WaterfowlForum.Net

Last Friday was the only hunt we were able to make over the weekend, but it was a good one!

Date: 12/21/18

Time: 4:00 a.m. - 11:30

Location: Mobile Rive Delta

Cloud Cover: Plenty-O

Wind Direction and Velocity: 15-20 mph West wind, gusting to 30

Temperature: upper 40's- low 50's, pleasant

Moon phase: Full

Special Notes: Doesn't appear that anyone else has found this pod of birds.........yet

Waterfowl Activity: Started slow, but had small wads trickle in over the morning.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Did not want to finish to my satisfaction, so I put several flock-a-flickers (first time to use, but have had for two years), and that turned the trick, they needed to see some movement.

Hunters: Stepson (Dustin) and myelf

Guns: SBE and Nova

Malfunctions:Noneyun

Dog(s): n/a

Special Equipment: Flock-A-Flicker -after reading the negative reviews in the past, was hesitant to use, but it worked to our advantage today

Curses: Just a slow flight. Scouted surround area after the hunt, and the area was not holding any significant numbers that we could find

Kudos: We shot well, and I could not resist the full plumaged Hollywood when he came sailing in

Birds By Species: 11 Gadwalls, 1 Shoveller

Photo Ops: Below

Lagniappe: Still cannot believe somebody else hasn't found these birds, seeing that they are on public waters.

Pic of Dustin with our day's take:

Nice hunt Deltaman! Sounds like no one else is willing to put in the work to find them. Kudos to you and Dustin!

Seeing as how you have lived and hunted here, you have a better understanding of the significance of the birds we found. Doubtful we will get another hunt before they are found, but hey, we got two limit hunts in a row, on public water on the causeway, and a damn good reason to celebrate. We do not have any birds to speak of here, and like everybody else, hoping for a good push soon.

Deltaman wrote:Seeing as how you have lived and hunted here, you have a better understanding of the significance of the birds we found. Doubtful we will get another hunt before they are found, but hey, we got two limit hunts in a row, on public water on the causeway, and a damn good reason to celebrate. We do not have any birds to speak of here, and like everybody else, hoping for a good push soon.

Absolutely. Certainly a bonus to get to shoot them more than once! And an added feather in your cap knowing how few birds are around.

AWESOME hunt! I can only wish for that this weekend.

Deltaman I meant to ask you the other day, how’s the newly installed refuge working out? Have you noticed fewer birds in the air because of it? Can’t remember if I left the season after they established it or two seasons after. I figure the ducks will have it ingrained in their radar by now.

Duck Engr wrote:Deltaman I meant to ask you the other day, how’s the newly installed refuge working out? Have you noticed fewer birds in the air because of it? Can’t remember if I left the season after they established it or two seasons after. I figure the ducks will have it ingrained in their radar by now.

Yes, what few birds we have, pour into the triangle (refuge) on a hard South wind, as they come off of the bay, and the constant hunting pressure pushes them there. In addition to the refuge, we now have two bays (Bay Grass and Big Bateau), designated non-gas engine areas. Unfortunately, some of these guys with surface drive seem to think they mean no engine......unless you get stuck Pisses me the the F... off, and wish we had better GW coverage. In addition, we've got some yahoos hunting past the 2:00 curfew, and some hunting during the Monday/Tuesday North side closure, very frustrating.

None of those shenanigans surprise me unfortunately. Seems before the refuge, the pressure would just push the ducks out into the bay for long periods of time.

Duck Engr wrote:None of those shenanigans surprise me unfortunately. Seems before the refuge, the pressure would just push the ducks out into the bay for long periods of time.

That is correct, and only a strong South wind would make them get up and fly North........planned my hunts around it for the last several years. As you probably know, we no longer have a daylight flight on the causeway. Only daylight flight now is Woodies in the creeks to the North, pretty pitiful!

Deltaman wrote:

Duck Engr wrote:Deltaman I meant to ask you the other day, how’s the newly installed refuge working out? Have you noticed fewer birds in the air because of it? Can’t remember if I left the season after they established it or two seasons after. I figure the ducks will have it ingrained in their radar by now.

Yes, what few birds we have, pour into the triangle (refuge) on a hard South wind, as they come off of the bay, and the constant hunting pressure pushes them there. In addition to the refuge, we now have two bays (Bay Grass and Big Bateau), designated non-gas engine areas. Unfortunately, some of these guys with surface drive seem to think they mean no engine......unless you get stuck Pisses me the the F... off, and wish we had better GW coverage. In addition, we've got some yahoos hunting past the 2:00 curfew, and some hunting during the Monday/Tuesday North side closure, very frustrating.

Had to look those up on Google Earth to see what kind of habitat you're talking about. Little Bateau sure looks ducky to me

Darren wrote:

Deltaman wrote:

Duck Engr wrote:Deltaman I meant to ask you the other day, how’s the newly installed refuge working out? Have you noticed fewer birds in the air because of it? Can’t remember if I left the season after they established it or two seasons after. I figure the ducks will have it ingrained in their radar by now.

Yes, what few birds we have, pour into the triangle (refuge) on a hard South wind, as they come off of the bay, and the constant hunting pressure pushes them there. In addition to the refuge, we now have two bays (Bay Grass and Big Bateau), designated non-gas engine areas. Unfortunately, some of these guys with surface drive seem to think they mean no engine......unless you get stuck Pisses me the the F... off, and wish we had better GW coverage. In addition, we've got some yahoos hunting past the 2:00 curfew, and some hunting during the Monday/Tuesday North side closure, very frustrating.

Had to look those up on Google Earth to see what kind of habitat you're talking about. Little Bateau sure looks ducky to me

It does to you, sometimes to the ducks, and every other Tom dick and Harry out hunting haha. Very popular place.

oh yea it had all the makings of a yahoo magnet.....looks obviously good from aerial image and is easily accessed.

Little Bateau has changed quite a bit since the 70's, when it truly was a duck magnet. A hard SE wind would drive Mallards and Pintails off of Mobile Bay, and that was one of their favorite places to go to get out of the wind. Hurricane Frederick in 79, changed the bay quite a bit, and left it with small grass islands that have slowly filled in over the years (same thing with Mudhole, due North of it). The teal absolutely love it, but as mentioned, so does every Tom, Dick and Harry, and I am not gonna get in the middle of that circus. We have a beautiful delta, but it is merely a thumbnail in comparison to the marshes in LA.