2025-2026 Season Log

[Rick]

Date:

Time:

Location:

Cloud Cover:

Wind Direction and Velocity:

Temperature:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity:

Waterfowl Responsiveness:

Hunters:

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment:

Curses:

Kudos:

Birds By Species:

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Rick]

Date: 9/20/25 Sat

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: very light NE

Temperature: comfortable 70ish

Moon phase: 1% waning crescent

Special Notes: teal opener

Waterfowl Activity: Nearly as many teal as woodies and mottleds this morning passing with fair regularity from the time we got there well after LST

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Most worked beautifully.

Hunters: 2, grandson, Preston, and his buddy, my late friend Doug's great grandson, Cole

Guns:

Malfunctions: Cole's new-appearing Beretta Pintail failed to cycle despite my oiling its bolt rails, so I swapped guns with him and he and Preston then swapped so Preston could try my 20. That and my boat was starving for fuel and we had to be towed back to the boathouse to swap it for the big V8.

Dog(s): Call broke once and was then tethered for a while, but otherwise did pretty well.

Special Equipment: 2 spinners w/timers that worked well as did my modified Mallard Machine splashed - until it crapped out. Think the trolling motor foot's armature may have a dead spot or spots.

Curses: Only our boat issues. Well, that and I didn't bother putting on the chaps I brought to fend off Call's marsh muck shake water, and he soaked and blackened my jeans from the thighs down.

Kudos: The boys and dog had a big time, so I did, too.

Birds By Species: 18 blue-wings which I forgot to note the gender of

Photo Ops: Oops, forgot the "curse" of having left my phone at the house. Do wish I'd gotten a photo of the two now grown-up kids I've been taking since they were wee ones.

Lagniappe:

[DComeaux]

Very nice.

[Rick]

The Grinch that tried to steal Christmas:

thumbnail_PXL_20250920_193509958.jpg

What the hell was Honda thinking?

[Duck Engr]

Wow that’s nuts

[Rick]

That little collapsed inline filter was found in the end of the nipple the fuel line attaches to the carb over. Also pulled them from the other Hondas with that hidden bit of genius.

[Duck Engr]

They didn’t think that one all the way through!

[Rick]

Date: 9/21/25 Sun

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: Partly with storm cells in the area

Wind Direction and Velocity: light ENE

Temperature: comfortably cool

Moon phase: new

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Teal were slow showing, but fairly constant once they did.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Still excellent.

Hunters: 2, brothers I do gator stuff with, JJ and Mark

Guns:

Malfunctions: Boat got us to the pond but crapped out again once there. Electronic fuel pump this time. PIA to keep running, but got us home.

Dog(s): Call had a pretty good morning, given the givens.

Special Equipment: SOS, albeit with the MMM intermittent

Curses: Just the fuel pump, and we had a spare to replace it at the boat house.

Kudos: Feel blessed to have had the birds we did, especially after learning how many others in our region struggled.

Birds By Species: 18 blue-wings

[DComeaux]

2 for 2....... I regret watching the Saints game. Some of it, anyway.

[Duck Engr]

Nice to see another hot teal start, Rick.

[Rick]

...I regret watching the Saints game. Some of it, anyway.

Made me wish I'd mowed Sunday afternoon, instead of Saturday. Told Chereaux the good news is that I like the team (Buffalo) that's going to kill us next Sunday.

[Rick]

Nice to see another hot teal start, Rick.

Without the weekenders to stir the rice, our little hot streak may come to an abrupt end this morning...

[Rick]

Date: 9/22 Mon

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly with brief light rain, then clearing

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to light to mod as morning progressed ESE

Temperature: pleasant to warm

Moon phase: little or none

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: initially spooky slow, but enough for patient souls

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Some really nice bunches flipped me off, as though they'd been there and done that before, until I started killing the spinners as they approached.

