Season

[Rick]

Nice little hunt. Your comment about not putting a spinner out in such wind made me smile. We're between splits, but I couldn't stand not being in the marsh in yesterday's wind and visited my/AW's blind in it. Found my spinner losing it's battle with the wind and its 1/2" metal conduit pole bent at a 45. Has been bent by both wind and boat battling wind and more or less straightened several times over recent seasons, and I believe it's time to break out the replacement I've had in the wings.

(Didn't see what I'd bet new ducks, but was glorious to be out there. Glad you got in the hunt.)

[DComeaux]

Nice solo hunt.

[Deltaman]

Sweet solo hunt Eric, and glad you had some birds commit and do it right

[Ericdc]

Going to try midday hunts at pit next 2 days. Hopefully we can get a small home opened up tomorrow in the clouds mainly so we can have water for the sun and wind Friday.


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[Ericdc]

Date: 1/18/24

Time: 9 to 1

Location: the 86 pit

Cloud Cover: heavy to almost sun peaking through to heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: south off and on

Temperature: upper 30's to low 40's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: today's trip was an attempt to try to open up a hole for tomorrow and any birds from today would be bonus. Winter wonderland this morning up near state line. They got a big snow.

Waterfowl Activity:
Lots of geese moving when we got there, especially specks. Ducks here and there, mostly mallards, pintail and gadwall

Waterfowl Responsiveness: ducks came surprisingly well given the conditions and our iceberg filled hole.

Hunters: Blake and I

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 2 mojos

Kudos: hopeful for tomorrow's sun and big north wind will push ice to south end of our hole and give us more open water.

curses: specks would break but didn't like what they saw.

Birds By Species:
1 mallard
1 pintail
2 gadwall
1 shoveler

All hens

Photo Ops:















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[Deltaman]

Glad y'all got some bonus birds, and hoping the Specks cooperate for you tomorrow!

[Darren]

Looks like the frozen tundra came to La!

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/19/24

Time: Austin and I hunted from 10 to 2:30
Kevin and Tom hunted from daylight to 1:30

Location: 86 pit

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: N 5-10 then N 15-20 once we got there

Temperature: 30's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: our ice hole we made yesterday looked good today and got better as ice melted a little

Waterfowl Activity: big big push of geese and big ducks from north for the last few hours.
Earlier in day most birds came from south

Waterfowl Responsiveness: birds worked better before we got there and wind got too hard, but we still killed some

Hunters: see above

Guns:

Malfunctions: I had 1 misfire on a group of gadwall

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: 2 mojos and 1 floater mojo on remotes

Kudos: nice to see a big flight.

curses: Blake got called in to work so he couldn't hunt the ice hole he helped make. Low of 18 tonight will freeze it up hard and it's not going to get above freezing tomorrow. Got invite to hunt a cypress brake that did well today.

Birds By Species:
6 gadwall
4 wigeon
2 green winged teal
1 mallard
1 shoveler
1 speck


Photo Ops:
Me and Austin's birds. Do I look cold?




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[Duck Engr]

Sweet! Your surroundings look chilly but you look like an old hand that hunts and works in it every day.

[Rick]

Been in SWLA so long that landscape makes the pic look photo-shopped. Glad to see you get to enjoy the bird bump.

[Ericdc]

Going to a cypress brake this morning just north of Monroe. They did well yesterday and should have less ice to deal with since my place probably froze pretty hard tonight.


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[Darren]

Been in SWLA so long that landscape makes the pic look photo-shopped. Glad to see you get to enjoy the bird bump.

haha I thought the same, all green down here in S La, frozen tundra of Siberia up by the state line apparently.

Nice hunt!! The 6 grays and 4 wigeon brought me back to 2005 in my home marsh stomping grounds.

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/20/24

Time: we hunted until 2 because it was what looks like the last good weather day and then picked everything up and pulled boat back to house.

Location: Scott's brake

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE light to 5-10

Temperature: cold, didn't get above freezing until after lunch. Scott used boat to open up hole.

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: first hunt with Scott and his dad in a few years.

Waterfowl Activity: just a couple here and there, not the waves I saw at farm yesterday but they are west of Ouachita river and not on as big a flyway

Waterfowl Responsiveness: decent, especially wood ducks decoyed well.

Hunters: Scott, his dad Stewart, Kenneth and I

Guns:

Malfunctions: on 1 group I only had 1 shell in gun

Dog(s): scott in pirogue

Special Equipment: 4 spinners and a water mover

Kudos: pretty day in a pretty place. Scott and I met in 2007 and have been hunting together some ever since.

curses: we were hoping to decoy a good group of mallards all day but didn't really even see them. 6 cans circled but didn't come in. Very pretty in sun

Birds By Species:
3 mallards
1 gadwall
3 teal
8 wood ducks

Photo Ops:










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[Ericdc]

Been in SWLA so long that landscape makes the pic look photo-shopped. Glad to see you get to enjoy the bird bump.

haha I thought the same, all green down here in S La, frozen tundra of Siberia up by the state line apparently.

Nice hunt!! The 6 grays and 4 wigeon brought me back to 2005 in my home marsh stomping grounds.

One of the few times I can remember the freeze line being where I hunt.


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[Ericdc]

I hate to share more bad news, but one of my lease members Bob passed this Wednesday due to heart failure. I've lost 2 good hunting friends this season.

My duck season is over, I just don't feel like hunting tomorrow.

Will be attending Bob's visitation tomorrow evening.

Please pray for the family and friends of Bob Sale.



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[Deltaman]

Sorry for your loss Eric, and saying a prayer now.

[DComeaux]

So sorry for your loss.

[Duck Engr]

Very sorry to hear that Eric. Tough fall/winter for you and yours.

[Rick]

May he and all who loved him know God's grace.

[Darren]

Very sorry to hear of his passing, Eric. Hang in there

[jrock75]

Sorry to hear that. My grandfather was a regular camera customer of his for decades.

[Ericdc]

2023-2024 season totals

Early speck
2 specks
1 hunt

Youth hunt
0 birds

First split
1 mallard
18 green winged teal
11 shovelers
1 blue winged teal
1 canvasback
2 gadwall
1 wigeon
2 snow goose

9 hunts
36 ducks
2 goose

2nd split
43 Green winged teal
7 mallard
13 gadwall
2 pintail
2 Ring neck
11 Shoveler
5 wigeon
6 specks
3 blues
2 snows

84 ducks
13 geese
17 hunts

Total
2 specks
4 snows
3 blues
8 mallards
61 green winged teal
22 shovelers
1 blue winged teal
1 canvasback
15 gadwall
6 wigeon
2 ring necks
2 pintail


Early speck
2 specks
1 hunt

Youth hunt
0 birds

26 regular season hunts
120 ducks
13 geese


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