2015-2016 Season Log

[Darren]

Wild that you saw an uptick in teal, but the blinds usually blazing away on them were slow.

Love to see those shots of Peake with the mallards, to me one of the quintessential images of the mudhole's log since I started following it.

[Rick]

Wild that you saw an uptick in teal, but the blinds usually blazing away on them were slow.

The blind beyond me to the west that seldom sees many teal was second in numbers behind us with more teal than we had.

Don't ever know until you go.

[Ericdc]

Comparing this year to last year, we are seeing substantially less trafficking ducks that are workable. Seems like this year they have all been extremely high or low locals. Both of which are really tough to do much with. Last year we were able to break some medium to high bunches. Over a third of our season left, just getting less optimistic.

[Rick]

Comparing this year to last year, we are seeing substantially less trafficking ducks that are workable. Seems like this year they have all been extremely high or low locals. Both of which are really tough to do much with.

A little while back, I replaced the quieter call on my lanyard with an over-bored MVP that will get even louder than the standard MVP I've always leaned heaviest on (pun intended), and I've not found reason to second guess that decision, other than not always having the wind to finish reeling in the tallest stuff that will break to it. (Harder they are to break, the harder I have to stay on them to break their previous momentum to wherever they were headed.) Just a tough season, when it hurts to see anything get by at any range.

[Ericdc]

I guess when nothing is giving you a look and you aren't getting any easy ones it's harder to get motivated to hail at em. Will keep trying though

[Rick]

It's that or go home lighter. And, in my case, disappoint more folks.

[Rick]

Date: 1/6

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: none to moderate ENE

Temperature: 40s

Barometer: 30.22 flat

Moon phase: 12% waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Saw a few more teal early that the past few days and scads passed way the hey up headed south for a while, but there was no appreciable big duck flight.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal came like they should (and left like they shouldn't, even after landing) and even tripped up a few local ducks by waiting until they were passing close, then shocking a reflex break our way out of them (again, largely to no avail).

Hunters: 2, John again on his second hunt and Fob's son, Tim. (Fob slept in.)

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Thought the old dog would wear himself to a nub catching a tipped Susie in a pothole she wouldn't abandon, but he brought her in with more bounce in his step than we've seen on a return in weeks. Reckon he was extra proud of catching her.

Special Equipment: mmm and spinner

Curses: We showed zero respect for the birds' eyes and missed most of what was nearsighted enough to come anyway.

Kudos: Nice folks and still a more pleasant morning than most when I throw in the towel on getting something killed.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gw teal, 2 mallards and 2 shovellers

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Deltaman]

"Curses: We showed zero respect for the birds' eyes and missed most of what was nearsighted enough to come anyway."

Damn Rick, bet it is hard to hold your tongue at times

[Rick]

Their hunt.

[Rick]

Date: 1/7

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: rainish

Wind Direction and Velocity: variable in both regards

Temperature: warm

Barometer:

Moon phase: small

Special Notes: little wet front we'd hoped would stir the pot was a fizzle

Waterfowl Activity: more of the same only fewer locals seen hopping

Waterfowl Responsiveness: what big ducks tried to work got banged out

Hunters: 2, JJ and Stephen

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Did a nice job of hunting up our lone big duck, a gray that bled out too far away for me to get a good mark on.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm

Curses: still no real weather change or birds

Kudos: nice guys, so a nice morning

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal, 1 gadwall, 6 gw teal and 3 shovellers

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

I'm going after them Saturday through Monday with this Arctic front pushing through. 30 degree temp drop from Saturday to Sunday morning should help.

[Rick]

Date: 1/8/16

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: fog but real and not too thick

Wind Direction and Velocity: SE light to moderate

Temperature: cool

Barometer:

Moon phase: 2% waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Was enough SE wind to stir the teal and not too much fog for them to fly in, though they did seem extra spooky.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Teal came plenty well enough. Big ducks got muffed by one thing or another.

Hunters: 2, Darren's FIL, Mike, and his new to duck hunting buddy, Larry.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The old coyote's not anxious to go for the long falls, but still death's shadow once he hits scent. Returned with one I thought futile after a very long pursuit that had me wondering how I might get my dog back.

Special Equipment: mmm and spinner

Curses: Crooked barrels and crowd control cost a few big ducks, but that's scratching for something to complain about.

Kudos: Nice guys, and the new duck hunter, Larry, shot very well. (Mike didn't shoot any better than me.)

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal and 17 greenwings

Photo Ops: Larry and Mike:


Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

Nice, my brother had a good shoot in creole area as well.

[DComeaux]

I would like some green wing.....

[Rick]

I would like some green wing.....

Gots to be there when they is. I get to absolutely craving teal shooting when they're scarce, which will be again very soon, if not in the morning.

[Darren]

Sounded like Mike and all his crew had a big 'ol time. Going to try to get him out on my end soon

[Rick]

Think his other buddy and son had a slow start in the back blind, but they passed on their way to one of the better little duck blinds to our east while we were picking up.

[DComeaux]

Nice weather for a duck hunt this morning.

[Rick]

Nice weather for a duck hunt this morning.

Nice enough that our teal were still around, but that's about to end - with no new big ducks in sight.

[Rick]

Date: !/9

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly to ground fog

Wind Direction and Velocity: N zip to light

Temperature: 57 all morning

Barometer: 29.78 flat

Moon phase: new

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Still plenty of teal in the marsh, but virtually no new big ducks.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Whistling early on got us off to a strong start before neighboring guns became much of an issue.

Hunters: 2, Mark and Murphy from Alaska(?)

Guns:

Malfunctions: severely bent barrels

Dog(s): Peake did a sweat job but got screwed after a 1/4 track on our only big duck, a gray I thought fell dead, but that flew off when he finally tracked it down at what we thought hunt's end.

Special Equipment: mmm and spinner

Curses: Turned out the guys were new to the game and struggling to operate borrowed Extremas, so we weren't able to finish promptly and let the back blind crew move into mine as soon as we should have.

Kudos: Super nice guys and we had a big time.

Birds By Species: 2 bw teal, 14 gw teal and 2 shovellers

Photo Ops: Mark and Murphy:


Lagniappe:

[Bruce Yerkes]

Rick I will be in camp Sunday evening, so hope you save me some ducks next week. See you then, looking forward to it.

Bruce.

[Rick]

Date: 1/9

Time: afternoon

Location: thornwell middle blind

Cloud Cover: clear to super cloudy

Wind Direction and Velocity: West to NW whipping

Temperature: got cold when the clouds rolled over the sun

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Had a body of geese on the next farm over, but the guys between us and they acted the ass and took crazy high shots at everything over their field. Also a few bunches of big ducks around.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Birds tried to work sweet only to get banged out time and again. Still managed to land a single speck and part of a group in the decoys.

Hunters: 2, Mikes, father and grown son who've hunted with us for years.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Easy afternoon with no long falls.

Special Equipment:

Curses: Thought sure the guys I knew in the group that leases the whacker blind couldn't be with whoever was taking such stupid shots, but they were - and lost a lot of my respect.

Kudos: The Mikes had me reserved this morning but have been getting jacked around the past two hunts so the boss could stroke other folks, and it sure tickled me to put birds on them. (Though we'd surely have had all of our specks if not for the following exchange with a foursome trying to commit suicide. "Take 'em now?" "No!" BANG!!! Just a few seconds too soon.)

Birds By Species: 2 pintails, 5 specks and 1 snow

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Rick]

Rick I will be in camp Sunday evening, so hope you save me some ducks next week. See you then, looking forward to it.

Bruce.

Wish there were ducks to save. Greenwings will likely be gone with the wind change, so we'll be taking pot luck.

[Rick]

Date: 1/10/16

Time: morning

Location: mudhole

Cloud Cover: cloudy to partly at the end

Wind Direction and Velocity: NW right brisk

Temperature: upper 30s

Barometer:

Moon phase: new

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Wasn't a "flight" of anything, except maybe early teal (which beat us badly), and even the locals seemed less prevalent than usual.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Broke most of our birds from way the hey up, with a few exceptions, and usually had them finishing too directly over the back of the blind, making it hard to get them out front without catching us.

Hunters: 2 Mikes again

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): The coyote earned his kibble chasing tipped mallards all over the marsh.

Special Equipment: spinner and mmm used as always with spinner on for teal and off for big ducks

Curses: What should have been our 18th bird, a "dead" blackbelled whistling duck, flew off when Peake got to him after playing possum all morning.

Kudos: What seemed a slow morning added up to a pretty nice season finale for the Mikes.

Birds By Species: 4 gadwall, 2 gw teal

Photo Ops: Even with the boat to help catch up, this wing-tipped and eye-shot mallard led the coyote on quite a chase:


Shot of a tailgate shot:


Albino gadwall another blind shot:


Lagniappe:

[DComeaux]

Your birds by species don't match the tailgate shot.

Awesome albino!

[Darren]

Sure looks like more than 4 grays and 2 GWs on that tailgate shot, what are we missing?

Bizarro gray with that coloring for sure.

[Rick]

Good catch, thanks.

Addendum 1/10 morning species: 6 mallards and 5 shovellers

[Rick]

Date: 1/10

Time: afternoon

Location: Thornwell middle blind

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: N moderate

Temperature: chilly

Barometer:

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: saw one flight of spoons, Gabe's blind shot at and precious few specks

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Broke our only bird off a bunch passing high and it came pretty.

Hunters: 2, Jay and Mike

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Peake snoozed, never heard my calling and didn't wake until the guns went off. Missed seeing the nearby fall and needed handled all of 20 yards.

Special Equipment:

Curses: just a dead afternoon

Kudos: nice folks who didn't quite scratch.

Birds By Species: 1 speck

Photo Ops: The old coyote looked like he slept through the retrieve, too:


Lagniappe:

[Ericdc]

It's been a long season but today in the sun and wind my resolve was renewed.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1452483307.684628.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1452483327.101237.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1452483350.787772.jpg

Hunted till 1:40 today and watched flight ducks all morning. Was so nice to see birds break from way up and finish. Just hasn't happened much this year.

[Rick]

Would be nice to have the reassurance of flight ducks, but I've not seen them here for a while. Feel absolutely blessed to be doing what we are with what we're seeing.