2018-2019 Preseason...

[Johnc]

Was it island in middle of field opposed to edge?

[Johnc]

Massive problem down here. Most beans bad or rotted in field because wet

There is very little rice cut because farmers so far behind—-so where are they gonna stay?

Fly south. Stay few days. No rest area bye bye Or just hit gulf and return to Arkansas

We are screwed

[Ericdc]

Was it island in middle of field opposed to edge?

Middle of field. Our freshly pulled bean levee was flat by Christmas due to wave action and high water early. Got it looking better by January when we got the water level lowered to right level, but was still basically an island in 50 acres of slick water.


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[Johnc]

Hum,I would take middle of the field.

Johnny wink set up on edge,he kills them at 50 yards.

[Ericdc]

Hum,I would take middle of the field.

Johnny wink set up on edge,he kills them at 50 yards.

Yea I like having water on both sides. We’ll be much more hidden this year.


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[Johnc]

Camo netting—-Walmart,academy maybe?

I have to improvise. Rice not ripe

[Ericdc]

I have more than enough uncut rice stubble and Johnson grass that natural grows on farm to keep the pit brushed.

We kept it brushed last year but it was still an island.


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[Johnc]

I am referring to my other blind

Activating bean field blind because our rice is not ripe

I found what I need

[Ericdc]

Hate to hear that about your rice.


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[MARSH BEAR]

Rick do you have any youth hunters tomorrow

[Rick]

Was told I'd have a grandfather and grandson, but "they canceled," and Doug's wants me to take his great-grandson, instead. Wouldn't be at all surprised if that weren't the case all along, but it's fine with me. Wish one of mine were coming, too, but the one who's a classmate of the boy I'm taking has an early morning football game.

Finished readying the blind a little while ago, and just need birds. Jumped seven jacks from a big pond south of the run between Clyde's blind and mine and heard before I saw a bigger pod power-diving to somewhere on the east end, but that was it for ducks. Saw or heard no specks at all today, but did hear one bunch of blues to high to spot and saw another big flight of them flying east to west. So something is moving a bit.

And I'm hoping speck hunters will chase some ducks from the rice for Cole in the morning.

[Rick]

Finished prepping the mudhole for big ducks 2018 and then spent the rest of the morning cutting a route around the back of the back blind for the new Matt who'll be giving it a go this year. (Third "Matt" in a row back there: the second being much better than the first, so maybe this one's "the charm". Or not.)

Didn't go anywhere but my blind and the back one and saw just three distant, unidentified ducks in my travels, but bumped a bluewing from the trail not 200 yards from the boathouse on my way back. Trust that, as with youth day, activity elsewhere will fix us up on the weekend...

[Darren]

A friend traveling the Hwy 14 area near Bell City said a few fields on side of the road that only had a few last Wednesday were "wall to wall" today with fowl as he passed back through on way to Cameron.

[Johnc]

gadwall,teal and spoons in that field mainly

[Darren]

gadwall,teal and spoons in that field mainly

yea those he mentioned, was on the phone with him as he drove by it.

[Rick]

gadwall,teal and spoons in that field mainly

It would be unlike my opening weekend crew to throw a fit of pride, so we'd take 'em and walk tall.

[Johnc]

Hell yes I would take that in a heartbeat

[DComeaux]

Same for me Rick.

[Johnc]

I am extremely worried about the speck situation—-5 blinds on the plant killing 4 specks or something to that effect

I just don’t see much migrating in over the giant masses in southern Arkansas and Ne Louisiana

Wish it would freeze hard all the way to kinder for about a week ONCE we have some stuff cut or plowed down here

[Rick]

I've coffee most mornings with the guys who's family owns our Thornwell place, and their news has been good: more geese every day.

But danged if I'm seeing anything like that on this end. A "specklebelly day"-less year so far.

[Ericdc]

If y’all will remember November 2014, we had a huge front come through for coastal opener and east zone youth.

My fiend was solid ice for youth hunt and th coastal marshes pounded them. We thawed out and had a great opening weekend and a really consistent season overall, much more consistent than the last 3.

