2025-2026 Season Log

[Rick]

Right wind and masks most folks are too cool for.

I get new folks not understanding how well birds see and how you need to cover up, but at our club, we have some members that have been hunting there for a long time that break off the grass covers to see better. If I ever figure out who I will give them hell. Today when I was driving to the blind I could see three giant black holes from a mile away. Yep, somebody had snapped off the grass leaving gaping holes. First thing I did is as try to fix them as best I could.

Nice photo

Grabbed that shot with you in mind. Much easier to do when well away from the blind than where some might think I'm playing on their dime.

Re: the birds' vision, I'll note that they can discern detail at two to three times the distance we can, and that they won't come to folks looking like the last however-many that shot at them, every morning. Next to no one seems to hear it. Would like to blame that on video games, but a whole lot of "veteran hunters" seem intent on showing our hand...

[Rick]

6 mallards?!? The curse is over!

Was a sweet reprieve, even with the guys' struggles to take full advantage. New wind and, likely, party today, but at least no ground fog, as of 3:30.

[Rick]

EDIT FOR WORD: 1/4/26 Hunters: "Conley" was really Conway

[Deltaman]

"6 mallards?!? The curse is over!"

Well Deserved Rick

[Rick]

Date: 1/5/26

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: heavier as morning progresed

Wind Direction and Velocity: light east to zip, nada, none

Temperature: mid 40s

Moon phase: big

Special Notes: Guys had to be back to camp early.

Waterfowl Activity: Blessed with surprising black-belly movement near enough to draw - and virtually nothing else while we were out.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Plenty of new to the area black-bellies that were easily tolled with distress squalls .

Hunters: 2, James and Bobby

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Wore Call out with long crips.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: None, given that we hoping for other ducks

Kudos: All credit goes to the black-bellies

Birds By Species: 16 black-bellies, 1 ringneck and 1 shoveller

[Rick]

Date: 1/6/26 Tue

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: what had been dense ground for that began clearing to partly cloudy skies just before LST

Wind Direction and Velocity: flat calm to light southerly

Temperature: low 60s

Moon phase: waning but still big

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Not a lot of anything, but enough of this and that to make a fun hunt.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: good

Hunters: 2, Conner and Philip

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call still isn't handling as well as I'd wish in swimming water, but made amends tracking down fugitives.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Conner, who browses here, made me promise to crucify his buddy for missing a full grown sprig in this topic. That, or maybe I'm just trying to divert attention from a couple or three guide errors.

Kudos: These two were honest to gosh hunters from the Houma area who made it a holiday for me.

Birds By Species: 6 black-bellies, 3 blue-wing teal, 4 gadwall, 1 green-wing, 1 mallard (my bad, not theirs), 1 pintail and 2 shovellers (one the remarkably clean-bibed and bright-headed, late season appearing drake Conner wanted for a dead mount.)

Photo Ops: Call with the first of two would-be escapee grays:

thumbnail_PXL_20260106_153115963.jpg

[DComeaux]

Sweet hunt.

[Darren]

Good one for sure......and in lingering big moon with no wind....gross.

[Rick]

Date: 1/7/26 Wed

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: ground fogged in all morning

Wind Direction and Velocity: no wind

Temperature: warm

Moon phase: still big

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Far and away the most black-bellies I've ever seen at my blind kept us covered up and wing blind all morning. Jacks also seem to have returned but not forgotten us, and precious little else but a few spoons came by.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Not enough real duck ops to judge, but distress calling was death on the squealers.

Hunters: 2, Conner's dad, Brett and David

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Wore Call out with long retrieves.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: just the fog

Kudos: Easy hunt for all but Call

Birds By Species: 14 black-bellies, 1 green-wing, 1 mallard, 1 ringneck and 1 shoveller

[Ericdc]

You can start booking early season squealer hunts now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rick]

You can start booking early season squealer hunts now.

Doubt we'll be banging away at squealers while migrating real ducks are starting to arrive in the marsh. Little like starting early goose season before ducks.

[Rick]

Date: 1/8/26 Thur

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: partly to overcast

Wind Direction and Velocity: S moderate to strong

Temperature: warm

Moon phase: 3/4? waning

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Two quick greenheads and a pintail fooled us into holding off the surprisingly few black-bellies seen until their trickle piddled out to a very slow drip. And little ducks were AWOL all morning, as well.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Thankfully good.

Hunters: 2, Chris and Will

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call couldn't locate a "don't know what kind of duck" that was last seen "over there".

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the lack of game.

Kudos: Nice guys weathered a long morning well.

Birds By Species: 6 black-bellies, 1 blue-wing, 2 mallards, 1 pintail, 1 ring-neck and 1 shoveller

[Ericdc]

You can start booking early season squealer hunts now.

Doubt we'll be banging away at squealers while migrating real ducks are starting to arrive in the marsh. Little like starting early goose season before ducks.

I fully agree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DComeaux]

You can start booking early season squealer hunts now.

Doubt we'll be banging away at squealers while migrating real ducks are starting to arrive in the marsh. Little like starting early goose season before ducks.

