Preseason 2024-2025

[Darren]

Harry the dog and I had a couple of hours at the camp to work with Saturday afternoon so launched the flat and did our best to run aging gas out of it to and from the lease. After a season of absolutely no feed at all on our premises due to last year's drought/low river/high salinities, was thrilled to see it matted upon entering first pond. Mostly wigeon grass/ruppia maritima I believe, and that's ideal for our grays.

In fact, published studies referenced below found in Louisiana's coastal master plan denote how critical SAV prevalence is to gadwall prevalence. Yep, ask US how we know after the little experiment that was the 2023-2024 waterfowl season in our (too) saline marsh. Even after tropical systems we have SAV in our interior ponds, but last year even the most interior were zapped, not a sprig hardly to be had.

Gadwall are more dependent on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) than many other dabbling ducks (White, 1975; Leschack et al., 1997; Hartke et al., 2009). Plant matter makes up 95-97% of the diet on the wintering grounds (Leschack et al., 1997). The occurrences of gadwall in different marsh types are probably tied to nearby SAV. White (1975) found that foraging was most common in areas with 70-100% SAV coverage. There was little use of areas with less than 30% SAV coverage. In Louisiana, the diet is comprised of algae, dwarf spike rush (Eleocharis parvula), widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima), Eurasian water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), and coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) (Paulus, 1982).

Yea, we saw that.

But already this year, with a whole lot of growing season to go:

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Scouted future Redhead Pond blind build site so I can get some pre-fab work going for that at my house soon. All pond flats surrounding it are covered in it. Then ventured to my favorite hole, our usual, and cleaned out blind there. Removed benches and took measurements for a bench install and probably will be doing a floor over top of this one. Also removed old brush from last season, and left the stuff that's growing. The ants falling out of all of it kept things interesting for sure.

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The big ponds had plenty food coming along, and the important small potholes were pretty thick with it, which are places they go for hiding out and actually holding on the property. Long way to go with both growing season and of course tropical concerns, but looks really good for now.

[DComeaux]

I hope and pray we have a quiet hurricane season. If we do I think the hunting will be fabulous.

[Deltaman]

Glad to see that your much needed grass is growing well!
Your mention of ants reminded me of cutting the bull rushes that were coming up thru the pier boards at the camp I visit below Venice, and seeing the ants pour out of the cut rushes when I did. Our new at the time, next door neighbor, Theophile Bourgeois, had cut a bunch of them and pushed his houseboat on top of them. Later in the day, he said the ants had invaded, so he had fun figuring out how to get rid of them.

[Rick]

Don't know if you'd met the old Cajun couple living out between Mallard Bay Company's Oak Island camp and where they hunt. Cancer had finally beaten Katan (who spoke less English than I do French) a few years back, and Nolan joined her Saturday. Something of an "end of an era" marker, and I'm going to miss their coffee visits to share it.

[Darren]

Don't know if you'd met the old Cajun couple living out between Mallard Bay Company's Oak Island camp and where they hunt. Cancer had finally beaten Katan (who spoke less English than I do French) a few years back, and Nolan joined her Saturday. Something of an "end of an era" marker, and I'm going to miss their coffee visits to share it.

Can't say I knew of them but very much like you, it saddens me when another representation of a dying breed passes on. My great grandmother spoke Cajun French with my mom and grandmother on our visits as a young kid, then little by little I heard it less and less after she'd passed.

[Rick]

The funky old bridge you pass under on the run from Oak Island camp to their blinds is for the road to Nolan and Katan's place.

When I moved here in the mid '80s, French was still common in every little country store, but it got so I only heard it at the funeral home - or when Katan came for coffee. Wonder if we'll even hear it at Nolan's send-off today...

Funny story about the difference between Parisian and Cajun French came about when a documentary was done about Katan's life in the marsh. Was produced by a very nice young gal Nolan had to interpret for who eventually hummed, hawed and squirmed a bit before asking about Katan's name. While "baby doll" here, the poor, embarrassed-to-ask gal only knew it as "prostitute" in old world French - something they got a kick out of.

[Darren]

The funky old bridge you pass under on the run from Oak Island camp to their blinds is for the road to Nolan and Katan's place.

When I moved here in the mid '80s, French was still common in every little country store, but it got so I only heard it at the funeral home - or when Katan came for coffee. Wonder if we'll even hear it at Nolan's send-off today...

