Season Logs 2021-2022

[BGkirk]

Date-9-11
Location-#4 boat blind (with a crap ton of wax Myrtle around it)
Hunters-Mike and grandson Sam
Birds- 18bwt
Time- finished just before 930

Slow to start but singles and pairs trickled in til we had 8 on the strap and then knocked down 5 out of the only big group that came in and then singles and pairs after that til 18. Mostly singles now that I think about it. Used 4 mojos.
Bigger groups wanted to play when we were packing up.
Can’t say many bad things about this morning except crowd control, especially from 2 who should know better by now.
Fun morning overall.
Boone went 18/18.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duck Engr]

Awesome start, especially with a younger gun in the blind.

[Deltaman]

Great Opener!!!!!!!

[DComeaux]

That marsh looks good. Makes me nervous seeing that dog there.

[BGkirk]

Date-9-14-21
Location- Elton ag fields (Beau Barbe’s place)
Hunters- Beau, DL, Kev and myself
Birds-24 bwt
Time - because of the rain I didn’t think to look, but beau was ready to be gone since he brings a crew every morning of the season. Beau is the top dawg for HC Drew Estate in Lake Charles. Big non profit that from what I gather gives most of the money away earned by oil and gas revenue along with timber (which I manage) by way of scholarships and such.

We couldn’t see the birds well as it was so dark early this morning. Shot singles pairs and big groups all throughout the morning. Beau was frustrated that there wasn’t many birds compared to yesterday and the ones we did see didn’t seem to care about decoys or mojos, but obviously enough to make do.
Beaus golden retriever did decent but if the saying is true about the dog feeding off the owners energy, then that’s what was going on this morning. The dog just didn’t have the fire I was used to seeing, and certainly didn’t care which way Beau tried to direct him.
Beau was displeased with our shooting, I blame it on the rain and I noticed everyone kept their hoods on. I started throwing mine off as birds approached, may or may not have helped.
DLs super Vinci wouldn’t shoot his Peters shells so I traded him some of my 2 3/4 winchesters that my browning gold was being picky about. Then the 2nd to last volley my gold did something I’d never seen it do so I labeled it as a major malfunction and put it up.
Beau let me shoot his beretta 20 gauge to finish the last few birds. sweet shooting gun.
Meanwhile I’ve already ordered the “link” from browning as the parts diagram has it labeled that literally broke in half and have been shopping around for a new gun on the internet since I got home. I’ve shot the gold for 10-14 years or so and am
reluctant to give it up.
Fun hunt no matter what and I’ve never chuckled so much listening to a veteran duck hunter cuss ducks up and down because they should be coming to our spread and not flying around like lost geese in the fog. Boy howdy could I get used to driving a 4 wheeler right up to the blind…
See malfunction below:



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DComeaux]

I broke the same part on my VESAMAX a few years ago. It happened when I experimented with 31/2" black cloud #2's for geese. These things are HOT. I still have more than a half box that you're more than welcome to have.

Is that arm molded to the bolt? The Remington is pinned.

I was talking to a gunsmith some years ago when this happened and he told me 31/2" shooters were good for business, no matter the brand of gun.

[BGkirk]

This is actually a 3” model gun.
And it’s pinned


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ducaholic]

Spend that money baw. Get that Italian gun your brother purchased and don't look back.

[Ericdc]

I'm trying to convince him perry but he squeaks a little when he walks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BGkirk]

Date-9-15-21 afternoon hunt
Location-sweet lake/bell city
Hunters- Kyler Carson Richard and me
Birds-24 bwt
Time- I think it was probably after 515 when we got in the blind…

First several bunches didn’t want any of it, they were headed for freshly flooded pastures 200 yards away. Picked at small groups til we had about 8 and we thought it was over until We finally talked a bunch into breaking off from the fresh flooded grass and shot well in that group then after that we couldn’t keep the guns loaded. The rest came to the decoys with ease. It’s so fun to see them work at this place. It’s not far from perfect.
Boone enjoyed a hard bottom and plenty of reps.
Until Saturday



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duck Engr]

Awesome!

[Deltaman]

Zippety-do-da, what a great afternoon hunt!!!!

[Darren]

Sounds like a good time!

[BGkirk]

9-18
#3 the hot blind
Ryan his daughter Aubrey and me, his dog goose
10 bwt lost #11 in the bush
Left @830…. Got WARMMM

Still shooting the 20 gauge to which I still Blame easy misses on. We had our chances to kill 12. Had several up close and personal and several whizzing by that we started taking shots at because of the previous fly byers look like they were 100% committed to make a circle and decoy but would just keep sailing.
We weren’t in the sun til 8 or so, so that was nice.
One of our lease guys got lost navigating to the furthest blind, which he hasn’t been to since last Feb and ended up circling back to our blind right at shooting time asking for directions. To add to that our neighbors to the north seem to have trouble making decisions on where to hunt. They motored around from 545- til several minutes after shooting time. Can’t figure that out.
Done ranting, fun hunt either way.
Starting getting giddy after seeing weather that looks to be arriving Tuesday night with Wednesday morning in the teens for wind speed
Aubrey with strap
Brother Ryan

Note our cloud to the east that kept us cool for awhile


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

12 gauges are for kids and old women.

