Preseason

Re: Preseason

Postby Rick » Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:24 am

As with flooding corn, not on a meaningful scale.
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Thu Jun 10, 2021 10:47 am

Rick wrote:As with flooding corn, not on a meaningful scale.


Maybe not, but it sure puts them front and center of a numerous 25 man pit blinds for slaughter when the breeding habitat is not there.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Rick » Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:01 am

Give yourself a break by giving it a break, Dave. Or rail at ethanol for a while, it's a far more real problem.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Ducaholic » Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:15 am

Rick wrote:As with flooding corn, not on a meaningful scale.



I'm yet to see a quantified total of increases in managed habitat to our north over the last twenty five years. And I probably never will. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been impactful at least to some degree.
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Re: Preseason

Postby SpinnerMan » Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:16 am

Rick wrote:Or rail at ethanol for a while, it's a far more real problem.

Amen.

Ethanol is so destructive to the environment. They are putting every square inch of marginal land into row crops. As the price rises, it makes economic sense to rip out that marshy area put in some drain tiles and then the little wetland is gone forever and the crops can be planted there for ever. Every ditch gets mowed or sprayed. Ever little woodlot/brush patch gets leveled.

It's terrible. There will be nothing left for song birds, rabbits, etc.

We have a really dry year. The goose and local duck hatch seems weird. There will be nothing most places and then there will be spots with just crazy numbers of young of the year birds. I don't know if the early warm spring produced a great hatch or if it's just random noise in a bad year. Normally, you'd seem them scattered initially and then they disappear from most places as the congregate in their favorite spots. I wasn't up here before the early hatch, so I don't know what I missed.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Duck Engr » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:22 pm

Rick wrote:As with flooding corn, not on a meaningful scale.
I enjoy the ribbing Dave receives over flooded corn but ducks can and will eat shoulder to shoulder. They won’t nest within a few hundred yards of each other though, so although both might be the case, the nesting habitat requires a much much larger scale than food does to be meaningful.

Back to Dave’s comment, all the nesting habitat work in the world won’t do any good this year unless you’re air-dropping some water in each of them weekly. It’s been big time dry up there this spring and summer.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Darren » Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:46 am

Duck Engr wrote:
Back to Dave’s comment, all the nesting habitat work in the world won’t do any good this year unless you’re air-dropping some water in each of them weekly. It’s been big time dry up there this spring and summer.


Agreed; what money just can't buy is water to fill the wetlands that conservation groups have sunk gazillions in maintaining.

the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s spring survey of wetlands and ducks in this vital state indicates very dry conditions, with a water index (wetland count) down 80.3 percent from 2020, and nearly 66.7 percent below the long-term average.


Just not much you can do about that
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:01 pm

Darren wrote: with a water index (wetland count) down 80.3 percent from 2020, and nearly 66.7 percent below the long-term average.


Darren wrote:Just not much you can do about that



We can't continue running at full throttle while ignoring the knock in the engine.
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Re: Preseason

Postby SpinnerMan » Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:23 am

Any idea on the conditions in Canada and elsewhere? If it's everywhere, it's pretty bad. If it's a one year drought basically just in ND, that's actually probably a good thing. I've heard droughts are needed for the health of the sesonal wetlands.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Darren » Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:07 am

DComeaux wrote:
Darren wrote: with a water index (wetland count) down 80.3 percent from 2020, and nearly 66.7 percent below the long-term average.

Darren wrote:Just not much you can do about that

We can't continue running at full throttle while ignoring the knock in the engine.


Most ducks still at or above (in some cases even increasing) above LTA's. If hunter take mortality is reportedly but a small factor in their overall numbers each year, what grounds do we have to throttle it back at the moment? Since USFWS surveys are cancelled from Covid in 2020 and 2021, you're reliant on the smaller state level surveys. At some point the USFWS surveys will return, but for now......

This, just one year ago:

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/gpr/ ... production

And while the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks did not complete any official survey of breeding duck numbers this spring, Murano believes that the state could be looking at one of the best seasons of duck production in recent memory.

“Based on my observations and those of our staff out in the field, I think this could be some of our highest duck production in many years,” said Murano. “The amount of water out there this spring attracted a lot of ducks, and then the conditions allowed those birds to have a successful nesting season. There seem to be duck broods everywhere, including mallards and an absolute truckload of blue-winged teal.”



and from N Dakota:

https://deltawaterfowl.org/north-dakota ... 8-percent/

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s spring survey indicates a breeding population of 4 million ducks — an 18 percent increase over 2019 and 64 percent above the long-term average. The population estimate is the highest since 2014 and the 13th highest in the state survey’s history.

