2014-2015 Preseason...

[Rick]

Thank you! My spasm's have subsided some. I plan on being out a the property in the morning. I must keep the deer flies satisfied and full.

I'm off to grind on the mudhole in the morning.

[DComeaux]

Thank you! My spasm's have subsided some. I plan on being out a the property in the morning. I must keep the deer flies satisfied and full.

I'm off to grind on the mudhole in the morning.

Need some help?

[Rick]

You'd be bored to tears.

[DeadEye_Dan]

Good news - just read a report from a guy here in MI that killed a teal last night that was banded on 8/20/2014 in Saskatchewan - the little buggers should be on the move.

[DComeaux]

Good news - just read a report from a guy here in MI that killed a teal last night that was banded on 8/20/2014 in Saskatchewan - the little buggers should be on the move.

That's a sign of movement, for sure. Thanks for posting. The front coming through Canada now should bring more. You can see the front line at the top of the picture.

curwx_600x405[1][1].jpg

[DeadEye_Dan]

http://www.wpbo.org/node/266

http://www.wpbo.org/node/267

Tuesday and Wednesday reports...bwt's were the most populous bird counted

[Flightstopper]

Now they just teasing is Rick. Just showed up in the mail.

[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1409957392477.jpg[/attachment]

[Rick]

Haven't looked at one of our brochures in years, and have to say the pics tickle me. Not because I took them, but because they bring back memories of great hunts with some of my favorite people. Fellow with the then-year-old coyote was Ed Pugol on what was to be our last goose hunt before he died. Absolutely no one ever enjoyed just being there as much as Big Ed.

The husband and wife are my all time favorite couple (present company excluded, of course), Kelly and Todd, who are always a hoot and seem to bring their "luck" with them.

And the bottom right photo was taken the morning we spoiled Tommy, another camp favorite's, grandson, Hunter, on his first real duck hunt.

Sweet times.

[Flightstopper]

Cool stories Rick, looks like Big Ed he went out happy.

[Rick]

Just realized the printer photoshopped the background of that picture, and that it's one I only kept because the pup was sticking his tongue out at the camera. Here's my favorite of the morning, Big Ed living large:


Really miss him.

[Rick]

9/6: Was a too rare workday in our marsh, thanks to the sorry folks we lease right of way to it from and their failure to pump a foot or so of water off much of the road. Claim they'll get around to it before the big season, but we'll have to make do for teal. Which may very well include what resembles an old fashioned hay ride behind a tractor once the rock we put on the road the last time they let it go gets washed out. Friggin' sin.

But we did get out there, and I spent most of the morning opening the mudhole enough to make a fair little show of water for the teal, and am happy to report I also got the decoys and blind set up well enough to hunt, should something happen to prevent another trip before next Saturday. Sad to report my modified Mallard Machine splasher isn't nearly as impressive slinging slop as it was relatively clean water.

Ran into the right of way owner's son, to whom we give the gator tags as a good will gesture (in addition to crazy high rent) and was told an "at least 10-footer" straightened his hook in the run just before it opens to my pond, and I found that line down again when I went in. Didn't appear to me, however, that there was anything live on it. So there's that to think about every time I cut the coyote loose to work something on the floating marsh around the pond.

All of the other guys saw a few teal before I finally got to watch a nice bunch workover a neighboring blind, and later saw another pair.

Would have liked to do more, but storm cells were crackling in most directions and I bugged out as soon as the essentials were behind me. In front of me on the "road" out was this little jewel forming:




Touching down:


And seeming to dissipate:


But it reformed and touched down again as I was hurrying through the gate, least it change its mind about direction, too.

[FlintRiverFowler]

Awesome pictures. I have still never seen a tornado in real life, and we have a ton of them come through around here.

[Flightstopper]

Gators AND tornados, too sporty for my blood

[DComeaux]

9/6: Was a too rare workday in our marsh, thanks to the sorry folks we lease right of way to it from and their failure to pump a foot or so of water off much of the road. Claim they'll get around to it before the big season, but we'll have to make do for teal. Which may very well include what resembles an old fashioned hay ride behind a tractor once the rock we put on the road the last time they let it go gets washed out. Friggin' sin.

But we did get out there, and I spent most of the morning opening the mudhole enough to make a fair little show of water for the teal, and am happy to report I also got the decoys and blind set up well enough to hunt, should something happen to prevent another trip before next Saturday. Sad to report my modified Mallard Machine splasher isn't nearly as impressive slinging slop as it was relatively clean water.

Ran into the right of way owner's son, to whom we give the gator tags as a good will gesture (in addition to crazy high rent) and was told an "at least 10-footer" straightened his hook in the run just before it opens to my pond, and I found that line down again when I went in. Didn't appear to me, however, that there was anything live on it. So there's that to think about every time I cut the coyote loose to work something on the floating marsh around the pond.

All of the other guys saw a few teal before I finally got to watch a nice bunch workover a neighboring blind, and later saw another pair.