[Ericdc]

12 gauges are for kids and old women.

Sounded like excuse making to me


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BGkirk]

12 gauges are for kids and old women.

I’m beginning to like it as it’s real quick on the draw but on some going away shots I feel like I can’t knock them down


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

...on some going away shots I feel like I can’t knock them down

Give hitting them a try...

More seriously, I've found the little guns' quick handling more than makes up for smaller payloads with closer shots, but I still don't hit them all.

[BGkirk]

...on some going away shots I feel like I can’t knock them down

Give hitting them a try...

More seriously, I've found the little guns' quick handling more than makes up for smaller payloads with closer shots, but I still don't hit them all.

I had that thought as well about finding a good shell and shot size to run with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

I'd been using 2 3/4" 7/8oz steel 5s for everything the past few years, either Kent's Upland Steel or Rio's Game Loads, until both became unavailable here this year. The Rio 5's are no longer even listed on their site, and 4's are unavailable here, so I've been shooting a hodge-podge of Rio and Federal 3's and Rio 2s for teal with similar good result - except some of the Rio 2s have been too lumpy to chamber in my Montefeltro. (After noting the issue, I cycled the 12 boxes on hand through the gun and found nearly two boxes I'll give someone with a pump.) Plan on shooting the 2s through teal season and saving the few boxes of 5s and case+ of 3s I have for regular season, when my misses become more meaningful.

[Ericdc]

Rick, any interest in the BOSS copper plated bismuth stuff? Definitely more expensive, but better payload?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

Rick, any interest in the BOSS copper plated bismuth stuff? Definitely more expensive, but better payload?

I've only shot it in my 16ga Model 12 and not enough to have noticed any appreciable difference between it and steel 4s through the same gun. Haven't noticed the same fracturing with BOSS that I experienced with the early Bismuth Company stuff through my 20, but, again, may just not have shot enough of it to have done so.

[Darren]

Re: BOSS

See my log from last year, shot a case of their famed 2 3/4" #5 loads through my 12. Overall good results but had one or two poor crimps (IMO, shouldn't happen in a boutique shell maker) and indeed saw fracturing of the pellets within the bird's cavity upon cleaning).

That said, threw a killer pattern, much higher pellet count than my prior standard shells since shot size was down. Seemed to nearly completely eradicate the frustration of hot steel making it clean through grays and flying off 200 yards only to fall dead as a hammer out in the marsh.

[BGkirk]

9-23-21
#3 blind
Cousins Dave and Jared with 3rd cousin Jakob+ Boone
8 bwt & 3 gwt

Started off fast and in a hurry but quickly shutoff. Very unresponsive birds this morning to where I almost thought about pulling mojos but figured we just needed wind instead.
We had 2 big groups completely “ goober” themselves that could’ve added more numbers to the strap but I was ok with it. One group flared off something making the final turn , whether it was storm debris or who knows what. Second group decided at the last second to get between the blind and the decoys after we all had heads down and ready for them to pass directly overhead .
Had multiple 3s and 4s of pintails that would’ve been easy kills had it been Nov.
we made good on what we had. Hope more hunters are stirring tomorrow.

Cousin Jared trying to spot a dead bird amongst the lotus pads.

Hauled a load of wax Myrtle to get us through Saturday as I’ll be in that blind tomorrow and sat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BGkirk]

11-13-21
#2 blind
Ryan and Andrew
16 bwt 2 gwt
Finished just after 7. It was pretty much a watch the decoys out in front and shoot when they get close kind of hunt.
We had 2 decent ops on big ducks but the dog was working then.
Between us 3, we invited 14 other people to try and find a 4th man. Guess it wasn’t meant to be.
Probably won’t be back til maybe Wed when the south winds pick up.

My phone fell out of my jacket into the water 2 min before shooting time.
I felt around in the water with no luck and figured I’ll find it after. My priorities changed after hearing some big volleys to our north.
To my amazement my phone was still on, and working properly when I found it around 7:05. Been in 18” of water for right at an hour.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ducaholic]

My phone never rang lol

[Rick]

My phone never rang lol

You were 15th on the list, but it was misplaced.

[Ericdc]

My phone never rang lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ducaholic]

My phone never rang lol

You were 15th on the list, but it was misplaced.

Apparently so lol

[BGkirk]

My phone never rang lol

Whooops. I’ll have to makeup for that one


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk