2014-2015 Season Log...

[Rick]

Date: 9/18

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: ground fog for way too long

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to moderate easterly

Temperature: Too warm to pleasant

Barometer: 29.87 rising

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: True to form the birds moving in the fog stayed over the more open marsh to our east, and we saw next to nothing until it cleared. And then not much.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully sweet for the most part. Was just one bunch (naturally the biggest of the day, grrr...) that worked but wouldn't get just right for the gals.

Hunters: 2 mother and daughter, Mia and Lea

Guns: Rene opted to try someone else's shiny new Beretta 20 instead of my crusty and rusty old Montefeltro, so I got to shoot my favorite after all. And, unfortunately, she ended up regretting her choice due to its unfamiliar safety location.

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): the coyote had an easy morning with a few close birds on the flotant and just one runner.

Special Equipment: Back to spinners large and small and MMM, the later of which I'm pretty tickled with - but big ducks will tell the real tale.

Kudos: Great gals, and we had a big time despite the small show of game. That, and much of what did show was gracious enough to fall.

Curses: Only that I couldn't show them more birds.

Birds By Species: 10 bw teal

Photo Ops: A photo of the taking of two of the bazillion or so photos taken over the past two days. (Would be a trip to know just how many.):


Child and madonna, Lea and Mia:


My "child" chillin':

[Flightstopper]

A picture of two pictures being taken. Wonder how that counts towards the finally tally. Looks like a good day.

[Rick]

A picture of two pictures being taken. Wonder how that counts towards the finally tally. Looks like a good day.

Think my personal record was a picture of three pictures and a video being taken:


And, yes, despite some miscues and the lack of game, it was a fine day. Young Miss Lea even killed a teal "for sure".

[Flightstopper]

A picture of two pictures being taken. Wonder how that counts towards the finally tally. Looks like a good day.

Think my personal record was a picture of three pictures and a video being taken:


And, yes, despite some miscues and the lack of game, it was a fine day. Young Miss Lea even killed a teal "for sure".

[hudson]

Not bad Rick, seems like this year is the slowest I can remember. I'll be after them in the morning and good luck to you in the a.m. A.M. as well

[Rick]

They're spotty enough to feel blessed with what we've had in our marsh - though I often wish my blind were on the more open end of it. Know my Creole kin didn't do pecans over there last weekend, so hope you did better then and this coming one.

[Rick]

Date: 9/19

Time: afternoon

Location: John's

Cloud Cover: too intermittent rain

Wind Direction and Velocity: light and mostly from SE

Temperature: hot until wet, then just right

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Started raining as we arrived and birds flew like gangbusters, to include one flock of maybe 200, but activity came and went with the intermittent rain.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: not good

Hunters: 2. play hunt with Mike, an old friend and favorite hunting partner who used to guide with us and his buddy, Johnathan.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): the coyote and Mike's young Chessie, Tag, who brother Michael plainly hadn't spent enough time with.

Special Equipment: spinners large and small, then just large, as that teal one has been running slow enough to perhaps be a liability.

Kudos: Great to see my pal get a yard pass and be back in the field for an afternoon.

Curses: He married late in life and really got his wings clipped in the process, almost always had good meat dogs by simple virtue of spending a lot of time with them and field experience, but poor Tag, sweet dog that she was, had a ball running around ignoring her man's commands, while he proved he'd not done more than make a house dog of her. And Mike ended up taking her back to the truck while the flight was at its best. Having shot my birds this morning, it was no skin off my nose, but hated to see their too rare hunt boogered.

Birds By Species: 6 bw teal

Photo Ops: Kept the camera in the dry box.

[DeadEye_Dan]

Good reports - thanks for sharing!

[jehler]

Rick I'm a little disappointed with your log entries, I feel as though there should be a lagniappe entry

[jehler]

That's tongue in cheek for all those that think I'm being a dick, Rick will get it I think

[Rick]

Rick I'm a little disappointed with your log entries, I feel as though there should be a lagniappe entry

Sadly, lagniappe is all but gone from our culture now. May well be practiced more in Michigan than here. But, tongue in cheek or not, I'm definitely going to give adding a lagniappe category some consideration. Just not sure I'm clever enough to do it well.

