2014-2015 Season Log...

[Rick]

Loaned shells always have a cost.

Van makes two trips a year, so he'll be paying them off in semi-annual installments as long as my memory holds up.

[Rick]

Date: 11/18

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: chilly

Barometer: 30.45 rising

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: slowest morning to date, still not many teal about.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully very good, because other blinds seemed to shoot every time we had a bunch committed and we needed big, slow targets.

Hunters: 2, Docs Charles and Kent

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): coyote did fine

Special Equipment: Spinner as usual, on for teal, off for big ducks. MMM lost the Quick Steel tabs that made it throw water, so I modified a prop to have integral tabs with a propane torch. Also going to add an extension to the piddling short cord they now come with to get it farther from the blind and maybe draw some attention from us.

Kudos: We hit some big ducks.

Curses: Guys weren't even getting shots off on the teal and the timing of other blinds' shooting was uncannily unfortunate.

Birds By Species: 2 blackbellied whistling ducks, 1 greenwing teal, 9 mallards, 1 mottled and 1 wigeon

Photo Ops: Docs Kent and Charles taking a tailgate shot:


The coyote with a long tipped mottled so light I first thought it a mallard hen:

[Woody]

Cool stuff as usual Rick

[Bud]

Sir Rick, I had forgotten you no longer have the ability to swap the seats around one side to the other to keep the wind to your back in the mudhole. To me, that adds even more gold to your successful hunting there. Place we hunted when I first started this waterfowling was the same way.

[Rick]

Shoot, we had one good flock of greenwings land in the hole and still get out without a shot being fired. They didn't want to shoot spoons or Jacks, but I doubt they'd of been in any danger, either. Every day's a new adventure...

[Rick]

Date: 11/19

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: SE light to moderate

Temperature: cold

Barometer: 30.38 steady

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: big ducks were scarce on our end and HIGH

Waterfowl Responsiveness: I sucked wind. Could break high mallards down but couldn't finish them.

Hunters: 2, Jeff and Dave

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): had two birds Peake couldn't come up with, but that could be because I waited until hunt's end to pick them up.

Special Equipment: spinner and MMM which has been returned to proper working order.

Kudos: Guys were great and did as bid

Curses: I couldn't finish mallards - perhaps as much my taking a less aggressive attitude during the morning calm as their starting altitude.

Birds By Species: 5 blackbellied whistling ducks, 4 gw teal, 1 pintail, 2 ringnecks and 1 wood duck (lost two woodies...grrr...)

Photo Ops:

[Rick]

Date: 11/20

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: none to light east

Temperature: chilly

Barometer: 30.18 steady

Moon phase: waning sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Dribs and drabs of this and that and not a lot of anything. Very little "local" activity, either. Maybe the eagles were back and working their spots yesterday afternoon? Seemed a few more teal around.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had better luck breaking than finishing what high big ducks there were again this morning. But had good success turning teal for the first time this odd in that respect season, perhaps because I jumped all over them and stayed there even when they got out over more open/favorable water. Also turned a woodie inside out "sweeeeeting" a speck call, don't recall the last time one swapped ends that fast.

Hunters: 2, Patrick and Dwayne

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake had another good day

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm per usual

Kudos: Great guys who were up for shooting what came and got most of their missing done early.

Curses: Pretty scabby flight that would seem to bode ill for our hunting at least until the next weather change.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 4 gw teal, 2 mallards, 1 redhead, 3 ringnecks, 5 spoons and 1 wood duck

Photo Ops: Greenhead roundup:

[Flightstopper]

Cool shots.

[DComeaux]

Nice pictures Rick! Ellie worked for one of those in the west inner canal this morning. That canal is a tough one, and it worries me every time shes in it. Alligators!

[Deltaman]

Nice variety of birds Rick, and love the photos of your coyote in action!!!!

[Rick]

I'm still trying to figure out that was-new camera without going to the trouble of reading the instructions, and when I noticed those shots uploaded to photobucket in a blink, I checked and found some klutz somehow managed to set the 18mp camera on 3mps, hence, I hope, the fuzziness. Have no idea how long its been that way.

Anyway, thanks. I keep telling myself I need to shoot more pics - but the greater need is of course to put more game on the straps of the folks paying for my attention.

