Headin south Friday

[aunt betty]

[hawkeye76]

yep, that looks familiar

[aunt betty]

[aunt betty]

It's sucking bad. Next week and beyond that will be more better. The north is finally freezing up. Heading home tomorrow to drop off the old evinrude. The newer Johnson is suhweet AND uses the same lower units I already have.

[Olly]

It's sucking bad. Next week and beyond that will be more better. The north is finally freezing up. Heading home tomorrow to drop off the old evinrude. The newer Johnson is suhweet AND uses the same lower units I already have.

I thought you fixed your motor?

[aunt betty]

Fixed old motor but in process friend wanted me to have his old one. I'm rebuilding the powerhead on the old one next summer.

[aunt betty]

Had two wood ducks come in and land but the bastards zigged left when I thought they'd zag right. Landed where I couldn't shoot or see. Lucky I guess.

Was not much shooting or any trucks at the launch. I'm chillin until this weekend storm rolls thru.
Looks like next week is going to be good or at least better.

[aunt betty]

Here's a Panarama shot of camp at sunset.Then no panarama

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[Olly]

Are you just camped on the side of the road?

[aunt betty]

Olly.
The policy of AGFC is to allow camping on all WMA's. It says so in the waterfowl book they pass out when you buy a license.
Big Lake has a camp site but it's not on the WMA but is at the NWF. (national wildlife refuge)
That federal camp ground has zero shelter and gets flooded. It is under water now.

I camp on what is called a "turnaround". It is right next to a road. The road is a levee that keeps the water in the lake in the lake and the WMA water in the WMA. Two separate waters , multiple jurisdictions. The road is county. (yet another jurisdiction)

There is no grass but there is a fire ring. The camp is technically inside the WMA so I could sit in camp and shoot ducks. It has been done in the past. (long ago)

They had a meeting in my camp last year. The site managers from at least three jurisdictions and AGFC were there but I was hunting. (I was told about the meeting) The meeting was to decide what to do about me camping there and the decision was "nothing". Apparently AGFC had the swing-vote and they said that it's published that they allow camping on all WMA's in Arkansas so I got to stay.

I'm going to Rainey Brake next week. They're killin ducks there.

[Olly]

Haha that's just awesome. Keep on doing your thing.

[aunt betty]

Hawkeye was there when the guy who is the site-manager for Mallard Lake was in camp talkin to me. Hawk thought I was gettin busted again. lol

[Olly]

Hawkeye?

[aunt betty]

Hawkeye76. He's an airman.

We hunted last season for a few days. It was ok but we dint kill any ducks. Last year sucked.
This year aint exactly stellar either. Ain't over yet. Last two weeks of season usually rocks if it don't freeze up.

People down there sayin that they had a good few days after thanksgiving (first split) but in general there ain't been a lot of ducks yet. I think that's about to change. Look at how it's snowing in the midwest finally...snow means all that free grain gets covered up and the waterfowl has to split or starve.

Next week should be killler. Lows in teens and single digits all the way to saint louis almost. That's what everyone is waitin for. Last week I'm betting there was maybe 100 rigs on the whole WMA. Ten at Bo Dock where I launch.
Next week and the week after it will be closer to 1000.

[hawkeye76]

AB- I remember that. I was thinkin "aw hell, here we go. I gotta find somewhere to hide!!"
Ollie- when I was younger Last of the Mohicans was my favorite movie. Talked about it all the time and a teacher started calling me hawkeye. Guess it sorta stuck.

[aunt betty]

AB- I remember that. I was thinkin "aw hell, here we go. I gotta find somewhere to hide!!"
Ollie- when I was younger Last of the Mohicans was my favorite movie. Talked about it all the time and a teacher started calling me hawkeye. Guess it sorta stuck.

We ended up launching at Mill Lake access last weekend at Dave Donaldson.
The guys had scouted there and found what block the ducks were using. We got into em (not).

One of the guys has a new boat that was FAST but he went out scouting around in the afternoon and it went kaput. Kind of ruined Sunday. You guys kill anything when you were there?

[hawkeye76]

AB- I remember that. I was thinkin "aw hell, here we go. I gotta find somewhere to hide!!"
Ollie- when I was younger Last of the Mohicans was my favorite movie. Talked about it all the time and a teacher started calling me hawkeye. Guess it sorta stuck.

We ended up launching at Mill Lake access last weekend at Dave Donaldson.
The guys had scouted there and found what block the ducks were using. We got into em (not).

One of the guys has a new boat that was FAST but he went out scouting around in the afternoon and it went kaput. Kind of ruined Sunday. You guys kill anything when you were there?

Aint never been to DD. Big Lake and the White are the only two public places I've been up there.

[aunt betty]

Getting back into the game again. Leaving this morning.
This cold weather should give em a push and hopefully some ducks will follow me south this time.

[aunt betty]

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[aunt betty]

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[aunt betty]

Could have limited on hen mallards today but was hoping they'd land and call their brothers.

[outboardman]

You got one duck?

[aunt betty]

Yeah, just one but...the fly up tonight is encouraging. Kind of hoping I beat the ducks here by a couple days. Sky is full of ducks right now anyway. They getting up to go get rice

[hawkeye76]

Yeah, just one but...the fly up tonight is encouraging. Kind of hoping I beat the ducks here by a couple days. Sky is full of ducks right now anyway. They getting up to go get rice

Check your phone, AB

ETA: He would have to be on his phone anyway to see this. I'm an idiot.

[aunt betty]

Haha, the service is spotty here even in one spot. Night time...no way. Something about this area is weird. Have to keep re tuning the radio a lot.

[Olly]

Haha, the service is spotty here even in one spot. Night time...no way. Something about this area is weird. Have to keep re tuning the radio a lot.

The souls of all them ducks is ionizing the radio waves.

[aunt betty]

I'm relocating to Knobel, Arkansas. Hunt Dave Donaldson this weekend then come back to big lake to meet hawkeye. @hawkeye, you can come up anytime u want, just not this weekend.

[hawkeye76]

I'm relocating to Knobel, Arkansas. Hunt Dave Donaldson this weekend then come back to big lake to meet hawkeye. @hawkeye, you can come up anytime u want, just not this weekend.

Tryin to plan it around a weekend so I don't have to burn leave. Might meet you at DD. Lemme see what I can do.

[aunt betty]

Here's my home away from home in Knobel, Arkansas. Lil duck club they let me "visit" sometimes.

[Rick]

Busy place.