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Sat. 11/13/2021 - La West Zone Opener
Delacroix
johnny, anthony and I with harry
Post-front conditions, wind rippin 15-25 from NNW, low 50s, clear


We listened to grays chattering all around while setting decoys so seemed we were going to be in the game but turns out it was another let down. Took three green wings that came nice and downed our allowed three of a 5-pack of mottleds, losing one lively crip. That was it. Had but one pair of grays give us a look and dropped hard only to ease off, that was it for grays on us. Mid morning we did see some massive flights of grays coming into the area from the north. Hard to tell if they're settling in or just cruising by but easily a few thousand in total. Strange to not see a single dosgris/scaup given how rough the area lakes and bays were. Same goes for mergs, just largely absent altogether.

(5) 3 GW teal, 2 mottleds





pretty birds regardless if not as heavy as we'd want. Blind hunted beautifully for us



North blind on lease scratched. Other reports in our area were mostly green wings and mottleds, grays were scarce overall, true to the LDWF survey. Heard of multiple blinds seeing a few mallards, odd enough for our area as it is. Watching wind/water to see what our options are for tomorrow morning. Harry saved us an otherwise, and initially thought to be, lost green wing that had paddles enough to get away from him initially diving and then made it up a trenasse before I called harry back. End of hunt took him back up in there in pirogue (after initially saying I wasn't going, "nah hes gone") and started what looked like a needle/haystack AT BEST prospect but he eventually tracked down a lively teal waaaay back up the trenasse, tunneling under dead marsh grass. Huge recovery, the nose knows.

Lovin' the pic of Harry with his ears blown back.

Damn Grays.........must've already had plans to move with the front. Glad you got some action for Harry, and hope the front brings some new arrivals to fill the void!

Sun. 11/14/2021
Delacroix
Beau, Johnny and I with Harry
Wind NE 0-5, clear, upper 40s, low 50s

Log says the next day after the big blow is usually dead and sure enough it held true. Just very few birds out and about this morning, never thought about shooting. I’d blame Black Cloud Beau but would have been tough to wrangle a decent hunt out of such few birds we have around.

DNS


Others in the region had some decent hunts on teal today, but very few are seeing, much less killing, grays of any kind of numbers. Will took a nearly too-quick solo limit this morning after ditching his blind and going into a small hole they were using yesterday. Until we get some grays around it’s going to be tough sledding around our lease.

Darren wrote:I’d blame Black Cloud Beau but would have been tough to wrangle a decent hunt out of such few birds we have around.

Then tell him I said it was his fault.

Sorry to hear no ducks - we have not had a good hunting season after a major hurricane in southwest LA, hope your luck changes soon.

Friday 11/19/2021
Delacroix, Will’s place
Will E and I with Harry
Post front, NNE wind 15-20, low 50s, clear, big moon with waning eclipse


Listened to the wind rattle the window screens all night at the camp as we hoped. Hunted a corner blind on Will’s piece that’s usually his best hole; probably a little big of a pond for so much wind but ended up fine. Saw fair many teal here and there, mostly sticking to small water in our periphery but had decent luck breaking them with the call and did us well in close, made our ops count. Killed our two mottleds easily, could have killed plenty more had the law allowed. Easily put eyes on 50+ mottleds cruising the area and most came plenty close on their own. Noteworthy to have seen nice flight of pins cruising over as well as a four pack of snows that couldn’t be swayed with the speck call.

(12) 7 GW Teal, 3 BW Teal, 2 mottleds



Waiting on 1 more




Departed Shell Beach, headed north and grabbed the bike on way to the bunkie farm. Been scrambling to get blind bench installed, blind brushed, decoys out, etc and wrapped it all up in the dark for tomorrows EZ opener. Saw but a few flights of ducks, specks and high snows in the process but that’s been par.

Awesome!

