Preseason 2021-2022...

[DComeaux]

Rick what do you think makes the mud hole so deep?


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All the shot weighing it down.

[Deltaman]

Rick what do you think makes the mud hole so deep?


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All the shot weighing it down.

Good One Dave

[Rick]

Was told, but certainly don't know, that the blind end was "a dynamite hole," presumably from early seismic work - which I know less than nothing about. Maybe just decades of boat props...

[Rick]

Back in the marsh this morning to replace rusted anchor chains and finish anchoring, grind out the remainder of the boat slip and put a perhaps last lick on the pond. Also washed out under a big canouche clump and pushed it to fill in most of the hole in front of the blind, but will have to go peg it before high winds push it back out to who knows where. Oh, and added an hour's grind to what I'd started for the fellow who'll hunt the east blind but is up to his ears in teaching and coaching weekdays,

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Saw a very few teal with the woodies at that east blind, a couple "maybe teal" with the woodies at Gabe's blind, and nothing but a few woodies and four mottleds at the back blind. Still can't get over how neat it looks back there.

Saw five mottleds pass between my blind and Clyde's, and a pair of fulvous flew dead over mine while I was testing my spinner switches. Even saw a blue-wing from my blind, albeit following the open water horseshoe around it, as is their inclination, and passing about halfway between me and the back blind. Just know I coulda broke him...

[DComeaux]

The pond looks fabulous!

Got a report this morning from the guy I lease from as he was headed to Chenier. Driving through Kaplan and south he saw many good flocks of blue wing. Another report this morning from the marsh near our blind was it's full.

What is the purpose of a damn hurricane?

[Duck Engr]

Rick what do you think makes the mud hole so deep?


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All the shot weighing it down.

I chuckled.

[Darren]

Man I wish I was still focused on getting my blind and pond right!

Thinking marsh on my end will be OK, camp likely too, but concern has shifted to my house so there's that. Just our turn, I suppose. Chain saws ready to rock

[Rick]

Said it on Marsh Bear's thread and will again here, be careful.

[Duck Engr]

Godspeed to y’all Darren. Hopefully it’ll wiggle its way east and leave you on the lesser side.

[Bud]

Hope whatever looks bad will not be that bad
The Man watch over all of you, and watch over each other
Pray this will grow weaker faster and not hang around
Hope all the creatures do well, except maybe the mosquitoes and yellow flies
May your hides ride well, and may this storm be to you as water off a duck's back.
Hope for a good season ahead. Try to stay calm, but be prepared.

[Darren]

Thanks, all. Currently tending a gumbo pot to stay busy here in BR. Cant help but catch a glimpse or two at water and wind gauges at the camp here and there, going as expected down that way which so far is OK. Think theres probably 3 ft of water over the slab but our shed is at 8 ft over the slab, and camp is at 20 ft. Winds have been due east 35-50 knots which is bad for surge BUT as storm continues inland it will bring our winds to more southerly and that pushes a lot of our water elsewhere....unfortunately on to others, though.

Can't help but feel for those with ties to Grand Isle, though. Good many friends have camps there

[Rick]

Made a marsh run expecting to put the boat hide back together, pump out the blind and replace the dog's napping/old guys' grab post that the blind had torn out, but found the stuff I ground up to open the boat's spot had other plans and had risen like a thick black dirt cake. No excuse for not foreseeing that, so I re-ground it and then made some more clearing passes through the east blind's pond while waiting on my little bilge pump to get the pit down to mucking level.

Didn't know what to expect duck-wise, but found most of what had been around must have followed their internal barometers elsewhere. Might have moved a half dozen woodies and a lone mottled duck by running the marsh end to end.

Did, however, get treated while poling the boat back into its slip to re-grind by a little squadron of five teal buzzing the west end of my pond. Flat gorgeous in the sun.

As was the morning in general. Not often I've nice things to say about a west wind, but this morning's was most welcome out there.

'Course, it came at a terrible cost to a great many others elsewhere...

[Ericdc]

Thanks, all. Currently tending a gumbo pot to stay busy here in BR. Cant help but catch a glimpse or two at water and wind gauges at the camp here and there, going as expected down that way which so far is OK. Think theres probably 3 ft of water over the slab but our shed is at 8 ft over the slab, and camp is at 20 ft. Winds have been due east 35-50 knots which is bad for surge BUT as storm continues inland it will bring our winds to more southerly and that pushes a lot of our water elsewhere....unfortunately on to others, though.

Can't help but feel for those with ties to Grand Isle, though. Good many friends have camps there

What kind of gumbo? I cooked a smoked turkey and sausage gumbo today. Been cooler, breezy, and off and on drizzling here all day.


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[Darren]

Chicken and andouille sausage


Note for all: "weak" cool front thurs-friday this week so likely to see some slightly better morning lows, and maybe some new faces arriving.

