Season

[Ericdc]

Date: November 18, 2023 opening day

Time: I had to leave at 9:20 to get to a wedding in New Orleans at 5 pm.

Location: the 86

Cloud Cover: thankfully clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: N 5-10 becoming 10-15 after sunrise.

Temperature: 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase: the guys saw part of the meteor shower

Special Notes: no complaints from me. Sun and wind and our water level is right where I want it.

Waterfowl Activity: ducks flew good early then only high flights after about 8. Tons of specks but they always very skittish once the duck shooting starts. Wish we had more teal like we used to. Maybe they'll show up eventually.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: teal worked ok but tough angles. Tons of specks would lock and make a pass before distant shooting or just skittishness would leave.

Hunters: 4 members (Bob, Tommy, Martin, and me)

Guns:

Malfunctions: none

Dog(s): me

Special Equipment: brought my 2 mojos on remote just to exhaust all possible tools for success, as much as I hate them.

Kudos: much better than last year's opening day.

curses: sat 1 speck in decoys 10 minutes early and had 2 more hanging on top 5 minutes early, but all 3 left before legal.

Birds By Species:
1 mallard
2 spoons
8 green winged teal

Photo Ops:









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[Deltaman]

Glad your field conditions are right, and you are killing some birds. At least you have Specks around, and hoping they get a little more relaxed after the hail of opening weekend shooting in the surrounding area.

[Ericdc]

Date: November 20, 2023

Time: left at 11

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: partly to mostly to partly to clear to mostly

Wind Direction and Velocity: ESE 5-10 then SE 10-15 for last hour or so

Temperature: 50's and warming

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: saw more canvasbacks than teal?

Waterfowl Activity: daylight flurry of birds from south run off from gun pressure SW of us. I don't know where the specks went but I hope a wind shift and rain brings them back. Saw very few today and all high

Really wish we could hold teal in our area like the areas south of us do.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: not good. Gadwalls are not decoying at all with spinners on or off. Small bunch of spoons worked pretty enough to get 3 out of 4.

Hunters: Bob, Kevin, and I.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): me

Special Equipment: put out all 3 dozen speck silo's today, 2 mojos on remote.

Kudos: we hit what we shot at.

curses: mostly empty skies on a day where if we had birds, it would have been pretty.

Birds By Species:
3 shovelers
1 canvasback

Photo Ops:




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[DComeaux]

Nice canvas back. I'm hoping for a shot at those someday in the near future, once we get some water and keep it managed.

[Ericdc]

Saw a group of them as well but they kept going north towards big reservoir on state line.


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[Rick]

Fellow I hunted yesterday showed me video "out our club's back door in Mer Rouge" of a serious big body of specks. Perhaps yours joined them.

[Ericdc]

Date: November 21, 2023

Time: it's 11:05 and I am going to pack up soon

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: WNW 10-15

Temperature: 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: hunted solo this morning and couldn't help but think about my good friend Dakota who passed in September.

Also thinking about David's nephew Blake and keeping things in perspective.

Waterfowl Activity: lots of high flights of big groups from north and south (mostly gadwall, pintail, and spoons) good many specks coming out of northeast.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: the teal early dropped in nice but didn't have anything else work. Starting to think specks are going to be a rare part of the bag.

Hunters: me

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 2 mojos on remote.

Kudos: seafood gumbo waiting on me for dinner.

curses: I don't know if a place can just fall off in a 3-4 year time period but it's feeling that way. I let a nice group of teal get by me early when I should have taken the overhead pass. 1 group of birds shouldn't make or break your hunt.

Seems the best spots are doing decent on teal and other early season ducks. Tired of making excuses for bad hunts.

I'll need a break after tomorrow. Maybe the sun will help.

Birds By Species:
1 tiny green winged teal l, think I would have rather scratched.

Photo Ops:

Gumbo (had to use a red bell pepper)



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[Rick]

Hunting might suck, but I'm betting that gumbo didn't. Well, maybe slurp a little...

[Ericdc]

Hunting might suck, but I'm betting that gumbo didn't. Well, maybe slurp a little...

