2024 Prep work and training

[DComeaux]

Remi :
" She was AWESOME with casting during either overruns or left and right corrections, it gave me goosebumps too see everything come together."

Thanks. She's coming along just fine.

[DComeaux]

.........but that new doggy's gonna want to hunt!

That's the only thing keeping me motivated at the moment. If this new land owner go's up again next year I'll have no choice but to drop that lease. My lease has more than doubled since he purchased this property. It's not worth the money.

[DComeaux]

Blake, Bill, and I moved everything back down to Chenier this morning. We gave the place a good clean up, something that had been neglected for some time. The water in the marsh is still extremely high, and I'm hoping we lose most of it by next weekend. Only heard from two groups that hunted in our area, and both got their limits. It was slow early for both groups, with one finishing their 12-bird limit at 10. I'm not sure we'll have any of our blind Island left by next weekend. I sure as heck have no interest in moving that blind, again.

[Rick]

I'm not sure we'll have any of our blind Island left by next weekend. I sure as heck have no interest in moving that blind, again.

Hate that for you. Guys I hunted Pecan Island with in '83 were pushed there by erosion from what they said was once a great south side of 82 lease west of Rockefeller.

[DComeaux]

I wouldn't blame the pup if he ate the next bird they dropped.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1615401902728262

[DComeaux]

Migration alert!

Biologists reported lots of greater white-fronted geese moving through the northern Great Plains overnight and this morning. It’s likely that the north winds and drop in temperature will get some ducks moving south too.


https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=590330553334302&set=a.159859479714747

[Rick]

Tease. (Though we did encounter a rash of newly arrived butterflies yesterday. Maybe viceroys?)

[DComeaux]

Tease. (Though we did encounter a rash of newly arrived butterflies yesterday. Maybe viceroys?)

I sent a text this morning to a good source down in Chenier asking if he'd seen an influx of waterfowl as of yet. The answer was "Insane". We'll see.

[Duck Engr]

Migration alert!

Biologists reported lots of greater white-fronted geese moving through the northern Great Plains overnight and this morning. It’s likely that the north winds and drop in temperature will get some ducks moving south too.


https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=590330553334302&set=a.159859479714747

Good news to read for a fella currently driving his way half way across the country to the Dakotas.

[Rick]

I sent a text this morning to a good source down in Chenier asking if he'd seen an influx of waterfowl as of yet. The answer was "Insane". We'll see.

Sure hope so, you're due for some of that.

[Rick]

Good news to read for a fella currently driving his way half way across the country to the Dakotas.

Hope you and June find it paradise.

[Darren]

I sent a text this morning to a good source down in Chenier asking if he'd seen an influx of waterfowl as of yet. The answer was "Insane". We'll see.

PreSeason Hype Train OFF [ON]


It may not be the most banner season we ever saw, but it would have a hard time being worse than last year for my marsh lease where, despite having not a sprig of grass/food to offer them, we still had our chances to kill a good few and passed a good time. Our lease has food now, our ace honey hole is loaded and still secluded as ever, and it's secret sauce is that combination of seclusion and food, no crab boats or passing fisherman running them out all day long.

Still not seeing much to get excited about in the weather coming up but looking back on seasons past pre-season notes I keep, 2015 came to mind and was noted to be warm as all get out until early November. It'll be what it'll be, we goin!

[DComeaux]

la vida es buena

20241021_114826.jpg

[Darren]

Happy anniversary !

[Rick]

For sure.

[DComeaux]

Happy anniversary !

Thank you.

[Ducaholic]

Looks like your prep work is almost done DC. Happy Anniversary.

[Deltaman]

Happy Anniversary DC!!!!!!!

[DComeaux]

Thanks guys. It's been 29 years of marital bliss.

Rimi had a 6-day vacation, terrorizing my daughter and cousin who took care of her in my absence. I took her out this morning to see if she remembered what we had worked on. She did great and I'm looking forward to having her at the blind.

I took a couple of short videos during our fairly long training session this morning. She's doing excellent with stopping to take direction at a distance and in this video, I gave her a chance to hunt for it. She's doing awesome in these scenarios. She's learned to use nose. Sitting patiently at the blind is a scenario we're working on at the mock blind set up I have at the pond. This is taking some work. I hope we have good flights to keep her busy on opening day.



Just a leisurely retrieve.

[Rick]

Good goin'. You're such a fine handler that Call just came to your recall whistle, too.

[DComeaux]

Good goin'. You're such a fine handler that Call just came to your recall whistle, too.

Thats funny.

[DComeaux]

I've received a few videos over the last few days from areas very near my blind. I will be going to the camp in the morning to drop the crab traps at the camp and check on things. I will take a ride in the marsh with Randal while I'm down there. We'll see if we have any hanging around. I couldn't get it load as a video for some reason.

https://youtube.com/shorts/CvkdRTei8y0?feature=shared

[Ducaholic]

Looks encouraging!

[Darren]

Looks good to me! Youth hunt plans still up in the air for next Saturday, we'll see.

[DComeaux]

I took a ride in our marsh this morning and didn't see any waterfowl. Our water is still 2' above where it should be. The birds down there are thick in areas with only 2 to 3 inches of water depth. The water did drop a foot or so since teal season, but we still have 3 to 4 inches of water over the dog pad at the blind. Normally it's a 3 to 4 inch stepdown from that pad.

[Darren]

Well at least you know there are birds down/around. Once things start moving and shaking, you should be in the game.

[Deltaman]

Enjoyed your Rimi vids, and see that she has come a long way from the rambunctious youngster stage. Good Job Dad, and hoping your marsh water levels straighten out for you, but as Darren mentioned, once the shooting starts, you will be in the middle of it!!!!!

[DComeaux]

I got a call yesterday evening informing me of why our water hadn't gone down in our marsh. It seems that the main land owner that surrounds us with thousands of acres has a levee breech. It was said that the large marsh excavator on the property now will be diverted there today to do the patch. Bring on the north winds.

[DComeaux]

I mulled over whether or not to post on the passing of Ellie but decided I owed it to her for her years with us. At 15, her health had declined rapidly over the last few months and more recently she stopped eating and barely drinking water. DAMN this hurts......She had a good life. RIP Ellie.

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[Darren]

I mulled over whether or not to post on the passing of Ellie but decided I owed it to her for her years with us. At 15, her health had declined rapidly over the last few months and more recently she stopped eating and barely drinking water. DAMN this hurts......She had a good life. RIP Ellie.

464936774_10234539521612438_5099961356167350847_n.jpg

So very sorry Dave, can't imagine what that's like. I thought of her recently when I came across this picture so I'll share it here as a tribute, so glad I got to hunt with her.

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