THE OFF SEASON

[MARSH BEAR]

I was checking and I think teal season will open Saturday Sept 14, 2019 - if that is correct we only have 221 days until the teal opener
Better start getting your gear ready

[Darren]

I was checking and I think teal season will open Saturday Sept 14, 2019 - if that is correct we only have 221 days until the teal opener
Better start getting your gear ready

Like where your heads at. The naysayers are telling me there will be no ducks next season, but just in case, three large boxes of plastic duck imposters arrived via UPS last night.

Just need to hope that you're able to kill 6 of the little rockets instead of just 4 come September. Make sure you've contacted the commissioners!!

[MARSH BEAR]

Update on Abby:
She is now getting in my vehicle without hesitation. I have taken her for 2 rides, but I can tell she is not comfortable riding the vehicle yet, but we are making progress.

[Rick]

Good on you both.

[Duck Engr]

Great news MB!!

[MARSH BEAR]

It is hell to get old!!!

Going in tomorrow for hip replacement surgery.

I have had both of my knees replaced, first one in 2002 and the second in 2009. I don't remember the knees hurting as much as the hip walking around.

My fellow club members are going to the camp this weekend to put in a new blind, moving one that has not done very well in the past few years, as stated above I won't be making this one. I guess the guys can handle this without my expert supervision and assistance. I am sure it won't get done like I would do it

[Rick]

Was planning on responding that they'd screw it up without you before getting to your last line. Guess I'll have to settle for wishing you smooth sailing with the surgery and a speedy recovery.

[Darren]

speedy recovery! What's the rehab timeline on that?

Thought I recall its one of those surgeries they try to get you up and moving ASAP on, but i'm not exactly an orthopedist

[SpinnerMan]

I have my own trip to the orthopedist this morning. Nothing as serious. I have a tear in a tendon in my rotator cuff

My grandfather had both his hips replaced decades ago now and it gave him new life. I've heard nothing but good things about hip replacement AS LONG AS you get off your ass and use it. Good luck. You should feel like a new man before you know it.

[Deltaman]

Good Luck MB!
Know several people that have had hip replacement, and all were pleased with their outcome.

[MARSH BEAR]

Spinnerman - good luck with the rotator cuff, I completely detached the rotator cuff from my shoulder a year and one half ago and it is not the same as before - therapy is not fun either.

Had my hip replaced 1 week ago today - back at work. Not 100% but I can still work rather than sit at home.

[SpinnerMan]

Spinnerman - good luck with the rotator cuff, I completely detached the rotator cuff from my shoulder a year and one half ago and it is not the same as before - therapy is not fun either.

Had my hip replaced 1 week ago today - back at work. Not 100% but I can still work rather than sit at home.

Thanks. Good luck with your hip.

The tear in the tendon is not the issue. I really liked the orthopedists I saw. He seems to know what he is doing. I have a bone spur and I think he called it impingement syndrome. He gave me a shot of cortisone and I'm going to get some physical therapy. He said it might not work at all, might be good for awhile, or maybe I'll never have a problem again. So far its about 95% better. If that lasts, I'll be happy. Even when I do move it the wrong way, such that it impinges, it hurts, but not like a mother like it did.

If it doesn't work, then arthroscopic surgery.

As far as the tear. Basically, he said nobody your age has a normal MRI for the shoulder. Yes, I have a small partial tear, but nothing to worry about. If they do have to fix the bone spur, they will look at it and fix it if need be, but really not an issue. The problem was everything was flared up and the bone spur would basically pinch when I moved certain ways.

I was trying to catch this little guy and get him out of my back yard when I reached quickly the wrong way. I was practically rolling on the ground with pain. Worst since the cortisone shot has been some mild pain that doesn't last.

[Rick]

The rabbit doesn't look all that happy about it either.

[SpinnerMan]

The rabbit doesn't look all that happy about it either.

He screamed his little head off.

[MARSH BEAR]

Tomorrow June 8, 2019 will be 14 weeks until the opening of Teal Season.

Don't let this opening creep up on you and you not be prepared, start getting ready now.

Shotgun shells - I still have plenty from last year
Calls - I need a new Bluewing teal call
Boat and motor - my motor is at the shop now - needs a new steering handle (brackish water is tough on metal parts), and I need a new fuse holder for my trim. I could do these things but one of our club members works on mud motors and he said he was going to do it.
Trailer - grease those bearings. I bought a new to me trailer this year, and in the process of putting new bearings in just because I will know they are good to go.
Shotgun - make sure it is clean before going afield - I clean mine every week after I hunt, just because that is how I am.
Dog - I know it is hot, and you can't work them long, but 5 - 10 minutes a day goes a long way come hunting season

[Darren]

Tomorrow June 8, 2019 will be 14 weeks until the opening of Teal Season.

Don't let this opening creep up on you and you not be prepared, start getting ready now.