It was good but damn I'd eat a lot worse just to have a decent hunt.

Log entry will come later but today was best flight I've seen in a few years and we couldn't do anything with them. I'm done for a while, maybe until December 16th.


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[Mike Jargon]

Nothing wrong with a red bell pepper, gives a nice color contrast to the gumbo.

[Ericdc]

Date: November 22, 2023

Time: packed up at 9:30

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: clear to partly to mostly

Wind Direction and Velocity: cursing dead calm with L & V occasionally until close to leaving time. Forecasted 5-7 NW at shooting time.

Temperature: 40's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'll be thankful.

Waterfowl Activity: the best flight of ducks I've seen on this farm since 2020. Lots of teal early then lots of gadwall, spoons, and pintail.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: I don't want to blame everything on no wind, because I figured if you had that many different bunches of teal work the field, at least a few would decoy even with no wind?? Had a nice group of specks (12-15) on a string and had we had a little wind they would have given us a good shot. They just peeled off though.

I assume it was new ducks that blew in yesterday with front all rebounding from gun pressure south of us, but enough big groups from north to know we were getting a push.

Hunters: bob, his nephew Tyler, Tommy and me.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): me

Special Equipment: 2 mojos on remote. Tried them on, off, and intermittent to get teal and other ducks to work.

Kudos: the guys saw a good flight day

curses: we have 2 birds to show for it. I know I have an average spot at best, and you only get some many flights like that each year, seems like you have to have perfect weather for us to kill them now. Sun and good wind, preferably north to northeast.

Neighbors weren't hunting so birds could work without them banging them off.

Had a single speck work in good but guys missed.

Enough curses for 1 day.

I'm done for a while at the lease. Maybe until 2md split if next Saturdays weather isn't decent.


Birds By Species:
1 snow goose who worked pretty
1 green winged teal (out of a group that gave us a marginal pass)


Photo Ops:


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[Ericdc]

Date: November 24, 2023

Time: packed up at 8:30

Location: south of Bell City

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE 5-10

Temperature: 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: good to see some green wings decoy and we shot fairly good

Waterfowl Activity: good for first 30-45 minutes then slowed, lotta snows and blues east of us.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: biggest group of teal didn't work good but other 2 smaller groups did.

Hunters: Campbell crew and me.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Kyler's dog Cole

Special Equipment: 2 mojos on remote

Kudos: picked up when slowed down. Brother and cousins had a quick 18 teal in marsh. Going back there in morning hoping it'll be decent.

Cooking a shrimp and crab stew now for dinner, in honor of our own David Comeaux.

curses: specks and gadwall as hard to work down here as on my place.

Birds By Species:
13 green winged teal
1 blue winged teal
1 gadwall

Photo Ops:



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[Duck Engr]

Glad you finally had a few play the game right Eric. That up morale a little?

[Ericdc]

Glad you finally had a few play the game right Eric. That up morale a little?

Still need to kill em good at my place, as a guest I'm just happy to go.

It was a good shoot though.


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[Ericdc]

Date: November 25, 2023

Time: finished at 8:30

Location: my brothers' and cousins' marsh lease

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE 7-10 mph

Temperature: 40's to 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: good hunt, wish Corey could have made it.

Waterfowl Activity: good flight of green winged teal with a few smaller groups of blue winged teal.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: green winged teal decoyed well

Hunters: Ryan, David, David's wife Josey, and me

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): goose

Special Equipment: 3 spinners and a wonder duck

Kudos: josey made good shot on last bird

curses: we should have finished sooner but had some crooked barrels.

Birds By Species:
24 total, mostly green winged teal with a few blue winged teal.

Photo Ops:





Last night's shrimp and crab stew


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[Rick]

Oh, my.

[Ericdc]

Oh, my.

Can you share any reports from Cherry Ridge or have you taken any groups out?


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[Ericdc]

Oh, my.

Can you share any reports from Cherry Ridge or have you taken any groups out?


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My bad, I must have missed notifications on your thread.


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[Darren]

Food and teal looks like a great time

[DComeaux]

Love the green wing!