North Dakota’s survey indicates stable to increasing numbers for most species, with the exception of redheads, down 12 percent from 2019 to 203,121, but remaining 72 percent above the long-term average. The mallard estimate of 872,982 is essentially unchanged from last year, remaining 84 percent above the long-term average and representing the 18th highest count on record. Gadwalls climbed 6 percent to 440,379, putting them 43 percent above the long-term average. Green-winged teal increased 66 percent to a record high of 68,845, 249 percent above the long-term average, and blue-winged teal are up 58 percent to 1.1 million, 59 percent above the long-term average. Bluebills (lesser scaup) also made a significant jump — up 40 percent to 275,190, 85 percent above the long-term average. Canvasbacks increased 22 percent to 62,207, 54 percent above the long-term average.

With the exception of pintails — down 2 percent from last year to 239,724 and 5 percent below the long-term average — all key species are well-above their 72-year averages.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Ducaholic » Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:40 am

Absolutely no reason to throttle it back just yet.
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Re: Preseason

Postby SpinnerMan » Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:40 am

Ducaholic wrote:Absolutely no reason to throttle it back just yet.

If we are going into a long term drought, there maybe in an argument for ratcheting it way up to reduce crowding and disease. If the population will be above desired levels because of reduced water, it's better to eat them than let them die of disease.

It might seem counter intuitive, but I believe the math and science is correct. Ideally we don't send too few OR too many back north.

I think the best we can do practically is not over react. Small adjustment over years and not big ones year to year.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Darren » Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:34 pm

SpinnerMan wrote:
Ducaholic wrote:Absolutely no reason to throttle it back just yet.

If we are going into a long term drought, there maybe in an argument for ratcheting it way up to reduce crowding and disease. If the population will be above desired levels because of reduced water, it's better to eat them than let them die of disease.

It might seem counter intuitive, but I believe the math and science is correct. Ideally we don't send too few OR too many back north.

I think the best we can do practically is not over react. Small adjustment over years and not big ones year to year.


Lot of good points in there, would be an interesting discussion on the crowding matter.
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:01 pm

I should have the camper back under cover down there in three weeks and we'll limp along with the remainder for some time. I've decided to take the blind back for this year and we'll see how that goes. I'm just one more hurricane away from calling it quits, and I doubt seriously I'd pick up another rice blind with todays pricing and crowds, unless something special should show itself. I'm afraid my duck hunting days are numbered.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Darren » Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:21 am

Any real progress down that way as far as additional recovery or still seem like many have abandoned it, at least for now? Glad to see it looks like you're making headway. Did see this:

Great news for Rutherford Beach and the Creole community - Canik's Grocery is now open!
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Re: Preseason

Postby Ducaholic » Wed Jun 16, 2021 1:52 pm

DComeaux wrote:I should have the camper back under cover down there in three weeks and we'll limp along with the remainder for some time. I've decided to take the blind back for this year and we'll see how that goes. I'm just one more hurricane away from calling it quits, and I doubt seriously I'd pick up another rice blind with todays pricing and crowds, unless something special should show itself. I'm afraid my duck hunting days are numbered.



The best advice anyone can give you is be prepared to move all over the lease if that opportunity is still available to you. Don't marry yourself to the your pit.
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Wed Jun 16, 2021 3:40 pm

Ducaholic wrote:
DComeaux wrote:I should have the camper back under cover down there in three weeks and we'll limp along with the remainder for some time. I've decided to take the blind back for this year and we'll see how that goes. I'm just one more hurricane away from calling it quits, and I doubt seriously I'd pick up another rice blind with todays pricing and crowds, unless something special should show itself. I'm afraid my duck hunting days are numbered.



The best advice anyone can give you is be prepared to move all over the lease if that opportunity is still available to you. Don't marry yourself to the your pit.



Not going to be an option this year.
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Wed Jun 16, 2021 3:50 pm

Darren wrote:Any real progress down that way as far as additional recovery or still seem like many have abandoned it, at least for now? Glad to see it looks like you're making headway. Did see this:

Great news for Rutherford Beach and the Creole community - Canik's Grocery is now open!


Not many coming back as of now. The church next to us is set to be bulldozed and not rebuilt. Many have relocated and built further north. Those few that did return are living in campers on blank slabs. Most of the population down there will be the people at the camps for a while. If there's another major hurricane in the near future down there it will be a ghost town.