[DComeaux]

I'm still trying to figure out that was-new camera without going to the trouble of reading the instructions, and when I noticed those shots uploaded to photobucket in a blink, I checked and found some klutz somehow managed to set the 18mp camera on 3mps, hence, I hope, the fuzziness. Have no idea how long its been that way.

Anyway, thanks. I keep telling myself I need to shoot more pics - but the greater need is of course to put more game on the straps of the folks paying for my attention.

I do the same. It's sort of a hassle though, to coordinate that with the goings on of the hunt. You need a photographer in the blind. Maybe, Doug?

[Rick]

Nooooooooo...

[Rick]

Date: 11/21

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly mostly

Wind Direction and Velocity: strong SE

Temperature: cool

Barometer: 30.17 rising slightly

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: dribs and drabs of this and that again with a very high mallard flight later in the morning

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Jacks decided to cross the pond today, perhaps newbies, both teal and mallards were pretty responsive.

Hunters: 2, Mark and Mike

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake

Special Equipment: same ol, same ol

Kudos: Nice guys and just enough game.

Curses: none from me.

Birds By Species: 4 gw teal, 6 mallards and 8 ringnecks

Photo Ops: Mike and Mark:

[jarbo03]

Good stuff Rick.

[Deltaman]

Rick, your dribs and drabs are better than most hunters get on a good morning! Great report, and appreciate you sharing

[Rick]

It really has slowed way down, and we've just been lucky enough to put much of what's come by to use the past couple days. Awful lot depends on who's with me, as most I take wouldn't have gotten a shot off at many of the little ducks we're killing.

[Rick]

Date: 11/22

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: SE strong

Temperature: pleasantly cool

Barometer: 30.11 steady

Moon phase: new

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: very little of anything moving on our end other than high, presumably new, geese headed south.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: We stayed caught by what did work.

Hunters: 3, father, son and BIL all new to hunting

Guns: Dad was next to me with a borrowed Browning Gold ported before the choke that flat rang my chimes and son was shooting a new Extrema with 3 1/2" shells that "loosened his teeth".

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote had an easy one.

Special Equipment: SOS

Kudos: Super nice folks

Curses: Super nice folks who didn't get the kind of flight we needed to make it work for them. That, and my head's still aching from Dad's ported barrel.

Birds By Species: 1 mallard, 3 ringnecks and 1 spoon

Photo Ops: One of our jacks:

[IndianaYakFish]

Always enjoy reading your log entries Rick. Good to see that coyote still getting it done.

[Rick]

Always enjoy reading your log entries Rick.

Glad you're here but curious how you found it?

[Rick]

Date: 11/22

Time: afternoon

Location: Klondike

Cloud Cover: cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: Strong SE

Temperature: warm

Barometer: 30.0 slooowly falling

Moon phase:

Special Notes: Been so mad about the few generally poor ag land leases Doug's kept for the camp and the shoddy way most of the "guides" have set them up and left them trashed when someone else did a proper job that I wasn't going to bust my tail to make something right for an afternoon hunt just to find it ruined the next time I tried to use it. But not hunting afternoons has been killing me, too, so I did what I could to make a poor spot right for this afternoon.

Waterfowl Activity: Was a body trying to take one of our pieces to our east that needed left alone for a day or two, which Doug told me he'd do - then promptly sent a "guide" without more sense to hunt it and consequently run them out without firing a shot, much less killing anything.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: As we were well downwind, we might have profited from the body without disturbing it, but noooo... They moved the body and flight across the road to land Doug has sublet to others and made reaching let alone breaking the flight a booger, but enough did hear me to make a pretty hunt. First two were taken out of flights shying off our still odd spot in the levee, but the last four came out of flights that bought in completely and couldn't have been prettier.

Hunters: 2, Craig, who's hunted with me a fair bit, and Jimmy on his first trip

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): First two birds were chipped, and Peake got away with breaking - after which he continued to. Stopped on the way home and bought him a screw in stake to get him back in line more gracefully than might otherwise be the case.

Special Equipment: Five of my new Deception speck decoys that look great but are heavy little devils.

Kudos: Nice guys who did as bid and helped make their hunt an easy one.