Funny story about the difference between Parisian and Cajun French came about when a documentary was done about Katan's life in the marsh. Was produced by a very nice young gal Nolan had to interpret for who eventually hummed, hawed and squirmed a bit before asking about Katan's name. While "baby doll" here, the poor, embarrassed-to-ask gal only knew it as "prostitute" in old world French - something they got a kick out of.

That's a good one indeed, Im sure there's been plenty mis- or partial interpretations from their French compared to ours.

[Rick]

When I moved here in the mid '80s, French was still common in every little country store, but it got so I only heard it at the funeral home - or when Katan came for coffee. Wonder if we'll even hear it at Nolan's send-off today...

Didn't hear a word of French at the funeral home, but a very frail old Cajun priest came out of retirement to preform the Mass almost entirely in French. "Almost" because he broke into English long enough "Not to show that I can, but to tell about the one true Cajun hero, 'Beausoleil' Broussard, who in 17-something led the Acadian resistance against the British, who were then the greatest power in the world..." - and, I'm certain, to be sure Nolan's grandchildren and great-grandchildren understood he was a direct descendant of that hero.

Nolan being a practical man, our coffee talk about that favorite Cajun topic, genealogy, seldom wandered beyond, "Ah, you didn't know him, anyway."

[Darren]

Boss man reported whole lotta grass, and redfish, as he happened to fish the network of ponds just north of our lease on Saturday.

"The stringy kind with long strands?"
"Yep"
"wigeon grass," with a grin.

Wasn't much interested in the redfish report since they're always around, but always glad to hear of more grass in our area to hold birds, particularly given we had none of that last season. He was chasing reds and we were down there battling the seemingly more-brazen-than-ever dolphins for specks. Even had one come check out my hands rinsing in the water on side of the boat.

Few faces some might recognize from hunts:

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[Deltaman]

Looks like a fun trout trip to me, and odd that the Dolphins were so aggressive. I've watched them tearing up mullet, oddly enough, when I was catching trout, and now wondering if they weren't eating the trout, and just scaring the mullet.

[DComeaux]

I need to get out and do some fishing. All of my time right now is used trying to train my wild animal.

[Darren]

Looks like a fun trout trip to me, and odd that the Dolphins were so aggressive. I've watched them tearing up mullet, oddly enough, when I was catching trout, and now wondering if they weren't eating the trout, and just scaring the mullet.

They seem to be getting more and more brave, have the bay boats patterned to simply follow for easy meal. So what's that doing for conserving the resource by throwing back undersized trout only to be eaten by dolphins?

With that said, and all the recent hysteria about declining trout habitat/stock numbers, we are seeing an absolute train load of beautiful juvenile speckled trout. I wonder if last summer's elevated salinities allowed for a banner breeding/larval survival season for them given I understand they need salinity to float the eggs for fertilization, etc. etc.

[Darren]

Just returned from a little work/play combo trip that started in Utah then up to Idaho then over to Jackson WY. Got to see some grays/gadwall, spoons, and mallards in wetlands of Idaho, beautiful country. Tons of snow runoff and rivers are rolling up there, no drought to be seen, all low areas and ponds full. SE Idaho, NE Utah, SW WY corner area on map below.

Down this way back home, its back to normal, with a saturated yard from daily storms, total turn around from 2023 drought when our whole state of LA was yellow/orange/red. Dakotas, NE, MN and IA looking a whole lot better than a year ago as well.

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[Deltaman]

Glad to hear Darren, and what a great picture!!!!!!

[Darren]

Little research this morning indicates Lake Jackson, which we watched over during lunch break on Tuesday, was at about 30% full last year. It was nearly full to top this week, and plans in place (per the news) to start letting water out.

[Darren]

Text from taxidermist this afternoon said your bird is ready.

Jan 1, 2024 hunt with my son, FIL, and Johnny at Bunkie farm

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Added to existing mount to join a blue wing taken with WFF's own Rick at his prior office, both being special places to me for sure.

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[Rick]

Sweet.

[Duck Engr]

Just returned from a little work/play combo trip that started in Utah then up to Idaho then over to Jackson WY. Got to see some grays/gadwall, spoons, and mallards in wetlands of Idaho, beautiful country. Tons of snow runoff and rivers are rolling up there, no drought to be seen, all low areas and ponds full. SE Idaho, NE Utah, SW WY corner area on map below.

