Duck Season 2025-2026

[Rick]

Making memories.

[Darren]

Fri 11/28/2025
HBFC - A51 Blind
Brother in Law Peter C. joining Johnny and I and Harry
Winds NNE 15-25, low 50s, clear skies/sunny

Stout wind off the bat and even some early action on green wings, grays didn’t do much until after 7:30 or so. We saw quite a few grays holding just north of us, mostly staying in that area, and also noted a whole bunch go down on our south end of the lease into some known potholes. We were mostly in between the bulk of traffic but what did come did it pretty for us for the most part. So glad my BIL was there to see it and enjoy the shooting. Harry was nails on anything that made it to the grass, and most were easy in pond.

(18) 10 grays, 8 GW teal
*saved the 18th duck, a nice drake gray, got potential mount. I called it in, Johnny shot it. Would like to do it as a standing mount on a log as a table piece kinda like the mottled I have.

#18 himself

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Our loooong time favorite blind on lease continues to show why, so sweet to see it return to form and we’re enjoying the new blind fab we did in September. The strategy of that move from the north shore to mid pond is definitely paying off.

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Will took a solo limit of 3 green teal, 2 blue teal, and one Bufflehead in our Redhead Blind, finishing out right before a whole bunch of grays converged in puddles just behind the blind.

[Duck Engr]

Awesome to see off-season projects paying dividends!

[Rick]

Definitely on a roll over there...

[DComeaux]

Why are you hogging all the waterfowl?

[Rick]

'Cause he can.

[Darren]

Why are you hogging all the waterfowl?

Per what I’m hearing in gunfire and getting from field reports, interior Delacroix is flat wrecking the teal, spoons, and smattering of pins. The grays, though, are in the outer marshes where we are. I’m sitting out this weekend for a family member’s poor choice in wedding date, in Gulf Shores AL, mind you. Weather next week looks enticing so I’m scheming.

[DComeaux]

Why are you hogging all the waterfowl?

Per what I’m hearing in gunfire and getting from field reports, interior Delacroix is flat wrecking the teal, spoons, and smattering of pins. The grays, though, are in the outer marshes where we are. I’m sitting out this weekend for a family member’s poor choice in wedding date, in Gulf Shores AL, mind you. Weather next week looks enticing so I’m scheming.

I think a wedding during duck season should be against the law.. You are allowed to not attend as a duck hunter.. Someone could face time you the festivities.

[Darren]

Did our duty and made a trek there and back yesterday so it worked out fine. No one out hunting today I think, but Will got a solo limit in A51 blind yesterday, 4 grays/2 GW teal.

[Darren]

Tues. 12/2/2025
Delacroix HBFC West Blind
Will and I with both our dogs, Harry & Loki
Winds rippin WNW/NNW 15 to nearly 30, heavy clouds, very chilly low 50s with the wind

Frontal passage of some kind so had to go try it, but unfortunately felt like it was too much wind. From what we saw, and how they treated us, we also had too much pond for that wind as well. Not whole lot of grays trafficking but what did come by showed initial interest then bailed, or circled and circled as grays do. Got one of a pair that finished OK for us here at West Pond. Seeing numbers on SE end of property, we made a move/scout effort that way and jumped a lot of birds plainly holed up in small waters surrounding our large Redhead Pond. Tried them in a pothole for an hour or so that yielded another gray and a BW teal, lost one other crip BWT. It was full of birds on arrival but seems they largely found another puddle to stay down in and didn't return as we hoped.

(3) 2 grays, 1 BWT


While a bummer to not harvest much, was nice to see that we still have plenty birds in the immediate area, just sitting tight in this wind. Lots of grays on north end seen that mostly just went back down when they flushed a time or two. Hearing reports of other tough hunts today, but local outfitter's two groups had scoters, and a buddy well north of us had 19 with four guys, mostly GWT, said grays were squirrely for them as well.

[Darren]

Lease neighbor makes some nice videos from his hunts, and is a strong hunter. I tipped him off to some birds we jumped on way out last week as we passed his place.

[DComeaux]

I like his videos.

[Darren]

Fri 12/5/2025
Delacroix HBFC South Pond Walk In Hole
Winds North 5-15, heavy clouds with some light rain, 50s
David B and I with Harry

Dropped off Will and Loki in pipeline hole nearby and finally tried the walk in spot he had been doing well with. Not much moved but what did wanted into here or very nearby. Didn’t see much at all and thankfully shot well with what we had, Harry rounded up everything for us with no losses, he was nails with his nose. Pintail came in with grays, thought I saw some long necks climbing out the hole.

(12) 4 grays, 1 pintail, 3 GW teal, 2 buffleheads, 2 scaup/dosgris

Small hole, small spread

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Will had 2 blue wings and 2 green wings in the pipeline hole. Very few shots heard in the distance. Think we are trying the field tomorrow. Made it back to camp just as the heavy rain was moving in.

[DComeaux]

Very nice.

[Darren]

Sat 12/6/2025
Bunkie area farm
Johnny, my son and I with Harry
Heavy clouds with ending rain, wind 0-5+ from north, 40s, full moon

Little bit of stirring early, too early to see, and didn’t last long. Though slow for us, blinds to our east and south seemed to be bangin pretty good most of morning so there are plainly birds around. Saw a lot of high goose traffic of all kinds, seemed like including some new arrivals, way more than seen on opener. When it quit it was dead for us so packed it up early to do a boudin tour on way home.

