Preseason 2018-2019

[DComeaux]

We're waiting on a shipment of Mexican thatch, which we will try to finagle into a position, or pattern on our Walmart boat hides roof to break up the rectangular look we now have. We plan to install these vertically, and incorporating (embedding) roseau tops with tassels for a more natural look. We may even spray on a little olive drab to blend. This roll is 35" tall x 60' long and I will attempt to cut the height in half for a lower profile. They say it can be cut without unraveling if cut inbetween the knots..we'll see.

roll.jpg

We also have these panels on the way to be used for the door cover. I want to try to hang these upside down, or the opposite of what they were intended. This, to get the leaves to hang down creating a 3D, or more natural look. It'll be an experimental undertaking, and we plan to remove all and store it at home in the off season.

Panels (1).jpg

[Deltaman]

Looks like a good solution for cover Dave! I'm curious as to why you are hiding the boat and getting into a blind, as opposed to hunting out of the boat, and cut your marsh footprint in half? Is the permanent structure something that cannot be manipulated (even if you have to use a chain saw?) to hold your boat? Part of your lease requirements?

[Rick]

I'm guessing "comfort" and "gunning stability".

[DComeaux]

Ricks got it right, but if it were just me to hunt, I wouldn't be in this blind. Like Marsh Bear, I've always hunted in sunken pits in the marsh with the boat away from the blind in cover. I 'd pride myself on the people I'd bring out for the first time not realizing, or noticed I had pulled up to a blind. We had under water walkways installed, mostly cyclone fencing staked under water to the blind. I've looked hard at doing that where we are and may have found a place where I could walk to the blind after drooping everyone off without the need for a walkway.

I didn't pursue this yet, as last year was my first year on this place and I didn't want to make waves. During this season I'll do more scouting and more than likely bring it up, depending on how the new camo job works for us. Over the years I've always been "the guide" on every hunt, making sure all we having a good time with little effort on their part. It's getting harder for me do do this.

[DComeaux]

My son is going through his closet this evening in what was his room growing up and he came across a report/project he had to do for school back in the early 2000's. Of coarse most of it's subject was about hunting and the outdoors. Looking at the pictures makes me a bit sad to see what once was, and I so long for those days.(Late 90's} I'll now be digging up the few photo albums we have and go back in time over this weekend.

This is me and Justin. I'll never forget how excited he was to be in the blind and at the camp. This place was awesome! Most mornings we had to pass on the swarms of teal to wait for the mallards, pintail and wigeon to show a bit later, if we so desired. Grays would dance all over this marsh in big flocks as well, just as the teal flight was slowing.

Erath.jpg

Just look at that face, he's filled with anticipation. He started out in that blind sitting on my lap with a BB gun. In this picture he has a 20 pump. As you can read at the top of the picture, he soaked up the whole experience, and left plenty of bacon, egg and cheese biscuit crumbs all over the back seat.

Erath 2.jpg

Notice how we're dressed. It wasn't any colder back then, than it is today during duck season.

[Rick]

Congratulations on a a great find.

Sure would be nice to enjoy another duck spike like the late '90s. Whole lot better than the decade preceding it, and spoiled a bunch of us. I was in hog heaven, too, only on a rice farm just northwest of AMACO marsh. Had to live with the annual flow of new doyos through the five blinds on the half section with the only rice between us and the coastal marsh to the south. But there was only one blind on the section of same to our southeast. Least there was until a new owner added five more blinds to it and screwed our fat pooch by cutting that flight with more sky-busters...

(Though we only hunted three, there were seven blinds on our half section, courtesy of the late '70's oil boom that apparently started the great LA leasing race. And don'tcha know there was some serious head butting over Doug wanting to hunt more of them. Straight up told him, I'd burn anyone he put in one closer to my blind that was already between the other two, apologized to whichever guides drew those short straws and proceeded to do so until he got over the notion.)

[DComeaux]

This seems to explain what happened to the Canada migration, and if you notice the dates, it makes sense.

1.jpg

2.jpg

This is what is affecting our migration, period.
https://nawmp.org/sites/default/files/2018-02/pp329-342%20Humburg%20and%20Anderson_PRINT.pdf

[Deltaman]

My son is going through his closet this evening in what was his room growing up and he came across a report/project he had to do for school back in the early 2000's. Of coarse most of it's subject was about hunting and the outdoors. Looking at the pictures makes me a bit sad to see what once was, and I so long for those days.(Late 90's} I'll now be digging up the few photo albums we have and go back in time over this weekend.

