2023-2024 preseason...

[Rick]

In the meantime, after going into September teal in his best physical shape in years, Harry's plainly put on a few pounds he needs to shed. No doubt such occurrence has roots in the fact that my MIL has lived with us for the past month, and the kids' sometimes double feeding.

Doubt Harry's complaining.

[Deltaman]

Congrats on your upcoming new puppy Rick, and we look forward to watching his progress here. Frustrating to hear of the changes going on in your neck of the marsh, and yes, we will all greatly miss your daily camp and mudhole log entries.
Hoping a door opens in the meantime!

[Bud]

Tell Miss Mary we love her.

[Rick]

Tell Miss Mary we love her.

Just left her, as she and Adrienne and I had our final Doug's camp meeting. Lots of tears, but at least we're out of limbo.

[Ducaholic]

After reading that I sat here staring at the screen in deep thought for a while. The end of a long, long chapter of SW LA waterfowl hunting.

The nostalgic me feels the same way. It's a sad day for many reasons. We both know Rick will land on his feet but there is way more to this than just no post from the mudhole this year.

[DComeaux]

After reading that I sat here staring at the screen in deep thought for a while. The end of a long, long chapter of SW LA waterfowl hunting.

The nostalgic me feels the same way. It's a sad day for many reasons. We both know Rick will land on his feet but there is way more to this than just no post from the mudhole this year.

I agree.

[Rick]

Friend who manages Cherry Ridge called this morning to see if I wanted to take a ride in their marsh, which I did. Water had, of course, dropped as it continued to spread after they shut down their pumps down a week ago. But the runs and ponds we checked on are still quite huntable, thanks in large part to the marsh hoe work they'd done.

Saw more of everything that had been there when we fished the gators, plus some grays and even a couple nice flights of pintails Clark worked within gun range. Didn't see the first green-wing that could be IDed as such. Thankful for the chance to be out among 'em.

Perry, there was even a still quite rare high flight of specs you guys may have chased out of Arkansas.

[Ducaholic]

We did what we could in the brief time we were there. I'd like to think this weather moved some birds in and that they find some accommodations to their liking.

Rick, Is Cherry Ridge a possibility for you to take root and ply your trade?

[Rick]

Rick, Is Cherry Ridge a possibility for you to take root and ply your trade?

Had to pass when blinds there have been open, but will probably fill in when they need extras and work my way in from that.

[DComeaux]

Rick, Is Cherry Ridge a possibility for you to take root and ply your trade?

Had to pass when blinds there have been open, but will probably fill in when they need extras and work my way in from that.

Cherry ridge should purchase and incorporate that section into their own. Was a thought I had.

[Rick]

Cherry ridge should purchase and incorporate that section into their own. Was a thought I had.

Given the access issues, that's the logical thing, and they may have made an offer, but have been turned down in the past. And our marsh's executor hasn't spoken kindly of CR's owner's previous attempt. Probably didn't come close to the crazy money he's trying to get.

[DComeaux]

Cherry ridge should purchase and incorporate that section into their own. Was a thought I had.

Given the access issues, that's the logical thing, and they may have made an offer, but have been turned down in the past. And our marsh's executor hasn't spoken kindly of CR's owner's previous attempt. Probably didn't come close to the crazy money he's trying to get.

I was on google earth trying to figure out your route to the mud hole.

[Rick]

I was on google earth trying to figure out your route to the mud hole.

South on Talen's Landing Rd to the first 90degree turn where there's a farm road on the right just inside that turn. That road ("Lulu Rd.") leads to our boats which on its owner's land and is the only land access to out marsh. So you deal with them or come in off the Intracoastal, which presents a whole 'nuther set of problems.

[DComeaux]

I was on google earth trying to figure out your route to the mud hole.

South on Talen's Landing Rd to the first 90degree turn where there's a farm road on the right just inside that turn. That road ("Lulu Rd.") leads to our boats which on its owner's land and is the only land access to out marsh. So you deal with them or come in off the Intracoastal, which presents a whole 'nuther set of problems.

I know of that route; I was routing you from the cherry ridge lodge. The intracoastal on a foggy morning would be a pain, and dangerous. I've had to deal with that years ago.

You'd have 2 miles in the intracoastal to reach the canal to turn north, or 1 mile to the pipeline where you'd have to leave your boat on the banks of the Intracoastal.

[Rick]

To get to us from CR's camp, you'd take the main trail south to their southern east-west trail and it east to a cut in its south levee near the end of the big location canal and weave your way into Gabe's big pond at its end. They would, of course just cut a new trail through that bit of marsh, but I've made the reverse of that trip several times by Go-Devil over the years.

Anyone coming in off the IC would want to take it to the location canal and run well up it to dampen the effects of barge traffic before deciding how to get into the marsh from there. I'd want dockage for the IC boat(s) even with our back/west blind and a boathouse for marsh boats on the marsh side of the canal's spoil levee and then cut a new run from it to the back blind. 'Course, one would also want to build a lockable boom across the location canal between that boat house and the IC to slow the thieves down.

And if, of course, anyone carrying pay hunters on the IC would need a captain's license.

