2022-2023 Regular Season

[Rick]

Never fooled with a bilge pump splasher, because one would clog so quickly in our habitat, but i've found my modified Mallard Machine splasher pretty easy enough to over-do on big ducks that seldom splash it with them. And have long guessed that pulsers that can't be shut off before birds are close might become suspicious produce the same finishing issues for wary birds.

[Ricky Spanish]

Never fooled with a bilge pump splasher, because one would clog so quickly in our habitat, but i've found my modified Mallard Machine splasher pretty easy enough to over-do on big ducks that seldom splash it with them. And have long guessed that pulsers that can't be shut off before birds are close might become suspicious produce the same finishing issues for wary birds.

These are not very effective unless you have like a dozen or so. It'll make 6 decoys jiggle a little and thats about all.
If I knew what I know now I'd never have bought it
The right way is a jerk rig attached to a hyper 10-year-old kid.

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[Duck Engr]

Date: 1/27/23

Time: morning. Finished around 9.

Location: little hole in the timber off the river.

Cloud Cover: beautifully clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: southern moderate to strong. Perfect really.

Temperature: crisp 29 degrees warming to low 50s.

Moon phase: waxing crescent maybe

Special Notes: Lucky enough to be invited to my friend’s lease on his last day of a week long trip and our first day. This is a recent property purchase for the duck club and they’re still trying to figure how to hunt it.

Waterfowl Activity: didn’t see a ton of ducks, but saw enough, and most if not all were cruising the treetops.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: ducks were afraid of their shadow’s shadow. We couldn’t do anything more than heavy feed chatter and drake whistles.

Hunters: 3

Guns: 2 benellis and a stoeger.

Malfunctions: Zero

Dog(s): me

Special Equipment: finally deployed a jerk chord around 830 when we had 6 ducks in hand and it helped finish us up

Curses: none.

Kudos: landed a group of 35 at 10-20 yards. That made the trip right there.

Birds By Species: 12 mallards.

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: Sure was a sweet way to start the trip, and got to share it with two friends that I used to hunt with a lot years ago but life seems to have been in the way for a couple years now. Felt good to get the boys back together.

[DComeaux]

What a nice hunt.

[Darren]

What a hunt! Glad to see you got your son in on the action this season, only gets better from there!

RE: Splasher butts. You've got to watch them for the sounds, can get wonky then squealing. Have found my Lucky Duck butts to be quieter than my Higdon pulsators. Higdon has the upper hand on one part of the design....they've got the bilge pump flipped such that the intake is against the decoy, highly clog resistant. But LD has the advantage of all wiring being within the decoy housing and nothing getting submerged in water like on the Higdon. Both my Higdons have met their service life end, have been tossed this season in favor of LD's.

I also recently trimmed the spouts on all three of my LD butts to remain below the water line thus doesn't spray like they would when above water line, or significantly reduced. Still makes ripples plenty, just doesn't also spray which of course seems a tad un-natural. Also with the LD's you can replace the battery....Higdon's you cannot, to my knowledge. Both allow pumps to be swapped.

[Duck Engr]

Good info, thanks Darren! I think it was a higdon splasher. I can’t exactly recall but do remember seeing wires.

[Ricky Spanish]

Good info, thanks Darren! I think it was a higdon splasher. I can’t exactly recall but do remember seeing wires.

Yeah...



Once you've seen wires or strings hanging out sex just isn't the same ever again.

[Deltaman]

12 Mallards
Don't get many of those days, and know you enjoyed it DE, especially with your old home boys, Congrats!!!!!!

[Duck Engr]

Addendum to log: mallard groups flying around had a drake to hen ratio of 3 or 4 to 1. Completely opposite of what I noted opening weekend. Made picking drakes pretty easy.

[Ricky Spanish]

This year I got one juvee greenhead that was just turning.
The rest were adults. Next fall I bet it gets better.
Last year I was seeing 100:1 drakes in January.

[5 stand]

Mighty fine hunt with your buddies, not much can beat that...

[Rick]

Been a few seasons since we've had a dozen mallards on the same strap, and haven't seen 35 of them in the same flight since leaving Yankee land. Pretty jealous just now.

[Duck Engr]

Been a few seasons since we've had a dozen mallards on the same strap, and haven't seen 35 of them in the same flight since leaving Yankee land. Pretty jealous just now.

Your envy will be shortlived, as we came crashing back to reality on the next day’s hunt

[Duck Engr]

Date: 1/28/23

Time: morning

Location: little slough off the river. Back to peasant reality

Cloud Cover: clear right up until daylight, then a high heavy cloud cover

Wind Direction and Velocity: light from SSE

Temperature: Upper 30s but felt colder with damp air of approaching front

Moon phase: still waxing of some form

Special Notes: buddy with lease headed home the day before, so we were back to slumming on public

Waterfowl Activity: sporadic flight, but higher off of the treetops than the previous day.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: had a few pairs and singles give us a pass or two but most would carry on, except a pair that tried to come in with the wind while we were looking at a group sailing down wind. Was too late by the time we heard wings whooshing with their ascent from the hole.

Hunters: 2

Guns:

Malfunctions: clouds showing up 4 hours earlier than forecast. Grrrrrr

Dog(s): nope. Both of us have young puppies. Both of us lost our labs last may within a week of each other. Mine was 10 while his was only 5. Pancreatic cancer got his.

Special Equipment:

Curses: lack of workable ducks.

Kudos:

Birds By Species: scratch.

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: crash landing back to earth from the previous day’s high.

[Ricky Spanish]

I get caught looking at the wrong birds and don't even notice when others land. Its why the guys I know sit all wonky in their boat facing opposite directions.
That's an unusual tactic.

[Ducaholic]

I get caught looking at the wrong birds and don't even notice when others land. Its why the guys I know sit all wonky in their boat facing opposite directions.
That's an unusual tactic.

In today's duck world missing ops is sometimes the difference between success whatever the measure might be and nothing at all. Me and my primary hunting partner attempt to be wonky if you will in our approach Even then we miss ops because it's impossible to be on point all the time.

[Duck Engr]

Date: 1/29/23

Time: morning

Location: river

Cloud Cover: socked in with fog. Could barely see treetops for the longest time.

Wind Direction and Velocity: barely a breath from the northwest. Forecast was for 10 mph from the south….

Temperature: low 50s

Moon phase: still waxing

Special Notes: last hunt of the season. By 830 we had 2 ducks and I was fine with leaving. My buddy insisted we give it till 9. Glad he did.

Waterfowl Activity: could hear occasional ducks above us in the fog. Would see flashes of them now and then. Fog started to lift a little just before 9, and brought with it a little flurry of ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: ducks from the north would want to play. Ducks coming from south couldn’t be bothered. We drake whistled and feed chattered most of the morning.

Hunters: 2

Guns:

Malfunctions: got caught up in the current headed down river back to the boat ramp and took a stout limb to the ribs, which threw me to the floor of the boat. Still feeling that one. Luckily my life jacket saved my ribs but my left shoulder wasn’t so lucky up against the corner of my floatation pod. Not having reverse makes life difficult headed down river. You make split second decisions and have to stick with them. Also broke off my switch for my nav lights trying to lean out the back of the boat to grab a duck that was too close to downed trees for the slough boat.

Dog(s): needed one or two badly as it was a mad scramble to the slough boat after every volley to catch ducks before current took them.

Special Equipment:

Curses: nada from me on a foggy no wind day.

Kudos: exceeded expectations with the weather hand we were dealt.

Birds By Species: 7 mallards. 1 wood duck

Photo Ops:


Lagniappe: I started out shooting like I’d never held a gun before and about mid morning we switched and I started shooting well while my buddy couldn’t hit the water. Should’ve filled and am confident we would have with sunshine as we lost a few groups that worked us and got uneasy with the cloud cover. Still a nice way to end the season.

[jrock75]

Nice looking hole

[Rick]

Nice looking hole

Made a neat photo.

[Ducaholic]

I'd hunt there

[5 stand]

I agree with the above... All three...

[Duck Engr]

It’s a fine spot to spend a morning and I had good company. I’ve known the guy in that photo since I was 3. Grew up next door to each other.

[Deltaman]

Damn fine final hunt of the season, and hope your shoulder recovers quickly.

[Ricky Spanish]

Date: 1/29/23

Time: morning

Location: river

Cloud Cover: socked in with fog. Could barely see treetops for the longest time.

Wind Direction and Velocity: barely a breath from the northwest. Forecast was for 10 mph from the south….

Temperature: low 50s

Moon phase: still waxing

Special Notes: last hunt of the season. By 830 we had 2 ducks and I was fine with leaving. My buddy insisted we give it till 9. Glad he did.

Waterfowl Activity: could hear occasional ducks above us in the fog. Would see flashes of them now and then. Fog started to lift a little just before 9, and brought with it a little flurry of ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: ducks from the north would want to play. Ducks coming from south couldn’t be bothered. We drake whistled and feed chattered most of the morning.

