Hoping a Slow Season Gets Better

Most of the hunters I know have had a slow season this year. Some are ready to give up as they are tired of Going through the trouble and bringing home light or empty straps. Every morning when I’m driving the boat in the dark, that cool wind in my face starts my adrenaline rush. Putting out the decoys and settling in the blind waiting for legal shooting time is my drug of choice. This drug is on limited supply as the season ends in a month. I will continue to be there waiting for them to “SHOW UP”. Sometimes I may doubt the assurance of a great hunt but I will be there as long as the season allows. I’ve enjoyed every minute in the blind as frustrating as it may be this season. Good times and hot breakfast in the blind with friends and family are always special moments. “SO YOU’RE SAYING THERE’S A CHANCE” the ducks will show up; that’s good enough for me. Good luck to all the rest of the season.

great attitude and it sounds like you enjoy the entire process. congrats to you.

Yes Bing, I enjoy the whole process of what’s involved in the hunt. I try to add things to the experience to make it better. This year has been the deer sausage and eggs freshly cooked in the blind. We kill most of out ducks with breakfast in hand. Kind of like they always come when unloading the guns, or picking up the decoys, breakfast has become that time this year. Good luck to all and stay safe on the water!

To Proud Pop and the rest of de die-hard ducks hunters-yes indeed this has been a slow season but I aint complaining,not when I have been consistently seeing huge greenheads and plenty of high-fliers(gotta have ducks somewhere if there are high-fliers)and I enjoy the aerobic work-out of a paddle that may be 1.25 miles or it may be 2.5 miles,get over the paddling effort and enjoy the scenery I have taken at least 2 Medicare Clients on and guess what,we shot 4 greenheads on last two hunts combined and had a gift Woodie and drake green wing that we did not shoot at and in First Split,I had snow goose so close if I woulda swung on him,mighta hit him in head with Beretta,he was dat close.I pride myself on total stealth camo and me and Medicare Client harvested ten more giant palms(might take only about 12 of these monsters to completely conceal my Chapman).For those complaining about no ducks,get out ya routine blinds,explore a tad and guess what,ya might find where dem ducks have been showing me where they hang out the past 20 or so years.They may not always be willing to work with ya,but at least ya gots a chance if there are ducks in your area and I scout each and every hunt(bet I hunt at least 15 different spots/season,not counting Teal Season)and one of my Clients made a great suggestion-try teal hunting in secluded,back-breaking areas where he and I and another Medicare Client saw at least 80 ducks/hunt vs those who might see 10-15/hunt.Pays to do some leg-work and arm-work!!!Hope my theory holds water(and ducks)tomorrow.Just rigged up 6 Avian X Topflight Greys to go along with 6 Higdon widgeons and my 6 Higdon Battleship mallards(way too realistic and perhaps why we have mallards lighting in our spreads)!!!Good luck to all and before ya write off dis season,get outta ya regular spots and do some exploring,ya might surprise yaself!!!

Mandevillian

To make matters worse,me and two other usual die-hards went today and we even convinced one die-hard to ditch his usual spot(has seen very few ducks anywhere near his typical pond)and me and a Medicare Client went to exact Roseau blind where me and another Medicare Client pounded out two fine greenheads.We saw a huge flock of teal emerge from some very secluded ponds and dey wanted no part of where we were and we saw three sets of mallards,one flock had five and they likewise wanted no part of our spread,even though this was perhaps the most realistic spread I have employed thus far,with 6 brand-new Avian X Topflight greys,6 Higdon foam-filled widgeons(fine in their own right)and my Higdon Battleship mallards that always seem to catch the mallards' attention.Probably gonna sit out tomorrow due to ridiculously low amount of ducks,plus no way to safely access this secluded area(Lake gonna be dangerously rough tomorrow with WSW winds predicted-want no part of dat type and direction wind).Guess I could go with another Medicare Client,itching to get after some fine ducks(he is the one that made a nice trek with me on last Sun of first split and we got two huge greenies).At least I can report dat my mallard mecca still holding some fine mallards.If Arkansas freezes up,like last year,this spot should rock big-time!Personally,I have seen drastic reductions in our gadwall populations and long-ago got away from targeting them(love shooting em,just do not have many hanging around and NEVER count on em).I kinda like shooting a nice variety and have gotten quite a mixture of species thus far.Hoping for better results but realistic and might target Honey Island woodies to scratch de itch!!