This is me and Justin. I'll never forget how excited he was to be in the blind and at the camp. This place was awesome! Most mornings we had to pass on the swarms of teal to wait for the mallards, pintail and wigeon to show a bit later, if we so desired. Grays would dance all over this marsh in big flocks as well, just as the teal flight was slowing.

Erath.jpg

Just look at that face, he's filled with anticipation. He started out in that blind sitting on my lap with a BB gun. In this picture he has a 20 pump. As you can read at the top of the picture, he soaked up the whole experience, and left plenty of bacon, egg and cheese biscuit crumbs all over the back seat.

Erath 2.jpg

Notice how we're dressed. It wasn't any colder back then, than it is today during duck season.

Great pics and memories Dave!!!!!!!

[Darren]

Notice how we're dressed. It wasn't any colder back then, than it is today during duck season.

Nonsense! Globe has warmed!! All the "back in the day" duck stories have to include how frigid it was early in season

[DComeaux]

Link isn’t working for me

It's a print PDF file. It's working on my end. Try this???

https://nawmp.org/sites/default/files/2018-02/pp329-342%20Humburg%20and%20Anderson_PRINT.pdf

[Rick]

[quote="DComeaux"This is what is affecting our migration, period.
[/quote]

There is no "period" period.

[DComeaux]

[quote="DComeaux"This is what is affecting our migration, period.

There is no "period" period.[/quote]

Way too many Hilton's with never ending buffets between here and there. If you read the material, it mentions that money is also coming from birders and other non hunting groups who don't particularly care for us waterfowl hunters. It's just a matter of time before these groups shut us down....... The silent killers..... You don't think they're making every effort possible to keep those birds on sanctuary's? Do you believe that every biologist and or other top officials working for the UFWS are 100% behind duck hunters?
I'd think Larry and other state biologist probably have a hard time with these people, and it will be us as hunters to come together to stop this crap. I'm sure they're smiling and motivated by what they did with (for) the Canada's. Now they've become a nuisance up there, and in some cases they have to be exterminated (culled). This will be the fate of the green headed park duck before too long.

[Rick]

Still ain't no "this" or "that" "period," much less the anti-s, period. They're just one more damn thing among the many you've no reasonable way of getting a handle on, some or even most of which we may never know.

[DComeaux]

DU's Political affiliations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000044812&cycle=2016

[SpinnerMan]

It's just a matter of time before these groups shut us down.......

This is one reason I don't like your ideas on baiting or the laws as they exist. Once they figure out if you don't like the neighbors waterfowl hunting next door, and all you need to do is dump a bunch of cheap corn and make them criminals, it gets real easy to end everything. I could definitely see that happening at our club. Many of our blinds are visible from the neighbors. They could row out at night dump a couple 50 lb bags of corn and call the warden. Game over, we are out of business.

Years ago someone did spray paint a bunch of decoys left overnight orange.

I'm sure they're smiling and motivated by what they did with (for) the Canada's. Now they've become a nuisance up there, and in some cases they have to be exterminated (culled).

You have to make a distinction between the MVP (migratory) geese and the resident geese. Or as the guy that runs the one club I am a member, MVP (Mississippi Valley Population) and the GCG (Golf Course Geese). I don't have the numbers for other states, but in Illinois we kill about 2 resident geese for every MVP goose, but I'll bet it's pretty similar. The giant Canadas are easier to hunt for most people. The MVP geese are smaller geese and travel in bigger flocks. They don't respond nearly as well to the call. Biggers spreads and I think a lot more motion (something I'm going to try this year). Before the resident geese, getting geese was rare where I hunted. The resident geese also attract a lot of migratory flocks. So our goose numbers are way up from what they used to be and it includes about 1/3rd MVP geese. They are easy to tell by size. The residents are 10-12 lbs. The MVP around 6.

It does make judging distance tough. Is that a 12 lb goose out of range or a 6 lb goose in range? I've shoot geese from 14 lbs to around 5 lbs. Everybody screws up both ways on that one from time to time. I was hunting with a guide that called the shot on some giants well out of range. I'd have done exactly the same thing if I was calling the shots.

