Post Season Things

[DComeaux]

Blake, Bill and I were out in the marsh today to get everything rounded up. During the week I got lucky and found some "pasture" hay for sale at a good a price, something I didn't mind paying for a wave break. I bought the 41 bales he had left and grabbed a few bundles of 5' wooden stakes from Lowes. I've had this in mind for some time but couldn't find bales I thought cheap enough for this experiment.
It may be just a Band-Aid but it's better than doing nothing, I guess. We flushed a few teal, gadwall, poule d'eau and others on the way out. The water level is just about perfect, and barring any surges, levee breaches or hurricanes we should be in good shape this year. I was told today that the levee repair from the breach earlier this year looked suspect, so they are sending an excavator back out this coming week to reinforce the patch. The two new control structures are working well, for now.

This is looking at the blind area from the SW. We occasionally get brief but very strong winds from the WSW. The salt water killed just about all of the vegetation in our marsh and the freeze and snow finished it off.

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This is looking at the blind area from the NE. This side is open to big SE water, which is the direction of our prevailing winds. Hopefully this wave break works and collects sediment.

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We're expecting lower water in late spring and summer so vegetation growth should be good. There was mention today of a draw down in late spring utilizing the control structures if things work out. We found bits of still green wigeon grass on many decoy weights. We should be covered in that if things go well weather wise this year.

When we were removing the grass cover on the boat hide Bill found a large fresh blood spot on one of the panels. After we all check ourselves for cuts, we found a fresh head and neck of a poule d'eau. Seems our resident hawk had a little breakfast before we arrived. This isn't the first carcass we've found up there.

[Rick]

Hope nothing happens to float them off before they saturate and settle in. (Know they're staked, but...) We tried that around our east blind on Doug's marsh with semi-success after playing hob trying to get straw bales staked down and held in place with dug-up cut grass. Suspect hay will be more cooperative.

Will be trying some island building of my own at CR, now that I've a permanent spot. Albeit just enough to help make the blind's less conspicuous.

[Duck Engr]

I certainly respect the efforts Dave! Hope it works out as intended.

[Ducaholic]

Good to see you committing to another season Dave.

[DComeaux]

Good to see you committing to another season Dave.

Well, I couldn't tell her no.

[Darren]

Looks promising, drawing down would sure seem to help out as well !

[Deltaman]

Neat idea Dave, and hope it holds and helps stabilize some ground for you!!!!

[Ducaholic]

Good to see you committing to another season Dave.

Well, I couldn't tell her no.

Good on You and good for Remi

[DComeaux]

When I was a fledgling in the waterfowl hunting world my mentor called the brush we were using for the blind manglier (mang-in-yay) bushes, for which I still call myrtle. It seems there is a tea made form these used for medicinal purposes. There are a couple of types of these that look similar so using the correct one is a must.

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[DComeaux]

I hate blue herons

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19U1PDS87D/

[Rick]

That ruddy certainly seemed confident in its presence.

[DComeaux]

That ruddy certainly seemed confident in its presence.

The ruddy didn't seem healthy.

[Deltaman]

I thought they just ate fish

[SpinnerMan]

I thought they just ate fish

I've seen a lot of posts of them eating ducklings. Surprised me too, but it probably shouldn't have.

[DComeaux]

Heron got his butt whipped.

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1555464528428846

[DComeaux]

I was was on google earth and decided to take a look at the historical view from when we stated hunting our current marsh.

This was our first year in 2017

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This was the spot in January of 2024. We've lost more ground since last January, and barring any major disturbances this year we should be able to make another year in this spot.

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This could very well be my last season at this place, or duck hunting altogether. I've lost all hope of ever having ducks or a place that still attracts a portion of the few we do get. I've grown mentally tired of the battle.

[Ducaholic]

What was your thought process in moving your blind to the open area you chose and not to the area directly behind it that appears to be in a more protected pocket of marsh?

[DComeaux]

What was your thought process in moving your blind to the open area you chose and not to the area directly behind it that appears to be in a more protected pocket of marsh?

Access. The aerial shots are deceiving. The area to our east or to the right of our blind location is extremely shallow at optimal water level and would go dry when our water would go out with the tides. We had to wait for a high tide to get our decoys out. If we'd have stable water levels, I would have moved 400 yards to our NE but that area is very shallow as well and would also be a mud flat if we get low water conditions.

The bottom of our marsh currently has a very hard crust from the drought and make it difficult to run a surface drive at low to idle speed when the boat is not floating but sitting on the bottom. If we'd keep a hard bottom, it would give us more options to set up and deploy decoys, but this crust won't last. As it is now, if you break the crust while walking there is no bottom.

I don't trust the miles long levee to remain intact through the year. We'll take our chances where we are and at least (hopefully) have a place to sit this coming season.

[Ducaholic]

10-4

[DComeaux]

The wife got home and was going through the mail and told me I had a letter from the LSU medical center. She opened it and began reading the card and began to weep, I was confused.

This hit me right in the feels.

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[DComeaux]

The wife got home and was going through the mail and told me I had a letter from the LSU School of Veterinary medicine. She opened it and began reading the card and began to weep, I was confused.

This hit me right in the feels.

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Made a correction to the origin of the letter.

[Rick]

First I've heard of such. You've a great vet.

[Ducaholic]

Pretty Cool...Brings back some fond memories and some that still make a grown man cry.

[Deltaman]

WOW, what a nice, heartfelt gesture!

[DComeaux]

I took a little time this afternoon to take the blind brush out of my gun. I had also replaced the broken pivot block a week or so ago that I finally found on the internet. She's all ready to go.

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[Rick]

Last time I deep cleaned my work gun, it was a struggle to get its barrel off and it wouldn't go back on. Seems heat from the boat's exhaust warped it out of alignment when transported as the other guys do their guns in their apparently not so identical mud boats. Wish it was whatever a pivot block is...

[DComeaux]

Fast forward to the duck stuff. It starts with a fishing/hunting guide.

https://www.audacy.com/podcast/louisiana-great-outdoors-with-don-dubuc-cffcb?fbclid=IwY2xjawIoWLVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVYLfZs6UxaXtIBl_GYFNqLWgR5kmVyxYSukh_3VlSFpb1V1jT3CxE7J7A_aem_Rqekyakt9F6utt2OlRUIuQ

[Ducaholic]

I'm curious what Darren thinks about a Tidal Zone?

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge ... 8e6a9.html

[DComeaux]

I'm curious what Darren thinks about a Tidal Zone?

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge ... 8e6a9.html

I saw that. Those are always the loudest. They need to be put back in your east zone.....You can have em.

[Ducaholic]

Tidal Zone guy is not the one screaming to hunt late. In fact he only wants to hunt 7 days in all of January.

The Commission was pretty decisive and quick to move away from what was proposed. I don't think they budge this time around.

What is puzzling is that Olszak actually suggested a repeat of last years dates. What was he thinking? And furthermore he thinks the lack of migration is primarily due to weather. He's a nice enough fellow but he's not what we need. Not that it matters. The pendulum has swung and it's not swinging back.