Sat. 11/20/2021 LA East Zone Opener
Bunkie farm
Chris, Phil, Johnny and I with Reb
SE wind at nada, 40s, clear skies, big moon

Greeted with my worst case weather but held hope opener pressure would do the trick regardless; it did last year anyway. Sure enough, was a flat out burner with birds eating us up a few mins before LST until we wrapped it up about 35 mins later. With water at a premium and our big open but very shallow flood, the teal were all over us and it was done too fast. Few grays and pins tried to work but shooting all around bumped them every time. Didn’t think it could be better than the 2020 EZ opener but today beat it. Lots of birds all around. Had some looker specks at times but just too much commotion to even hope to work em.

Crew is staying tonight to try em tomorrow, I’m heading home to rest up for a Thanksgiving week run.

(24) 3 spoons, 3 blue wings, 18 green wings



Broke in his new pit the best way we could, over with before the sun cleared the trees.


Eyeing Mondays weather……

Excellent.

SWEET! Nice to see that.

Report from the field this AM was 22 birds on the table, spoons and teal. Was foggy and pretty calm, much slower than day before but ops were there for 24. Planning to try tomorrow up there behind tonight's front passage then head south to the marsh for couple of days before Turkey Day.

Nice reports Darren

Mon. 11/22/2021
Bunkie farm
David B. and I with Harry
post-front, winds 10-15 from north, 50's, heavy clouds to start and eventually clearing out

My preferred conditions for this morning with some spitting rain on the drive up. Still dusty up there so clearly did NOT get much of any rain there though. Good hot flight to start at LST but so dark with the clouds and treeline we weren't shooting for a bit later but generally made most of what got right. Started to see some bigger birds working today and showing a lot of interest given we've got the water right in front, behind and on about all sides of us for the moment. Hunt was extended when we needed but two more and I put 6 grays on a platter in front and David couldn't connect on his end of the bargain, thankfully got another soon after to close us out for 8:00.

(12) 2 grays, 4 spoons, 1 pintail, 4 GW teal, 1 BW teal

New pit is NICE...and clean....and lit for your pre-hunt prep


He's still getting used to this whole dog box thing


But is a big fan of the water depth, or lack thereof


Happy hunter, glad we got on some birds after last year's single bird hunt where I put him to work picking up much of the goose spread we sold off.



Headed down to Shell Beach in a little while to see about the grays down that way

Things are picking up!

Very nice.

Wed. 11/23/2021
SE La salt marsh
Will E and I with Harry
Winds N/NE (10-15+), clear, 40's to start

Guerilla warfare in honey hole. Took some doing to get in there and knew Will always up for an adventure. Nothing flushed on arrival but they showed at LST and it was over in an hour. Everything was working really nice into our 8-decoy spread, Harry clutch on one long crippled gray but otherwise had easy morning amongst the decoys.

(12) 8 grays, 2 GW teal, 1 mottled, 1 scaup Will had to have, the only scaup/dosgris we've SEEN this season so far

There we go! Nice hunt.

DComeaux wrote:There we go!

My thought eggzackly.

Nice strap of birds, and even sweeter when using such a small spread, Congrats!

Wed 11/24/2021 (I see yesterday was also apparently Wednesday)
SE La salt marsh
Solo with Harry
Wind dead, clear skies, 50s to start and warmed quick, mosquitos transitioned to gnats

Partner for today backed out so went it alone with Harry. Pretty active 10-15 mins leading up to shooting time, grays and mottleds all around me and one flight of dosgris passed through pond. After LST was pretty sparse but had my chances. First two ops on grays were awkward, they wouldn’t get right with the dead still pond, or didn’t want my splasher. Passed on a single dosgris in decoys and knocked two from a wad of green wings only to have one dive on impact. Harry was nails on two big cripple finds in some of the ugliest stuff we’ve got.

(4) 2 grays, 1 mottled, 1 GW Teal





Packed it up at 8:00, Harry and I both getting torn up by the gnats and flight had quit. Lil better shooting and luck and we’re out of there by 7:00a for sure. Back at them Friday in the field. Happy Thanksgiving !