[Rick]

Date: 9/19

Time: morning

Location: East blind

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to light easterly

Temperature: warm

Barometer: 29.85 rising

Moon phase:

Special Notes: Perhaps fortunately, my "hunter" who doesn't even own a gun but decided to give teal a go didn't show, and Lynn invited me to join him at what is now Ed's blind but was once mine, years back, and again for teal season until the past few.

Waterfowl Activity: should have been plenty

Waterfowl Responsiveness: much of what passed worked the big water nicely

Hunters: Myself, Ed "our guide" and big Lynn who has a membership but is essentially family at the camp, so it amounted to a play hunt.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Ed's pond is so big that it's very rare for a teal to fall outside it, so we gave the coyote a morning off.

Special Equipment: two big spinners and a MM

Kudos: Had a ball ribbing each other over who was hitting what - or not.

Curses: Gators beat us out of 2 birds.

Birds By Species: 16 bw teal

Photo Ops: Lynn took this shot, because I reminded him of the coyote making chauffeured retrieves at our blind:

[Deltaman]

We tryin'.

Great reports Rick!!!!!

[hudson]

Sounds like a pretty good hunt

[Duckdog]

Just out of curiosity, why do you refer to your dog as "the coyote"?
Doesn't seem fitting for as nice of a dog as you have there...

[Rick]

Just out of curiosity, why do you refer to your dog as "the coyote"?
Doesn't seem fitting for as nice of a dog as you have there...

If you search "coyote" in the Chesapeake database, he's the only one that will come up: http://www.chessieinfo.net/PedPoint/pp_pedigree.php?id=Coyote%20in%20the%20Woodpile&gens=3&db=pedigree, perhaps because the negative connotation you ascribe to it is so common. But I'm an admirer of the coyote and its ability to not just survive but prosper. And from very early on my own "coyote" displayed a degree of predatory aptitude that would lead to his getting fat if dropped off in the country to fend for himself. That, and there's enough physical resemblance that he could easily be mistaken for one:


Or for this coyote pup's father:


I could hardly imagine a more fitting term of endearment for my dear friend.

[Duckdog]

No negative connotations here! I hunt coyotes...a lot! And I'd say that I admire them more than most, but most people look at them as a stinking scourge of the earth that needs to be eradicated at any given chance, by any means necessary.
That ain't me...

I was just curious,...and maybe a little confused? I thought his name was Peake?

[Rick]

Peake is his call name, I've just fallen into the habit of referring to him as the coyote.

[Rick]

Date: 9/20

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly to clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: Easterly moderate

Temperature: comfortable, thanks to the nice breeze

Barometer: 29.9 rising

Moon phase: sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Earliest and strongest flight of the season to date.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Guys were complaining about them being too close, and if you're going to have problems...

Hunters: 2 hunting but 3 generations in the blind: the Freds, starting their 20th year of hunting with me, and young Charles.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake did a sweet job with what hit the flotant, but had to be stopped to handle with a gunshot (in the air, of course) when out too far to hear the whistle above his own splashing.

Special Equipment: spinners large and small and MMM Only had one group push off the spinners, so maybe some new birds and not just a case of weekenders shuffling an old deck.

Kudos: Tickled to be able to put so many birds before the guys, particularly for our young observer's sake, but Fred the elder needed a few extra ops to get acquainted with a new gun, too.

Curses: Not a one, we were blessed.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal

Photo Ops: Couple of Freds and a Charles:


Charles and his pal playing on the ride in:

[DComeaux]

Good to see you getting em, Rick! It's pitiful on our end. I'm going out tomorrow, but the confidence level is really, really low.

[Rick]

Was shocked when I saw how your morning went. Figured/hoped we were seeing a nice influx of new birds this morning, as there was also a lot more banging in the rice outside our marsh than on the opening weekend. Might just have been a localized shift, and tomorrow may find us in the barrel, too...

[Rick]

Date: 9/21

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil initially to light easterly when the sun came up

Temperature: Cool early but hot in the sun

Barometer: 29.98 rising

Moon phase: waning cresent

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: We mostly sat and listened to the east end shoot until after sunup, then had a pretty fair flight, though nothing like yesterday's. Saw a nice flight of pins and one that was likely wigeon, the later of which is weird this early.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Been having good luck just hammering distant passers with the call until one starts to bank, then really pouring it on. Guys have been struggling in the next blind to my east, which is normally a much better teal spot, and I'm guessing they're just not being aggressive enough.