Shotgun shells - I still have plenty from last year
Calls - I need a new Bluewing teal call
Boat and motor - my motor is at the shop now - needs a new steering handle (brackish water is tough on metal parts), and I need a new fuse holder for my trim. I could do these things but one of our club members works on mud motors and he said he was going to do it.
Trailer - grease those bearings. I bought a new to me trailer this year, and in the process of putting new bearings in just because I will know they are good to go.
Shotgun - make sure it is clean before going afield - I clean mine every week after I hunt, just because that is how I am.
Dog - I know it is hot, and you can't work them long, but 5 - 10 minutes a day goes a long way come hunting season

Like where your head's at. I put a maintenance charge on my spinners this week and have been scheming on changing up my decoy approach for teal, erring toward ditching some teal and going with fewer numbers overall but larger blocks.

Discovered last weekend that I think my GPS installed last summer has drained my cranking batter dead as a hammer as it has sat since January, will rectify that next weekend. Poor dog loves to go go go but have to stop him before he suffers a heat stroke, so just occasional light work in the yard lately. Got good few boxes of 2 3/4" #6 steel dove loads from last season, and need to get a box or two of 20 ga steel to try in new O/U i'm determined to shoot a few with this Sept

[Rick]

Way too many leftover shells waiting to be shot.

Haven't switched the lovely lavender Deceiver's reed from "mallard" to "teal" just yet, but did get nervous enough to reassure myself of that teal reed among teal reed's whereabouts a while back.

Brought my boat to the house, where I've addressed an irksome kill circuit issue, can be sure pieces of it don't walk off and readily run it weekly "just to be sure".

Trailer's likely the only one in the fleet that's bearings are greased annually.

Last second split was such a letdown that I even tried to burn some leftover duck envie breaking every gun I own down as far as its barest components for spit-shining. (No telling when/if that will ever happen again.)

Thanks to rain-cooled, gator-safe crawfish ponds, the bug and I are still making our morning exercise rounds in hopes of entering summer's heat in shape that he'll still be fit for September's workload (and I for the nest spotting and egg picking between now and then).

Made a little video the other morning of how we repay our pond owning benefactors for that priveledge - and to show a netspurt one of the ways a hand-launcher can help improve marking that no bird-boy or remote launcher can replicate:

[MARSH BEAR]

Depending on which weather man you watch on TV and the time of day (it changes by the minute) we could have a tropical storm in Holly Beach by Saturday evening.
We have a workday scheduled for Saturday the 13th to put in a new blind. Will be watching the weather closely this week.

[Darren]

Depending on which weather man you watch on TV and the time of day (it changes by the minute) we could have a tropical storm in Holly Beach by Saturday evening.
We have a workday scheduled for Saturday the 13th to put in a new blind. Will be watching the weather closely this week.

Surely worth watching closely as models have trended westerly and come into agreement a bit more. Hopefully you just get rain and she makes landfall in the Lone Star State

[MARSH BEAR]

Going to the camp in the morning - we had a workday scheduled for Saturday, all but 1 member is still going. We need to sink a new blind. We hope to get the hole dug for the blind, get it in the hole and fill it with water, then come back Saturday morning and secure it in place. Should be windy, cloudy and not 100 degrees.

[BGkirk]

It certainly won’t be 100 degrees, I just wish it was Nov and 50 degrees instead with this kind of wind. Take some pictures of your project today!


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[MARSH BEAR]

We got our blind in and all secure, only thing not finished is a wooden walkway to the boat and that only needs a few more supports under the boards.
DComeaux I have some bad news - I think we are going to have a major hurricane in our area - the reason I am saying this is because our marsh looks great, the best in 5 or six years.
BGkirk - sorry no pics - I left my phone in the truck.
I did see 3 groups of 10 to 12 Bluewing Teal in the marsh, and pairs of Mottled ducks all over.
Teal season opens 2 months from yesterday

[Rick]

I did see 3 groups of 10 to 12 Bluewing Teal in the marsh...

You may have a lock on SWLA's summer teal, as I've yet to spot a single one in our travels through the region's marshes.

[MARSH BEAR]

Rick - I hope the teal stay around and get many more or their friends to come visit.

[BGkirk]

MB- how long does your walkway have to be?

We saw 2 groups of about 10-15 woodies in our marsh. At first glance I thought some local teal stuck around.


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[MARSH BEAR]

Walkways are different lengths. We find a good place for a blind, then look for a good area to hide the boat. Our shortest walkway is about 6 feet, and the longest about 40 feet.

[BGkirk]

Walkways are different lengths. We find a good place for a blind, then look for a good area to hide the boat. Our shortest walkway is about 6 feet, and the longest about 40 feet.

how wide are your walkways and are they always exposed or under the water? I’ve gotta make a short walkway to our pit we just put in and not sure how exactly I want to do it


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[MARSH BEAR]

Going to the camp this weekend
We need to repair our boat launch area, and repair some of the walk ways around our boat dock, hopefully get that done on Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday go in the marsh and plant grass around the new blind and add some grass to 2 blinds that need a little extra.
I hope to see as much or more bluewing teal as I saw last trip to the marsh. Will also be looking for Mottled ducks.

[Darren]

Sounds like a winner! Will be doing some ducky things myself on Sunday

[MARSH BEAR]

We got the new boat launch constructed and in place, it is wider and longer than the one we had before - should make putting boats in the water easier.
I did not get to go into the marsh - I had to leave Friday after we got the boat launch in place for a funeral on Saturday morning.
I was told the marsh is still looking good, but I wanted to see it for myself. No report on bluewing teal sightings.
40 days until teal season.