Made our annual pilgrimage to the LA marsh for the opener, and was not disappointed. Have a friend with a camp down off of Pass A'loutre that invites me at least once every year, and have been hunting the opener down there for the last 10 years or so. Made it to Venice Marina before lunch on Friday, and it was bustling, as is always the case the day before the opener. The Mississippi was kicking up some fuss, and we made the 18 mile trip South without issues, unloaded at the camp, and started scouting. Had heard great reports during the week, and our scout confirmed, the marsh was Happy with ducks! Gadwalls, Pintails, Widgeon and Teal, made up the majority of the numbers we scoped. We never skimp on eating when there, and Friday night was no exception. Grilled filet mignon, boiled new potatoes and salad made our bellies smiles as we made our final prep for the morrow's hunt. Opening morning found us pushed up in the canes with decoys out and high anticipation. At LST, wave after wave of green and blue wing teal were everywhere, but we passed on them, waiting for the bigger birds, and they soon followed. We were not on the "X", but it didn't matter. Can't say how many birds flew into our decoys with no shots ringing out before we finally started shooting, but it was a lot, and knowing it was gonna be good, enjoyed watching the first few flights of the day, pitch to stool. Looking up, there were birds in every direction, and the echos from shots fired in the surrounding marsh, made it sound like a war zone. We passed on the majority of the teal, and did not shoot any shovellers or bluebills, and after an hour or so. limited out with gadwalls, widgeon, pintails, and redheads. Despite the several days of hard North winds, did not have any low water issues, which was a pleasant surprise. As we started picking up decoys, the skies filled with Pintails as they started settling in for the morning, and I couldn't help but think about Jim (Assateague), and his quest for a drake pintail. Back to the camp for a quick bite, and off to fish for a while. Redfish were everywhere, but the majority of the ones we caught were just under the slot. Released all of the fish we caught and made an afternoon scout for Sunday's hunt. Found the birds stacked up in one of our favorite holes, and headed back to the camp for an evening of eating, drinking, lie telling, as we made ready for the next day's hunt. Made it to our spot the next morning without incident, and nobody else around, something we aren't fortunate enough to have in AL
The day started off slow, and in the first 30 minutes, started questioning ourselves, wondering if the spot we found was only good for afternoon birds. That thought was put to rest a few moments later, as the birds started appearing in the sky, and dropping into our dekes like they were long lost friends. Knowing we had to clean the camp, load our stuff, fight the crowd at the marina, and still drive back to Mobile, we enjoyed the fast action and shot our 3-man limit in 30 minutes. Made record time getting back to the marina and pulled the boat out around 9:30 a.m. It was crowded, but nothing like it would be later in the day. What a great trip to the marsh, and came back with more good memories with friends, and a sack full-o-ducks. Sorry for the long read
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so"
Mark Twain