I fully agree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Me too. It's a thrown bone for the waterfowl power rangers.

[MallardBay]

[b]Waterfowl Activity: "And little ducks were AWOL all morning, as well"


Has been my curse the last couple hunts as well. Was hoping Paul Link would have covered a little more on the teal telemetry study findings but he spent most of the talk last night at Lake Charles meeting on Whitefronts and snows. Which of course was a great presentation and real eye opening. Have to say, things don't look good for ducks or geese in SW LA in case ya didn't know....

[Rick]

How's the pup doing, Robbie?

[Rick]

Date: 1/9/26 Fri

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: overcast to low ground fog to partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: nadda to light southerly

Temperature: warm

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Dead morning.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Squealers are still falling for distress calls

Hunters: 2, Trip and Raul

Guns:

Malfunctions: Raul was shooting a camp 1187 that couldn't eject the too long Apex shells they brought, but I had better 12ga shells on hand for him.

Dog(s): If I was Call, I'd have quit over long crip after long crip after long crip.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the lack of real ducks, large or small, seen.

Kudos: The guys opted to shoot black-bellies from the git-go, which was also molasses slow early on but eventually improved.

Birds By Species: 17 black-bellies and 1 ringneck

[MallardBay]

How's the pup doing, Robbie?

Fast becoming a big dog making big retrieves but boy they weren't lying when I was told that they are not Labs!

[Ericdc]

How's the pup doing, Robbie?

Fast becoming a big dog making big retrieves but boy they weren't lying when I was told that they are not Labs!

What breed?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MallardBay]

How's the pup doing, Robbie?

Fast becoming a big dog making big retrieves but boy they weren't lying when I was told that they are not Labs!

What breed?


Chessie

[Ericdc]

How's the pup doing, Robbie?

Fast becoming a big dog making big retrieves but boy they weren't lying when I was told that they are not Labs!

What breed?


Chessie

Could you describe the "not labs" comment. I am a fan of chessie's. Got to hunt with Rick and Peake about 13 years ago and have been around some others. Almost pulled the trigger years ago and then nephew moved in so had to change priorities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MallardBay]

Probably too much to type out on Rick's log. But to sum up, the adage, "you tell a lab and ask a chesapeake " has been my experience. Just quirky more than anything. Not necessarily bad or good just different. He is my first chessie after a run of 5 labs. Was told to keep training sessions shorter than labs. Which has seemed to be the case for too many reasons to type out. So yes i would agree that he looks no different than any other retriever running a blind or a mark. But training, and around the house, a much different beast. And finally, will probably be only chessies from here on out for me. So that may answer the biggest question I had before having him sent down as a pup. Hope that helps.

And he picks up the chicken......

[Rick]

Chessies aren't for everyone: perhaps especially not for mainstream program trainers.

[Rick]

Date: 1/10/26 Sat

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: Waited out a rain front and hunted in overcast

Wind Direction and Velocity: NW light to moderate

Temperature: Peeled the uninsulated rain shell I'd worn over a long-sleeved T

Moon phase: waxing

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Saw a few more big ducks and teal than have been around, but Dad's resolve to just shoot a few of the plentiful black-bellies to get Yvie's shooting on track soon faltered.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Much better than ours. (Weren't big on either hiding or patience as birds neared.)

Hunters: 2, father, Jack, and young daughter, Yvie (who had an uncanny resemblance to PC's Vinnie Quack)

Guns:

Malfunctions:

Dog(s): Call got a workout.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Given our givens, I ain't kickin' too hard.

Kudos: A big time was passed.

Birds By Species: 13 black-bellies, 1 green-wing, 3 shovellers and 1 ringneck

[Rick]

Date: 1/11/26

Time:

Location: 3

Cloud Cover: partly

Wind Direction and Velocity: N moderate

Temperature: low 40s

Moon phase:

Special Notes:

Waterfowl Activity: Saw the most green-wings and spoons we have in some time, but not as many big ducks as I'd hoped and literally no black-bellies within hailing.

Waterfowl Responsiveness: Better than ours, as we stayed caught by the big ducks. Green-wings largely did as bid, blue-wings did otherwise.

Hunters: 2, Trought(?) and Jake

Guns: Jake was the first I've ever seen put a red-dot to good use.

Malfunctions: Except when it was somehow turned off...

Dog(s): Call followed a tipped pintail half way to Cuba but caught up to it and eventually returned with it after I'd boated to where we lost sight of the chase.

Special Equipment: SOS

Curses: Just the usual about not trying to hide.

Kudos: Real nice guys had a real nice hunt.

Birds By Species: 1 blue-wing, 10 green-wings, 2 pintails, 1 ringneck, 3 shovellers, 1 wigeon and 1 speck

Photo Ops: Our first speck of the season -

thumbnail_PXL_20260111_125845978.jpg

Way gone sprig -

thumbnail_PXL_20260111_144417985.jpg

[SpinnerMan]

Nice mix of birds and nice pics.

[Duck Engr]

Wow nice hunt!

[DComeaux]

Nice hunt!