Eric's log book

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/16/23

Time: left at 10:30

Location: southwest corner of field

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: SE 5-10 to 10-15

Temperature: 50's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: set up in corner to ambush local gadwalls that have caused me so much frustration during the 2nd split.

Waterfowl Activity: as dead as I've seen it. Had 2 little bunches come early and that was it. Did not see or hear a speck

Waterfowl Responsiveness: I don't know if they knew something was up or not but the birds didn't bail into the corner as hard as they did Saturday. I put out 3 gadwall decoys and didn't call at all.

Hunters: me

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos: I wouldn't have fired a shot in pit. Took advantage of the dry farm roads to load up the 5-6 dozen decoys I had picked up and stashed next to road over the last few weeks.

curses: local guide says birds are very nocturnal right now and the weather isn't helping. Warmest January I can remember so far.

Birds By Species:
3 gadwall

Photo Ops:








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[DComeaux]

I like those kinds of hunts

[Ducaholic]

Doing what you gotta do

Was the wind direction the same as Saturday? You might want to try again when it is if it wasn't.

[Ericdc]

We had a light north wind and sun Saturday. A lot colder too. So opposite conditions


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[Darren]

Applaud your efforts for sure, adapt and get small wins where you can.

[Deltaman]

A change of tactics adds to the fun, and glad to see that you were able to surprise a few of'em

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/21/23

Time: picked up a few more decoys and left at 11

Location: pit blind

Cloud Cover: partly to clear to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: ENE 5-10

Temperature: 40's

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: about 30 gadwall hanging around south end of field. Will try them next Saturday.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: none. Had 2 small groups of specks come by real low and got no response...that hurts
Mallard and pintail flights from south won't work me or neighbors with spinners.

Hunters: me

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: pulled a board to see where I can get water on south cut and plan for next year. It's a little too deep

Kudos: 1 more week

curses: had 4 teal catch me by surprise early and couldn't get them in for a good shot, may could have pass shot 1.

worst 2nd split I've had in a long time

Birds By Species:
No shots fired

Photo Ops:





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[Darren]

Know we've both kicked around spinners or no spinners; couple of blinds still having success through last weekend on our farm are both running multiple spinners, as many as four, while I'd pulled ours weeks ago trying to turn a trick on stale birds (to no avail). Said last weekend pintails were eating them up, along with high ball mallard calling. Note, those were sunshine days.

Who knows!!???

[Ericdc]

I watched the guys next to me Saturday in sun and wind with their spinners and the ducks, mostly mallards pintail and gadwall, would circle a few times and leave. They may have clipped 1 or 2 on a pass but they weren't finishing. One of my best years, and the last year I was here before a 2 season gap, at this pit we used no spinners. 2019-2020.


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[Ericdc]

Main thing is we just don't have many birds in our area and haven't had many at all during 2nd split. They are just south of us towards mer rouge.


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[Ducaholic]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

[DComeaux]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

We noticed spinners in our neighbors spread on Saturday for the first time this season and watched many big and small ducks push off of their blind. They didn't have them out on Sunday. We had entertained the idea of giving it a try in this 3rd split but decided not to deal with the hassle.

[Ricky Spanish]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

We noticed spinners in our neighbors spread on Saturday for the first time this season and watched many big and small ducks push off of their blind. They didn't have them out on Sunday. We had entertained the idea of giving it a try in this 3rd split but decided not to deal with the hassle.

By the time a duck gets to you it's seen 1000 spinners easily and knows its bad juju.
I'll admit that where I hunt they're not allowed but I know damned well that ppl still use them.
Two ways:
1. The little floating teal sized spinner hides easy.
2. They build a tapered box that's wider at the top with no lid. The spinner sets in that box. Ducks see it but just for a quick peek and the game wardens don't notice. That's a Dave Donaldson trick

[Ducaholic]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

We noticed spinners in our neighbors spread on Saturday for the first time this season and watched many big and small ducks push off of their blind. They didn't have them out on Sunday. We had entertained the idea of giving it a try in this 3rd split but decided not to deal with the hassle.

How do you know it was the spinner and not their moonpie face or their set up or just late season ducks? My point is if the neighbors are getting attention with spinners why not at least give it a try if you not doing anything without them?

To each his own. I use a small floating spinner on remote. Once they break I generally turn it off especially this late in the year. Very little hassle.

[DComeaux]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

We noticed spinners in our neighbors spread on Saturday for the first time this season and watched many big and small ducks push off of their blind. They didn't have them out on Sunday. We had entertained the idea of giving it a try in this 3rd split but decided not to deal with the hassle.

How do you know it was the spinner and not their moonpie face or their set up or just late season ducks? My point is if the neighbors are getting attention with spinners why not at least give it a try if you not doing anything without them?

To each his own. I use a small floating spinner on remote. Once they break I generally turn it off especially this late in the year. Very little hassle.

I came very close to deploying a pair on the poles that are still out from teal season just didn't pull the trigger. I was very curious as to what the outcome would be. I may put those out this Saturday.