Really nice solo hunt. I can't wait for Friday morning.

That is one nice blind - how long will it stay that clean

Great hunts hope it keeps up for you.

Too bad Harry can't shoot too to make up for a backed out partner. Nice solo hunt Darren!!!!!

Fri. 11/26/2021
Bunkie farm
Phil & his son, my wife and I and the kids with Harry
post-front good north winds 10-20, 40 deg to start, heavy clouds to clearing

Got the crew settled into the pit for LST knowing it may be a short window with all the young kids in the cold. Sure enough there was a good flight to start and we had our chances. No limits taken but plenty enough for our exercises, and our window of kids tolerating the cold was closing just as flight was fizzling. Could have had few more birds for sure but we're not complaining. Of note I did light four mallards on very edge of the spread, and regret not killing the spinners and getting a bit more ornery with the call to try to get them closer to the pit. Flight shut off by 7:30a and that was really it.

(8) 5 GW teal, 2 BW teal, 1 gray





Staying in tomorrow, may try something Sunday with more weather coming through. Johnny had good hunt today with big birds in salt marsh near shell beach camp, grays and wigeon just under a 3-man limit last I heard.

I stayed put and hung ornaments this morning. On the marsh lease, our north blind had 5 grays with 2 more lost, and our south blind had 5 buffleheads, of all things. Report was a nice group of grays was on the approach but bailed out at last min.

Thinking of a field hunt tomorrow with the rain around, despite no wind in the forecast.

Sun. 11/28/2021
Bunkie farm
Johnny and I with Harry
Wind mostly zero and sometimes variable < 5, 50s, heavy clouds with overnight very light rain

Knew we wouldn’t have wind but had hoped some rain would stir things; but rain cleared out as we were arriving. Decent flight at LST but very tough to see them and what came in that flurry seemed hip to our game and wouldn’t get right at all. That flurry was over in 15 minutes and didn’t see a duck from 6:30 to 7:15 when a lone spoon broke our scratch. Packed it up at 8:00 with very few birds seen. Did seem to be a noticeable goose flight that looked like new birds cruising through high headed south. Sure enough saw good body on a field there hadn’t been any so far on way out; identical to this same weekend last year.

1 spoon


Birds here are plainly stale, very little shooting around, and I don’t see a weather shakeup at all for rest of 1st split. Nonetheless it’s historically very early in the game up there so we’ll look to the second split.

Fri. 12/3/2021
Bunkie farm
FIL Mike and I with Harry
Wind mostly zero and sometimes a breath from the SW, moderate to heavy fog across the area, 50's

Stale weather pattern continues but figured I'd get one more in before it closes this weekend and I'm sitting out the last two days for other commitments. When there's birds around we've had good luck on fog days but it was pretty apparent there just aren't very many birds around at all right now. Literally saw three ducks, being a pair of teal that lit on us outside the decoys (was lucky to get one) and a not-identified big duck that cruised over at one point, not a single other one seen. Very few snows were moving in the fog either, never saw any but heard a few bunches. Was bummed Mike toted along a brand new gun that he never got to fire at birds, though did crack off a volley when we packed up to make sure she runs.

1 GW teal

FIL Mike had good time regardless and it was a nice outing, at least we now know and won't be missing it this weekend when I can't go




Reports on coast from home are poor, very stale, few birds. Will killed a few divers today and reported heavy flights of scaup on the move southward, not sure what that's about. With weather so poor, not upset to see the season on a break for a bit. We'll get scheming for the 18th.

Looking ahead, pattern just isn't what we're hoping for.



Little front this week (today) but quickly warms back up to around EIGHTY (80) for couple days later this week before what looks to be a decent front blows in next weekend. However, current forecast is for stale conditions to settle back in for most of next week leading up to the 2nd split opener. In between the fronts, it's well above average all the way up the flyway to the border......not gonna cut it.

What started so promising has come crashing back down with a resounding thud