Better "luck" next time...

[Rick]

Know I'm spoiled with opportunity compared to most in our region, but I'm disappointed with what I've managed to do with it. And my mind's been awhir with plans for improvement.

Perhaps the most important among them is keeping more complete logs to help keep me in mindful of what I've seen and should have learned from. Including, for instance, the tendencies I see in how the birds are working our rig under the day's conditions. Where I've logged, "Waterfowl Responsiveness: The chop in our decoys didn't help me finish much as I wished for our new waterfowler, but enough came well enough to get him in the game." noting that too many of the mallards the rig and I broke down were then drawn by the attraction of calmer lee waters without offering sure shots for any but the lee end gun might better serve.

I need to remember that sort of thing and address it as best I can when opening, or otherwise re-configuring, next season's pond and setting next season's decoy spread. Could be simply leaving more floating black dirt in places will quell some of the chop that made it harder to finish our mallards in front, with the bonus of making my pond more attractive to black-bellies. And, hopefully, noting such things in this thread will help keep me more mindful of them.

[Darren]

While it served me well on that particular hunt in that it gave me more time for pre-hunt construction work in the blind, my allowing David B, a long time salt marsh veteran, to set my decoys (when I basically never let anyone else do that) was in attempt to teach this dog a new trick, or shed light on my own flawed logic.

Note he set them much closer than I usually would have, and we indeed saw result of that which made for easier shooting ops, with decoys out of ripples and enjoying the slick water up close to the roseau patch.....birds sucked right into it.

I similarly have plans to re-engineer some marsh features in a couple ponds this offseason when tides are higher, by dragging some clumps here and there to 1.) create more of a broken marsh look, and 2.) have mud clumps to set some full body decoys on to add dimension to our spread.

Drone imagery David collected years back on our mutual favorite public ground shows teal, mottleds, mallards, and grays loafing about, some in water, some standing/sitting/resting on grassy or muddy mud clumps. I'd like to use those clumps also to break wave action on big wind days, and overall make the hole look more appealing on big blows. Would think more places for standing would make your hole more appealing to the BBWD's.

The migration will be what it'll be; it's up to us to make the most of who shows up.

[Ducaholic]

If you are not adjusting, you are not hunting. I'd expect nothing less from you guys

[Darren]

Here we go!

Screenshot 2026-02-19 104304.jpg

[Rick]

I've seen those and don't figure full-bodies will be too long in coming.

[Darren]

Rick,

any thoughts on the proposed recreational alligator season? Will it tank the little market that's remaining?

[Rick]

As I understand it, recreational tags shouldn't end up with commercial processors, so probably not much.

But "we'll see..."

[Darren]

That would make sense. Sure wouldn't mind seeing fewer of them in the marsh.....and in canals, and ditches etc. etc.

There's so many in the swamps along I-10 outside of New Orleans my kids count them as we drive by, they're usually out swimming in the waters between the spans.

[Rick]

I'd think the real rub, or limiting factor, for most would be participants will be access.

[Rick]

Been transcribing this past season's log to Word and growling over how often my parties' lack of respect for the birds' vision appeared. And I must confess that, though I've the learned and conditioned practices of easing down when game is seen and watching it while calling from behind my camouflaged off arm, I, too, can be bad about not wearing a mask when others don't and affording birds the opportunity to spot me, as well as my guys, before we spot them. Need to increase my diligence about setting a good example.

And something else which might help, particularly with newer folks, if not the "veterans" with well ingrained bad blind discipline, is being less rushed and distracted with our pre-hunt organizational meetings that include how not to look like the last however many guys who shot at our birds. Pretty sure Clark, who briefs our guests on when they need to meet us at the boat house, does so based on when his need to, rather than those with much longer boat rides. Know late starts frequently find us scrambling to get settled in and only half-assed organized after LST. Not much I can do about late departures from the boat house, but I can further simplify and speed up my own pre-hunt chore of replacing the mobile pieces of cover I remove from parts of the dog stand and my, end of the blind to facilitate easy and safe entrance and exit. That, and, in the process, make climbing onto and off of the boat hide roof to check on and finish, when need be, birds dropped behind it quicker and safer for my old arse. Am liking my redecorating plans but have yet to start on the Blindgrass arrangements they call for.

A couple efficiency issues we have been working and, at least seemingly, making progress on are my ADHD partner, Call's, inconsistent handling and failure to save time and energy by retrieving multiple close falls on the same trip. Been doing at least a little handling, much of it in water, most days, and encouraging double retrieves with easily handled puppy bumpers thrown in close proximity.

[Lreynolds]

Know I'm spoiled with opportunity compared to most in our region, but I'm disappointed with what I've managed to do with it. And my mind's been awhirl with plans for improvement.

I'll tell you who should NOT be disappointed with what you've "managed to do", Rick ..... and that's your sports. As you know, I've a good friend who greatly appreciates, summarizes, and analyzes your reports here; and your success this past season was quantitatively outstanding, even as compared to your past. Your mind must indeed be awhirl, because from that standpoint, there is little to improve upon. Nicely done!

I've struggled since the 2020 hurricanes put a 40-acre wrack-pile on my lease, blocking the major drainage and altering the hydrology. After 2 years of herbicide applications and mechanical work at a scale I can conduct and afford, I saw some success this past season, I think due to some restored open-water area and a welcome SAV response to the cattail removal. I believe continuing to reclaim past habitat has to be my focus for the next couple of years as well.