Would have liked to do more, but storm cells were crackling in most directions and I bugged out as soon as the essentials were behind me. In front of me on the "road" out was this little jewel forming:




Touching down:


And seeming to dissipate:


But it reformed and touched down again as I was hurrying through the gate, least it change its mind about direction, too.

What an eventful day for you.

[Woody]

Awesome pictures. I have still never seen a tornado in real life, and we have a ton of them come through around here.

I would count that as a blessing

[Rick]

What an eventful day for you.

Had you stayed at your lease long enough, it could have been more so for you, as the little cyclone appeared headed that way.

[Rick]

9/7:
The coyote and I made a 4+mile foot circuit through prime flooded second crop rice this morning and only moved a couple groups, one decent sized and one small, and a pair of bluewings in habitat where they should be counted in the hundreds, if not thousands, by now. With the possible good news being that they buzzed right out of the area like new birds, instead of hanging around like those that have used it a while. Perhaps they're a sign of better things to come...

But the most positive sign of the morning was that Peake was pushing through driving water and thick canouche, hellbent for rails and gallinules, just as hard at the end of our loop as its beginning, despite temps that left me wringing wet with sweat. He's as ready physically for the coming season as he is mentally, unlike last year, when I let him get Summer fat:

[Rick]

...as ready physically for the coming season as he is mentally...

Peake had his head on my leg, lobbying to go out, as I was typing that, and thinking he might have taken in enough water to be in a bathroom bind by now, I let him out to pee. But, nope, he cut a rut around the house hoping to snag an unaware pigeon in the back yard. They being locked up for our first dove split, he's out of luck on that count for the week.

[Rick]

9/8:
After a discouraging trip to the Nic D'aigle to confirm the likelihood of there still not being enough of a pond there to hunt and that the coyote would understand our "all paws on the main deck" rule applied to the new-to-him mudboat there, too, he and I made a pass through Big John's farm to see how Tiny's water buffaloing came out and found what we've been getting mighty anxious to see:



Were a whole lot more than that snippet caught, so it appears we've had a pretty serious influx the last few days. Hoping it's not everything from miles around and that it's a sign of good times coming. But we'll see...

[Darren]

Very nice! thanks for capturing for all of us unable to take such a nice walk

[Rick]

You're welcome. Though the snipet doesn't begin to capture how neat it was to be out "amongst 'em," it does offer the advantage of lacking deer flies.

[Woody]

You're welcome. Though the snipet doesn't begin to capture how neat it was to be out "amongst 'em," it does offer the advantage of lacking deer flies.

I keep hearing southern boys complain about deer flies, I'm left assume if you're complaining about deer flies y'all don't have horse flies.

[Rick]

We have at least three kinds of horse flies: small "green-eyed," big-assed black ones and a mid-sized version. All have big teeth, and they can be a tenacious nuisance, but they're usually loners and aren't waiting in every little bush and clump of grass to swarm passersby.

[Woody]

We have at least three kinds of horse flies: small "green-eyed," big-assed black ones and a mid-sized version. All have big teeth, and they can be a tenacious nuisance, but they're usually loners and aren't waiting in every little bush and clump of grass to swarm passersby.

gotcha

[Rick]

May be cool breezes coming, but it's still flat steamy in SWLA. Peake and I hiked a couple miles of flooded second crop rice without seeing a duck of any sort, let alone teal, this morning, so we're certainly not covered up in them yet, despite yesterday's promise just a couple miles away.

Feeling itchy to do something ducky, I also cut a mess of canes my blind won't really need for teal and even set up the mat machine and made a cover for the boat hide door that's definitely unnecessary:


The coyote was his usual helpful self:

[Rick]

These little plants with leaves about the size of a fingernail were what they appeared to be using:


Anyone know what they are?

Also solved that mystery today. It's aptly enough "duck salad": Heteranthera limosa.

[DComeaux]

May be cool breezes coming, but it's still flat steamy in SWLA. Peake and I hiked a couple miles of flooded second crop rice without seeing a duck of any sort, let alone teal, this morning, so we're certainly not covered up in them yet, despite yesterday's promise just a couple miles away.

Feeling itchy to do something ducky, I also cut a mess of canes my blind won't really need for teal and even set up the mat machine and made a cover for the boat hide door that's definitely unnecessary:


The coyote was his usual helpful self:

The coyote is a happy dog. Glad to see it's not only mine that lollygags when work needs to be done.

[Rick]

I sometimes get some work out of him, but he bitches about it:

[Duckdog]

Ha! I thought I was the only one to mistreat their dog so!!

I'm just getting this one warmed up,




but my last one usually hauled out my whole field spread! I wish I had pics, but him and I scaled a shear river bank once with him pulling the sled and me pushing from behind...that's teamwork!

[Rick]

Doesn't look like he has a harness?

I've roaded most of my dogs in harness, but Peake is the first I've had haul a sled. And while the above shot of him looking POed tickles me, I think he really gets off on the endorphins such work generates: