Duck Season 2023-2024

[Darren]

Yea I'm not planning to make it a regular out there, Harry was shaking off on dog stand just left of there (a la mudhole blind, which came to mind) so it'll be only an occasional thing......but sure fun to shoot.

[Darren]

Happy 9th bday, Harry

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Think the kids are trying to put a party hat on him this evening

[5 stand]

Happy birthday, Harry !!!

[Rick]

Their time sure passes fast.

[Ericdc]

Happy birthday to Harry, Amos the GSD turned 9 last week.




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[Pennydog1]

happy birthday to your harry, dogs are the reason im able to smile even when feeling low they are precious to me

[Ducaholic]

Their time sure passes fast.

Too darn fast...but it's a hell of a ride and they enjoy every minute of it...

[Deltaman]

.....and the joy they bring to your life is limitless!

Happy Birthday to your hounds!!!!!!

[MARSH BEAR]

Our hunting buddies get old way too fast. Abby is 9 also. I hope we can get a few more years out of them.

[Darren]

Perhaps just the reality, that we, and all our dogs, are getting up there......I made 40 on Thursday.

Water is LOW in our marsh and I had just too many things piling up against me to make the planned hunt today. Up side, though, is getting word yesterday evening that we're told farmer has been pumping for us since Wednesday, so perhaps some rice field therapy is in order this weekend.

Pretty sure Will still went today to the marsh so I should get a report from the lease area.

[Rick]

Perhaps just the reality, that we, and all our dogs, are getting up there......I made 40 on Thursday.

Now you're showin' off.

[Darren]

Will did indeed make a hunt on lease.....Did Not Shoot. Said it seemed everything sat, saw maybe 10 birds.

[Darren]

Took me all this time since last update but finally got 1st split numbers crunched


1st Split Total: 28 ducks, (20); 8 hunts; 3.5 ducks/hunt

Some highlights though: my daughter shot her first duck on the 1-bird youth hunt, and I took a solo limit with my son and wife along for the morning. If ever there were a time that experiences were better than the numbers.........




2022: 113 ducks on 8 hunts for 14.1 ducks/hunt (skewed a bit, of course, with some big ag land hunts we started off with)

The next comparably similar (and a bit poorer) first split was 2009 season: 32 ducks on 12 hunts


Near-term outlook for the marsh is bleak: given Will's observations yesterday coupled with the forecast of very strong NE winds for rest of this week, water is about to come way up in the marsh. "Crossing fingers and toes" that we're heading north Friday and not south.

[Ducaholic]

Send some scurrying NE on Saturday Morning. I don't reckon we are more than 5 miles apart if that...

[Darren]

From the farmer yesterday mid-day:

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Looks like we're in the game, headed up friday late afternoon to get decoys out. Looking like it could be stormy Sat morning but we'll roll with it one way or another. Presuming rear cut is still dry and/or muddy, so should be ideal for some speck FB's. Come onnnnnnnn teal and spoons.

[Ericdc]

Looks like ours last year.....

Spoons love flooded mud

Nice and slick


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[Darren]

Looks like ours last year.....

Spoons love flooded mud

Nice and slick


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In the past, everything liked it. Probably is my favorite field condition......the ducks love to work that big open flood, being so often brings life to the decoys with minimal wind.

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[Ericdc]

Last year it was just spoons and more spoons for us, seems like more teal this year with rice. But ours is still pretty slick


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[Darren]

Green wings are often our top bird with that slick water. 2016 season had some serious piles, especially in fog.

Guess we'll see what this storm line looks like Sat morning, can always just walk back to the camp and wait for nasty stuff to pass........a luxury not many enjoy.

[DComeaux]

I've been hearing really good reports from the Whiteville area since the start of the season. Those who flooded early have done well so far.

[Darren]

Have heard same. Headed up mid afternoon, 5 guns in the pit tomorrow AM.

[Darren]

Sat 12/16/2023 East Zone 2nd Split Opener
Bunkie farm, finally have water
Phil, Johnny, Jeff, Tom, and I with Harry

Got decoys out for first time of the season yesterday evening with some nice goose traffic, masses were on east end of the farm. Rain got started just as we were walking out to the blind and mostly stayed with us all morning. Off the bat in the low light there was some close ops but barely able to be seen. Others were bangin pretty good early but hoped we’d see better later and catch up….nope. It soon shut down, killed solo suicide teal and packed up in the rain. Some promising goose traffic on the later end of morning and sure enough good bunch of specks on ground right by the barn when I went park the bike to go home.

Lots and lots of snows and blues in the area our drive out, just not seeing much for ducks. Buddy that hunts far end of farm, though, said he saw lots and lots. Think Johnny and I have ourselves convinced tomorrow’s sunshine may be worth a try so we’ll go see. Do have concerns that without more frequent rains, we’ll run out of water, it’s barely enough as it is.

1 BW teal


No pics of the no ducks, but setting up all went well and the food and friendship was lights out as always. Still a special place to be woken by geese moving in the night.

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[Darren]

Sun 12/17/2023
Bunkie farm
Johnny and I with Harry
Clear skies, 40’s, N/NW winds 10-15

Held hope the different weather would have them working for us today and sure enough it was much better with teal lighting on us in a couple of wads from early on. Still only a fraction of usual duck numbers being seen, but at least today we were very much in the game, got some call response. Some others still wouldn’t finish, spinner on/off didn’t matter. Spoons looked great then….nope! After first bunch was skeptical of our little speck spread, moved them all together (6 total) to further out in rear cut and it didn’t take long to pay off. Had three hot ones locked out front when 8-10 cut them off LOW over our back swinging out front to come back to pit against wind. Got two, shoulda had another 1-2. Needed this hunt to get our heads back in the game, really enjoyed it. Chances were there for our 12 ducks for sure, lost one other long off GW teal way in far corner of field.


5 GW teal, 1 BW teal, 2 specks

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Specks falling close like they should

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Lagniappe: Another buddy that hunts farm mentioned deer rutting in area so lots were deer hunting. Sure enough, enjoyed watching a young buck chase a doe not 50 yards beyond the speck decoys of our rear cut. Tons of goose activity in all directions today, hoping to start seeing more ducks.

[Ericdc]

We watched a pretty good buck yesterday morning walk tree line south of us.


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[Rick]

Glad you got to work some specks.

[Darren]

Glad you got to work some specks.

Had been since January, but when that first little bunch locked and turned.......

Rear cut is just muddy (usually flooded on normal year) and is sprouting what looks like beans or something. If it keeps up in that condition, seems like we should be in the game for geese the rest of the way. Keeping all the floaters hung in the camp.

[DComeaux]

Awesome!

[Rick]

Rear cut is just muddy (usually flooded on normal year) and is sprouting what looks like beans or something. If it keeps up in that condition, seems like we should be in the game for geese the rest of the way. Keeping all the floaters hung in the camp.

If it's volunteer beans, your pit could well be a fine deer stand. Nothing I know of that they like much better than young bean plants.

[Darren]

your pit could well be a fine deer stand

Would laugh at that notion if it weren't for the buck and doe we watched prancing through it yesterday. Note, they weren't browsing, more of a chase affair, but I'd bet walking out there with a spotlight at night would reveal quite a bit of activity to be seen.

Can confirm Harry sure likes retrieving on the shallow flood, and flat loved retrieving on the dry field when a chipped green wing crashed a burned out on it. White belly up against the dark mud could be seen from way out.

Buddy's family hunting it next two days so will get some reports.

[Deltaman]

Glad y'all stuck around for Sunday