2017-2018 Season Log

Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:48 am

johnc wrote:used to being around them in off season


That's what I'm thinking, they're together in our marsh from mid summer on. Very much wanted to try it again with others that plainly knew the drill, but kept it under my hat for when we might profit from it. Could be the bomb...or a fluke, but they sure turned pretty and followed it straight to the blind. (Spinner off, of course.)
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:03 am

DComeaux wrote:Rick, I'm really happy to see you had something to work with.

The MUD HOLE....


Question, as always, is what happens after the weekend? And where are the big ducks? Our three mottleds were within a duck or two of being half of our big duck total for the six blinds out there. Lack of opportunity wasn't just from little duck banging, they just weren't passing. Least not within my sight.

(Saying that being reverse ju-ju to get them to show this morning...)
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby aunt betty » Sun Nov 12, 2017 10:32 am

The big ducks are not even here yet. All I been seeing are teal and gadwalls that ignore. The last cold front brought in some fresh birds but they are not working calls or decoys. (them bastards)

They'll show up soon enough. Next good cold front. Give it a week.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:41 pm

Date: 11/12

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy heavy overcast

Wind Direction and Velocity: Zip to light ENE

Temperature: cool

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: So scary slow we were in "ducks is ducks" mode from the onset.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Good news was that it was a whole lot quieter than yesterday, and we were much more apt to get game where we needed it before someone banged it out. Still enough that I generally stuck with the teal and miscellaneous cut Daisy Cutter for everything, large or small.

Hunters: 2, Dillon and Moe

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh had his first long mark of the season on a tipped crip and pegged it.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: One dog ramp strut let go and needed repaired after. And, of course, the lack of game - and worry for the weekdays ahead with little pressure and no weather to move them from places they'd rather be.

kudos: Nice guys, and we eked out a nice hunt.

Birds By Species: 3 bw teal, 2 canvasbacks, 1 gadwall, 2 gw teal, 1 mallard, 1 mottled, 1 ringneck, 5 scaup and 2 shovellers

Photo Ops: A most undignified shot of "the bug" hauling "the king" and two hitch-hiking Dakota mallards:
037.JPG


Lagniappe: Divers made me look like I knew my business, as I'd just told the guys that the jacks would buzz but not land in the little pothole, and if they did, it was because they were really dogris when a dozen dogris dropped in and landed despite our gunfire. We see so few that I wasn't even sure of the limit, so we let the dog chase the living out without shooting. That mess prompted me to note that redheads and cans were just as rare and stupid, and sure enough a pair of passing cans made a hard 90 to the call and came in like parking school buses.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:53 pm

Variety pack..nice

Hoping that for next weekend if the redheads and scaup stay around.


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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:27 pm

Duck Engr wrote:Great pic of Marsh. The diver lagniappe made me laugh. Were your guests as excited/surprised at the canvasbacks as you were?


They were very much "ducks is ducks" guys who, like me, probably got more of a kick out of the train wreck of a retrieve as anything:
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:06 pm

johnc wrote:I have never seen canvasbacks in your log--redheads yes,cans no


We rarely see either but manage a couple of one or the other most years. One of my favorite name dropping stories is that the late Justice Scalia asked if he might have a chance at a can, and I assured him that my little mudhole wasn't their kind of place - so, naturally, he and his buddy shot two bulls.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Sun Nov 12, 2017 9:34 pm

I saw your comment about a blue wings colors on another forum where you said it was early. The drakes we took had good color and are easy to pick out in the flock. I thought this a bit early as well.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:41 am

I've yet to notice any very bright BWs here, but we're not seeing many yet (or is it "still"). Couple drakes we've shot have been very dull, which may be why they got themselves shot (I kill me).
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Deltaman » Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:53 pm

I noticed a few drake blue wings in color over the weekend too. They were not in full plumage, but i could distinctly see the white half-moon on the head of a few of them.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:58 pm

Date: 11/13 Mon

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NEE moderate

Temperature: cool

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: No pleasant surprises: was as slow as anticipated without weekenders stirring things. Saw just two low (wide and hauling teal) and all big ducks seen but a few mottleds headed home and our suicidal greenhead were at twinkler altitude. Most workable altitude birds were dogtis. Was a fair N to S mostly blue goose flight suggesting they were new here.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully dogris did what dogris do and our mallard was nearly landed when I spotted him.

Hunters: 2, from NAPA group, Doug and Bill

Guns:

Malfunctions: Spun the Go-Devil prop on the way to the blind.

Dog(s): Marsh lost a lively jack at the west end of the pond, which we assume was what a hawk was working over down the run and hour or so later.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Bad flight and worn out drive shaft.

Kudos: Have the boat temporarily repaired, literally with bailing wire (as a spacer on the shaft to hold the prop farther back on its threads where it still has some purchase - POUND TIMBER.

Birds By Species: 1 mallard, 1 ringneck and 6 scaup

Photo Ops: Our lone big duck:
003.JPG


Matt was nice enough to help retrieve my Go-Devil and I was lucky enough to catch them centered in an over the shoulder shot from the mudboat:
010.JPG


Lagniappe:
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:29 am

Down pipe on the mudboat blew out and the fiberglass heat wrap caught fire, but Gabe was able to find new and the little mudboat was scooting along fine when I ran it yesterday - albeit still as slippery as ever at speed.