Hunters: 2, JJ again and his buddy, Jeremie

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Most of Call's unchauffeured work was on dead or nearly si birds down in bad black dirt shallows where the boat couldn't go, but one lively crip in the grass made his morning.

Special Equipment: SOS but am already having to kill the spinners to finish birds

Curses: Took us until very nearly curfew to finish.

Kudos: Rain stopped as soon as I dug a slicker out, and no one seemed to have anywhere they'd rather be for so much of the morning.

Birds By Species: 18 blue-wings

Photo Ops: Call with one of our otherwise unreachables:

thumbnail_PXL_20250922_141017257.jpg

[DComeaux]

Very good. I was wondering if you'd ever take another picture.

[Duck Engr]

Kudos: Rain stopped as soon as I dug a slicker out, and no one seemed to have anywhere they'd rather be for so much of the morning.

Very rare in today’s world.

[Deltaman]

Nice reports Rick, and hope your numbers hold out for the rest of the week!

[Rick]

Date: 9/23 Tues

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: E to S light

Temperature: got warm

Moon phase: little if any

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Slower, yet, than yesterday, and still some birds blowing by without an apparent look.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Being quicker on the spinner killing toggle seemed to help put a better percentage front and center.

Hunters: grandson, Preston, and his dad, Chris

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call had an impressive morning of locating what would have been lost birds. But, knowing what's coming, he's having to be hushed while being boated to their area of fall.

Special Equipment: SOS with a quick toggle finger.

Curses: Had to quit a bit early and short, but I still ain't bitchin'.

Kudos: Another sweet morning.

Birds By Species: 15 blue-wings (2 hens and one too immature to tell) and 1 green-wing

[DComeaux]

Keep on keeping on.

[Duck Engr]

Rick, with having to abide by a curfew, how do you balance leaving birds down to “get later” with losing opportunity in the boat chasing them down?

[Rick]

Rick, with having to abide by a curfew, how do you balance leaving birds down to “get later” with losing opportunity in the boat chasing them down?

Don'tcha know boats draw birds? Mostly just bite the bullet, tell the guys to feel free to take safe shots and go do what needs done as expediently as we can. And it's not at all unusual for them to kill birds with us somewhere outside the boat hide. Though I'd bet against it the past couple mornings...

[Rick]

Date: 9/24 Wed

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly with very light and brief rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: SE nil to light S

Temperature: hot and muggy

Moon phase: didn't see one

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Though the other blinds seemed to be doing better, the bottom fell completely out for us this morning. Only had three or four shooting ops that ranged from "iffy" to "flat desperate".

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Few teal were seen, fewer gave us a look and none gave us a good look, regardless of how I tried to handle them. Would think there wasn't a passing teal that our spot hadn't already shot at.

Hunters: 2, grandson, Preston, and a buddy of his, Hayden, who'd been struggling in the rice and Preston had probably pumped up for this hunt.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: SOS got treated like it was just that

Curses: The boys had to be disappointed but handled it well, with Hayden claiming he'd jinxed us and even his dad didn't want to hunt with him this season. Ate my lunch to let them down.

Kudos: "Didn't scratch."

Birds By Species: 1 blue-wing (drake)

[Duck Engr]

Rick, with having to abide by a curfew, how do you balance leaving birds down to “get later” with losing opportunity in the boat chasing them down?

Don'tcha know boats draw birds? Mostly just bite the bullet, tell the guys to feel free to take safe shots and go do what needs done as expediently as we can. And it's not at all unusual for them to kill birds with us somewhere outside the boat hide. Though I'd bet against it the past couple mornings...

Ha that’s about what I figured. Figure most groups have that argument.

Killing birds outside the blind sparked this memory. Friend of mine was hunting from his boat along with some friends teal season last year and got checked by game wardens. Game wardens just pulled into the cattails with them to check licenses. In the middle of the check a group of 40 teal buzzed the decoys and swung out. Game warden told them to get ready and called the shot when the teal came back and centered up in the spread.

