2016-2017 Season Log

[Rick]

Date: 1/3

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Light to nil to moderate SW

Temperature: warm

Moon phase: 28% waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Was a bit worrisome early on, but still plenty of greenwings around - but precious few big ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Whistler liked the brass shepherd's whistle and teal were like teal and dropped or swung to raucous kacking. Believe I used their DC for our mallards, too.

Hunters: 2, brothers Mike (Darren's FIL) and Henry

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh was handling off poison birds like he should and made a fine mark across bad marsh on a tipped Susie.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: None at all.

Kudos: Pleasant hunt on a pleasant morning with pleasant folks.

Birds By Species: 1 black-bellied whistling duck, 13 gw teal, 3 mallards and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops: Les freres Mike and Henry:


Not a good photo, but wanted to commemorate one of Marsh's longer marks to date:


"A peculiar looking little dog" with a big green-headed bird:

[DComeaux]

Pretty straps you've had....... I want to go hunting!

[Rick]

Greenwings will likely be all but, if not, gone tomorrow, but I've enjoyed the heck out of the past few mornings. Might not rate on the "cool bird" scale, but they sure are fun.

[Darren]

Looks like a good time. Henry is the one in the Oak Island camp as I'm sure was discussed. Good guys

[Ericdc]

Greenwings will likely be all but, if not, gone tomorrow, but I've enjoyed the heck out of the past few mornings. Might not rate on the "cool bird" scale, but they sure are fun.

We don't get many teal at my field for whatever reason so whenever we get to start the morning with a few groups I get giddy.


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[Rick]

Date: 1/4/17

Time: Morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE strong

Temperature: chilly

Moon phase: 38% waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: More teal were still around than expected and fewer big ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Very good when we and area gunfire allowed.

Hunters: 2 very nice older gentlemen, Jack and Ronnie

Guns:

Malfunctions: The guys were so frail with age that both had trouble working their safeties, and one couldn't get shells into the magazine or hear with his dead electronic muffs on. Ended up hunting with safeties off and my eyes on barrels, instead of birds, loading one of the guns when need be and loaning my working set of Walker Game Ear muffs.

Dog(s): Duffy's Law, "The dog you brag on is about to screw up." again proved immutable, as the little dog I've become so darn proud of lately helped himself to a teal head. And then made amends with two very tough "probably lost" retrieves.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Don't get old. Even with them standing while birds worked, by the time the guys could get underway it was generally too late for me to try to help. Only time they drew blood was on their third attempt at teal flocks on the water, when two finally had the good grace to give it up. (Though they did "better" on my decoys.)

Kudos: Nice, nice fellows who left me hating not being able to somehow make it work better.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 5 gw teal, 1 mallard and 1 redhead

Photo Ops: A rare visitor to the Mudhole:


Lagniappe: Helped Ed get the water out of his fuel system yesterday afternoon and made the mistake of stopping by the camp after and visiting with new guests. "Mistake" because seeing the two hopelessly frail souls, I just knew they'd turn out to be mine this morning and spent the interim worrying about how I could make it work. Which, it turned out, I could not. Even requested Divine assistance in making the best of it on my way to camp. And "Sure enough..."

Did, in fact, get the reason to need it when blinds were assigned and, I suppose, the help, as I was able to laugh off our many "malfunctions" and lost opportunities and managed to keep my end of it light and upbeat. But I know the guys were disappointed with how it went, even before learning the six younger, more able bodied members of their party had limited. Hated old age for them without a clue what to do about. And maybe its approach for me, too.

[DComeaux]

Ya'll took my Redhead....

I've asked Justin and Blake what to expect from them for my later hunting years....I'm afraid I'm screwed.

[Rick]

It's still eating my lunch that I couldn't make it work for them this morning.

But I might help you with the redhead. Back when I had a blind a lot of ringneck's passed, we shot a fair number of redheads by watching for the jumbo jacks in a flight. Might be the same would work with dogris...

(Or you might just end up with some greater scaup, instead of the usual lessers.)

[DComeaux]

I would have wanted the same thing, and would feel as you do, but there's only so much a man can do in those situations. I know that doesn't give consolation, though.


I've been scanning the flocks hard for those and know of only one that got a pass. I have seen a couple of flocks of those and canvasback, alone, in the last few hunts. This weekend may be our time.

[Bud]

Killed a sprig hiding in about 20 shovelers once, long time ago. My partner asked why I shot a shoveler. His dog brought a nice pintail drake back to him, which I donated for his collection. Sure miss him. Wish we could have gotten old together being out there. I'm sure it would have been a lot more stories to tell.

My money is on the guys had a good time, once they get over it.