Hunters: 2 Freds hunting and Charles cheering again.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake did a sweet job.

Special Equipment: spinners large and small and MMM, really liking my mallard machine modification.

Kudos: Turned out most, even to our east fell well short, so we were blessed.

Curses: Have a new gator in the west end of the pond. Still man shy, but not too much so to take teal that fall or are windblown his way.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal

Photo Ops: Our gang:

[hudson]

Good to see you on em now,seems most people don't know that sometimes teal need to be hammered on to get them to respond

[Rick]

Good to see you on em now...

Aside from a hunt or two, we've actually been blessed with much more opportunity than the straps might suggest, as a lot of folks just aren't quite up to the gunning challenge teal present. And given how some traditionally strong areas are struggling, I'm sure not complaining about lacking enough opportunity for everyone through the blind to fill out.

[Rick]

Date: 9/21

Time: afternoon

Location: John's

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: NE moderate

Temperature: hot

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Saw the most birds since before the opener in this spot.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Fortunately excellent with several landing in the decoys for the boys.

Hunters: 3, the camp owner's great-grandson, 8yr-old Cole, his cousin, 11yr-old Gabe, and their grandfather and my favorite hunting partner, Mike.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Just the coyote.

Special Equipment: 2 spinners, large and small

Kudos: We were blessed with the kind of hunt they all should be, especially when kids are along. Cole and Gabe each shot a nice little mess of birds - and even some in the air.

Curses: None whatsoever.

Birds By Species: 11 bw teal

Photo Ops: Gabe and Mike teamed up in one hide:


as did Cole, the coyote and I in another nearby:


Tickled me to see my charge, Cole, who was pretty much raised at our camp, produce a tag from his pocket and proudly z-tie it to his first teal of the afternoon:


And you betcha we took lots of hero shots for the folks at home:


(The decoy is a DHC traveler I'm sitting between weekends with other area hunters.)

[Rick]

Date: 9/22

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: nil to light easterly

Temperature: hot when the sun rose

Barometer: 30.01 rising

Moon phase: waning sliver

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Not nearly so much moving or as early as on the weekend. We pretty much sat and listened to the east end shoot until the sun was up.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: What was around generally came nicely.

Hunters: 2, Buckley, who was hunting with Doug's before I started there 30 seasons ago and his new bride.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake did nice work on a few lively crips.

Special Equipment: spinners large and small and MMM

Kudos: Great to be hunting with Buckley again, and didn't hurt my feelings any that he's a lights out shot and we were first out of the marsh for a change.

Curses: Zip, nada, none.

Birds By Species: 18 bw teal

Photo Ops: Was another good day for the traveler, Kenny (who'll end up with a fellow whose season is lost to caring for the newborn son with medical issues for which it is named):


And for his people:

[Darren]

Very nice, some big smiles there!

[Rick]

Date: 9/22

Time: afternoon

Location: John's

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: fairly brisk northerly

Temperature: cool in the breeze

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Fair flight, though nothing like yesterday's there.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: The boys apparently broke them off whirligigs, as most passed wide without giving us a look

Hunters: 1, buddy hunt with my friend, Bobby.

Guns:

Malfunctions: Just my brain, and subsequently my camera

Dog(s): Peake did well on a couple long chipped birds

Special Equipment: took my carved decoys, "Kenny" and a big spinner

Kudos: Bobby got his birds

Curses: Put my little P&S camera in my t-pocket knowing full well that convenience might sent it for a swim, which it did. Didn't, however, anticipate adding insult to injury by then stepping on it.

Birds By Species: 6 bw teal

Photo Ops: Card survived the swim, so there's this:

[Darren]

Rick,

Your thoughts on the big spinners vs. the teal/dove spinners for this early season? Been running a teal and a dove, starting tomorrow both on intermittent auto timers, on the mindset the smaller & faster flash may be more tealy.

[Rick]

Lots of folks seem to feel the small spinners are more effective because they're faster, and some even goose them more by replacing the AA battery packs with the little square 9volts, which run down quicker but run the motor even faster until they do.

But I usually teal hunt with both a full sized Mojo and a teal Mojo, and it sure seems to me like the big one has more draw, not just from a distance, where it must be more easily seen, but in close. I've often split them on either side of a levee, and have seen enough more birds buzz the bigger one to doubt it's coincidence.

If, however, I'm wrong about that, it certainly won't be a first.