Mandevillian

Slept in today but having some carb issues with flatboat and also have ornery trim switch on handle(Chuck Evans gonna take care of both0and we saw very few ducks yesterday and with predicted brisk WNW winds,Lady P is not an inviting place to be,not in 16 by 52 flat loaded down with pirogues and tons of gear!!!Not sure if Bayoubob made it out today(left him text)and my other hunting partner from yesterday gonna lend a hand trailering boat to mechanic today.Hope week end treats us right and had yet another Medicare Client bow out for today-he was gonna follow me on E side of Bayou Lacombe.Bad sign when die-hards like us bow out but I know when to back off and give de ole body a rest and today was much-needed rest for week end!!

Mandevillian

Proud Pop, I took off to deer hunt a bit #3 in the cooler so far this season, one of the guy's that hunts with us shot a few ducks (teal and dogris) yesterday. No matter what ya shoot you always see amazing sunrises and wonders of southeastern La marshes, Delacroix is a wonderful place!!! I'll be back at it after X-Mass

Happy Holidays to all and be safe

I always seem to have the most incredible sunrises that only die-hard duck and deer hunters see and might start climbing into my deer stand and all the guys I know that are deer hunting afficiandos say the time between Christmas and New Year is perhaps prime time(for the most part).Still planning a few duck hunts,in fact hope to duck hunt tomorrow and Sun and really enjoy mid-week hunts but the hunting pressure on mid-weeks hunts is there the week between Christmas and New Year and after that,duck hunting pressure,especially mid-week virtually non-existant!!!

Mandevillian

There is indeed more to enjoy on a duck hunt that pulling the trigger. Don’t get me wrong, I lobe killing ducks!!! This was a moment from a slow hunt. This view alone was worth the trip. Good luck to all this weekend!!

The picture says it all, it's a wall hanger!! a bit of good news this morning Houma report from the blind is more ducks in the area, our lease Caernarvon 3 folks hunting and 3 limits, Blue Wing, Green Wing and 1 very good looking Pintail, might try it Sunday if the water comes up a bit

Got awesome news from young gun I have been communicating with via this site-found bunch of willing participants in extremely tough access area and he was so gracious as to extend invite to de Mandevillian to help thin out thick population of one my favorite ducks dem greenheads.

Mandevillian love dem pics.

Bout de only thing I enjoyed about today's NShore Marsh hunt was the fine Roseau blind I set up in and took pic of around 6:00 am and also took pic of moon reflecting on pond.Accidentally forgot intermittent remote for Lucky Duck Spinning wing decoy(had to manually turn him on and was constant spinner vs fine intermittent bursts of spinning-think it spooks ducks on constant spinning)and had a bummer of a hunt today,chatted with Ville Platte native who hunted nearby(was lamenting absolute MT skies)and I did have far-off pair of woodies(bout 70 yards out!!)and saw pairs of fine mottled ducks and about 3 sets of mallards with none wanting to play.Surprisingly,there was enough water to get to decent spots,too bad dem ducks did not agree and we heard very little shooting.Think we gonna have change of venue tomorrow,hope it is wise choice,though we have not seen how our choices of locales has made much of a difference,other than the few hunts where we shot either decent amount of greys or mottled ducks and mallards.This can't get any worse,though I hate to say dat!!!Gonna slug it out tomorrow and be back at em Wed,Th,Sat,Sun and should hit deer stand!!

Mandevillian

wanted to add this pic

That's a beautiful blind picture!