(3) 2 spoons, 1 GW teal

We had a nice time regardless, and Graham continues to spot what we can’t

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Waiting on report from the marsh, think Will went. No bday hunt tomorrow, instead heading to San Francisco in the late afternoon for a work obligation that I’m just glad is during the split. Will crunch some numbers and post.

[Rick]

If my eyesight declines much more, I may have to kidnap him.

[Darren]

First Split Recap:

Grays 47
GWT 73
BWT 10
Buffleheads 2
Scaup/dosgris 2
pintail 1
spoons 7

142 ducks on 11 hunts

Our marsh club of three members had 107 for the whole season last year, this year we're at 174 in just the 1st split.


This is the strongest 1st split on my log that began with the 2002 season, beating the previous best (2012) by a good few birds. It's difficult to try to put a finger on why we've seen this uptick given we dont really have anything great for SAV. We are seeing birds holding on the property, notably using ponds that are secluded and have edges that nutrias/muskrats have chewed on and softened the edges for loafing and dabbling it would appear based on our scouting observations and seeing where there are feathers on our hunts, the teal love these edges. Water levels have largely remained in check on the lower end, helps for sure, but I stand by the impacts from significant frontal passages in the critical timeframe of 2-3 weeks leading up to the thankfully-delayed opening weekend.

While some others in the general 20-mile radius are also doing well, not all are, and SW La appears off as well, despite the bulk of counted birds being on that end to start the season, so this makes little sense at all. Just goes to show how little we know. Who knows what the 2nd split will bring but we've had some big times and will prepare to get after them on the 20th. Until then Christmas cheer n all around my house.

[Ericdc]

I'm very glad to see this and hope it helps our hunting when those birds start pushing back north later in the year as they often due.

It proves birds still come and if you have what they are needing, they'll stay.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duck Engr]

Our marsh club of three members had 107 for the whole season last year, this year we're at 174 in just the 1st split.

That’s a mind blower right there! Stories like this is what perpetuates the waterfowler’s disease of “it could happen tomorrow/next year”.

[Rick]

On the other hand, my blind fell 120-some short of last year's first split, so the sky has fallen...

[Darren]

On the other hand, my blind fell 120-some short of last year's first split, so the sky has fallen...

Yea that's what, to me, shows how much we don't know. Only a fool would have bet on the above two observations coming through to fruition:

Darren's marsh was way up, AND Rick's was way down.

[DComeaux]

It all depends on where the wad of the few that migrate end up in the state.

[Darren]

Just got back to the camp from a pretty thorough tour of our marsh property. Saw a few wads of green wings but biggest story is the grays scattered about, particularly favoring small holes on west side of our lease where we've not even hunted before. Very few in larger ponds, none in front of the three blinds I checked, so its going to be guerrilla style in the AM.

Looks like we'll be sitting in a roseau patch overlooking a small hole that had a good 30+ grays and some shore birds in it and fair many more scattered in nearby proximity.....it may be a bust but having a hard time simply not trying there after seeing what was in there today. Also hoping that hunting small gets us in the game on mottleds that were in the area as well.


Only one way to find out........ good luck, all.

[Darren]

Sat. 12/20/2025 West Zone 2nd Split Opener
Johnny, Beau R. and I with Harry
HBFC West Roseau Hole
Winds zero, clear and calm, 40s to start but warming quickly

Grays moved early but flat out didn't want it today and we couldn't get the teal we saw to break from their line that was just north of us, total bust in here today and never thought about shooting. I'm over the moon about this hole after seeing how it hunts today, though results were poor it just seems to have a ton of potential and I can't forget how many I saw piled up into it yesterday.....we were a day late. Might be more of a big wind type hide out whereas today it was dead all morning.

DNS


Will and a buddy had 4 in our West Pond

[Darren]

Sun 12/21/2025
HBFC A51 blind
David S, Johnny and I with Harry
Wind mostly zero to very light from SE, 60s, clear skies above the worst fog we’ve had so far this season

Navigation was pretty dicey the whole way but could see stars above us, fog mostly held on though and didn’t start burning until about back at the camp. Green wings surprising us out the fog made for lots of fun, everything was working us beautifully. Shot pretty well with ops we had, called it at 8:30a as we were losing our water back there on the falling tide. Great time and just what we needed after yesterday’s bummer. Saw good many birds on our way out on west side of lease, we need to try again over there.

(14) 13 green wings, 1 gray

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Will hunted solo in The Puddles, we’re now calling them, and had two teal and a wigeon. Bunkie field blind had 19 (one teal banded) and a snow goose in heavy fog.

[Duck Engr]

Back on track. Very nice!

[DComeaux]

Got it going on!

[Rick]

Wondered where my green-wings went.

[Darren]

Tuesday 12/23/2025
HBFC Roseau blind (south)
David B and his daughter (shooting a sweet youth 28g), with Harry and I
Winds mostly 0 to light easterly, 60s, clear skies (no fog!)

Hoped the birds I’d been seeing here would show for David and his daughter, thankfully they didn’t make a liar out of me. Teal were working early and often, pretty as you could want for the most part. Not many grays seen and the ones that came were sketchy. Saw a pretty impressive diver flight passing us on same line all morning in nice wads, mostly dosgris though one group thought to be maybe camvasbacks. We’ve never hunted here so gave us a new vantage point. Three adults get their 18 for sure but we can’t gripe, just a nice outing before Christmas.

(16) 1 dosgris, 2 grays, 13 green wings (with plenty drakes thankfully)

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My guy was nails all morning though we kept most of the work in the pond

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Hope to try them again Saturday, looks really foggy next couple days at least. There’s hope on the horizon for a front next Monday, will be watching.

[Rick]

""Marsh mop."