Hunters: 2

Guns:

Malfunctions: got caught up in the current headed down river back to the boat ramp and took a stout limb to the ribs, which threw me to the floor of the boat. Still feeling that one. Luckily my life jacket saved my ribs but my left shoulder wasn’t so lucky up against the corner of my floatation pod. Not having reverse makes life difficult headed down river. You make split second decisions and have to stick with them. Also broke off my switch for my nav lights trying to lean out the back of the boat to grab a duck that was too close to downed trees for the slough boat.

Dog(s): needed one or two badly as it was a mad scramble to the slough boat after every volley to catch ducks before current took them.

Special Equipment:

Curses: nada from me on a foggy no wind day.

Kudos: exceeded expectations with the weather hand we were dealt.

Birds By Species: 7 mallards. 1 wood duck

Photo Ops:


Lagniappe: I started out shooting like I’d never held a gun before and about mid morning we switched and I started shooting well while my buddy couldn’t hit the water. Should’ve filled and am confident we would have with sunshine as we lost a few groups that worked us and got uneasy with the cloud cover. Still a nice way to end the season.

That looks very familiar...
If it's that way at the wma (socked in) I'd just set there tick tick ticking on a mallard call, throw in a quack here and there and randomly hit the wood duck call.
A day like that the ducks have to be straining their ears for it so...
You did well.
The spread hidden in the trees is perfect

[Duck Engr]

A little post season article that seems to back the “they’re here, but they ain’t moving and go right back down where they were if we bump them” reports.

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/water ... the-season

[Ducaholic]

Shortstopping, imprinting, whatever you want to call it. Wherever there is limited pressure and food they coming back.

[Darren]

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/waterfowl/why-do-you-see-so-many-ducks-after-the-season

South La mallard telemetry shows this to the T:

Once the duck season begins, mallards quickly adapt to survive, spending their nights feeding on private, flooded agriculture and flying back to the refuge before shooting light in the morning. They spend the remainder of the day on these sanctuaries and do not fly out to feed until after sunset. The mallards remain on this strict regiment for the entirety of the season unless a substantial weather event forces them to move.

Having gotten recently tied into a story a hunter wants to do on a backpack-carrying hen he harvested in Louisiana, that bird was doing the same as much of the other tracked birds have demonstrated. Meticulously back and forth, the same safe-haven to safe-haven for most of season, then only slipped up when it ventured off on its movement northward.

They may be in your decoys eating rice, but it's at night, and gone before you show up and load guns in the morning.

[Duck Engr]

It’s kind of ironic that the things that kill them, shotguns, may also be responsible for their survival. If shotguns were silent, we’d kill a whole lot more of them.

[Ricky Spanish]

It’s kind of ironic that the things that kill them, shotguns, may also be responsible for their survival. If shotguns were silent, we’d kill a whole lot more of them.

If I could figure out how to be there and not get caught I'd be shooting an hour or two early.
There have been times I could have just grabbed ducks in the dark. I drive right up on them in the dark. Ask Logan.

[Duck Engr]

2/19/23 Sunday afternoon quail hunt

Made it up to the farm around 1 pm. Piddled around doing a few chores with Dad and we decided to saddle horses around 2. Warmer than we would’ve liked, upper 60s with a northeasterly breeze. English pointers Sadie and Ruger. Ruger has come a long way this season and looks to be a fine dog for the foreseeable future. Dogs had been down around 30 minutes before our first point. Sadie, back behind a thick patch of bicolor. We suspect some of the birds left before we made it to her, but flushed 5. Darn near rode over the top of her with her small stature combined with the thick sage brush from ample summer rains last year. Ruger had been working the other side of the hill and didn’t get to join in the fun. Mounted back up and continued on for another hour when I noticed Ruger toss his nose up in the air and get bird-y as I call it. Took him about 100 yards to figure it all out, back and forth, nose leading the way, as I assume the birds were running, but eventually he and Sadie locked up in tandem and we flushed a nice covey of 20-25 birds. That was it for birds but a nice time was had and we covered most of our available bird hunting acreage.






Back at the barn we noticed a bird sitting atop our Johnny house where we keep other birds for training. I had my German wirehair puppy June in the bed of the truck so I put a check chord on her and off we went to see how she’d act on her first exposure to quail. The bird had hit the ground by the time we got there and did just perfect, allowing her to make a few puppy points by flushing and only flying 20 or 30 yards then pitching back down 3 different times. It was encouraging to see her show some interest and I hope to get her on a few more birds before the spring is out.