Killed 7 today. Mostly teal with a grey and a Mottled Duck. Enjoyed watching the sunrise and the moon set simultaneously. Here is Avery waiting for the flight as the moon disappears over the decoys.

Had awesome time with few die-hards and we decided a change of venue in de cards and we hit a totally different area and knowing what I now know,shoulda hit one of my favorite paddle-to ole-time ponds,affectionately called 'Indian Joe'!!Larry and I hunted one fine 3-corner grass blind and Nick hit a Roseau blind quite a ways from us.Larry and I got scorched by fine blue wing drake on a mission and right after he scorched us,I heard the hunting party due S of us(looked at Google Maps later and guestimated that we were only less than 600 ft away,way too close,my bad not theirs) and the lack of spacing played a huge role in my error,though probably not too bad an error,considering the situation.What transpired is that Larry and I had nice flock of 5 mallards with no less than 3 greenheads in flock,descend on us coming from Indian Joe area and I waited til they were just above us(hated prospect of not being able to adequately work this flock)and I dropped big ole greenhead in middle of flock on first shot,took another shot and held off for 3rd and almost immediately went to look for greenie(fell ridiculously hard,compliments of Hevi-Steel#3)and could not find him and I watched him fall,looking life-less on rapid descent!!!Had I known how close this other party was initially,there is no way I woulda hunted the fine blind we set up in and Indian Joe woulda been on big-time.Got work to do on my mom's rental house in Kenner tomorrow and Wed and think Th gonna be wash-out.Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous New Year to all!!The greenie I dropped landed in tall marsh grass and if we had waited til they were over water(chancy as guys S of us probably woulda pounced on them)Larry and I might have nailed entire flock but the guys S of us woulda had to refrain from pounding them,probably not gonna happen,unfortunately!!Honestly think Lucky Duck intermittent spinner about sealed de deal,hate losing quality ducks and thus far have lost two huge greenies!!!Hope to get back after some Big Branch beauties pronto!

Mandevillian

We hunted both Saturday and today. On Saturday three of us shot 8 total 4 teal and 4 dosgris. Three of us hunted today and it was bad, 1 dosgris for the day. One good thing about the weekend is the redfish we caught yesterday.

At least we have a chance to do something else unlike the guys who hunt fields etc. when they get skunked they just go home.

A guy I know went up to Arkansas with five other guys this weekend. They drove six hours each way, paid the money and shot 2 ducks. Very few people are busting them up.

Will stay at it until the season closes, for better or worse.

Beautiful full moon this weekend. Yes, the season has been slow. Like many of you have posted, I enjoy the sounds, the smell and the sunrises. The ducks are getting their prime plumage. Best of luck the remainder of the season. Merry Christmas!

Yep,Agree that late-season ducks usually quite striking and that is what stings de most with me losing two fine studs of greenheads but hope springs eternal as long as Arkansas freezes over before end of East Zone Season closure.I do not have viable cast n blast option the way I typically hunt and with boat having firing issues have been hunting de ole-fashioned way,making the trek via pirogue and typically have tons of cover in rear or rogues with at least 2 dozen decoys and Lucky Duck spinner and other necessary gear.Once Chuck Evans figures out ole Southfork's firing issues(does fine til about 3/4 throttle and we need almost full power with all de gear we take)might have another die-hard follow us in his fine G3 and blast n casts might be viable.I love the experience,though the trek to 'Indian Joe' is roughly 2 plus mile paddle and not many folks gonna do dat,but when I make dat trek,tyically emerge with fine and fully-plumed mallards and kicking self for not making the trek yesterday.The five mallards I shot at emerged from Indian Joe!!!Getting self nice Lowrance Depthfinder with side and down scan plus GPS and sac a lait in T-Funky should be getting prime bout de time duck season finally ends!!!Not in de cards for me to make any NShore Marsh hunts this week but just may make de trek to 'Indian Joe' Sat/Sun and pound out some mallards.The greys just about phantoms where we have been hunting and personally would love to come home with 2-4 mallards/hunt and we coulda had five just yesterday!!!Hope ole Ar-Kansas freezes over and we get decent influx of mallards,kinda clock-work every year!!