[Rick]

Had a text last evening that my CR buddy had made a pass through the blinds east of where we went the day before and seen "the most mallards in quite a while". But also to "pray for rain" as the water was still dropping. Another followed that he had contacted the owner, and she said, "Prayers are nice, but I want two pumps back out there." When you've got it...

[jrock75]

What level of salt ppm do you think the pumped water is?

[Darren]

Beaucoup mallards and pumps, what a wild ride this could be

[Rick]

What level of salt ppm do you think the pumped water is?

Don't know if anyone knows. Shrimp and even flounder came through the pumps, but freshwater fish aren't dying. (Aside from silt suffocation when we were chopping up the flotant in the runs early on.)

[jrock75]

All that headache for access makes their value expectations even crazier. As you know, guys who pay that kind of big $ for recreational property demand easy access. Guess they could try to also buy out the angry neighbor to solve the problem.

We used to hunt an island in the middle of the Mississippi river where the property on land with easy access was selling for $3k/acre. The patriarch died and his kids went to sell it and were lucky to get 1/3 of that price as no one wanted to boat into their expensive property, which was rife with poachers who had likely been hunting it for generations.

[Rick]

Guess they could try to also buy out the angry neighbor to solve the problem.
.

That's his hope, rub being it's will never be more than half-a--ed grazing land and a lot of marsh edge with no huntable open water. Well, that, and he wants to make enough on it to cover the IRS lean, split with his mother and sister, and still have enough to buy a couple hundred high ground acres for cattle, and live happily ever after on.

[BGkirk]

Rick could this not be a case to sue for access ? Happens all the time in the forestry world. Landlocked landowners are going to be granted access through the courts every time. Now it may cost some and the others may not like it but that’s the law. Not sure how this applies to marshland and such


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[Rick]

Rick could this not be a case to sue for access ? Happens all the time in the forestry world. Landlocked landowners are going to be granted access through the courts every time. Now it may cost some and the others may not like it but that’s the law. Not sure how this applies to marshland and such

My understanding is that if it is landlocked, access must be granted from the nearest public road, but having water access makes this a different case. That said, the marsh owners had been accessing through the farm pretty much forever, and that precedent
may, or may not, keep it so if pressed through the courts. But how many seasons might you lose while it creeps through the system?

[Rick]

Aside from a wrong turn leading to a tense search for the only gas pump in absolutely nowhere Texas and all those poor Houstonians with such dire emergencies that they were risking life and limb to get somewhere five minutes faster, the trip to Rockport to meet our newest family member went well. Given that I'm 73, have seen so many others age out of our sport in their 80's, and that calling has been my favorite part of it, I'm thinking this sixth young Bay dog may be my last and might well be registered as "One Last Hail Call," call name "Call".

And holy crap did he live up to it last night! I just thought I was an aggressive caller with a strong repertoire. Otherwise he's a young genius with strong instincts. Made him a puppy-sized bumper by stuffing one of RNT's old canvas call bags with a sock, and he's been retrieving it to hand from the git-go. ("Give" is still "a work in progress," but we'll get there soon enough.) Leash training (ain't goin' nowhere when it's tight) is going well, and we're getting enough "no" work in that he's got his first real command down.

Life is good - unless you're Marsh who quit liking Call as soon as he found out he couldn't screw him. But they'll get their relationship worked out. Both are keeping my feet warm as they sleep while I'm bragging. Expect Call to now do something incredibly irritating when he wakes.

[Duck Engr]

Sounds like he’s off to a great start! Look forward to reading about his progress Rick.

[Ducaholic]

Nice!

[Darren]

Buckle up, here we go! Sounds like its going just fine

[BGkirk]

Man I remember how tired I was between work and dealing with a puppy (until he was sent off at 6 months).
Now I really don’t know how it would go with 2 more humans in the house …. If I choose to start from puppy stage again.
I remember the first few balled up sock tosses in a long hallway. Good stuff


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[Rick]

Night two with young Call went simply singingly - all night long, again. Don't want him to think it will get him out of his crate, but it's been tough to catch him pausing long enough to let him out to air a couple times during the night without also getting the notion that complaining loudly turned that trick. Finally settling down to sleep under this desk after his hard night's yowl, a good dump and whiz, and breakfast.

Work day at Cherry Ridge, so he'll get to spend the morning hollering at the marsh to no avail from a crate in my truck bed while we ready blinds. Never been too keen on their blind setups, but "When in Rome..." And especially so when low man on the totem pole and trying to get a foot in the gate to a marsh that holds so dang many birds. Like the guys in their crew and might even learn that I don't know quite everything...

[DComeaux]

Night two with young Call went simply singingly - all night long, again. Don't want him to think it will get him out of his crate, but it's been tough to catch him pausing long enough to let him out to air a couple times during the night without also getting the notion that complaining loudly turned that trick. Finally settling down to sleep under this desk after his hard night's yowl, a good dump and whiz, and breakfast.

Work day at Cherry Ridge, so he'll get to spend the morning hollering at the marsh to no avail from a crate in my truck bed while we ready blinds. Never been too keen on their blind setups, but "When in Rome..." And especially so when low man on the totem pole and trying to get a foot in the gate to a marsh that holds so dang many birds. Like the guys in their crew and might even learn that I don't know quite everything...

Will soon be a sound I hear for a time.

I'm excited for you.....Looking forward to this seasons logs.