Good to know Canik's is open again. It's about 30 minutes or so from us. The only store with gas less than 30 minutes from us is not reopening.
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Re: Preseason

Postby BGkirk » Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:41 pm

Only advice I could give, knowing you probably have bigger water now is more decoys. We tried it last year and I think it paid off. We are stepping it up a notch again this year. I feel there’s too many 5-10 dozen type spreads around us so I’d like to stand out somehow.

Unfortunately it take a 3-4 man crew to deploy and pick up. And we learned last year our weights weren’t heavy enough a few times after some of those brutal northern winds. Will have that fixed this year with cement weights.


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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:15 pm

BGkirk wrote:Only advice I could give, knowing you probably have bigger water now is more decoys. We tried it last year and I think it paid off. We are stepping it up a notch again this year. I feel there’s too many 5-10 dozen type spreads around us so I’d like to stand out somehow.

Unfortunately it take a 3-4 man crew to deploy and pick up. And we learned last year our weights weren’t heavy enough a few times after some of those brutal northern winds. Will have that fixed this year with cement weights.


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The size of the weights we use now make the bags really heavy and I'm about done with trying. Too many try scenarios with no results got old. I think I've reached the point with duck hunting I feared would come, but I'm going to go through the motions this fall and we'll see what happens.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Darren » Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:40 am

Yea I didn't take DC to be in the mood for the purchase of MORE decoys, especially coming off the storm damage on top of slow hunts.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Deltaman » Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:10 am

Dave,
Glad to see you are throwing your hat back in the ring this year, and hope it pans out better than expected. We know you aren't gonna be starving when you are down there, so there's always that! Those fresh caught crabs, shrimp and Redfish make for some good times spent with you and your boys (and grands) to keep building memories :thumbsup: Who knows, 2021 may be a banner year.....gotta have hope!!!!!!
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so"
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Re: Preseason

Postby BGkirk » Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:58 pm

Darren wrote:Yea I didn't take DC to be in the mood for the purchase of MORE decoys, especially coming off the storm damage on top of slow hunts.
I felt sorta bad, but I capitalized on 2 different hunters that were getting rid of decoys in bulk. In fact, one was an old timer who was giving it up. I halfway think the storm finished off his waterfowl career unfortunately


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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:06 pm

I run the go devil at home every every month or so as preventive maintenance and the last time I did the prop flew off. This is the second shaft in as many years that did this same exact thing while doing this, sheared in the threads. This current shaft only made one season. I called and talked to Warren Coco about this issue and he told me to bring the prop to his shop and he will remove the piece of the shaft in his machine shop. I'll get a new shaft, seals and nuts from him when the prop is ready and replace the shaft myself....... It never ends.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 18, 2021 4:42 am

That seems incredibly odd. As you know, we run the crap out of Go-Devils, mostly with minimal maintenance, and one of mine that doubled as a mud grinder for however-many seasons is the only one that ever spun a prop. Never had a prop come clean off. You're cursed.

(Having said that, mine will probably fly off when I crank it for its weekly idle Monday.)
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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:57 am

Rick wrote:That seems incredibly odd. As you know, we run the crap out of Go-Devils, mostly with minimal maintenance, and one of mine that doubled as a mud grinder for however-many seasons is the only one that ever spun a prop. Never had a prop come clean off. You're cursed.

(Having said that, mine will probably fly off when I crank it for its weekly idle Monday.)



I'm beginning to wonder if running and shutting it down out of the water often is a bad thing for the shaft.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Rick » Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:09 pm

Coco would be the best one to answer that, but I've been bringing mine home for the off season and pretty religiously running it for a while every Monday for some years now. If you learn that's a poor practice, please let me know.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Duck Engr » Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:29 pm

SpinnerMan wrote:Any idea on the conditions in Canada and elsewhere? If it's everywhere, it's pretty bad. If it's a one year drought basically just in ND, that's actually probably a good thing. I've heard droughts are needed for the health of the sesonal wetlands.
Anecdotal reports ive read said dry on Saskatchewan again this year.
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Re: Preseason

Postby Duck Engr » Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:32 pm

Rick wrote:Coco would be the best one to answer that, but I've been bringing mine home for the off season and pretty religiously running it for a while every Monday for some years now. If you learn that's a poor practice, please let me know.
Same here please sir. Strange indeed.


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Re: Preseason

Postby DComeaux » Fri Jun 18, 2021 2:56 pm

I was told that running out of the water as I do is not a factor and that I may have had an older shaft installed that had a known issue with stress cracks. They've since changed to a different alloy. The reasoning behind the loose prop, or the prop having 2 to 3 inches of travel on the shaft threads is to eliminate or lessen vibration and noise. With the larger engines they do this same thing with double U-joints in line on the shaft.
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