[Rick]

No, they were plainly disappointed. Apparently told Doug we didn't have any ducks (which while relative to the east end of the marsh may have been so, certainly wasn't literally so) and no telling what else, since I've not talked to him outside their presence. Still, I've got to admit that I can't recall ever being tipped such a wad of $1s...

[Ericdc]

No, they were plainly disappointed. Apparently told Doug we didn't have any ducks (which while relative to the east end of the marsh may have been so, certainly wasn't literally so) and no telling what else, since I've not talked to him outside their presence. Still, I've got to admit that I can't recall ever being tipped such a wad of $1s...

1's????


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[SpinnerMan]

Still, I've got to admit that I can't recall ever being tipped such a wad of $1s...

Now did they think they were being generous or did they do that on purpose.

My mother-in-law, whenever we go to a nice restaurant and she pays, I need to sneak behind her and leave a reasonable tip because she thinks she is leaving a decent tip when she is really leaving an insulting tip. It was a reasonable tip 30 years ago, but I don't think she has increased it since then.

[Rick]

Now did they think they were being generous or did they do that on purpose.

That's a puzzler. Was actually ten $1s and a $10. The fellow is wealthy, and would like to think felt it appropriate in the best sense. Just found the big stack of little bills struck me as somehow fitting icing for our little cake.

[Ericdc]

Now did they think they were being generous or did they do that on purpose.

That's a puzzler. Was actually ten $1s and a $10. The fellow is wealthy, and I would like to think felt it appropriate in the best sense. Only know the big stack of little bills struck me as somehow fitting icing for our little cake.

Able bodied hunters would have limited?


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[Rick]

Many, maybe most. But it wouldn't have bothered me nearly so much if they didn't as that these fellows' age was what kept them out of the game.

[Ericdc]

Many, maybe most. But it wouldn't have bothered me nearly so much if they didn't as that these fellows' age was what kept them out of the game.

Did them blame themselves or you?


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[Rick]

Don't know. Might be best if they do blame me.

[Ericdc]

When you are not able to work the safety on your gun - don't blame the guide if you can't kill ducks.

I concur


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[SpinnerMan]

When you are not able to work the safety on your gun

It's time to hang up the guns

[Deltaman]

Rick, reading the daily hunting accounts from your log, and the effort you put forth for your customers, you sure don't need to be feeling any guilt. Too bad those older gentlemen couldn't react fast enough to be more successful, and I'm sure that "back in their day", there were more ducks, but as we all know, times have changed. Your consistency in this day and time is almost uncanny, and I can't help but smile each day after reading your reports, and appreciate you taking us along!

[Rick]

I appreciate the sentiments, but they're probably easier to share at our stages in life, rather than theirs. Guess we'll see...if we're "lucky".

[Rick]

Date: 1/5

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE moderate

Temperature: chilly

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Far fewer teal than yesterday, and when their early flight was over, it was over. Precious few big ducks seen until midway through the hunt when lots of HIGH big ducks began to show.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal came to die, but while I could break more of the high birds than might be expected, finishing them was nearly impossible either because it took so long that someone somewhere would shoot or they'd simply tire of my stuff and go on to wherever. Had not field tested my quiet speck call after a retune, and intended little more than checking it out when a pair passed in the distance, but it sucked them straight in ever so right. Pleasing me and the guys that got to shoot them thus (one's first speck) more than a little.

Hunters: 2, Lane and Chad super nice guys

Guns:

Malfunctions: Took a bit to get the barrels straight.

Dog(s): Marsh lost a gray that chipped down in distant broken marsh where he'd been successful in the past, but did a dandy job with its also tipped - and sly - partner, eventually spearing it under thin flotant. Rest of his morning was easy.

Special Equipment: SOS spinner has a wiring short near battery that I didn't have time to isolate and repair. Maybe chewed by mouse?

Curses: We were short but still did better than most, if not all, and much better than some - and had no one to blame but us for chipping the lost gray and all three letting a mallard pair IN THE HOLE get out alive.

Kudos: Just the kind of hunt I needed after yesterday's struggles.

Birds By Species: 1 gadwall, 8 gw teal, 2 mallards, 4 shovelers and 2 specks

Photo Ops: Lane and Chad and birds:


too rare visitor to our dog stand:


partner fell right behind the blind:

[Ericdc]

Nice. I'm looking forward to the north wind we are getting next 2 days. We always do better on specks with north wind and ducks too. Hoping for some new specks that haven't been using our farm for last 3 weeks.


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[Darren]

.........and all three letting a mallard pair IN THE HOLE get out alive.

And that's CLOSE at the mudhole

Nice haul nonetheless!

[Rick]

When I say they were front and center, I mean front and center. And we let them back out. Had to be some sort of warp or wrinkle in the time/space continuum.

On a brighter note: I stopped to enjoy these guys on the way home: