2024-2025 Duck Season

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Nov 9, 2024 - Opening day of duck season

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 74 degrees, wind East at 10 mph

Very skeptical about going out this morning, forecast 80% chance of rain starting at 8:30. We decided it is opening day and warm the rain won't feel too bad.
We turned off the highway onto the limestone road going to the landing (3 miles) only a few high spots in the road were not under water, and water was racing over the road. The boats were OK at the landing so we decided to make a go of it.
We pulled our #9 blind which is the shallowest pond we have and Abby had to swim for each retrieve.
We had 2 small flights of teal come from Buddy's side, but he was late seeing them and all flew away unscathed.
It was about 45 minutes later when 2 Wigeon drakes came in pretty and we got them both. Radar shows the rain holding off until 1030, and some Gadwall started moving.

Totals: 2 - Wigeon, 10 - Gadwall

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Nov 10, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 74 degrees with East wind 10 mph again

It was cloudy all day Saturday, but no rain. Got to our limestone road and the water was about 6 inches deeper than yesterday and water still rushing across the road. It was a very slow drive to the boats, and we could see places where the road was starting to wash.
Our #10 blind is our most consistent blind we have, it was under water this morning. We were able to find 4 other blinds that we could use.
Yesterday Buddy and I shot fairly well, but that was yesterday, we could not hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle today. The ducks we did kill were on a death mission. No reason for us not to get our limit today except for ourselves.

Totals: 2 - Bluewing teal, 2 - Greenwing teal, 3 - Gadwall

Hoping and praying the water gets off our road, and the road is still useable

[jrock75]

Nice start to the season. Great numbers especially given all the water.

[DComeaux]

Nice hunts. Send me some gadwall, please.

[Darren]

Nice hunts. Send me some gadwall, please.

Nice hunts MB! +1 on looking for gadwall, thanks

[Duck Engr]

From almost not going to 2 wigeon and 10 gadwalls, yeah buddy!

[Deltaman]

Nice start to the season MB

[MARSH BEAR]

A report from a commercial fisherman in our area - the water is off the road, but water in the marsh is still high. He said the water is dropping very slowly - good news for the weekend.

[Darren]

A report from a commercial fisherman in our area - the water is off the road, but water in the marsh is still high. He said the water is dropping very slowly - good news for the weekend.

Ours is thankfully on a good fall as well

[DComeaux]

A report from a commercial fisherman in our area - the water is off the road, but water in the marsh is still high. He said the water is dropping very slowly - good news for the weekend.

Ours is thankfully on a good fall as well

Well, if you two have falling water we should as well.

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Friday, Nov 15, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 58 degrees, clear, wind NE 5 - 10

We draw for our blinds each morning, and I drew our #5 blind - I drive up to the blind to find another member already there. He is new and another member told him to go to #5 blind. He does not know his way around our marsh very well yet so I told him to stay there and we would go to another blind. By the time we got to another blind is was past LST.
There was a lot of shooting in the area, but we were not seeing a lot of ducks.
I have been having trouble with my sciatic nerve on the left side and it makes sudden movements very painful, so I am limited in how I move - very slowly.
Gadwall were doing what they do early - cup to come into the decoys then drift away, but they got better after 8:00

Total: 8 - Gadwall, 3 - Greenwing teal, 1 - Bluewing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Saturday, Nov 16, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 65 degrees, wind ENE 10 mph

Water was over the road again this morning, was not as bad as last week, but not good.
Loading the boat I made a wrong move and the sciatic nerve sent daggers into my hip, I did not think I would hunt, but a sat for about 10 minutes and was able to go.
We went back to the same blind as yesterday because we saw so many Gadwall, but the Gadwall had somewhere else to go today.
I was only able to kill 1 duck today, could not move fast enough to catch up with the teal.

Totals: 3 - Bluewing teal, 2 - Greenwing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Sunday, Nov 17, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 70 degrees, wind 20 mph ESE, shirt sleeves only

It took me 15 minutes to get out of the boat, could not raise my left leg high enough to clear the side of the boat. I told Buddy to go ahead and hunt and I would get there when I could.
Not many ducks in our area of the marsh this morning, and the few that showed up we had trouble hitting

Total: 4 - Gadwall, 4 - Spoonbill
As usual we should have had 2 more Gadwall, six shoots at 2 Gadwall over the decoys, and they flew away.

[Darren]

Surely hope for the best for you with the sciatic nerve, can be a monster I hear.

[MARSH BEAR]

Friday, Nov 22, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 45 degrees, wind NE 5 - 10 mph

Not much moving, we were in our #9 blind, and to the north of that blind on another lease a blind normally shoots all morning long, but he was mostly silent this morning. The few flights that did come into range we shot well. Only 1 blind on our lease got there limit.

Totals: 5 - Gadwall, 5 - Greenwing teal

[Duck Engr]

I’ll take that for a “not much moving” day!