Mandevillian

Sunday was another awesome morning I’m the marsh. No wind, quickly warming temps and few ducks in the area were not ideal for duck shooting. We killed 10 with a mix of teal and some dogris. Another beautiful sunrise and good friends in the blind. It’s not the limits of greys and teal we are accustomed to this time of year in Delacroix, but I’ll take it!! Good luck to all the rest of the season and stay safe on the water!

Since the second split we have been limiting on divers, mainly scaup but also a few redheads and buffleheads. Also a few mottled ducks and teal every now and then. My clients don't care if the duck has a a black head, a greenhead, brown head or whatever! They come to shoot ducks and we are getting fantastic shooting everytime we go!
In the first split we were getting more puddle ducks (grays and teal) but now its mainly divers.
We are in that cycle again........too much water and food up the flyway. They had so much rain this year that a lot of farmers couldn't harvest their crops. So the puddle ducks are staying put unless they have a very hard freeze for days at a time. Sure there are isolated areas in our marshes holding some puddlers but for the most part they are virtually non existint.

Quick update, couple of young guys that haven't had much duck hunting time finally got the time, Thursday thru Monday, water low but huntable, each day limits of Teal with a couple of pintail, To all those that endure the ups and downs of the season and enjoy golden sunrises each morning and wonders of Southeast Louisiana marshes Merry Xmass

mulletsquisher,Thanks for the hunt update,still hunting de ole-fashioned way and with the nautical E winds today,the last thing I opted for was a hunt in an area that always seems to produce ducks,problem was it woulda entailed rugged paddle directly into steep E wind and dat was not on my agenda so I took advantage of dat wicked E wind and hunted on W side of non-motorized Pipeline,saw very few ducks and only saw at most two hunters heading E off Bayou Lacombe.Had my usual spread set out and included Lucky Duck spinner and just as fate and luck would have it,flock of about 8 greys appeared,but no where near in range and I already had my Chapman blind taken down,Beretta cased and decoys tethered and neatly placed in bow of Chapman and I considered re-setting up blind a tad N of where I initially set up but it was close to 10 when I woulda be re-establishing a blind and I saw not a duck after that tease of a flock!!!Hope to get after some decent ducks this week end and sac-a-lait fishing can't come soon enough and turkey season round de corner and really need to check SD card on game cam as everyone I know that hunts deer as hard as I hunt ducks advises to hit deer stand between Christmas and New Year's Day.Hope Santa was great to all Sportsmen and Sportswomen and Children!!!Dis disgusting duck season can't get much worse!!!

Mandevillian,did not fire a shot!!

Heading down for another 3 days of hunting ducks. Some divers moved in on our property during the week. Not my first choice but will welcome the action this year. Good luck to all. 4 weekends left! Give it all you got!!

Proud Pop,Not sure why we do not have massive invasion of divers,patricularly scaup,where I hunt on NShore as they are loaded up on the Causeway(can't wait to fish Causeway).Having firing issues with flatboat so we opted for paddle-in hunt and I made at least a 2.1 mile(one-way)paddle to one of my ole-time favorite ponds,'Indian Joe' but ole Indian Joe had absolutely zero SAV and tons of salvinia,definitely NOT a recipe for duck success.Was tad N and W of Indian Joe and had awesome natural cover,supplemented by 15 huge palm branches and had my birthday gift,Lucky Duck Mallard spinner with intermittent remote installed(killer on both greys and mallards).First ducks of de day were three greys that looked like they were coming in hard but guess they decided to head elsewhere(think they were the flock that came in later-first shot dropped one like a stone,other two caught strong NNE winds and hit stratosphere before I could drop another).Saw very few ducks today but enough to keep me jazzed up for possible return visit to areas I heard shooting from.Nick and I decided to stick it out til 10 as I saw signs of life this past Th in form of decent flock of greys that appeared just after dismantling Chapman palm branch blind(why does that always seem to happen-guess ducks see movement and they start skittering around)!!Worn-out from long paddle through thick SAV plus salvinia(hope de Feds spray dat stuff pronto before it blankets all NShore Marsh ponds).If I were not such a die-hard fanatical duck hunter,why would I make such a monster paddle(answer-ya gotta go to know and ya gotta get far from crowds),especially hunting Fed/Public Lands-some of my favorite hunts are Fed and have few trophy ducks from NShore Marsh and still holding out hope for mature sprig pintail!!Watching me some college football(love seeing Michigan get demolished as I cannot stand Jim Harbaugh-he gets what he deserves)!!Hope our Black and Gold goes to de Souper Bowl!!