Don't know if you remember Dave, who hunted the blind Gabe's now at for some years, but he works at a boat shop with good impact equipment and was instrumental to getting the Go-Devil back in the water - albeit by a nearly literal thread, maybe literal...
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:33 am

Our hero, Dave (and Duke):
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Ericdc » Tue Nov 14, 2017 6:06 am

I can vouch for the snow goose movement, heard and saw several bunches very high and headed south yesterday at work.


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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:23 am

DAVE! He's back?
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:13 pm

No, that's an old picture. But he's still a fine friend with good tools.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:28 pm

Date: 11/14 Tue

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: cool

Moon phase: waning 14%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: While the blinds to our east banged away at mostly little ducks, we watched what would have been barren skies if not for another fairly strong southbound, mostly blues goose flight. But this one had some strings of big ducks over them - way over them and beyond current hope, though maybe for the future...

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The four callable big ducks we saw all tolled beautifully (and got out ugly) as did a flock of spoons and couple dogris.

Hunters: 2, Butch and Rick

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh made long spoon marks I didn't expect him to, but couldn't turn up a dogris I didn't see go down, either.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Bad enough to not be seeing anything but much worse to listen to others shooting while you're twiddling thumbs.

Kudos: Prop held, knock wood, and worst hunt to our east was 12.

Birds By Species: 1 scaup and 3 shovellers

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: Should have known what kind of day we were in for when right after I told the guys the mallard I'd been working was dropping in on our left, one of them jumped up and whacked away at a jack passing our right. But it wasn't just them, as I helped first let a front and center gray pair get out alive and then a single gray that was nearly as close. We sucked wind together.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:09 pm

Well poo! I do like what you said about high flocks headed south, though.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Tue Nov 14, 2017 5:20 pm

Just our turn in the barrel. Was far and away the most big ducks I've seen over our marsh, but that's still not saying a whole lot.

Way the forecast is looking, we might have your teal before the weekend. We'll see...
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 15, 2017 12:27 pm

Date: 11/15 Wed,

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear to light

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to moderat SE

Temperature: cool

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Still in a dead zone, and running out of dogris. Few new geese and no big ducks seen southbound today, and next to nothing moving on our end of the marsh. Might have seen a dozen big ducks high, low or sideways and maybe twice as many little ones.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: I had no influence whatever on the big ducks, except for a greenhead another blind banged out and a susie that bought the farm. Pair of low woodies burned by and didn't slow for a call. Only spoon flock bought in and bluewing landed. Divers were shot passing.

Hunters: 2, Ed and Mike

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): easy morning except for a long but successful hunt way back in the marsh for one seen hit twice but not falling.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: No game for nice guys.

Kudos: Ed's shooting saved their hunt.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 mallard, 1 ringneck, 2 scaup and 4 shovellers

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Deltaman » Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:53 pm

Duck Engr wrote:Wow Rick. That sounds like an Alabama duck hunt. Hope things pick up for y’all soon.


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:lol: Everything but the Mallard DE...........seems they have become pretty rare here since the days of yore. We used to get a pretty good migration in our lower delta back in the 70's and early 80's, but they are pretty dang rare here now.

Hope your duck numbers pick up fast Rick! Know it is frustrating when you have paying guests, but most folks that hunt ducks understand that everyday can't be a stellar day, and just makes you appreciate the good days even more!
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:54 pm

One more day of misery, then we get to shoot Comeaux's teal and big ducks after that - maybe...
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby DComeaux » Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:40 pm

Rick wrote:One more day of misery, then we get to shoot Comeaux's teal and big ducks after that - maybe...



I had a talk with them before we left. Told em there wasn't enough rain involved to go meet the fronts, and that dust isn't good for the gizzard.

Typing that made me think of the fact that we haven't yet taken a bird with rice in the crop, It's all been grass seed.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:39 am

The little rips are gonna do whatever strikes their fancy at that particular instant.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:55 pm

Date: 11/16 Thur

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: socked in by ground fog much of the morning, then partly cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: zip to nil easterly?

Temperature: cool until quitting time

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Some of the easterly blinds saw some birds, some were about as shut out as we were. Gabe's guys got 14, mostly in the fog on his big pond, Ed but 2, Issac 4? and missed what Clyde found, but he said he lost 6 in the grass. We shot at 3 and saw precious few others.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Single pintail worked nicely, but I somehow lost a group of 8 or 10 I thought was banking around our back to die. Jacks just did what jacks do, and a pair of hauling woodies never blinked at the call. Whistling to advertise in the fog was completely wasted effort.

Hunters: 2, father and son, Rick and Jeremiah, originally from our area, now AL

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Marsh lost a chipped jack right behind the blind and acted like it was under the island flotant. Made nice work of other two birds.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just when you think it can't get much worse, ground fog socks you in.

Kudos: Nice folks who made a pleasant morning of it, anyway.

Birds By Species: 1 pintail and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: These two hunted with me back when Jeremiah, now 40, was a teen and remembered the hunt more for the dog than the good goose shoot, and both surprised and tickled me greatly by pointing out that it was my little Brittany, Kie, that put on the show. He was a crackerjack.
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Re: 2017-2018 Season Log

Postby Rick » Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:57 pm

Rick wrote:One more day of misery, then we get to shoot Comeaux's teal and big ducks after that - maybe...


Shows what I know: meaningful south winds have been backed off until Saturaday. So there's still "one more day of misery, then..." Well, we'll see...
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