[Rick]

"Everything's relative..." and the expectation level among many Cherry Ridge guests is appreciably higher than most at Doug's. That, and species bias is still alive and well within most. And me, too, as I'm having a hard time accepting the substitution of black-bellies on the strap for "real ducks" in the air and hate to let chances for what remain of our traditional species get past us. Well, aside from mottleds and mallard and pintail hens, which I've been known to "sandbag" on when I can.

Besides, you know as well as I, that much, if not most, of the fun is in plotting and working toward improving our game. Have long felt sorry for the "show up and shoot" guys missing out on that. And I'm tickled to hear your restoration work is showing promise.

[Rick]

Been doing a pee-poor job of keeping up this preparations log but have at least been making a little progress on current plans. Only been back in the marsh once recently, and then in a borrowed boat, as mine's been out for more hull repair. But I did get a handle on how much boat-hide roof area I'll be making a one-piece wire and BlindGrass cover for to afford quicker, and safer, roof access (for cripple shooting and dog handling behind the blind) and where I'm hoping transplanted button willow cuttings will take hold to help break NE winds or at least support supplemental canes in the fall.

Haven't, however, been neglecting Call's handling shortcomings, which we've done at least a little work on most mornings and, pound timber, been enjoying success with. Warming water gator worries, however, are again limiting us to relatively shallow crawfish water, rather than swimming water. So we'll see...

Will note that our safest crawfish and rice land has at least one significant, 6' or so, gator along one of our training/exercise courses, so he's been wearing an e-collar for whatever insurance that may afford. So far, he's shown no interest in gators since a little momma protecting her nest got him on the leg during his first summer, but I did get to zap, rather than just fuss, him for killing a water snake yesterday. (A sport I'd not seen him indulge since collar-breaking him out of it as a pup.)

Beyond that, regular decoys still need work, but I did get my spinner timers re-programed for briefer spins and longer pauses...

[Darren]

Sounds like you been gettin' after it, especially compared to rest of us.

About the most valuable thing I could be doing right now is ramping up Indy's work in the yard, which I've neglected a bit, but the last round showed more promise than the prior, so we do seem to be making some headway regardless, just maybe slower than ideal.

[DComeaux]

Been doing a pee-poor job of keeping up this preparations log but have at least been making a little progress on current plans. Only been back in the marsh once recently, and then in a borrowed boat, as mine's been out for more hull repair. But I did get a handle on how much boat-hide roof area I'll be making a one-piece wire and BlindGrass cover for to afford quicker, and safer, roof access (for cripple shooting and dog handling behind the blind) and where I'm hoping transplanted button willow cuttings will take hold to help break NE winds or at least support supplemental canes in the fall.

Haven't, however, been neglecting Call's handling shortcomings, which we've done at least a little work on most mornings and, pound timber, been enjoying success with. Warming water gator worries, however, are again limiting us to relatively shallow crawfish water, rather than swimming water. So we'll see...

Will note that our safest crawfish and rice land has at least one significant, 6' or so, gator along one of our training/exercise courses, so he's been wearing an e-collar for whatever insurance that may afford. So far, he's shown no interest in gators since a little momma protecting her nest got him on the leg during his first summer, but I did get to zap, rather than just fuss, him for killing a water snake yesterday. (A sport I'd not seen him indulge since collar-breaking him out of it as a pup.)

That sounds much better than nursing a high anxiety heart worm patient for 3 months.

Beyond that, regular decoys still need work, but I did get my spinner timers re-programed for briefer spins and longer pauses...

That sounds much better than nursing a high anxiety heart worm patient for 3 months.

[Rick]

Don't envy you that at all, but hope to hear she's as wild as ever at the end of it.

[Rick]

Was back in the marsh in "my" boat and without Call to get some work done yesterday. Cut and carried a load of button willows to begin the addition of a NW angled wind-breaking revetment on my blind island's north end, but found the water there deep enough to make me doubt the cuttings will take. May well have to settle for annually "building" with substantial wax myrtle boughs for stability and canes for fill.

Was also disappointed to note that unlike at my old "mudhole" blind, where I had to remove cut cane cover at season's end to keep it from sprouting and taking over the blind, virtually none of the cane I left at #3, where I'd like it to take, had offered to sprout. So I hauled most all of it away to afford more sun for the button willow and deer pea base cover that's served for September teal and helps serve the early regular season. Must also note that while last spring's experiments with transplanting dug canes, bull tongue and button willow cuttings, now show moderate success with the later two, the cane, which appeared to have taken through fall, is now a no-show. Nature plainly wants what Nature wants where it wants it, but that won't stop me from trying to modify its course. 'Least not yet.

Didn't see a single duck of any sort on the way to my blind, and only nesting bec croix trashing the place once there. Considered evicting them but lacked the heart to and will likely wish otherwise later.

Did however make a round of the marsh on my way out and saw a fair number of fulvous whistling ducks along with the residual black-bellies and a small handful of mottleds. Didn't see a teal until jumping a couple or three dozen where Byron's trail meets the main one, and then a few scatterings of them, along with the bulk of remaining black-bellies around the westerly blinds. Call and I have been encountering next to no teal on our near daily crawfish pond visits, so seeing several dozen was a treat.

[DComeaux]

Didn't see a single duck of any sort on the way to my blind, and only nesting bec croix trashing the place once there. Considered evicting them but lacked the heart to and will likely wish otherwise later.

Two thumbs up!!

[Rick]

Didn't see a single duck of any sort on the way to my blind, and only nesting bec croix trashing the place once there. Considered evicting them but lacked the heart to and will likely wish otherwise later.

Two thumbs up!!

It was a decision I might regret upon returning to learn they've drawn all their friends and turned my blind's green island into a rookery of whitewashed dead wood surrounded by gators chummed by careless fledglings...