2025-2026 Season Log

[Darren]

Sounds like a sweet one, birds and company combined.

[Rick]

Going a little stir-crazy waiting on our planned 8:30 departure for camp, and the dog with his chin on my arm ain't helping. But we've vowed to wait until the remaining camp guests have finished before doing anything that might adversely affect their morning's hunt.

Don't mind missing the heaviest rain, but hate to be missing the spaces in between, and hoping something pretty will still be flying after...

[Rick]

Date: 1/25/26 Sun

Time: Didn't leave the boathouse until the last boat, Clark's, came in from the morning hunt around 10 and stayed out until noon.

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: Raining when I went out and in fits and spurts for my hunt.

Wind Direction and Velocity: NW whipping

Temperature: mid 30s

Moon phase:

Special Notes: I'd not missed much in the way of big ducks, as Clark and his hunters, Charles and John Bell, had tried waiting them out, but eventually settled for teal and black-bellies. Will note that our ex- Gov. was wind and rain whipped bright red-faced and smiling ear to ear.

Waterfowl Activity: As noted above, the big ducks still hadn't arrived, but the marsh was alive with teal, spoons and jacks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Can't say the teal were particularly "responsive," mostly just ripping willy-nilly through the marsh and mostly in great waves that made it a treat to be among them.

Hunters: Just Call and I

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Was tickled by how far down gusting wind Call's nose pegged a blue-wing in the grass I'd only chipped. But I doubt he was at all amused by how many birds he wasn't getting to work.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the no-show big ducks.

Kudos: Grand morning to be in the marsh.

Birds By Species: 1 blue-wing and 2 green-wings (today's fresh bird supper)

Photo Ops: Call cleaning up my mess...

Untitled-1.jpg

Lagniappe: Looking forward to seeing what a week of cold north winds and no gun pressure might provide veterans' weekend.

[Darren]

Sweet outing

Looking SUNNY and cold next weekend for vets, sure hoping it delivers for those heading out to try it

Though EZ goes to next Saturday, my gun's clean and racked, dog box out of the truck.

[Rick]

Date: 1/31/26 Sat

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE whipping

Temperature: low 30s

Moon phase: full

Special Notes: A veterans weekend I'd been anxious for since spending an hour or so at my blind Tuesday morning watching the show the deep freeze to our north stocked our marsh with.

Waterfowl Activity: Didn't see the number of big ducks I'd enjoyed watching and listening to Tue, but there were still plenty, and the little duck show was spectacular.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The chop in our decoys didn't help me finish much as I wished for our new waterfowler, but enough came well enough to get him in the game.

Hunters: 2, my gator co-worker,JJ, and his fellow sports girl dad, Don, a long time deer and perhaps first time duck hunter

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call and I butted heads harder than I should have over his not handling to a long water blind, but he was invaluable on both a mallard and a sprig that made it to "land".

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: We fell well short of the dream 9 greenhead and 9 sprig limit.

Kudos: That's an incredibly stupid thing to bitch about on such a spectacular morning.

Birds By Species: 8 mallards and 4 pintails

Photo Ops: Call doing what he does:

Untitled (2).jpg

Don practicing his kill shot:

Untitled (3).jpg

Lagniappe: At one point, while great waves of teal and jacks were whistling past, I heard JJ tell his buddy, "This is really special." Don't know if he heard it - or needed to.

[Ericdc]

Awesome. We said that a few times over the last 2 days as well as we watched birds come through decoys. A rare opportunity these days.

The 3 pintail 3 mallard limit is an intriguing bag I had not thought about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DComeaux]

What a spectacular hunt. It's got to feel good.

[Rick]

Date: 2/1/26 Sun

Time: Stayed in the blind until just after noon enjoying the company and trying to make our season last.

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE light to moderate

Temperature: mid 20s

Moon phase: full

Special Notes: second day of vets' weekend and the last day of 2025-2026 ducks

Waterfowl Activity: I was expecting a repeat of yesterday, only without the wind. I was wrong, and the marsh appeared nearly barren, aside from occasional dribs and drabs of this or that until something stirred "the body" to raise swarms of birds that then sat back down in place. Maybe worn out from yesterday's flight fest?

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Many of the mallards we saw worked much better than yesterday's, but most of the pintails we saw were buzzing around in crazy, teal-like courtship flights that responded not at all. Teal came as pretty as early season, as if knowing they had a pass.

Hunters: 2, JJ and Don again

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call's lack of reliable handling cost us a long fly-off greenhead his predecessors would have recovered. Don't know if we'll ever get past the ADHD issues that have retarded his training, but that will be the focus of our off-season.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Was too pleasant of a morning for bitching.

Kudos: Sometimes what seems slow turns out to be "just right".

Birds By Species: 2 gadwall (one our only hen), 9 mallards, 2 pintails, 1 wigeon and 1 speck

Photo Ops: Too rare specklebelly:

Untitled (4).jpg

One that didn't get away:

Untitled (5).jpg

[Duck Engr]

Suhweet finish!!!!

[Darren]

Oh my what a couple of days. I'd imagine the overall area being quieter sure helped too in finishing big birds.

[Rick]

Oh my what a couple of days. I'd imagine the overall area being quieter sure helped too in finishing big birds.

Byron's blind to our north was still banging with impeccable timing, but he only had one vet hunter, so it could have been much worse.

[Deltaman]

Glad to see your finish so strong Rick

[Rick]

Glad to see your finish so strong Rick

Credit for that goes to fortunate weather. Spent the day undoing most of my preseason work and feeling like I gave a party and nobody came.

[Darren]

Glad to see your finish so strong Rick

Credit for that goes to fortunate weather. Spent the day undoing most of my preseason work and feeling like I gave a party and nobody came.

The prettiest guests were fashionably late at the closing bell

[DComeaux]

Spent the day undoing most of my preseason work and feeling like I gave a party and nobody came.

Very good analogy, and I know how that feels. I've become somewhat numb to it.