2019-2020 Preseason

[Ericdc]

Side note: RIP pirogue pictured above as the sharp edges wore the tie downs enough to breaking point just as I get up to speed on I-10.. the big rig behind me made sure it wasn’t salvageable ..


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Trotting down I-10 at zero dark thirty...glad it didn’t cause a bad wreck.


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[Rick]

The liking of 4 wheelers came easy I believe as he associated it with long marks when the trainers assistant would use it to crest some distance. He will me on the rack before it’s unloaded if you let him. Same with boat,

Everyone worries about gators or snakes, but 4-wheelers undoubtedly mess up several times as many retrievers as reptiles, whether by running them over or by catching an errant leg in a rack's metal work and breaking it. So until this new farm's logistics demanded putting the bug on a bike, I've always focused on keeping mine from running near, much less stopping in front of, 4-wheelers through practice runs with a length of pvc pipe he didn't want to get in range of.

Pretty sure he thinks the UTVs are little pickups, as he's never balked at jumping into one's bed.

[Rick]

Heard my first good duck report over coffee this morning: from an ag land "duck farm" growing indigos. "Covered up" with what seemed mostly pintails.

Cherry Ridge guys weren't in the marsh yesterday but said there was still little there as of Wednesday. They're starting to brush today, and we'll be out there tomorrow, so "we'll see..."

[Darren]

Heard my first good duck report over coffee this morning: from an ag land "duck farm" growing indigos. "Covered up" with what seemed mostly pintails.

Cherry Ridge guys weren't in the marsh yesterday but said there was still little there as of Wednesday. They're starting to brush today, and we'll be out there tomorrow, so "we'll see..."

No young guns tomorrow?

[Rick]

My phone hasn't rang, so I guess not. Crazy as it strikes me, there are those who'll cry about guns in the marsh for youth weekend, so it's not something I'll initiate. Just would have been happy enough to take advantage if Doug did that I passed on speck hunters - and still don't regret that. 'Course Doug being Doug, he may wait to call about a youth hunt tonight...

[Johnc]

My phone hasn't rang, so I guess not. Crazy as it strikes me, there are those who'll cry about guns in the marsh for youth weekend, so it's not something I'll initiate. Just would have been happy enough to take advantage if Doug did that I passed on speck hunters - and still don't regret that. 'Course Doug being Doug, he may wait to call about a youth hunt tonight...

Few to none speck wise from reliable sources

Our rice not close to being cut

[Ericdc]

People wonder why hunter participation numbers are going the wrong way among young people, and it’s not just duck hunting. We have to get them out there and make it special for them on youth days and not worry about how it might affect the hunting next Saturday.


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[DComeaux]

Just got a call from the the Rockefeller manger sitting in his truck on one of the units telling me that the place was LOADED. He sent a bad phone video, but the excitement in his voice was real. He also told me that while working in the marsh near our blind yesterday that we had lost most of the blue wing that were there last week but the gadwall are thick. The green wing are also moving in.

[Rick]

Few to none speck wise from reliable sources...

We have specks between LA and Thornwell for their opener, but perhaps just for that. And the Cherry Ridge guys noted this morning that they've still not seen a speck on the ground on their way to camp - which passes through what was once Klondike's most reliable area by "Shot's".

(I passed the Arkansas speck video AJ texted me around a table full of long time speck hunters and Thornwell farmers the past couple mornings, and all to date have agreed they'd never seen so many specks at one time. Simply unreal by even our "good ol' days" standards.)

[Johnc]

When I say it’s bodies like the old bodies of blues here,it really is

When I got there Friday there was easy 200000 feeding in the field closeby

[Johnc]

https://youtu.be/B4JBB3mF4jI

Small group for up there

[DComeaux]

https://youtu.be/B4JBB3mF4jI

Small group for up there

Wonder if most of those might make it down here once they eat out those fields? They'll have the blues and snows to help em shortly.

[Johnc]

https://youtu.be/B4JBB3mF4jI

Small group for up there

Wonder if most of those might make it down here once they eat out those fields? They'll have the blues and snows to help em shortly.

Blues showed yesterday

I would agree that some would leave but there is just so much habitat I think we are screwed

[BGkirk]

I saw some specks at Cameron praries wildlife drive.
Maybe 20-30 bwt, small group of spoons and fulvous.
And we heard some gadwalls on the water, never did see them.


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[Rick]

Didn't get to the marsh until nearly an hour after LST but stayed until after 2 without seeing anything to make me anything but glad not to have disappointed kids this morning. Probably moved 100 jacks off the big east ponds and a couple likely mottleds off Clydes but didn't see a duck beyond that on the way out and just four probable grays on the way back in.

Did hear occasional specks and even a flight of blues throughout the day, so there's that. Maybe next front...

[Rick]

Just learned that one Youth Day eligible grandson "saw a lot of ducks" and limited quickly near his home between Creole and Cameron, and another shot a little doe and big buck hunting with his dad yesterday.

Am so, so very glad they hadn't spent the morning with me.

[Darren]

We definitely saw more ducks than usual Saturday,

[Rick]

Did most of my blind brushing this morning and DID NOT SEE A DUCK. Did hear this morning that there are finally specks on the ground near what was once "Shot's" club, which is usually one of their first Klondike area appearances.

[Johnc]

Did most of my blind brushing this morning and DID NOT SEE A DUCK. Did hear this morning that there are finally specks on the ground near what was once "Shot's" club, which is usually one of their first Klondike area appearances.

I don’t feel so bad then. Worked on my blind both Saturday and Sunday. Saw nothing. Heard possibly one distant speck

[Rick]

I've not been your place's direction at all this fall, but am told there have been some specks on the ground by the IC well south of you. Big help, huh?

[Johnc]

I wont have anything around me until thanksgiving

Until then its all trying to break high traffic

[Rick]

Hit the marsh just after LST this morning and got to see a few more ducks: maybe two dozen jacks and a dozen teal got up from Gabe's big pond as I passed it, a pair of likely mottleds jumped from Clyde's, a wood duck pair got up near the pipeline between us, and wonder of wonders and drum roll, please, a scrawny spoon was sitting with the poule d'eau decoys on my pond's west end. She or he made the seventh time I've seen a bird, or birds, get up from the mudhole in the going on fourteen seasons I've been going out there. And it tried coming back while I was putting the spinners out, so we ought to have a chance at it Saturday.

Also had both a nice batch and a really nice batch of green-wings rip by while I was finishing my brushing. Gotta love that sound.

Didn't see much else on our end but three, or perhaps four, times as many birds got up from Gabe's when I passed going in, and the Cherry Ridge guys were claiming a much better show there yesterday, including "200" or "400" (depending on the teller) mallards behind their eastern-most blind.

Don't expect to be back out there until Saturday, but trust we'll be in good shape with the coming weather.

Here's this year's setup:

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[Duck Engr]

I always enjoy the “just waiting on Saturday” pic before the opener. Thanks Rick!

[Rick]

It's nice to have the "work" behind me, but I fear the wait will seem longer for it. Makes me miss having a half decent deer spot all the more.

[Darren]

She or he made the seventh time I've seen a bird, or birds, get up from the mudhole in the going on fourteen seasons I've been going out there. And it tried coming back while I was putting the spinners out, so we ought to have a chance at it Saturday.

Mudhole is on fire already!

Are those jack dekes new? Have wondered if we might add some to field spread for visibility and variety since we have killed a few there

PS What's the latest on the camp cook(s) front?

[Rick]

Those are some old ones I redid this summer to give another chance after our big 18 jack season last year:

003a.jpg

Back when I was hunting ag land, I put that little bunch at the edge of my spread, and it seemed like no jack could pass without dropping in with them. Then I tried them at the mudhole for a few years, and the jacks couldn't have seemed less impressed. So I quit using them with no readily apparent difference in draw - or lack thereof.

But I'm more desperate than ever, and if nothing else, they add a little flash to the pond. Sort of like the pintails in a pond they seldom pass.

[Rick]

Re: the cooks, I know there's been some shuffling, but not sure how it shook or will shake out.

[Darren]

Those are some old ones I redid this summer to give another chance after our big 18 jack season last year:

003a.jpg

Back when I was hunting ag land, I put that little bunch at the edge of my spread, and it seemed like no jack could pass without dropping in with them. Then I tried them at the mudhole for a few years, and the jacks couldn't have seemed less impressed. So I quit using them with no readily apparent difference in draw - or lack thereof.

But I'm more desperate than ever, and if nothing else, they add a little flash to the pond. Sort of like the pintails in a pond they seldom pass.

They look good regardless, can't imagine them doing you any harm given the jacks already like your marsh. Realism realism realism.

Will be on the lookout for a deal, or some magnum spoons. I added a 6 pack of Higdon spoons (foam filled) to the field spread this summer but was disappointed in their diminutive size overall.

[DComeaux]

Looks really good, Rick.

This week seems to moving at a good pace for me with some shopping and packing for the camp. Blake and I will be out in the marsh on Friday afternoon to make one final check on things. I'm still getting some not so good phone videos from the refuge manger, one at daylight yesterday morning showing many moving black dots on his wide scan, so I'd say it's loading up.

[Rick]

Ran the bug on one of our ag land piece west of town this morning, and saw a single string of blues but nary a speck or duck. Perhaps because it was well after LST. Beautiful morning for a walk, though...