[Deltaman]

Nice hunt MB

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Saturday, Nov 23, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I with Abby

Temp: 50 degrees, wind ESE 5- 10 mph

10 minutes after LST a single Gadwall came in perfect - 1 shot 1 duck down off to a good start. That was the only duck we killed.
About 1/2 hour after we killed that duck 'another single Gadwall passed behind the blind, Buddy shot and missed, I turned and shot and I felt a bad pain down my butt into the back of my leg, and I missed the duck. Another 1/2 hour passed and I could feel my butt and leg really starting to hurt. I waited another 1/2 hour still no ducks, but I told Buddy I had to go. I thought my hip hurt last week, but this was worse. It took 20 minutes for me to get out of the blind and into the boat. Thank goodness it did not hurt to sit. Got back to the camp packed up and headed home. Saturday afternoon and night were not good, but Sunday about mid day I could walk without crutches. My wife said I had a lump on my but the size of a grapefruit, by Tuesday the whole left butt cheek was purple, Dr said I tore a muscle.

Totals: 1 - Gadwall
Other club members told me after I left the ducks started moving.

[DComeaux]

Dang!! No more swing shots for you.

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Friday, Nov 29, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I (I left Abby at home, did not know what I could do)

Temp: 44 degrees, wind 15 - 20 mph NE

My leg was feeling better, could stand on it without pain, BUT to bend it to put socks on was another story.
The wind was from our right to left, not much wanting to come in so we moved our Mojo's. We did not have any big groups but enough 2s and 3s to make it good, plus we both shot well.

Totals: 11 - Gadwall, 1 - Greenwing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Friday, Nov 29, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I (I left Abby at home, did not know what I could do)

Temp: 44 degrees, wind 15 - 20 mph NE

My leg was feeling better, could stand on it without pain, BUT to bend it to put socks on was another story.
The wind was from our right to left, not much wanting to come in so we moved our Mojo's. We did not have any big groups but enough 2s and 3s to make it good, plus we both shot well.

Totals: 11 - Gadwall, 1 - Greenwing teal

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Saturday, Nov 30, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I

Temp: 52 degrees, wind 5 - 10 NE

We drew one of our better blinds today, someone should have told the ducks. There was very little shooting in the area, I think the ducks were moving out yesterday.

Totals: 2 - Greenwing teal, 1 - Gadwall, 1 - Spoonbill

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Sunday, Dec 1, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I

Temp: 52 degrees, wind 5 - 20 mph NE

We drew blind #5, same blind I tore my butt muscle. I did not have to worry today we did not shoot. We only saw one small group of teal and they did not come close. One other blind DNS, 2 other blinds only had 1 duck each and the blind we were in yesterday had 10.

Totals: None, zero.

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Friday, Dec 6, 2024

Hunters: Joey and I with Joey's dog Stormy

Temp: 42 degrees, wind NNE 15 mph

The wind and extra layer of clothes made for interesting shooting early on. Joey's dog is new to him this year (3 year old dog, but first year to hunt), and she did a great job for us - he said this was her best hunt so far. We did not have any group over 4 come to the decoys, but we shot decent.

Totals: 9 - Gadwall, 3 - Greenwing teal

We had one other blind hunting today and they only had 1 - Gadwall

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Saturday, Dec 7, 2024

Hunters: Keith and I

Temp: 45 degrees, wind 5 - 10 mph

Did not feel as cold as yesterday, left one layer of clothes off. It was quiet all around the area, not much shooting going on. We don't have many ducks in our area, and they are not holding in our marsh - we only get ducks moving through.
We had to leave a little early today, Keith got a call that his fell and broke her hip - hip replacement surgery on Sunday.

Totals: 3 - Green wing teal, 1 - Gadwall

Two other blinds hunting one had 6 ducks the other scratch.

[MARSH BEAR]

Sunday, Dec 8, 2024

Hunters: None - left - went home - it was raining and with no ducks in the area, I did not feel like getting wet for nothing.

One group said they were not afraid of the rain and went to hunt - scratch, nothing.

I was right for a change.

[DComeaux]

Tough times. I'm still looking forward to the second spilt regardless.

[MARSH BEAR]

Friday, Dec 20, 2024

4 of us went in the marsh to cut some fresh brush, and get the decoys back in shape.

We were very impressed with the number of ducks un the marsh, mostly teal but plenty of Gadwall to go with them.

Plenty of anticipation Friday night.

4 other club members said they would be there Friday, but they had excuses, and were eager to hunt on Saturday

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Saturday, Dec 21, 2024 - opening day of second split

Hunters: Buddy and I

All the ducks we saw the day before were not around today. We pulled one of our better blinds today, and it was slow. We were lucky that some of the ducks we saw came to play, and we shot well
The lease next to ours shot plenty today, and found out later they had teal all over them - I guess they have corn.

Totals: 5 - greenwing teal, 4 - Gadwall

Having trouble sending my reports, I hit submit and everything goes away.

[MARSH BEAR]

Date: Sunday, Dec 22, 2024

Hunters: Buddy and I

Not near as many ducks around today as yesterday. Only shooting in the area was from the same blinds in the lease next to us. We had one blind kill 10 ducks today, but all the others were poor. Don't understand how the other lease has so many more ducks than we do, and we are not seeing ducks.

Total: 3 - greenwing teal, 1 - Gadwall