Duck Season 2024-2025

[Darren]

Yea its possible it got water in an unusually early date, but we didn't previously hear 3+ different blinds in there......now there is.

[Darren]

Tues. 11/26/2024
Delacroix HBFC West Blind
Wife and I with our two kids + Harry
Zero wind to slight breath from the WSW, mostly cloudy, 70 degrees, just a "dead" feel to it for late November

Didn't have high expectations given the conditions and how little we'd seen on Saturday down this way but had to give it a try. Saw a few early flights of grays and green wings but that didn't last long and they were mostly just sitting around us. Seems like there's a few birds on the property but they're sitting with such poor conditions. We called it an hour in, and saw a couple other boats come in early as well.

DNS

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Kids had a big time and it was an uneventful outing so that's a plus. Not going back down there until closing weekend of 1st split for west zone on Dec 7-8. Hoping we get them then and to start the 2nd split a couple of weeks after.

[Deltaman]

Darren, I'm impressed that your wife will get in a pirogue

[Rick]

Darren, I'm impressed that your wife will get in a pirogue

No foolin'.

[Darren]

Darren, I'm impressed that your wife will get in a pirogue

She's at home in a pirogue, canoe or kayak for sure, but it's always fun to tell the story when on one windy hunt she was helping me pick up decoys in her own pirogue and was looking down too long untangling lines and found herself getting quite motion/"sea" sick in a hurry.

Hoping she continues to come this season and gets on some better hunts,


Will and his dad killed 8 this morning in the same blind I took the family to on Tuesday, though reported not whole lot around in total. Johnny and a buddy of ours hit nearby public ground and had a sweet one with all grays but 2 GWT to make their 12.

Trying a field hunt in the AM to hope for a few birds and also bring the bike back home for the 2-week break.

[Darren]

Sat. 11/30/2024
Bunkie area farm
Johnny & I w/ Harry
30's, clear skies, light E/NE winds

Calm, clear and cold to start but had a little action at LST that again fizzled before we could do much with it. Noticed off the bat, though, a ton of new geese in the area and had steady flights coming in from the north all morning, both specks and snows alike. Farm to our south shot a whole lot today, and east end of our farm did quite a bit as well so there apparently are some ducks around somewhere, just wasn't the day for our end of the game. Missed just a couple of very tough ops. Harry big on a loooong off chipped spoon out in the stubble.

2 spoons, 1 GW teal


Just before our trek back to the pit

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And some nice wing colors on a drake

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Will took a solo limit in our marsh lease's Redhead Blind; mix of divers plus a mottled and a gray. Sleeping in tomorrow but should get a report from the field blind from some guys going.

[Darren]

We ask for it, and here we are getting it. Guess we'll see.....

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Planning to be in the marsh all weekend.

[DComeaux]

Just makes for a painful boat ride and hours of the same in the blind.

[Deltaman]

Yikes! Should surely push a few birds.

[Ducaholic]

Temps Moderating too quickly. Need Comeaux to freeze his tail off for 3-4 days minimum with sustained north winds.

[DComeaux]

Temps Moderating too quickly. Need Comeaux to freeze his tail off for 3-4 days minimum with sustained north winds.

Cold temps have no effect on this.

[Ducaholic]

I'd put the larger part of the migration about that latitude or just south. Having said that I'd sure like to be in the blind this morning. I'm sure a few new teal and gads will be headed this way.

[DComeaux]

I'd put the larger part of the migration about that latitude or just south. Having said that I'd sure like to be in the blind this morning. I'm sure a few new teal and gads will be headed this way.

That video looks like a netting bait pile.

[Darren]

Lease partner hit one of our blinds this morning and got a solo limit of grays, said modest uptick in overall trafficking grays in the area, including what he could see dropping in at my favorite blind so we've got three of us headed there tomorrow morning.

[Duck Engr]

Be sure to think of DC on that cold boat ride!

[DComeaux]

Be sure to think of DC on that cold boat ride!

Lol!

[Darren]

Sat. 12/7/2024
HBFC Delacroix - A51 Blind
Johnny with my wife Ella & I, no Harry on this hunt as he's recovering from some lingering ear infections....missed him big time
NE winds 0 to 15, 50's, ptly cloudy

Conditions seemed just about perfect, though our strong wind quit on us for a little while early in hunt. I killed 3 green wings with 2 shots to start right at LST, thought we were on to something! Grays really still are not around like we'd expect, and we didn't do well with what few came, losing four (4) chipped grays. Two went down really far, but for sure Harry would have brought the other two to hand. Grrrrrrr

3 GW teal


Will hunted same blind from day before, our West Blind, and strapped a teal and a gray, lost one more of each. He said "way fewer birds today than yesterday," classic, missed it by a day. We are trying the public stuff tomorrow, just not enough on lease to warrant return. Did see quite a few grays getting up again on property to our west that no one hunts so there's some around but not moving apparently.