Mandevillian

Nick and I(de only two from our group of four or five hunting routinely this season)hit the non-motorized pipeline and guess others decided they wanted to hit same general areas,so he went on E side,saw a few ducks and I went de opposite way,hitting fine grass-loaded pond and all I was treated to was some unique video opportunities with a waterfowl species I am not 100% sure of swimming in pothole directly behind my blind(he had no idea how close I was til I dismantled pirogue blind)and had three white pelicans swimming just outside my decoy spread(took video of them as well).Think I saw maybe pair of woodies early,heard ton of shooting way to the East and West of me and I for one,hate chasing sounds of shotgun blasts,preferring to seek secluded spots without ton of hunting pressure.Have gotten reports,spotty at best,of concentrations of greys,teal,with some mallards thrown in and will get after some willing mallards,once I get my flat back!Been extremely tough season and we did see huge black hog swimming W to E across non-motorized canal and guess word is out as a buddy of mine used to routinely text me with the number of vehicles parked at Pipeline Launch(count got up to about 18 at one point)and doubt we saw more than about 8 vehicles yesterday).

Mandevillian,always optimistic,despite reality!!!

Hunted the past 3 days and the hunts have resulted in mostly limits of bluebills/dogris with a couple of bonus mottled ducks, greys, teal and a widgeon. Still giving them all we got and taking what we have the opportunity to kill. Still having a blast in the blind. Had 3 new hunters kill their first ducks the past 2 days. Good luck to all in 2019.

Proud Pop,Looks like ya making the most of a tough,tough situation and I just know there are some ducks in certain areas on NShore,just hate crowding folks that have spent the time and effort to find some quality ducks(mallards,greys.teal,widgeons,to give some fine examples of what might be in store)and do have a young gun willing to take a grizzled ole veteran of many duck seasons on fine mallard hunt,we just gotta arrange it and I am hopeful dat the firing issue turns out to be ornery and un-reliable ole powerpack on Johnson 50 hp beast(when she fires properly).I always scope out not only Federal Maps but Google Maps to find the most secluded,off-the-beaten path ponds and scheming as I type this, with a fellow Abita KC buddy to take his ultra-fine 18 60 G3 with fine Yammy 90 4-stroke on rear this coming Th.He and I had pair of greenheads work so beautifully and we can't wait for Th for return visit to very nice,secluded,mallard mecca that offers what we die for--Roseau blinds,grass-filled ponds,best of all---zero competition and been dat way for over 20 years!!!Like I keep saying,'Ya gotta go to know-ya gotta know where to go!'

Mandevillian

Got two die-hards and me heading to what I hope to be mallard mecca tomorrow and have a few spots I want to explore before calling it quits!!Hope dense fog aint as bad as predicted and got two I-Phones plus GPS and compass to guide us to where I hope we find some non-pressured ducks.Typically,where I hunt late-season water levels fairly low but doubt dat gonna be an issue tomorrow.One of my die-hard duck hunting buddies lamented his flooded-out deer food plot and I have not checked mine and we hunt about 1/2 mile from each other on about 3000 acres of timber company land and neither of us had any pics on our game cams(think we both inadvertently failed to turn on doggone game cams!!).Can hardly believe Duck Season 2018-2019 about done and holding out hope that perhaps we might luck out,find some pockets of greys,mallards,teal and have decent end to bummer of a season.Not sure why we do not get influx of scaup(not that I am complaining)but there are tons of em cruising the Causeway,mostly on W side.

