaux]

I like entertaining the thought of moving... There's no way I could sit there and watch birds land somewhere else...
But I also don't have a clue how to hunt in Louisiana...

Depending on the property owner or lessor (sublet) you can have a defined section of property, acreage, or a specific blind location. What we're on is a privately owned marsh where we lease a blind spot and are not allowed to move around. Currently I have the option to relocate before we get one more blind on this property. At the rate we're losing land the new owner may end up with a 446-acre shallow lake in a couple of years if he does nothing. By moving north it'll give us a few years to hunt where there is still a little bit of land remaining. This section is currently protected from wave action.

[Rick]

Make the change, and worst case will be enjoying the anticipation and, I think, fun of setting it up.

[DComeaux]

Make the change, and worst case will be enjoying the anticipation and, I think, fun of setting it up.

I think we will.

I forgot to mention on yesterdays hunt log that the guys on the well managed marsh just to our west didn't fair very well either. I got a text from one blind there saying you know it's slow when you get up to shoot at a lone scaup at 8:30 and realize you hadn't loaded your gun at LST. All others we spoke to in the campground and beyond had the same reports. The water is reported to be very high in the marsh north of 82. Some of these guy's hunt next to little pecan.

[Ducaholic]

Make the change, and worst case will be enjoying the anticipation and, I think, fun of setting it up.

Well stated

[Darren]

Like where this is headed for sure, always fun to enter an offseason with some shakeup and anticipation of what we dont KNOW, but THINK, could be an upgrade based on at least some semblance of sound data collection. As of this morning, got a few wheels turning myself on such a prospect.

[BigHutch]

Make the change, and worst case will be enjoying the anticipation and, I think, fun of setting it up.

I think we will.

I forgot to mention on yesterdays hunt log that the guys on the well managed marsh just to our west didn't fair very well either. I got a text from one blind there saying you know it's slow when you get up to shoot at a lone scaup at 8:30 and realize you hadn't loaded your gun at LST. All others we spoke to in the campground and beyond had the same reports. The water is reported to be very high in the marsh north of 82. Some of these guy's hunt next to little pecan.

Dave, the gossip at the Pecan Island store early Saturday morning was that all of our greenwings are stacked up on the GC side. From your report that doesn’t seem to be true.

I don’t know about your possible move but my old blind south of 82 was on a point sticking out of pocket of broken marsh adjacent to 80-100 acres of open water. We were able to pull ducks across the open water and ducks flying around the broken marsh. I really miss that blind.

Good luck no matter what you decide to do.
Robbie aka Big Hutch

[DComeaux]

Make the change, and worst case will be enjoying the anticipation and, I think, fun of setting it up.

I think we will.

I forgot to mention on yesterdays hunt log that the guys on the well managed marsh just to our west didn't fair very well either. I got a text from one blind there saying you know it's slow when you get up to shoot at a lone scaup at 8:30 and realize you hadn't loaded your gun at LST. All others we spoke to in the campground and beyond had the same reports. The water is reported to be very high in the marsh north of 82. Some of these guy's hunt next to little pecan.

Dave, the gossip at the Pecan Island store early Saturday morning was that all of our green wings are stacked up on the GC side. From your report that doesn’t seem to be true.



I don’t know about your possible move but my old blind south of 82 was on a point sticking out of pocket of broken marsh adjacent to 80-100 acres of open water. We were able to pull ducks across the open water and ducks flying around the broken marsh. I really miss that blind.

Good luck no matter what you decide to do.
Robbie aka Big Hutch

There are many, many green wing around us. We listen to and see them on every hunt. They just know the safe places and they look for the skinny water. As I mentioned in the post on the 15th, we jumped a swarm of ducks as we approached those shallow flats to our north and the majority were green wing. The sky would have blackened with those had I continued.

The move off of the edge of the big water we're on will be to a more inviting shallow area. This move will be no more than a couple of hundred yards to a quarter mile, depending on what suits the new hides set up. We have the occasional good hunt now where they work as they should but it gets tough in big winds when the decoys weighted with 11/4" heavy hex nuts get dragged way out of position by the large waves. Seems the winds this year have been high most times and in the wrong directions for our set up. The peninsula were on is being eaten away at a rapid pace, which is another reason we're looking to relocate.

I really like our current blind location set up for ease of access and this pit has survived two hurricanes and remains firmly planted. We have a 2x12 walkway staked with deeply driven 2x4 from the boat hide to the pit that also survived the hurricanes. It's going to take a lot of work to set up in a new location and have it like this one, but we'll do what we have to do to make it right.

[Duck Engr]

Based on the pics of your handiwork around the camp I’m fully confident y’all will get it done!

[Ducaholic]

That skinny water might make you skinny it’s worth a try

[BigHutch]

My only advice is make sure you can access the new spot when water levels are low. I have made that mistake before. Very embarrassing …

Good luck the rest of the season!
Robbie aka Big Hutch

[DComeaux]

My only advice is make sure you can access the new spot when water levels are low. I have made that mistake before. Very embarrassing …

Good luck the rest of the season!
Robbie aka Big Hutch

I'm very mindful of that and will contact the landowner to discuss this move and his intentions for water control going forward. I had this exact conversation with Blake today.

[DComeaux]

Date: 1/21/2023

Temp - Low 50's?

Cloud Cover: Overcast

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE to E later 10 to 15

Waterfowl Activity: The birds were moving good this morning.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Good to the decoys. Calling seems futile.

Hunters: Me and Blake

Birds By Species: 9 GW 3 spoonbill

20230121_101804.jpg

We finished up around 9:45, just before the rain started again. We had light rain well before LST and it held off for the entire hunt. We did miss some no shoot ops on low and quick surprise birds that buzzed the decoys. The water level was low this morning and our marsh is loaded with birds. We were the only ones hunting in our marsh today and had only the one blind on other property to our east occupied. It was quiet. All of our campground neighbors scratched this morning and saw next to nothing. They hunt north of hwy 82 and their water level is extremely high. One camp packed up and called it quits for the season.
Seems the wind has shifted to the NW tonight after the rain moved on and we'll see how that affects our hunting in the morning. Blake and I went out around noon in-between showers to empty and rebait the traps and the ducks were thick from the beginning of the ride out all the way to the blind. The majority is GW. There are some gadwall in the mix but they don't want to play. Lots of spoonbill as well.

[5 stand]

Mighty fine !!!

I'm sure the move is off now...lol...

I like Rick's comment earlier this year to me, you never know until you go... Glad you guys are still after them...