[Darren]

Sun. 12/8/2024
SE La public land
Beau, Johnny and I, still no dog for this hunt
ENE winds 10-15, mostly cloudy, 50’s

Back to where we’d gone couple weeks ago and again it proved to be holding a few. Shot OK with what we fired on but likely should have tried a few more iffy grays given how many just flat refused us and wouldn’t finish. Not whole lot of shooting heard, and scouted a hole on the way out that we watched a good many grays dropping into, probably give that a try soon. Let some buffles swim but also took a couple.

2 buffleheads, 2 grays, 1 GW teal

First buffles of the season

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[Rick]

"still no dog for this hunt"

Something happen to Harry? Or just no point in him being miserable, too? Hope the later.

Re:the buffleheads (or as Doug's then young great grandson called them "buffalo heads") they've a bad table rep, so a few years back I tried a same-pan test with one and a green-wing. Seeing it's flesh nearly purple compared to the pink teal, I expected the worst, but sauteed together in butter with just a dash of of Lawry's and eaten while still pink in the middle, there wasn't much difference at all in their fillets and legs. Pretty sure I could have passed it for teal a number of ways. Though it was a fresh marsh bird.

[Darren]

"still no dog for this hunt"

Something happen to Harry? Or just no point in him being miserable, too? Hope the later.

Re:the buffleheads (or as Doug's then young great grandson called them "buffalo heads") they've a bad table rep, so a few years back I tried a same-pan test with one and a green-wing. Seeing it's flesh nearly purple compared to the pink teal, I expected the worst, but sauteed together in butter with just a dash of of Lawry's and eaten while still pink in the middle, there wasn't much difference at all in their fillets and legs. Pretty sure I could have passed it for teal a number of ways. Though it was a fresh marsh bird.

We decided to have him sit out the closing weekend after a full shakedown at the vet on Thursday which included some kind of significant ear treatment that's best left to do its thing and not be washed out from hunting efforts. He's otherwise doing fine, thankfully, and we missed him big time both mornings.

Johnny and I are saving many of our birds (most, really) for use in having sausage made at season's end these days, so really makes no difference to me for tablefare. They make for fun shooting burning across the spread, for sure.

Safe bet to mention here but not yet around my house as it's part of a planned surprise for the kids, but Harry's successor was picked on Friday, and she's supposed to make her appearance on Tuesday.

[Rick]

"she's supposed to make her"

One of our guide dogs has been in heat at camp this week, which made for some "interesting" times.

[Deltaman]

Congrats on your new future addition!!!!!!!!

[Duck Engr]

Congrats! Despite the heat complication (spayed both of mine) I’ve enjoyed female over male pups, though this one might put me in my grave.

[Darren]

Guess we'll see if it does anything when east zone re-opens this weekend.

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[Darren]

Sat. 12/14/2024 - LA East Zone 2nd Split Opener
Bunkie area ag land
Johnny, Will E. and I with Harry back in the lineup
50's, SE winds 10+, mostly cloudy

Got report from neighboring blind that there had been some birds on the field last couple of days when he'd rode out there. Sure enough what came around today looked like they'd been there before, ducks and geese alike. Found the rear cut covered in white feathers when I was out there helping Harry. Ducks worked us well and we had shooting to match it, really nice hunt. Huge to have Harry back, helped us out tremendously. Tons of new geese around, probably more than I've seen in the air on our way out than I've seen in quite some time, though not exactly train loads of ducks.

(18) 4 BW teal, 8 GW teal, 3 woodies, 1 pintail, 2 spoons + 1 snow goose

Back in the saddle

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[Rick]

Excellent.

[Ericdc]

Good hunt. I believe there are more birds south of I-20 than north of it including a lot of southeast Arkansas.


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[Ericdc]

Good hunt. I believe there are more birds south of I-20 than north of it including a lot of southeast Arkansas.


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As far as the east zone I meant.


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[Duck Engr]

Nice!! Glad y’all had birds to play with. Hope you bought your neighbor a beer!

[DComeaux]

Oh my...