Mandevillian,hoping crawfish season turns out to be awesome.Sac-a-lait fishing can't come soon enough,gotta find some positives in otherwise extremely negative season fulla frustration!!!

Well,we did get to mallard mecca,trouble was the Roseau blind was socked in with giant salvinia and we ended up just next to it on 3-corner blind(shoulda taken my hunting partner's advice to break down some tall grass for better visibility,hint,hint)and got burned by huge greenhead that I never saw but did get glimpse of him when my hunting buddy raised up to get shot at him but he woulda been shooting way close to me,never a good thing!!We did have a few flocks dive bomb in oh so close but none wanted to work properly and I did not fire a shot and my hunting buddy took two quick shots at greys that mighta come a tad closer had we waited em out.If we coulda gotten the greys we saw a tad closer,no doubt we coulda cashed in on some nice ducks,but dat's late-season greys for ya!!!Been such a weak season I am headed across Lake for Insurance CE class on duck-hunt day!!!Hope to get after some late-season mallards and greys soon.Bayoubob did get hen goldeneye,one of two he knocked down!!

Mandevillian

Lucky me got call from Chuck Evans,my trusted marine mechanic, and he advised me to come and get the ole Southfork and give her a good water test(what better way than a duck hunt trip,especially to where dem mallards seem to love)and loaded ole Southfork up with newer Chapman,have some glass work to do on antique Chapman,need to put front and rear caps on custom-made pressure-treated extra-thick and fine gunwales and do little more minor glasswork on her and me and awesome Medicare Client and Bayoubob gonna give it our best shot,then have some areas I have been wanting to explore tad E of where we typically hunt and have quite a few more hunt days in ole body.Met with yet another awesome Medicare client this am after 8:00 mass and gave him de OK to hunt my deer food plot with his grandson,jokingly said he should tag along some decoys and his shotgun as our deer club sometimes holds tons of water.Also got call from deer club Pres and he reminded me dat my deer days getting shorter and I advised that I would bow hunt til de bitter end(outside duck days,unfortunately).Talked to St.Jane de Chantal church member and his wife and they showed me,believe it or not,pic of deer,20 pt with immense rack that may score 180!!!Beams were so immense one could not put average-sized hand around them!!!True monster that weighed over 220 lbs!!!Why can't I be dat lucky.Southfork fired right up,she sounded like she ready to scream tomorrow and gonna put her through de paces and hope ducks cooperate and might just wrap up season in totally new area(to me)!!Good luck to all and fishing can't be too far behind!!!

Mandevillian

should be good crawfishing season.mild winter and plenty water. do you crawfish pearl river?

tom1959,Actually do crawfish the Pearl and word to the wise,make sure ya got the self-clearing permit filled out.We have not done worth a darn the last two seasons but when Pearl turns on,lotta fun catching lobster-sized mudbugs and will be taking flatboat with pirogue rack installed to access best,deep spots way back there!!!Have seen hogs and fair herd of deer way back in there and have wonderful Medicare Client who used to work dredging numerous areas,Big Branch most recently,and he wants to show me some awesome duck spots that I have been wanting to explore and we are also wanting to explore the Joyce and Manchac and Maurepas Swamp WMA's as well.Good luck and from the indications I have read about,this may well be a banner crawfish season,can't be any worse that last few where we went maybe one time,water was raging and cold,definitely not ideal mud bug conditions.Hope springs eternal as far as balance of duck season and hope to nab some fine mallards tomorrow and Sunday!!!

