2016 2017 Season

[DComeaux]

12/2/2016

Weather - Partly cloudy- temp upper 50's brisk NE wind turning east later

Myself, Blake and Bill

Birds- 1 blue wing 1 scaup

Not much around this morning. We did have a couple of chipped teal with long, long fly offs. Watched a few flocks lift off and climb to the north again today. We picked up the decoy spread and secured everything for the two week split. We're home now and grilling some pork chops in a cool north wind with light rain falling. Looks like it'll be wet for the next few days.

[DComeaux]

Totals thus far.

Teal Season - 6 hunts 20 blue wing

First Split regular season
8 hunts 80 ducks - 16 BW - 16 GW -1 mallard drake - 1 mallard hen - 17 gadwall - 1 mottled duck - 16 shoveler - 7 scaup - 2 Ruddy duck - 1 Pintail - 2 Bufflehead

We've exceeded last years total duck numbers for the entire regular season by two just in the fist split, and we are 13 ducks shy of the entire regular season total for 2014-2015.... Teal seasons high water screwed us up a bit.

If we can keep the blind down, I think we've settled into this new place during the first split and have gotten somewhat comfortable with it and it's logistics. I'm looking forward to the opening of the second split, and as I had mentioned in the last hunt post, we picked up the 15 dozen decoys we had out and will deploy only half on opening morning. The birds use a couple of grit bars very near the blind and rest there. I'm hoping the sudden appearance of our decoys on opening morning works to our advantage.

[DComeaux]

12/17/2016

Weather - Partly cloudy- temp upper 60's -Wind - light from the SE early and gradually getting stronger as the morning progressed

Me, Blake, and Justin my son

Birds- 9 - 6 Green wing 3 scaup

We had a little work to do early on, bailing the blind, setting decoys and adding some brush, but the wind gave me a break for the duration of the hunt. (we quit around 8:30). The water is just below teal season level, which is high, and is covering all of the grit bars. The big wad of birds my informant told me about was just what I thought they'd be...divers.
We didn't see many other species, but those scaup and ring necks were thick, we had them all over the decoys all morning. The green wing came in a bunch of 30 or 40, right to left at 25 yards, we took 7 from that flock and one lively cripple got away.
We were studying every flock of divers for a red head or canvasback, and I had red head drake slip thru the zone. He was head on and didn't give me the angle for clear identification until it was too late, he was traveling with the wind. We had some missed opportunity's on blue wing that were traveling with big groups of scaup, they didn't get identified in time.
This was Justin's first duck hunt of the year so he tested his aim on a pair of scaup, he got a double with his first two shots, and he took his third one later in the hunt...they were very tempting.

We took the time to brush the blind a bit better for tomorrow mornings hunt, adding many more root balls of cord grass, and I think we now have an island started. Hopefully the front coming through tonight brings us back our puddlers.

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[Ericdc]

You made good on your best opportunity. I didn't not. My guys always let me call the shot. I positioned myself in middle of blind today instead my usually farthest to the left spot, so the older guys could hear me with the wind.

Well we had a nice bunch of green wings come from south, cut back into wind, and skirt the decoys right to left into the wind (like they should), and then about half of them got really shootable on west end, where I normally am. I wanted all 4 of us to shoot and instead of letting 2 guys to my left shoot, they left unharmed....grrr. That just about ruined my morning because it was the only group of birds we had decoy. I apologized a few times and the elder of the bunch said..."if that's the worst that happens today, we'll have a good day" I agreed.

I do a lot better when we are working birds more consistently. It had been an hour or 2 since we last shot and I just froze.


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[Rick]

New weather, new day, tomorrow. (Would still be interesting to know just where the south wind took the big ducks.)

[Ericdc]

New weather, new day, tomorrow. (Would still be interesting to know just where the south wind took the big ducks.)

Mixed reports from northeast LA, the folks that hunted where birds have been sitting for a while seemed to do better, our farm and farm north of us saw a good many big ducks but they would not work in the 20-30 mph sustained wind.

We generally fair better on north winds and am hoping for a fun shoot tomorrow with mallards doing it right.


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[DComeaux]

We're outside watching high V's of ducks coming from the north, fighting this south wind. They seem to be struggling.

[DComeaux]

12/18

We awoke to very high north winds and sideways rain that lasted well past LST. We did suit up and drove to our parking spot in the marsh to see what was happening out there. We sat in the truck waiting on the rain to slack off, then we walked the 1/4 mile to the end of the oil location road to check on the blind and decoys. There were hundreds of birds around our blind and we did jump some mottleds, gadwall and teal on the walk in. They were tucked in tight on the south side of the road and would have made for easy jump shots.