[Duck Engr]

Chicken and andouille sausage


Note for all: "weak" cool front thurs-friday this week so likely to see some slightly better morning lows, and maybe some new faces arriving.

Saw that pop up on the forecast a couple days ago and woooo weeee was I excited!

[Ericdc]

A few days ago they were showing low to mid 60's up here Saturday and Sunday morning but they've backed off that some now.


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[Rick]

All that front talk made me nervous about wind complicating the chore of laying out and driving my gizmo wires deep enough into the bottom to be safe from any back blind travelers that might cut through my pond, so I put that behind me this dead calm and steamy hot morning. Ground out the boat slip one last (I hope) time and put the boat hide back together. Also put the cattle panels that hold my cover back where they belong, sprayed the cattail patch on the pond's west end and ran to the east blind to give its pond another hour - and enjoy some boat generated air.

Only ducks seen were a fulvous family in the east blind's run and a dozen or so woodies in that pond.

But it was nice to see my blind looking normal again:

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[Duck Engr]

Lookin good Rick!

[Rick]

Messin' with ya, and myself, as that was the east blind pre-teal season, and Laura, last year - and after I'd already run a mess of birds off it going down the run. Nothing remotely like that show this year, but it's still the most apt of our ponds to hold little ducks.

It's still open in terms of a full-time guide, so I could still make the switch from the mudhole to that honey hole, but something about all the sweat equity that just went into the mudhole kept that notion out of mind, until I revisited the above clip this morning.

Now...naw, I'm stuck on my little mess of a spot.

[Rick]

Finally saw hopefully meaningful numbers of teal in Klondike this morning while driving to the marsh at LST. Probably a half dozen little flights of teal crossed low in front of me within a mile or so, presumably trafficking from the Nic D'Aigle (north end of the peninsula of marsh including us on the south end and Cherry Ridge in the middle) to someone's flooded stubbles. Enough of a novelty that I like to put the truck in the ditch watching them. It's come to that...

Also put up a dozen teal that were sitting on the back blind when I gave the flotant in its run a perhaps last pass and, later, a similar sized group, or the same one, headed north across the marsh between Clyde and Isaac's. And there were quite a few mostly wood ducks (no "for sure teal") at the east blind when I gave that pond another working over.

Didn't see anything but squealers pass the mudhole, but did get the boat slip ground again, as well as a mess of mud muffins that had risen from the pond bottom, and installed the blind's floor and benches. Think I'm down to brushing and decoys, but may put that off until the bottom seems about through farting...

[Rick]

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Nothing left to do but cut and weave a boat hide door, toss a couple wax myrtle boughs on the boat hide roof wire, anchor the MMM in its spot, stick the spinners on their posts and load the guns.

Got out there pre-LST (to position a motion activated light where it illuminates the step and benches for guests before tossing decoys) and even saw enough teal coming out of the marsh to feel like I coulda, woulda, shoulda at least got my six.

[MARSH BEAR]

Good luck Rick, your report is better than what I saw in our marsh 2 weeks ago - I saw 5 teal, hope this cool front pushes some teal in.

[DComeaux]

Looks good. I predict a good strap for the mudhole on Saturday. We'll no doubt have a slow morning until the rice hunters push.

[Rick]

We're not holding pecans, either, so last year was the outlier, rather than the return to the "Way back when..." norm. Have to wonder if the more southerly marsh regaining Walter's millet after last year's storms is holding birds?

[Ducaholic]

Looks like the place to be for R&R if I’m a teal

[Deltaman]

There's no place like home! Looks awesome Rick!

[BGkirk]

We're not holding pecans, either, so last year was the outlier, rather than the return to the "Way back when..." norm. Have to wonder if the more southerly marsh regaining Walter's millet after last year's storms is holding birds?

I would say yes from what I’ve seen and heard over the past 2 weeks. Which is extremely out of the norm for us.


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[Rick]

Marsh and I met LST at the mudhole for a little dress rehearsal this morning. Pond and blind never looked better, and I figured letting the spinners roll should bring some cause to remind him of his manners, if need be. But all that gave us a second look was a hen woodie, and even the squealers passed right on by.

Did have a sweet bunch of teal rip over the pond, as they followed the boat trail west to east and a low single cross us from the south. Overall, though, we saw about what I did the other morning: lots of squealers, some woodies and just a few teal flights, mostly out of the south and following the more open water if not sky high. Saw more in a single big ag land looking wad crossing the east blind on our way out.

Still hearing "You should see the birds..." from ag lands between Lake Arthur and Hayes, so we should be OK when the shooting starts, regardless.

Y'all have fun in the morning!

[Darren]

I’m sure it’ll be a grand time at the mudhole. Larry’s survey shows a whole lot of birds in the state, with SE La’s number particularly impressive.

Hoping a few shake loose our way.

[Ericdc]

Rick must be pulling double duty.....


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