Preseason/Teal/Dove 2021

[Duck Engr]

Made a trip up to the farm today and boy is it hot and wet. I just thought last summer was wet. This one has blown it out of the water (pun intended).

Still don’t have my water control structure on the impoundment installed. Has just been too wet to get heavy equipment over there to move the structure and dig a hole for the foundation. Hopefully Mother Nature is just saving the dry weather for when the heat index isn’t 105. Did some levee spraying and trimming around the spillways and that was about all I could take today.

Wasn’t able to get rice planted this year due to aforementioned wet weather, though what volunteered is loving the soggy conditions. Managed to disk it one day right before a rain back in May and have been impressed with the barnyard grass response. Looks like I’m going to have to buy a sprayer for my four wheeler for wet years like this if I want to get grain planted. I’ll be interested to see the duck use this year with the natural stuff vs last year with the rice. Time will tell.

[Rick]

Little surprised you don't have more volunteer rice than there appears to be.

[Duck Engr]

You wouldn’t be if you’d seen the amount of rice seed over the spillways after not one but two “flash flood” events through the impoundment since the seed matured last year. We’re at the bottom of a big hillside. The upshot is that we can fill the impoundment with a 1” rain if ground is saturated. Downside is that if a good frog choker comes through, current is pretty swift!

[Duck Engr]

I have not yet loaded my gun this September, which has to be the first time that’s happened in my life since I was 9 or 10. 2 little ones plus a wife who’s not quite as understanding as some on this board have hampered my efforts, not to mention it has rained most of the month here.

It’s finally dried out for the past few days and foreseeable future, so I laid in bed last night debating, do I go freshen up the dove field before church or throw a few decoys in the pond in hopes some teal are around, of which we haven’t seen any since a week before season. Given the lack of sightings, I opted to freshen the dove field. As I walked past the barn to the equipment shed at 630 I heard that unmistakable roar of wind over wings and looked up to see a group of 20 blue wings dive bombing for the pond. Grrrrr. Hope I’m rewarded in the next week or two with a few more doves.

[BGkirk]

Think I would’ve opted to work for doves as well. Been awhile since I’ve duck hunted by myself


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[Duck Engr]

Finally was able to get on a dove hunt the last weekend of our first split. Work had me too busy to even keep our field disked but our neighbor’s farmer harvested 200 acres of browntop, so they had a few hanging around. Had my Dad and my 3 year old Beau with me. Didn’t get many opportunities but the few we did get were often negated by Beau not having his earplugs in or earmuffs on (whichever he’d opted for after changing his mind 300 times). The dance was see dove, look back to make sure beau had hearing protection in, turn back around to find dove and hopefully shoot. Managed to have the stars align for one dove that he got to see fall and watch the dog retrieve. He talked non stop about it the rest of the afternoon. Nice weather and we had a nice spot in the shade. Enjoyable afternoon.


We spent more time obsessing over the mojo dove than we did sitting and hunting, but so it goes with a 3 year old.

[Rick]

Good on ya. My first thought upon seeing Beau in the picture was, "He should have hearing protection."

Write-up also brought back sweet memories of our own wee ones' first hunts. Much thanks for that.

[Duck Engr]

It has finally dried out enough to get some work in on the new flashboard riser. Poured footer a few weeks ago with anchor bolts cast in, then set and caulked the riser and pipe two weekends ago. Had to wait for dirt to dry again after a few showers last week, and finally managed to get a little dirt on it today. Couldn’t have asked for a better day to be out “working” on the impoundment. My buddy Casey and his little boy came down to help. Worked out well as his son was able to keep Beau occupied while we worked. Still not finished but got a good start on it. Should finish up next weekend, barring a big rain event this week. Dirt packed great.





It’s not a duck project without a run-in with a cottonmouth. Luckily no kids around that day.



Riser is much taller than we needed but it’s the shortest they make for a 36” pipe. Got a whole lotta pipe and not much levee!




Catchin tadpoles.

[DComeaux]

Best kind of work a man could do.

[Rick]

That's a very different "riser" than the vertical inflow pipe I'm used to hearing called that. Looks more like a big out flow box or board gate. Kinda anxious to see the finished product. Bet you are, too.

[Duck Engr]

Official term is flashboard riser, which I lazily shortened to riser.

I too, am ready to see it in action. I’ve invested a lot of sweat in that place. There’s a super moist soil crop in the impoundment this year if I can ever get water on it. Too wet to plant my rice again. Think I’m going to have to run a hot wire fence around any grain crop, rice included, to keep the porkers out anyway.

[Rick]

So it is a board gate. (We talk funny here in Cajun country.)

[Duck Engr]

So it is a board gate. (We talk funny here in Cajun country.)

My dad always referred to them as “stop log drains” when I was growing up. I didn’t know any different till my buddies made fun of me about it.

[Duck Engr]

Just about finished up. Need to take the laser level up to see how many boards I need to cut and to double check top of levee. Didn’t need a structure as tall as I got but that’s the shortest they make for a 36” pipe.







I had not priced rip rap lately and ooof was I surprised when I saw the bill!