[Ericdc]

The guys have killed some birds this week, no big hunts but are seeing more ducks and geese in our area, other than high flyers, than we did first week of season.

I decided to deer hunt this morning with the clouds, light rain, and light wind. Going to focus on deer until the 16th. Looking forward to some good cold sunny days and some long sits in the pit once season reopens for the 2nd split.


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[Ericdc]

Work day for 2nd split.

I cut a truckload of grass to beef up our brush.

We did some decoy rearranging and added a dozen pintail drakes to fringes.

Bob bought a decoy swimming gadget and we got it set up.

Duck Moss Geaux Dux Motion Decoy System.

Saw a good many ducks on farm, mostly spoons and not many teal.

Water depth is perfect.

Saturday going to be nasty weather, but should have sun and wind a few days afterwards.






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[Ericdc]

Date: 12/16/23 2nd split opener

Time: left at 10

Location: the 86 pit

Cloud Cover: heavy with light rain to heavier rain to high back to heavy with light rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: calm to close to 10 out of ESE during rain to calm to light west

Temperature: 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: our water level is perfect and birds used field during split, especially geese.

Waterfowl Activity: lots of pintails swarming high, very few of anything else and very few geese. Did see decent body of snows west of us along highway.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: not great, had group of specks just slide on us at last minute. Wild acting teal, pintail, and spoons.

Hunters: bob Tommy and I

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: bob's decoy swimming rig, no spinners

Kudos: we shot what came

curses: very few birds for a 2nd split opener

Birds By Species:
3 green winged teal
2 ring necks
1 spoon

Photo Ops:
Rain ending around 8 with good wind.



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[Ericdc]

Good report from pit today

7 green winged teal
1 mallard
1 gadwall
1 spoon


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[Darren]

Not surprised to see it was better today, was same for us. Totally different game from yesterday’s mess.

[Ericdc]

Yea I'm going next 2 days, I have modest expectations but I'd like to decoy at least 1 speck, a mallard, and a nice bunch of teal.

Cold, sun, and wind so I'll be packing what I need to sit till lunch or so.


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[Ericdc]

Date: 12/18/23

Time: sat till 1

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: dead calm till 8:30 despite a good wind predicted at daylight, then 10-15 NNW till we left

Temperature: 40's to 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: more geese in area than ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: specks came pretty. Big ducks won't work, teal very finicky.

Hunters: Martin left around 9 or so, Austin and I stayed till 1.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 2 mojos on remote, Tommy accidently packed that swimmer decoy rig yesterday so we didn't have our water movement early when we needed it.

Kudos: Austin's first pit hunt and first specks, he's a woods hunter. Austin and a friend are leaving tonight to hunt Grand Pass conservation area in Missouri for rest of week. Good bird counts up there.

curses: couldn't get him a pintail

Birds By Species:
2 green winged teal
2 specks

Photo Ops:
Rabideaux's and specks



Austin



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[Darren]

Couple specks makes a hunt for sure

[Ericdc]

Date: 12/19/23

Time: left at 11

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light NE before LST then calm then variable then 5-10 ESE

Temperature: 30 to 50's but chilly

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: brought my buddy from church, Blake, who had a sweet baby girl back in September and is becoming a paramedic so hunting will be limited for him this year.

A doe ran through field within 20 yards of mallards that lit wide and they did not flush despite all her commotion.

Waterfowl Activity: same few thousand pintails that come from southwest each day headed northeast. Very few of anything else

Waterfowl Responsiveness: getting stale quick.

Killed 3 blues that I'm sure have the flu by their body condition and behavior.

Hunters: bob Tom Blake and I

Guns:

Malfunctions: bob's swimmer rig battery was dead.

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 3 mojos on remote and Blake's manual powered jerk string.

Kudos: we shot well

curses: 3 mallards worked then landed wide. Specks getting tough, need new birds in area.

Birds By Species:
5 green winged teal
1 spoon
3 blues

Photo Ops:
Blake and birds



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[Ericdc]

We were also checked by game warden today, he followed us to the shop and checked licenses and birds, no citations were issued, and it was a pleasant experience.


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