Preseason 2024-2025

[Darren]

All's well at my house and, from what I can tell, at the Shell Beach camp. Johnny lost power but otherwise only minor items. Hoping his power is restored soon since it looked like others in the vicinity were still online. New Orleans really got the brunt of this storm, Baton Rouge/westward lucked out.

I'm at the office this morning hoping water recedes below our dock so we can head down tomorrow and just see what the conditions allow for the weekend, be it hunting/blind install, neither or both.

[jrock75]

Glad to hear things are looking ok.

[Darren]

Glad to hear things are looking ok.

Water's on a steady fall, now nearing a normal high tide level.

[Darren]

Hurricane Francine peaked in the area of the camp at just under 50 mph gusts, and given its approach from our SW instead of SE, only resulted in a fairly modest storm surge, about 2-2.5 ft above normal tides.

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My son and I are headed down a little later this morning and will go out for some lease recon this afternoon, possibly doing a little floor modification/upgrade on one blind if water is down enough. I think one way or another we'll try the teal in the morning for the opener, but to say our expectations are tempered would be an understatement. But I guess you never know, and we've killed them there before so only one way to find out, throw some decoys and kick on a spinner or two.

[Deltaman]

Rick and Darren, glad to hear that you did not have any significant damage from Francine. Has anybody gotten a report from Dave?

[jrock75]

only resulted in a fairly modest storm surge, about 2-2.5 ft above normal tides.

Amazing that you only ran 2-2.5' high. The gauge closest to our farm 200+ miles west of you was running 2.5' high on Wednesday. The way that wind moves the water in these storms is pretty amazing. During Beryl our farm tide gauge only ran 3' high at the max when my bay house saw water 8'+ high and both were on east side of storm and only 15 miles apart.

[Darren]

With teal season behind us, still watching tropics but also frontal systems. Looking like potential is there for a decent front a week from now, and that also may help keep any tropical stuff of the same timeframe from wandering north.

Bill Byers HC near Hunter, AR reporting first specks showing around them yesterday. Don't know of any seen down this way yet, but maybe Rick's network saw or heard a few.

[Rick]

Bill Byers HC near Hunter, AR reporting first specks showing around them yesterday. Don't know of any seen down this way yet, but maybe Rick's network saw or heard a few.

Thought I might have heard one Sunday, but saw no more likely source than blackbirds. Was a time, though, when the first very few might well show the last week of teal. Haven't heard word of such yet.

Have both minor and major anchorage work to do on the blind I've hunted most, so Call and I were in the marsh for measurements and checked north east blind to insure decoys had been picked up while out there. Did not see a teal, which seemed odd.

[DComeaux]

Bill Byers HC near Hunter, AR reporting first specks showing around them yesterday. Don't know of any seen down this way yet, but maybe Rick's network saw or heard a few.

I saw a video today claiming to be in Klondike that had speckle bellies in it. They claimed it was the most seen this early. It popped up in my feed on FB today and I can't find it now.

[Ducaholic]

With teal season behind us, still watching tropics but also frontal systems. Looking like potential is there for a decent front a week from now, and that also may help keep any tropical stuff of the same timeframe from wandering north.

Bill Byers HC near Hunter, AR reporting first specks showing around them yesterday. Don't know of any seen down this way yet, but maybe Rick's network saw or heard a few.

The guys at Dave's Bayou reported flocks moving south with last week's front

[Darren]

Good deal ! Would be about right on timing. A front or two still showing promise for next week.