Down this way back home, its back to normal, with a saturated yard from daily storms, total turn around from 2023 drought when our whole state of LA was yellow/orange/red. Dakotas, NE, MN and IA looking a whole lot better than a year ago as well.

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Great news on the drought or lack there of!

Probably my favorite place that I’ve visited in the country.

If you drove over Teton pass, you just missed disaster. Looks like a big mess and a long process ahead.

[Rick]

Whoa.

[Darren]

Think that also happened couple years back on north end of Yellowstone Park near Gardiner, MT; neat area with road that follows the river, got washed out in certain areas. Nature's in charge!

[Deltaman]

Beautiful teal mounts Darren

[Darren]

Low because birds found better conditions elsewhere after finding poor habitat conditions on initial arrival? Low because there just aren't that many birds overall? Little of both? Who knows.

https://gf.nd.gov/news-releases?fbclid= ... 0to%20down

Survey Indicates Decline in Breeding Duck Numbers
Thu, 06/13/2024

Watch the breeding duck survey webcast with Mike Szymanski.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 77th annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.9 million birds, down from 3.4 million last year.

The 2024 breeding duck index was the 30th highest on record and stands at 17% above the long-term (1948-2023) average, according to Mike Szymanski, Department migratory game bird supervisor.

“By and large, all species were flat to down. Mallards, for instance, were down about 19%, pintails were down about 29% and blue-winged teal down roughly 13%,” he said. “These species being down from last year is one thing, but when you compare it back to what we consider to be one of our best periods for breeding ducks in North Dakota (1994-2016), we’re down a lot more than that. So overall, mallards, pintails, blue-winged teal, gadwall, wigeon and northern shovelers are down anywhere from 24-49% from that 1994 to 2016 time period.”

Szymanski said the decline in breeding duck numbers has a lot to do with the loss of CRP and perennial grasses on the landscape used for nesting cover by ducks.

“While our overall duck population count this year was about 2.9 million birds, that hardly compares to 5.4 million in 2002, our record-high,” he said. “So, we’re down considerably and were getting into this realm of a lower average where we probably won’t be above 3 million breeding ducks very often based on our landscape conditions.”

As always, spring is always interesting as Szymanski and crew run more than 1,800 miles of transects counting wetlands and waterfowl down to the species and social grouping on both sides of the road. This spring, the wetland count was the 32nd highest out of 77 years.

“Coming out of winter, we were certainly quite dry after having a mostly open winter across the state, but it rained a fair bit in the 30 days leading up to our survey, so that kept it from being really dry,” Szymanski said. “At the time of our survey, wetland conditions were considered ‘fair.’ We had a lot of new water on the landscape during the survey that really wasn’t there when ducks were moving through.”

On the bright side, Szymanski said, rains in later May and into June will be a boon for renesting opportunities and nesting probability in general for ducks.

“There should be a pretty good nesting effort by ducks this year in what upland nesting habitat is available,” he said. “Wetlands are in much better shape now and there should be a really good renesting effort for those birds that had nests destroyed by predators.”

Szymanski cautions waterfowl hunters about reading too much into survey numbers just yet. He said that while the mid-continent duck populations aren’t what they once were, we’ll know more once the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service releases their survey results sometime in late August.

“It can be really hard to predict what our fall hunting is going to be like from what we see in the May survey,” he said. “But throughout summer, we’ll have our July duck brood survey, and we’ll have a fall wetland survey in September to kind of give last looks at what production was like in the state, and then also what wetland conditions are like leading into the hunting season. It’s always important to check back and see what our surveys are showing us that we do throughout the year.”

[Duck Engr]

Hopefully reverse of last year. Numbers were great in Dakotas but fall southern surveys stunk.

[Darren]

Hopefully reverse of last year. Numbers were great in Dakotas but fall southern surveys stunk.

That's just it, counted numbers in a given area really just dont reveal much without being able to simultaneously compare numbers across all the key breeding areas. Somewhere's down? Somewhere else is likely up, etc. Hard for some to grapple with the fact that we dont hunt the BPOP, we hunt the results of the BPOP, so we wish them the best in their efforts!