Using the pirogue in this wind would've been dangerous, if not impossible. I did offer to run Blake and Justin to the blind in the boat and act as tender for the hunt, but the rain was starting up again and we got pretty damp on the walk back to the truck,so they declined the offer. On the drive out the heavy rain started again, no matter what the radar was showing, and I was glad to be in the truck. We'll give it a shot on Christmas eve morning and the Monday following Christmas...I wish I could be out there for the next couple of days.

[DComeaux]

12/18

We awoke to very high north winds and sideways rain that lasted well past LST. We did suit up and drove to our parking spot in the marsh to see what was happening out there. We sat in the truck waiting on the rain to slack off, then we walked the 1/4 mile to the end of the oil location road to check on the blind and decoys. There were hundreds of birds around our blind and we did jump some mottleds, gadwall and teal on the walk in. They were tucked in tight on the south side of the road and would have made for easy jump shots.

Using the pirogue in this wind would've been dangerous, if not impossible. I did offer to run Blake and Justin to the blind in the boat and act as tender for the hunt, but the rain was starting up again and we got pretty damp on the walk back to the truck,so they declined the offer. On the drive out the heavy rain started again, no matter what the radar was showing, and I was glad to be in the truck. We'll give it a shot on Christmas eve morning and the Monday following Christmas...I wish I could be out there for the next couple of days.

i thought about you being in the pirogue Sunday morning, as I was in a very short and narrow boat with 4 guys and gear struggling to make it to the blind as we were taking heavy spray from the waves crashing against the boat. Killed 11 sat and 7 Sunday. Wasn't what I was expecting but oh well. Fulvous tree ducks saved us Saturday and a mix for Sunday


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There was a wounded black belly whistler on our shell road when we drove in on Sunday. I would have picked him up but it made it in the canes before we could stop. I didn't feel much like chasing after a day old wounded bird, in that wind and rain, in flooded cane.

[DComeaux]

12/24/2016

Weather - mostly clear- temp upper 60's to 80 by 10 o'clock-Wind SE light early and gradually getting stronger as the morning progressed
We quit at 8:15

Me, Blake, and Bill

Birds- 9 scaup

Not many dabblers seen, and what we did see were either coming or going from the more plush marsh to our south. The scaup are thick and we were covered up again. We passed on a lot early to let the morning unfold and just picked our shots on those as the morning progressed..(Like fish in a barrel). Not many people out this morning and I think none were hunting where the dabblers want to be. I did knock down a teal from a pair that came mixed with scaup, and after a water swat to "finish it", I turned my attention to Ellie and her retrieves on the boys scaup.... Well.... my "dead" teal disappeared.

I'm really afraid if we lose the divers we'll be looking at empty skies out there, something needs happen. I don't think we have much in the way of food to offer the birds. The thick widgeon grass I was told of, that was present before the flood water, is nowhere to be found.

We'll be heading back out to the camp tomorrow afternoon for a Monday morning hunt. I'm not expecting much, but maybe we'll have more hunters out to stir things up, especially to our south.

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[DComeaux]

12/26/2016

Weather - fast moving low clouds and a little light fog early to mostly clear- temp Warm-Wind moderate SE

Me, Blake, and Justin

Birds- 11 - 2 green wing 1 shoveler 1 ring neck 7 scaup

Very few dabblers seen, and the teal are mixed with the divers hanging out on the big water. Boats running across the south end of the "lake" bump hundreds of diver/mixed clouds of birds. Front coming through on Thursday, so I'm hoping for a light north wind and some fresh ducks on Saturday.

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[Darren]

Divers or not, eleven birds is a nice haul! Work with what ya got

Just be sure not to pass on ringers posing as scaup

[DComeaux]

Divers or not, eleven birds is a nice haul! Work with what ya got

Just be sure not to pass on ringers posing as scaup

Never really had to worry about identifying those, as they were usually given a pass. I see my on the wing identification skills of those species getting a brush up at this place. This morning there were waves of 80 to 100 birds coming in with teal in the mix. It's damn hard to scan that many birds, trying to find the ones you want before they blow on by. ....... We're going to turn those into smoked sausage. I've had some made with snows and blues, and it was pretty darn good.

[Ericdc]

Yea I made a big batch of sausage a few years ago from a bunch of big ducks and snows. Turned out some decent link sausage.

We saw big flights of scaup all morning this morning at Corey's lease but for the most part they were high and headed south in a hurry. Nothing worked.... just had to watch for blue wings cruising by. Have not had a decent marsh hunt during duck season in a few years now. Only hunt a couple times a year around holidays then I'm back to the Arkansas line at my place. Did have 2 rack bucks walk through this morning.


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[DComeaux]

Front coming through Thursday and I'm heading to the camp to take advantage of the forecast NE 7 mph winds on Friday. Saturday, Sunday and Monday look like a repeat of the weather we had the weekend after Thanksgiving...toad strangler..... I'm not sure we'll get to hunt on those days.

