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Johnny looks like an Eskimo.

johnc wrote:I would hate to think the goose season would ever be closed

Especially for those of us that keep our mouths shut as far as complaining and actually do quite well with what we have

Amen, John! One of the most perplexing things about addressing "hunting pressure" is that you have to reduce opportunity for the thing you want to preserve. I can get overwhelming majority agreement on the statement, "we should manage WMAs to reduce hunting pressure" ...... but just try it. What everyone means is "reduce the other guy's hunting pressure, but leave me alone."

And you have hit on another point, along with Darren's statement:

Darren wrote:Not all is doom and gloom .....

It certainly is not! What we HAVE here in Louisiana is pretty special even if it isn't up to the memories of yesteryear ..... or even just 20 years ago. With all the complaints, dissatisfaction, and even desperation about our lack of ducks, I also hear of some pretty special hunting on both public and private land across this state. I see the hunting logs of a number of clubs, and talk quietly with a number of hunters who are doing exactly what John says.

Your blind(s) look great, Darren! I'm going to see mine on Friday before the opener thanks to the Veterans Day holiday, IF I get the coastal/Catahoula Lake aerial survey done on Thursday.

"When the buffalo are gone, we will hunt mice, for we are hunters and we want our freedom." -- Chief Sitting Bull. Reckon the Sioux wanted to eat, too.

But from a less romantic or survival oriented perspective: we addicts would be out there scraping resin and sifting through the seeds and stems.

Still far from that point, at least where I hunt. Just frustrating to see us stampeding toward it.

Clark, from Cherry Ridge, was at Tiger Mart this morning talking about the bird show around Shot's: scads of big ducks and "10,000 specks". Don't know about that, but may well take a drive to see if the many has become a mob...

Good looking blinds, Darren. Those little white fluffy things will be all up in your nose on opening morning..... I've had the experience a time or two.

DComeaux wrote:Good looking blinds, Darren. Those little white fluffy things will be all up in your nose on opening morning..... I've had the experience a time or two.

Meant to include that in the original post.........."fuzzies out in full force", but that just means it's THAT time of year and I'm all smiles. Let's get fuzzy

johnc wrote:Now I don't know about 10,000,but certainly more then last year at the same time

So not all doom and gloom!??

We’ve short stopped a few in Morehouse parish

Just hope they spread out Saturday morning and we get some chances to call at some.


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Good deal. Do recall the 2010 season where blues were about absent in the Bunkie area until a good Thanksgiving front, so seem well ahead of that if some are showing already

Blake was pretty certain he had a woodcock buzz through his back yard at dark thirty about a weeks ago, and he's pretty darn good at identifying birds of all species. If it was a woodcock, I would think this is really early. Do they know something we don't, weather wise?

Other than a little rain moving in next couple of days, looks like fairly stable/stale for a while but a couple of weather sites are buying into a front coming through next Wednesday-Thurs. Doesn't look like a big punch as of now but enough to get winds northerly and hopefully move some birds.



Just glad to see a marine forecast that isn't "East 10-15" for days on end like we had before last week's parade of fronts that kept piling up water into our marsh. Right now it's pretty low (and thus duck-friendly) so that's encouraging

From what the crew at Habitat Flats is showing, they're loaded down with ducks in Missouri. They open this weekend so hope to get some pressure moving them southward on the big moon. But boy are they THICK on their food offerings, as expected given its a farm geared toward farming duck habitat. Not sure you could beat them out of there with a stick

Imprinting is heavy for those guys.(Habitat Flats) They are a legal baiting station.

Been following this handy link, keeps me apprised of winter storm events that wouldn't make our local forecast but play into what's most important here, the migration.

https://weather.com/storms/winter

Snow up on the top end

We can only hope for a November like 2014. I only wish I would have known how to blow a speck call that year.



Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, but I have such fond memories of that fall.


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Sometimes waterfowl hunting is like a box full of chocolates that has already had all the really good pieces taken. (25 years ago) You never know what you're gonna get.

Ericdc wrote:We can only hope for a November like 2014. I only wish I would have known how to blow a speck call that year.



Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, but I have such fond memories of that fall.

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Yep! Epic for mid November for sure

Darren wrote:

Ericdc wrote:We can only hope for a November like 2014. I only wish I would have known how to blow a speck call that year.



Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, but I have such fond memories of that fall.

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Yep! Epic for mid November for sure

Youth hunt that year, which was opening day down south, our field was frozen. Kids killed some geese though.


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Story of this week was "mild", or actually hot and that will persist into early next week before our next front Wed or so.

Latest drought monitor graphic below, looking good. Sure hope snows and rain in Dakotas helps that situation for spring



Heading up to Bunkie camp Sunday AM early for a half-day of prep, hope to see some fowl activity. Word from farmer is there are birds on at least part of the property

Have y'all buffaloed yet?

Sunday they're supposed to take a stab at it; im going to offer my 2-cents but also focus primarily on camp work, rooting out the critters, cleaning, etc.

Thankfully, you can watch the buffalo process and blind prep from the camp window....man what a place.