Curses: None whatsoever, other than the typically shortsighted display of land "management". Gonna be ugly in camp for a while in the morning.

Birds By Species: 6 specks

Photo Ops: A genuine whopper of a speck:


Craig and Jimmy with their birds:

[Rick]

Date: 11/23

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: strong SW

Temperature: cool to warm

Barometer:

Moon phase: new

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: not a lot of big ducks but greenwings showed in force

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Stayed caught by the big ducks and couldn't get enough of the teal to sit long enough for my guys.

Hunters: 3 three generations trying to learn the game together, which was neat

Guns:

Malfunctions: grandpa had a lot of trouble loading a new Extrema

Dog(s): did a sweet job tracking a fly-off jack through broken marsh

Special Equipment: SOS

Kudos: loved the teal show

Curses: hated that so few would stop long enough for at least one of my guys to get a shot off

Birds By Species: 4 gw teal, 2 ringnecks and 2 spoons

Photo Ops: Grandpa's guys say "cheese" for him while the coyote says "Are we done, yet?" for me:


End of the trail for a runaway jack:

[Rick]

Date: 11/23

Time: afternoon

Location: klondike

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: strong sw

Temperature: warm

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: same spot as yesterday afternoon but next to nothing passing this one

Waterfowl Responsiveness: hollered at a few but only got one to land

Hunters: 1, John who's hunted with me twice a year for a bunch of them

Guns: Silver Snipe 16ga

Malfunctions: couldn't get the safety or second shot to work - but John's now elderly and has a long tradition of bringing guns from his collection that he's no longer familiar with operating.

Dog(s): coyote slept

Special Equipment: stake for the coyote

Kudos: pleasant afternoon anyway

Curses: sure wish he could have gotten his goose

Birds By Species: zip

Photo Ops:

[Darren]

Sent green wings back to you after south and easterly winds flooded our marsh too deep for them to feed where they had been. Need them back for Wednesday please Water is falling nicely with this front....

Also, see you next week!

[Rick]

What day?

[Rick]

Date: 11/24

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NNW strong

Temperature: chilly in the wind

Barometer: 29.83 rising slowly

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Not as many teal as yesterday, but should have been plenty. Few big ducks, though.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal came pretty, but fast for my man. Flight of six or eight cans turned inside out for burring.

Hunters: 1, long time regular, John.

Guns: John had his sweet 16 Browning this morning and only had one hitch with it that I was able to get him over.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote did the do on a tipped can that made it to water.

Special Equipment: SOS

Kudos: Was tickled to see John get so many chances and more so to see him make a sweet double on grays.

Curses: Kinda lost my patience with him on a balloon of a mallard, and when his wife, Marilyn, asked how the hunt went, he told her, "I made Rick say a bad word." Glad he made a joke of it, but shouldn't have happened.

Birds By Species: 2 bw teal, 1 can, 2 gadwall, 5 gw teal and 1 mallard

Photo Ops: Gave up on getting the coyote to show us the drake can's head and settled for this:


John's hero shot:

[Darren]

What day?

Arriving Wed. PM, hunt Thurs and Fri the 4th and 5th

[Rick]

Hope we can find a duck...

[Rick]

Been at least a year, and I'm thinking two, since the coyote was in harness, so I let him haul a light load to a goose blind I worked on this afternoon:


Thought we might make a quick hunt, too, but the flight was perhaps literally a mile high, and opted for the house, instead.

[Rick]

Date: 11/25

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: heavy

Wind Direction and Velocity: N light to moderate

Temperature: chilly

Barometer: 30.16 rising slowly

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: nice teal show early and a fair number of HIGH mallards.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal did as bid, mallards broke from way the hey up if I stayed on them, but were the devil to get over the hole before another blind shot and bumped them.

Hunters: 2, Nelton and Rusty, much more deer than duck hunter - but hunters who understood the value of hiding.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote earned his name on a couple of crips in bad flotant.

Special Equipment: SOS

Kudos: After three mornings of nice folks who were lost in a duck blind, I really, really needed a party like this one and enjoyed the heck out of myself.

Curses: None at all other than how often our birds were bumped by gunfire.

Birds By Species: 9 gw teal, 8 mallards and 1 ringneck

Photo Ops: Nelton and Rusty: