2017-2018 Season Log

[Rick]

Date: 9/20

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: southerly light

Temperature: hot

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Incredibly thin "flight".

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Most of the perhaps half dozen flocks I called to were probably out of hearing and definitely out of caring. Did have one high bunch breakup as if...then regroup and dive on. And broke a single from a high, wide one only to have the rest "follow"...and take even it away, like specks too often will. Did have a pair and a single buy in.

Hunters: 1, Bruce's last day.

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Strictly chauffeured, as Bruce head shot both our birds over the water.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Hated sending Bruce home after three straight stinkers.

Kudos: He was great about it.

Birds By Species: 2 bw teal

Photo Ops: This somehow seemed appropriate illustration for our morning:

003.JPG

Lagniappe:

[Ducaholic]

And I predict I'll hope you're right.

According to weather.com north wind will start blowing out of the north in Pierre SD on Friday and won't stop blowing from a northerly direction until the last Friday of teal season. Tulsa OK North Wind will start blowing on Tuesday and will stay that way thru out the weekend. That should get em moving this direction.

I'm going to hunt Friday and Saturday of next week so I have a stake in the game as well. I'm hunting this Sat. as well but don't expect much but you never know.

[Ericdc]

According to survey, we have a lot, I imagine their movement is very limited due to this really hot weather.


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[Ducaholic]

According to survey, we have a lot, I imagine their movement is very limited to do this really hot weather.


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That and a whole bunch of them left for safer locations both in SW La. and south of us.

[Rick]

Belize, I'm telling you, Belize. Blew 'em all south with Friday's opening volleys. Or so it sure seems.

Going back to the marsh to change plugs and spruce the blind in case something flies by it. Perhaps I'll find the marsh loaded...

[aunt betty]

Watching the weather real close up here and mine don't match up with what y'all are saying.

You see I got this treatment for varroa mites on the bees that has a very specific window of temperatures where it's safe to use. Has to be below 85 in the day and above 50 at night. Been trying to get it done but have to wait for the right weather window. Long-range forecast says I won't be able to do anything for 8-9 days. The mini heat-wave continues. Surprised to see it's hotter here than in Arkansas. Go figure.

Our teal season is over in 4 days. the next four days:
High Low
94/ 69
92/ 66
91/ 66
90/ 64

North wind my A.
Sorry to pop anyone's bubble. I could be wrong 50:50.

[Ericdc]

Watching the weather real close up here and mine don't match up with what y'all are saying.

You see I got this treatment for varroa mites on the bees that has a very specific window of temperatures where it's safe to use. Has to be below 85 in the day and above 50 at night. Been trying to get it done but have to wait for the right weather window. Long-range forecast says I won't be able to do anything for 8-9 days. The mini heat-wave continues. Surprised to see it's hotter here than in Arkansas. Go figure.

Our teal season is over in 4 days. the next four days:
High Low
94 69
92 66
91 66
90 64

North wind my A.
Sorry to pop anyone's bubble. I could be wrong 50:50.

They’re talking about next week fella


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[aunt betty]

Next week is the same until Thursday. Then it cools down and by the weekend it'll be 67 for the high.
After that it goes downhill where you want it.

Fella? I'm not your fella...friend.

[SpinnerMan]

Watching the weather real close up here and mine don't match up with what y'all are saying.

You see I got this treatment for varroa mites on the bees that has a very specific window of temperatures where it's safe to use. Has to be below 85 in the day and above 50 at night. Been trying to get it done but have to wait for the right weather window. Long-range forecast says I won't be able to do anything for 8-9 days. The mini heat-wave continues. Surprised to see it's hotter here than in Arkansas. Go figure.

Our teal season is over in 4 days. the next four days:
High Low
94 69
92 66
91 66
90 64

North wind my A.
Sorry to pop anyone's bubble. I could be wrong 50:50.

They’re talking about next week fella

Like Betty said, it's not really cooling down any time temps above average for a week. Maybe they are getting something different west of us, but the temps are high and there are no northernly component to the wind and it mostly has S in the wind direction for at least a week and even then it's just returning to normal temps.

[aunt betty]

Wish I were wrong. It's 94 right now. Not exactly September teal weather.
I bought teal decoys that have not even gotten wet yet.
New decoy spreaders too. Have a jerk-rig from hell ready for action but not going to sweat my ass off to play with that new stuff. Have a feeling that the motion is going to separate me from the rest of the dum dums that hunt up here.
Teal are tasty as heck and I'm wishing it were different. (weather)
Maybe next year. We're due for a good teal hunt but that's a 1 out of 20 year deal right there. It really sucks that bad in East Central Illinois. Not on any flyway. May as well be East Tennessee.

One year we limited on teal on December 23 (last day of season) hunting over solid ice. Strange things can happen.

[Ericdc]

They are tasty

Pot roasted 3 fat male blue wings last night with some fresh sausage.


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[SpinnerMan]

One year we limited on teal on December 23 (last day of season) hunting over solid ice. Strange things can happen.

GWT are not the fair-weathered creatures that their BWT cousins are. We don't get a lot, but it's not unusual to get them well into November. If they were BWT you shot over ice, that would be very strange.

[aunt betty]

One year we limited on teal on December 23 (last day of season) hunting over solid ice. Strange things can happen.

GWT are not the fair-weathered creatures that their BWT cousins are. We don't get a lot, but it's not unusual to get them well into November. If they were BWT you shot over ice, that would be very strange.

In over 40 yrs I've seen a handful of bwt. Never more than ONE at a time.
Get all caught up in watching the tiny Canada goose head and forget all about shooting.
There ain't no bwt here and if they were here they'd split after one days rest.

The only bwt I shot got sent to that damned taxidermy guy in Fooseland, Illinois. It was banded. Had a banded drake mallard too.
He took a 50% deposit then two years later about a week before Christmas I got a letter saying come and get your ducks NOW or I'm selling them. (he took two years to stuff two ducks?!?!)

So the wife and I drove straight from the mailbox (same day) to his shop with the $80 I owed. He'd already sold the ducks to Cabelas he said. He obviously sold them ducks before he mailed the letter. I should have called IDNR on his ass. Never again will I have any taxidermy done. I still have that fowl taste in my mouth.

[aunt betty]

What's the sausage lookin' stuff? Is it rabideaux's?
Boudin? The cajun cooking is tempting me to want to head south.
When I heard that Texan on "American Picker's" tell a Yankee joke where the punchline is "when they stay it sucks" has me thinkin' it's not such a good idea cuz I'd probably want to stay.

[Ericdc]

What's the sausage lookin' stuff? Is it rabideaux's?
Boudin? The cajun cooking is tempting me to want to head south.
When I heard that Texan on "American Picker's" tell a Yankee joke where the punchline is "when they stay it sucks" has me thinkin' it's not such a good idea cuz I'd probably want to stay.

It’s fresh “raw” chicken sausage made with thigh meat. Pretty good.


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[aunt betty]

What's the sausage lookin' stuff? Is it rabideaux's?
Boudin? The cajun cooking is tempting me to want to head south.
When I heard that Texan on "American Picker's" tell a Yankee joke where the punchline is "when they stay it sucks" has me thinkin' it's not such a good idea cuz I'd probably want to stay.

It’s fresh “raw” chicken sausage made with thigh meat. Pretty good.


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Cool. I love trying new stuff and haven't done sausage yet.
Have the meat grinder and attachment. Just throw whatever you like in the hopper, spice it up, and shoot it into the casing?

You should try cooking sausage on a smoker once. Brats are freaking awesome if you smoke them about 45 minutes then move em close to the heat until they're spitting. Smoked, smoked sausage is EXCELLENT! Got drunk one day and thought it'd be funny...turns out it's really good. (try it, melts in your mouth)
Somehow I think any kind of sausage needs smokin'. <---Ew...don't even say it. I know.
Getting it lit is the hard part.

What kind of casings you use? These look like a winner. https://www.waltonsinc.com/home-pack-na ... vgQAvD_BwE

[Ericdc]

I didn’t make it, super 1 in Ruston did.


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[Rick]

Date: 9/21 Thur

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: parly

Wind Direction and Velocity: light southerly

Temperature: hot

Moon phase: nil

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Saw a few more than the past couple days

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Had great luck putting them where we needed them. Only used the MVP teal, as it's seemed our best bet this season.

Hunters: 2 Jay and Zack

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): I tell folks Marsh is the worst marking Chessie I've had, but he showed my own marking up twice this morning.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: Still no teal to speak of and by far the most mosquitoes we've ever had in the blind.

Kudos: Nice guys.

Birds By Species: 8 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe:

[Darren]

Didn't put eyes on 8 teal myself today! How have the other marsh blinds around you been making out lately? Up and down on same days as you?

[Deltaman]

Rick, if the mosquito problem persists, you might try spraying the blind with something like yard guard a few minutes prior to settling in. Had an old duck hunting buddy that kept a can in his boat, and when pulling into a blind and getting covered with the bastages, would back out while spraying the stuff throughout, sit upwind a few minutes, and then re-enter.

Also, saw something on one of the Alaska shows recently, where the mosquitos were thick, and the guy saying that the only way to overcome for him was to use a very high thread count sheet, and make a shirt out of it. Sounded odd, but also sounded plausible.

[Rick]

Didn't put eyes on 8 teal myself today! How have the other marsh blinds around you been making out lately? Up and down on same days as you?

Issac and a super-duper shot got 10, Ed and his two guys fired one volley, but I don't know what they hit. Spoke to Garret Cole, who runs SWLA Hunting Lodge or some such in Thornwell, and he had one bird this morning on a 50K lease other blind hunting on it scratched. Said Lacassine Land wasn't doing pecans, either.

[Rick]

Rick, if the mosquito problem persists, you might try spraying the blind with something like yard guard a few minutes prior to settling in. Had an old duck hunting buddy that kept a can in his boat, and when pulling into a blind and getting covered with the bastages, would back out while spraying the stuff throughout, sit upwind a few minutes, and then re-enter.

That was our MO when I hunted Pecan Island in the '80s and also on some subsequent ag land farms where deer flies were thick. Bugs aren't usually a serious issue once away from the boathouse, and we generally spray our hats, crank a Thermocell for 10 minutes and are done with them. But this morning has me considering Talstar or some such with good residual.

[Rick]

Rick if it's any consolation we had a push of doves show up today for some reason. It's not teal, but at least some migratory fowl are on the move. Maybe your uptick will continue into the weekend.

I'll take that and any other little glimmer of hope. Looking forward to seeing what weekend gun pressure stirs, but not to the following week days unless winds do manage to shift.

[Darren]

Didn't put eyes on 8 teal myself today! How have the other marsh blinds around you been making out lately? Up and down on same days as you?

Issac and a super-duper shot got 10, Ed and his two guys fired one volley, but I don't know what they hit. Spoke to Garret Cole, who runs SWLA Hunting Lodge or some such in Thornwell, and he had one bird this morning on a 50K lease other blind hunting on it scratched. Said Lacassine Land wasn't doing pecans, either.

Yikes! New batch needed in a bad way for sure

[Rick]

Date: 9/22 Fri

Time: morning

Location: Mudhole

Cloud Cover: clear

Wind Direction and Velocity: light southerly

Temperature: warm

Moon phase:

Special Notes: same "weather" forever

Waterfowl Activity: A bird that splashed in at LST while a woodie was working turned out to have been a teal when it flushed safely off the dog's end ("No-Fire" zone), two little bunches were seen following their favored more broken marsh routing way north of us, a group of three zipped overhead, and a single died. Those were our teal sightings.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Squalled at everything, but only the single turned.

Hunters: 2, same as yesterday

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Tossed his bird before retrieving it - fire ants.

Special Equipment: sos

Curses: No birds. Issac had two, we had one, Clark on Cherry Ridge had one, and two of our blinds scratched.

Kudos: Guys (cops) were good about it.

Birds By Species: 1 bw teal

Photo Ops:

Lagniappe: May have learned why we've lost a few on the pond's west end, when this poor devil slipped in from that end and repeatedly tried to make a teal out of trash leftover from cutting the pond:

011.JPG

Don'tcha know he's disappointed with the hunting, too.

[Darren]

Curses: No birds. Issac had two, we had one, Clark on Cherry Ridge had one, and two of our blinds scratched.

well hell. Hope weekend activity gets them stirred for you

Ag land having any luck? Saw a report on local TV show where an outfit over that way was saying the afternoon hunts have been a bit better than the mornings for them.