Mandevillian

Last two hunts total bummer,Sat lost fine grey hen that snuck in on us(she and I were having quite a duck conversation just after first light)and dropped her,only to see her quickly get well outta effective shooting range and lost her(did search quite a bit with zero success)and Sunday shoulda stayed in bed,though I did see exactly where ducks wanted to be vs where I wanted them to be and it has been a very consistent pattern with ducks heading to one fine spot,not that far from where we have been hunting.Me and dear Medicare Client paddled to exact island where just about two weeks ago I dropped pair of greenheads(lost one)and dropped fine hen redhead and we left plenty of giant palmetto branches,essential to our way of blinding Chapman pirogues.Did not take photo of yesterday's blind,my bad as this was probably best blind we have hunted outta this season,other than the Roseau blind me and another Medicare Client dropped pair of greenies from.It has been such a bummer to have to target mallards as we have very few greys anywhere and if we ever get an Arkansas freeze-up,we might have a repeat of last season where plenty of mallards finally showed up!!!

Mandevillian,always optimistic despite horrendous season!!

I am going to go by gus and pick up 3dz of his deep water crawfish nets. going to take the godevil boat and load up the 1983 chapman pirogue and find a place to take the grandkids.

Those are some awesome nets.I used netting I bought from Gus' to fashion my own deep-water nets and I used high-tension wire and nylon spacers to join the rings together and my home-made nets last a long time as the nylon netting Gus sells is great stuff and he has corks and tarred line to attach the nets to floats,lotta fun catching ya own lobster-sized mudbugs.Those from the Honey Island Swamp definitely have a sweeter taste,presumably from the cypress trees so prevalent in dat Swamp.Lucky me just got e-mail from a gent who has read my duck hunting exploits and wants me to take him and his kids on their family land in the Delacroix/Reggio Marsh!!!Hard to pass us dat golden opportunity and hope to get chance to take him up on offer!!!

Mandevillian

PS,Got some gratis cypress to fashion bow and stern end caps for my antique Chapman,circa 1981,compliments of fine folks at Acadian Cypress in Ponchatoula!!!

This Season still not turning the corner for us in Delacroix. I ordered some Bluebill decoys from Presley’s in Illinois and spent some time talking with the person in charge of orders. I told him that I need to target bluebills as that is all we are seeing and we talked about how bad the season has been up and down the Mississippi Flyway. If there are no ducks in Illinois, none in Louisiana, and very few good repost in between us, where are they. The theory up there is that the ducks have shifted to the central flyway. I have heard that argument before but was not wanting to believe it. He speaks with hunters all across the country through his business. It’s a scary thought that this is what is happening. It seems we have sooo many things working against us this year. Two more weeks to give them all the effort I can muster. I will be ready for whatever the duck gods send us. Good luck to all the rest of the season.

Proud Pop,Gonna make an extra 15 minute paddle tomorrow to get right on proverbial 'X' but de problem is the last few hunts I have made in my typical area I have still seen flocks go to this one particular area,just fewer and fewer flocks and last hunt I made out there saw pair of mottled ducks do what mottled ducks do and saw nice flock of possibly greys descend upon un-disturbed area where I intend to paddle to tomorrow!!Chatted with a gent whose family has had hunting property since the 1900's and he and I and his younger son gonna do blast and cast as soon as we can arrange it.Gonna chase reds first then target ducks on afternoon hunt,something I have not been able to take advantage of,primarily due to the regs where I hunt but on private land,afternoon hunts might just be de ticket!!!

Mandevillian

PS Changing agricultural practices probably biggest negative impact on our migratory birds,no doubt about it!!!