I haven't read your article yet, but all of the culling I have ever heard of was resident geese. The reason being is so many of them live where hunting is not an option. The expansion of the coyote population is what finally stabilized our resident goose population. Personally, I think they should allow netting of Canadas with the same limits and seasons, but no restrictions on where people do it. The sidewalk$hitters need to learn some fear of people. They stand on the sidewalk hissing at me and I scoop them up and take them home for dinner. Pretty quick they would fear people and the problem goes away. If it doesn't, well, I'll have lots of sausage to share.

[Darren]

It's just a matter of time before these groups shut us down.......

Years ago someone did spray paint a bunch of decoys left overnight orange.

Sounds like some Catahoula Lake (Louisiana) antics

[DComeaux]

This is one reason I don't like your ideas on baiting or the laws as they exist. Once they figure out if you don't like the neighbors waterfowl hunting next door, and all you need to do is dump a bunch of cheap corn and make them criminals, it gets real easy to end everything. I could definitely see that happening at our club. Many of our blinds are visible from the neighbors. They could row out at night dump a couple 50 lb bags of corn and call the warden. Game over, we are out of business.

I'm not understanding your comments on "my ideas on baiting"?

[SpinnerMan]

This is one reason I don't like your ideas on baiting or the laws as they exist. Once they figure out if you don't like the neighbors waterfowl hunting next door, and all you need to do is dump a bunch of cheap corn and make them criminals, it gets real easy to end everything. I could definitely see that happening at our club. Many of our blinds are visible from the neighbors. They could row out at night dump a couple 50 lb bags of corn and call the warden. Game over, we are out of business.

I'm not understanding your comments on "my ideas on baiting"?

The more stringent the rules on baiting the more areas that will be closed down. Baiting right now is a big issue that can trap a lot of innocent people or make areas off limits when there are atypical conditions. Crops lost to weather must be mowed when they are covered by insurance. When that happens, how much area is baited and how would you ever know? As you point out, a lot of bird watchers and non-hunters are baiting. So if it is only natural, but the neighbor plants a bunch of crops for the song birds, are you a criminal if the waterfowl also use this area and you are hunting traffic to the unknown destination?

Your ideas of more stringent rules. You will put a lot more people into illegal and gray areas without any way they can know. You never know what your neighbor is doing and you can't find out without trespassing.

And if your neighbor wants to shut you down, it gets really easy with the baiting laws. That's a big part of the reason that I support bait away. It's out of your control as is and even more so if the laws are more stringent. But there are other reasons I don't like the current laws and even less more stringent ones.

[DComeaux]

Well, from my understanding of the law as it is now, if a farmer has a loss of crop before harvest due to a natural disaster, and he has to mow it down, you cannot legally hunt that field, or the surrounding areas withing a given distance. It's on the books today. Your neighbor can do what you say today and shut you down. The only way to not have this issue is to allow for any and all types of baiting, including the spreading of corn and other grains,

I am not at all in favor of this, or any other type of baiting. Dishonest, spiteful people will be just that, regardless of the law, it's just a sad fact.

[SpinnerMan]

Well, from my understanding of the law as it is now, if a farmer has a loss of crop before harvest due to a natural disaster, and he has to mow it down, you cannot legally hunt that field, or the surrounding areas withing a given distance.

How do I know what every farm within a given distance have done? That is my point. Do I have to trespass on all the neighboring farms and try to figure this out?

And like I said, if the neighbor doesn't like people hunting, all he needs to do is bait his property. So you show up to your pit and as soon as you start to hunt, you are a criminal. That is the law on the books as it is. I agree. That's why I want to go the exact opposite direction from you. Less of these situations. Also, you don't have to spend a fortune to legally bait. Taking away the advantage of the high end clubs that can afford a $20k or more bill for diesel to pump water.

[DComeaux]

Well, from my understanding of the law as it is now, if a farmer has a loss of crop before harvest due to a natural disaster, and he has to mow it down, you cannot legally hunt that field, or the surrounding areas withing a given distance.

How do I know what every farm within a given distance have done? That is my point. Do I have to trespass on all the neighboring farms and try to figure this out?

And like I said, if the neighbor doesn't like people hunting, all he needs to do is bait his property. So you show up to your pit and as soon as you start to hunt, you are a criminal. That is the law on the books as it is. I agree. That's why I want to go the exact opposite direction from you. Less of these situations. Also, you don't have to spend a fortune to legally bait. Taking away the advantage of the high end clubs that can afford a $20k or more bill for diesel to pump water.