[SpinnerMan]

Killing birds outside the blind sparked this memory. Friend of mine was hunting from his boat along with some friends teal season last year and got checked by game wardens. Game wardens just pulled into the cattails with them to check licenses. In the middle of the check a group of 40 teal buzzed the decoys and swung out. Game warden told them to get ready and called the shot when the teal came back and centered up in the spread.

I expected that to go a very different way.

More along the lines. Me and my buddy were hunting. We shot some ducks. He went to get them. Just as he got back to the boat hide a single came in. I shot it. "Can you go get that one for me?" He does. Gets back to the boat hide. Another single. "Can you go get that one for me?"

I can think of a number of times I shot ducks while he was in the boat. I can only think of once where I was off chasing downed birds and he shot.

[Darren]

Don'tcha know boats draw birds? Mostly just bite the bullet, tell the guys to feel free to take safe shots and go do what needs done as expediently as we can. And it's not at all unusual for them to kill birds with us somewhere outside the boat hide. Though I'd bet against it the past couple mornings...

Believe Rick would attest, my crews killed plenty birds with our host out the blind. Hunters are going to hunt one way or another, and birds love boats indeed.

[Rick]

Date: 9/25 Thur

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: heavy with periodic light rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to precious little NW

Temperature: Was thankful to be wet.

Moon phase: 14% waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: At least saw a few more birds than yesterday, though, again, largely with a "been there, done that" attitude.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Better than yesterday, but far from what we'd wish.

Hunters: 2, JJ and Mark

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Would have had three less without Call's nose: one he dug out from under thick flotant in the pond and two that made it to "land".

Special Equipment: Still killing the spinners about as soon as birds appear to see them.

Curses: Just how sharply our ops have fallen off.

Kudos: Had a pleasant hunt all the same - despite a 7:30 text from their buddy, Jeremie (who was here w/JJ Monday) saying a hunt they passed on to come here had limited.

Birds By Species: 8 blue-wings

[DComeaux]

Good hunt.

[Rick]

Date: 9/26 Fri

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: NW very light early and light E later

Temperature: cooler than its been

Moon phase: didn't notice

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Seemed a lot of hunters on the road this morning, and there was a corresponding increase in teal movement - for a short while. Sill plenty of mottleds coming by to check out the intermittent spinners.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Perhaps a little better than it's been lately, but still killing the spinners once they're started.

Hunters: 2, Peston and waterfowlforum.net's own DComeaux

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call chose not to follow direction while swimming, so I chose not to let him.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the lack of teal.

Kudos: Most pleasant morning in good company who shot well.

Birds By Species: 9 blue-wings Well, 8 1/2 after something gnawed the front end off one.

[Rick]

Date: 9/27 Sat

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE to E light to moderate

Temperature: comfortably cool

Moon phase: waxing 30%

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Better but still not nearly what I'd hoped for a weekend.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Again, not what I'd hoped, given chance of something new to our marsh being pushed through by weekenders.

Hunters: 2, stepson and grandson, Warren John and Ethan

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call earned his kibble on crips.

Special Equipment: SOS, with the OFF switch again being as helpful as ON.

Curses: A 5-footer I wasn't worried about has become too bold for comfort.

Kudos: Pleasant morning.

Birds By Species: 12 blue-wings

[Rick]

Date: 9/28 Sun

Time: morning

Location: #3

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE light to moderate

Temperature: comfortably cool

Moon phase: waxing 40%

Special Notes: last day of September teal

Waterfowl Activity: Disappointingly few teal moving for weekend. But the woodies and mottleds were still buying in, as did a lone pintail.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: About what it's been.

Hunters: 2, Fred who'd guided with us at Doug's and one of his students, my grandson, Ethan

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s):

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Probably our poorest teal season since Hurricane Ike blew in on 2008's opening morning to blow the birds out and flood the countryside.

Kudos: Still great to be out with family and friends.

Birds By Species: 5 blue-wings