This front isn’t cold enough to give us ice in northeast LA like 2014 but it’s a pretty good one.

This is late December weather for us coming a month early.


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[Johnc]

I've coffee most mornings with the guys who's family owns our Thornwell place, and their news has been good: more geese every day.

But danged if I'm seeing anything like that on this end. A "specklebelly day"-less year so far.

I saw wager killed again

At least something is coming in here

[Johnc]

If y’all will remember November 2014, we had a huge front come through for coastal opener and east zone youth.

My fiend was solid ice for youth hunt and th coastal marshes pounded them. We thawed out and had a great opening weekend and a really consistent season overall, much more consistent than the last 3.

This front isn’t cold enough to give us ice in northeast LA like 2014 but it’s a pretty good one.

This is late December weather for us coming a month early.


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That could be a huge turnaround for us as far as what’s here so far. May help everyone

[Rick]

I've coffee most mornings with the guys who's family owns our Thornwell place, and their news has been good: more geese every day.

But danged if I'm seeing anything like that on this end. A "specklebelly day"-less year so far.

I saw wager killed again

At least something is coming in here

He's hunting our Thornwell farm that they're building on. Now if they can just keep Doug from having some doyo put a rag spread where they're sitting...

[Rick]

If y’all will remember November 2014, we had a huge front come through for coastal opener and east zone youth.

My fiend was solid ice for youth hunt and th coastal marshes pounded them. We thawed out and had a great opening weekend and a really consistent season overall, much more consistent than the last 3.

A look back at that year's species log shows me bitching about first split mallard numbers falling off from previous recent years - but better than they've been in first splits since.

[Darren]

Going to need this weather to help rebound from the few birds larry has counted this week. Figured it would be all the chatter on here this morning:

I don't think we are going to get the survey completed in SE LA or Catahoula Lake because of weather. We've been delayed getting airborne by fog and dodged storms thus far this week to get the first 17 westernmost lines flown (the SW LA portion of the coastal transects), and it's been a ghost town.

Estimates in just SW LA:

Mallards - 2000
Mottled ducks - 14,000
Gadwall - 96,000
Wigeon - 1,000
Greenwings - 10,000
Bluewings - 67,000
Shovelers - 37,000
Pintails - 5,000
Ringnecks - 15,000

Total ducks - 247,000

And here are some preliminary comments:

The 247,000 total ducks estimated in SW LA is the lowest on record for this survey, and is less than half the next lowest estimate of 581,000 in 2013. The most recent 10-year average for SW LA on this survey is 994,000.

The most recent 10 year November averages for SW LA are: gadwalls (463,000), greenwings(145,000), bluewings (175,000), pintails (51,000), and shovelers (83,000).

This November’s SW LA estimates for gadwalls and greenwings have never been lower. In the last 10 years, estimates for bluewings and shovelers have only been lower once. These data indicate there has not yet been a major migration into coastal SW LA.

One small flock of white-fronted geese were the only geese seen during this portion of the survey.

We have not yet flown SE LA transects or the cruise survey at Catahoula Lake, and predicted weather suggests we may not be able to prior to the season opening this Saturday in the West and Coastal Zones.

If SW La is like that, can't imagine SE La is in any way more positive.

[Ducaholic]

D it's all about where you sitting on opening morning...

[DComeaux]

D it's all about where you sitting on opening morning...

You must have read my post elsewhere.

[Johnc]

I've coffee most mornings with the guys who's family owns our Thornwell place, and their news has been good: more geese every day.

But danged if I'm seeing anything like that on this end. A "specklebelly day"-less year so far.

I saw wager killed again

At least something is coming in here

He's hunting our Thornwell farm that they're building on. Now if they can just keep Doug from having some doyo put a rag spread where they're sitting...

Wager is smart. I don’t see him burning the hole out on that Gauthier farm. Manning wants birds around too. Should be a controlled situation

Now if some wahees get in there on their own,all bets are off

[Rick]

Had that discussion with the big cheese just today. But I still ain't betting on anything...