Somehow this would have to be told to all affected through some sort of process. It wouldn't be hard trough google earth to determine who's affected.
As for your second scenario, there's no remedy or law for being an asshole. You'd just have to plead your case. Be nice to your neighbors and they'll be nice to you, if not, be vigilant and accept what you get or move.

[SpinnerMan]

Well, from my understanding of the law as it is now, if a farmer has a loss of crop before harvest due to a natural disaster, and he has to mow it down, you cannot legally hunt that field, or the surrounding areas withing a given distance.

How do I know what every farm within a given distance have done? That is my point. Do I have to trespass on all the neighboring farms and try to figure this out?

And like I said, if the neighbor doesn't like people hunting, all he needs to do is bait his property. So you show up to your pit and as soon as you start to hunt, you are a criminal. That is the law on the books as it is. I agree. That's why I want to go the exact opposite direction from you. Less of these situations. Also, you don't have to spend a fortune to legally bait. Taking away the advantage of the high end clubs that can afford a $20k or more bill for diesel to pump water.

Somehow this would have to be told to all affected through some sort of process. It wouldn't be hard trough google earth to determine who's affected.
As for your second scenario, there's no remedy or law for being an ****. You'd just have to plead your case. Be nice to your neighbors and they'll be nice to you, if not, be vigilant and accept what you get or move.

"Somehow this would have to be told to all affected through some sort of process." - That is not the law and not possible. The law doesn't specify a distance, but if those birds flying over your head are going to bait, that can be interpreted as your not allowed to hunt there regardless of distance. It's very easy to be breaking the law and have no legal way to know that you were breaking the law. The burden of proof is on you, which is BS.

All the nice in the world doesn't change the fact that some people just simply will do whatever they can to stop hunting as you pointed out in your post.

It's just a matter of time before these groups shut us down.......

If they are your neighbors, nice just won't cut it. And more and more of them are living outside of the towns and suburbs for the rural lifestyle that they cannot stand.

There are a lot of people that hunt in my area that the neighbors call the cops every year. They are 100% legal, but the first shots opening day and the cops are called. The only thing that protects them is the law and that these people haven't figure out that if they "bait" the area, it will be closed.

[Ducaholic]

DU's Political affiliations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000044812&cycle=2016

Nothing new. DU will partner with anyone anywhere anytime in the name of conservation.

[DComeaux]

DU's Political affiliations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000044812&cycle=2016

Nothing new. DU will partner with anyone anywhere anytime in the name of conservation.

I assumed such, and sometime regretfully, you have to deal with the devil, especially on the farm bill. I'm guessing waterfowl conservation got tangled up with the farm bill as it would not survive on it's own. I wish this would be separated, or at least better managed then it is now. Money has a blinding effect on those so called non profits.

[DComeaux]

Dave - where did you find that Mexican grass stuff. Is there a website?

Home Depot has it, but it has to be ordered. Look up roll Thatch, or better yet, here's the link. Many of the waterfowl hunting supply websites have this stuff, but not in bulk, and I found them a bit more expensive.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Backyard-X-Scapes-35-in-H-x-60-ft-L-Mexican-Palm-Thatch-Runner-511-60XL/303067741


The tiki shack has it as well.
https://www.tikishackimporter.com/tiki-thatch.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr_bO-PDY3AIVAR1pCh3dUQ7OEAAYASAAEgJ38_D_BwE

[Ducaholic]

DU's Political affiliations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000044812&cycle=2016

Nothing new. DU will partner with anyone anywhere anytime in the name of conservation.

I assumed such, and sometime regretfully, you have to deal with the devil, especially on the farm bill. I'm guessing waterfowl conservation got tangled up with the farm bill as it would not survive on it's own. I wish this would be separated, or at least better managed then it is now. Money has a blinding effect on those so called non profits.

Yeah well for DU to be most effective in terms of what they deem most important they have to follow the money and that includes the farm bill which we both know covers everything from food stamps to conservation program dollars.

[DComeaux]

DU's Political affiliations.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000044812&cycle=2016

Nothing new. DU will partner with anyone anywhere anytime in the name of conservation.

I assumed such, and sometime regretfully, you have to deal with the devil, especially on the farm bill. I'm guessing waterfowl conservation got tangled up with the farm bill as it would not survive on it's own. I wish this would be separated, or at least better managed then it is now. Money has a blinding effect on those so called non profits.

Yeah well for DU to be most effective in terms of what they deem most important they have to follow the money and that includes the farm bill which we both know covers everything from food stamps to conservation program dollars.

Hence the shady characters on the donation list.