[Ducaholic]

Spinners on remote like you used to do. No use not getting noticed at all when pickings are slim. Give yourself a chance is all I'm saying

We noticed spinners in our neighbors spread on Saturday for the first time this season and watched many big and small ducks push off of their blind. They didn't have them out on Sunday. We had entertained the idea of giving it a try in this 3rd split but decided not to deal with the hassle.

How do you know it was the spinner and not their moonpie face or their set up or just late season ducks? My point is if the neighbors are getting attention with spinners why not at least give it a try if you not doing anything without them?

To each his own. I use a small floating spinner on remote. Once they break I generally turn it off especially this late in the year. Very little hassle.

I came very close to deploying a pair on the poles that are still out from teal season just didn't pull the trigger. I was very curious as to what the outcome would be. I may put those out this Saturday.

If I'm you I would not change a thing. You my friend are having a good year in my book compared to years past. At least it appears that way to me.

[Ricky Spanish]

Teal are suckers for them floating spinners.
It works in timber really well but I don't own one.

[Ericdc]

Date: 1/28/23

Time: started picking up at 9:30

Location: put blind

Cloud Cover: partly to heavy with sprinkles and back and forth

Wind Direction and Velocity: South 5-10

Temperature: chilly then warmer

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes: broke 100 birds for the year (worst year in 7 at this place by far)

Waterfowl Activity: just the same locals and a few passed too close. Saw 1 group of snows and no specks until we left

Waterfowl Responsiveness: 4 teal gave a pass close enough to clip 2 and a gadwall came right in

Hunters: me Bob and Tommy

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Kudos: picked everything up and measured water level for next year after pulling a board last Saturday to get water closer to where I want it

curses: just a tough year with our biggest hunt being 8 or 10 birds and lots of less than 5's

Birds By Species:
3 green winged teal
1 gadwall

Photo Ops:
Rainbow opposite the sunrise. Don't know if I've seen that before.













Think I'm going to plant rye grass or wheat on our levee this fall. Specks have been on green for weeks


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[DComeaux]

Think I'm going to plant rye grass or wheat on our levee this fall. Specks have been on green for weeks

Was always an indication that they were getting ready to head north.

[Rick]

Note of warning on the rye grass: it's hard to match with blind cover and gets too long (tough?) for the geese to be interested in it. If you feel you must, make it thin and hope something grazes it down to the new shoots the birds want.

[BGkirk]

Note of warning on the rye grass: it's hard to match with blind cover and gets too long (tough?) for the geese to be interested in it. If you feel you must, make it thin and hope something grazes it down to the new shoots the birds want.

Weed eater ?


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[Ericdc]

I'd probably plant it later in the season to ensure greenup in January. Not directly around the pit either.


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[Ericdc]

In 7 years at this farm, this was the worst season and it wasn't close.

Killing more in 1st split than 2nd split is unheard of for us.

Our 2nd worse year was 2018-2019 with 162 birds.

3rd worse was 2015-2016 with 171 birds (51 being specks)

Other 4 seasons were all between 240 and 300 birds.

So we are going to play the odds and stick with it next fall.


2022-23 season totals

Youth hunt

2 scaup
1 green winged teal

1st split

7 specks
3 mallards
9 green winged teal
13 gadwall
2 scaup
7 spoons
2 pintail
1 wigeon
5 wood ducks
1 Ross
3 blues

9 hunts

Ducks 45
Geese 11

2nd split

Mallard 1
Green winged teal 20
Gadwall 9
Spoon 9
1 wood duck
1 ring neck
5 specks

Hunts 15

Ducks 41
Geese 5

Season totals

Mallard 4
Pintail 2
Wigeon 1
Gadwall 22
Shoveler 16
Green winged teal 30
Wood duck 6
Scaup 4
Ringneck 1

Total ducks 86

Specks 12
Ross 1
Blues 3

Total geese 16

Total hunts 25
Total birds 102


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[BigHutch]

Thanks for sharing Eric. It takes lots of character to continue to grind it out and to post about it when hunting isn’t the best. That farm has traditionally been a good one and from my firsthand experience I know you have the best blind there. I think this season was just a weird anomaly for you and things will get back to “normal” next season. From our species mix something was definitely different.

You know you are always welcome in Pecan Island with us.

Robbie aka Big Hutch

[Ericdc]

For what it's worth, our farm will have a lot of rice this year, as opposed to none last year.

Our field will be rice on both sides of the turn-row, along with neighboring field to the north.

Hope that helps attract more teal and specks.


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[Darren]

Sounds promising, doubt it would be worse than what you had to work with this season.

We've killed over beans (nothing left for them at time of season anyway), or just mud, and rice, but just seems more often not when I check harvested birds we are seeing rice hulls.

[Rick]

Certainly shouldn't hurt.

[Ducaholic]

Certainly shouldn't hurt.

Along with a strong dose of winter!

[Rick]

Certainly shouldn't hurt.

Along with a strong dose of winter!

I keep praying for snow to the Ferris wheel's axle in Little Rock, but so far no go.

[Ducaholic]

Certainly shouldn't hurt.

Along with a strong dose of winter!

I keep praying for snow to the Ferris wheel's axle in Little Rock, but so far no go.

I hear tell it used to happen but it was some time ago