[Ericdc]

Im hunting Thursday Friday and Saturday. Thursday looks to be best weather day up here.


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[DComeaux]

I am sorry you guys aren't doing well, but I hope the weather stays like it is. We have thousands of teal and lots of greys. A front could bring in new ducks, but it could also blow out what we have and not bring in new ducks.
Makes you wonder why ducks hold in one area and not another, because we don't have a lot of feed for them.
Good luck to y'all hope it gets better.

The birds we had early on must have gone east and west along the coast. The refuge manager had mentioned a big decline of birds in our area early last week..... Take em while you got em.... I'm really anxious to see what stirs Friday morning.

I do need to mention that some blinds are scratching out limits of dabblers, but it is spotty.

[DComeaux]

This is what happens to the ducks in the area when I get in a blind.

[DComeaux]

It's nice to walk out of the house and the first thing I hear is specks...a lot of geese on the move this morning. Sort of reminds me of migrations of years past. Front's coming fast.

[DComeaux]

12/30/2016

Weather - High overcast- temp lower 40's - Wind NE 5 to 10

Me and Justin

Birds- 11 - 4 green wing 3 shoveler 4 scaup

Very slow and quiet this morning. Still big piles of divers mixed with teal around us, and a few, VERY FEW big ducks. We passed a lot of chances on scaup again today. Very nice, comfortable and enjoyable hunt this morning. Ellie is making it look easy and doing we'll on long chipped birds...can't wear her down. I never had to leave the blind.

We were at the truck when the guys to our far east were motoring out..the sky got black. We sat and watched several clouds make wide circles and begin to drop back in. We plan on trying it again in the morning, if the weather allows.

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[Darren]

"Ducks Is Ducks" and that's about a limit, good work!

[DComeaux]

We decided to pack it in last night and head home. Just not enough birds of the right species around now to make sitting in the rain worth it, and I'm pretty content at the moment. I may head back out to the camp tomorrow evening for a Monday morning hunt, pending weather.

[Rick]

We decided to pack it in last night and head home. Just not enough birds of the right species around now to make sitting in the rain worth it...

Thought of you when I saw this signature line on a dog board a bit ago:

Breaking day, cold NE wind, 6 lines of decoys on solid anchors and a hard out going tide. Your dog, you and your buddy watch as the Bills bank hard----Take'em !

One man's treasure...

(Since things slowed here, I've also been reminded of how much sportier gunning spoons offer than our "good" big ducks.)

[DComeaux]

We decided to pack it in last night and head home. Just not enough birds of the right species around now to make sitting in the rain worth it...

Thought of you when I saw this signature line on a dog board a bit ago:

Breaking day, cold NE wind, 6 lines of decoys on solid anchors and a hard out going tide. Your dog, you and your buddy watch as the Bills bank hard----Take'em !

One man's treasure...

(Since things slowed here, I've also been reminded of how much sportier gunning spoons offer than our "good" big ducks.)

Those guy's come to mind often actually, when I'm in the blind watching those big clouds of bills coming over low enough to grab with a net, or flaring over the decoys landing with a greeting of prrr prrr prrr.. It's just the thought that's etched in my mind over years that we'll pass for the "better" birds later that's hard to shake. I often say to the guy's that some would love the opportunities we're having.

[Darren]

Rick's definitely right on the "one man's trash, another's treasure...." because some travel far and wide to get on half the scaup gunning we often have. Met a guy at one our launches one time that had moved down to Mandeville from parts much further north and was having the time of his life hunting the shorelines of Lake Pontchartrain blazing away at his (2 per person at the time) dosgris that no one else fooled with. Throw in a few buffleheads and he was in heaven, right there in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Couple of cans have been killed over that way in the last week also

[DComeaux]

A weather channel forecast clip is showing possible snow down to Alexandria for Friday night, and Arkansas to go below freezing from Wednesday to Sunday, with the daytime temps not rising above the lower 30's on those days. If this holds true, I hope to see some new birds to play with.

[Rick]

At least it shouldn't be foggy - knock wood.

[DComeaux]

1/7/2017

Weather - Clear- temp lower mid 20's - Wind N 15 gust to 25+ RIPPIN!

Me and Blake

Birds- 0

We got out there just after LST and walked to the end of a location road that ends about 100 yards from our blind. We put out a dozen decoys, sat and watched ice form around and on the decoys. We had a few pass by and watched a few birds work over the blind. We were not very comfortable, so we picked up the decoys and headed back to the truck. We then hopped in the boat and ran over to the blind to check on the brush. While adding brush, I found Ellie's ramp had detached from the platform. Not having the tools with us, we decided to go to the camp to warm up and come back out a little later.....I'm no longer a fan of this kind of cold weather, especially with high winds. Really wasn't much of a hunt. The birds were sitting tight, and I don't blame em.