Well,Guess I got lucky,not on de ducks,however,but gent with family property in St.Bernard wants to take me and his dad redfishing tomorrow and I told my hunt partner of today,Bayoubob,dat de ole body about worn-out from de long and non-productive paddles to not only try to get on proverbial'X' but also get away from hunting pressure.Launched de Southfork about same time as typical but Chuck Evans got dat 50 hp Johnson more than screaming with rebuilt carbs and new powerpack and roars like a brand-new boat and we arrived alive and about 15 minutes earlier than typical!!!Made a very long,methodical paddle to area where ducks have shown me they wanna be and found doggone oil boom stretched across waterway,presumably to contain giant salvinia,and could have traversed the boom but at dark early,hard to see how thick and invasive the salvinia was.Did have typical pair of woodies scream by but no where in range,teal blazed by,was not expecting him,and saw at least 5 mallards,one flock,not interested in my decoy party and probably saw maybe 15 ducks all morning(quit right before 9:30).Not sure where the ducks that should be here have hung out,possibly NDakota,for all we know!!!Looking forward to forging new relationship with gent looking to get back into duck hunting and hope me,his dad,and he nab some fine redfish and possibly specks tomorrow,down in St.Bernard!!!Glad to be getting much-needed hiatus from chasing non-existent ducks and I was as close as ever to proverbial 'X' and now know what obstacle(s)I might be facing on next NShore Marsh adventure!!!

Mandevillian

Bob Breck had a blog about how abnormally warm this winter has been, so those mallards are still up in KS and NE. As far as flyways switching, a heck of a lot of the ducks shot in LA are hatched in the central flyway and move EAST to us. In fact at one point the LDWF tried to move us to the central flyway (didn't take). This year sucks even for calendar migrators like gadwall and teal because the jet stream has been in an atypical alignment most of the winter blowing from SW to NE hence the never ending rain. What we really want is a big dip centered right over venice so that birds have a tail wind at altitude for migration. Excessive rain also spreads out the available birds greatly obviously. Its just a bad constellation of circumstances: sub-par (for the 21rst century) breeding year, bad jet stream, warm weather, late hurricane disrupting food stuffs, about 100% more fisherman than usual during the winter ect. Its not a conspiracy or a permanent state of affairs.

Mandevillian you need to look into getting a boykin spaniel for the style of hunting you like. In fact your post made do some math that earned my two half trained canines an extra biscuit and pat on the head . Sinc teal season we have downed 90 birds over the dogs of those the dogs located 85. Wish it was all 90 but that's a decent recovery rate since we have hunted mostly potholes and sloughs where a lot of birds land in grass/brush. Dogs are frustrating at times but having them really helps when its slow like this. Figure I have 4 more hunts to make this year hopefully the weather helps out a little finally!

Yep,a small doggie would be nice,in fact I would most likely have to tag along more palmetto branches as I would most likely have to get the bigger Chapman pirogue,the guide special!!!Saw a disgusting sight,one I hate to report but gotta call a spade a spade.On my way back to de Mothership,saw white pelican,belly-up and somewhat bloated,meaning he was killed a few days or so ago,hard to believe someone would shoot a pelican.Yesterday was quite a nature-viewing adventure-had blue heron soar so close I coulda grabbed his legs(was that well-concealed),had a hawk fly by fairly close and saw bald eagle land in ole dead cypress tree.On way back,just before I spotted dead white pelican,saw huge gator sunning itself on bank and was not able to get phone camera ready in time.This was about a 10 ft gator,huge!!!Headed to Reggio this am,not for ducks but hopefully specks and reds and maybe bass!!!

Mandevillian

It may not have been shot, some young pelicans just starve in their first year. We see it in Hopedale every winter. 30-40# of boykin won't make you need a bigger rogue trust me on that. And even without the training to handle you can paddle them over to the area the bird went down and just have them hunt dead ( I do that on long falls over 100 yards anyways just to keep better track of the dogs). At any rate best of luck through the end, and then rabbits, hogs and snipe!

lanco1,I do not know exactly what caused the demise of this beautiful white pelican and can most definitely tell ya in 20 plus years of hunting predominantly one particular area(loaded with white pelicans,by the way),I have yet to see another dead pelican and can only surmise that this bird may have been shot.Do have gorgeous chocolate lab,rescue dog,and she is afraid of her own shadow and we love her dearly and may consider getting another lab,but only after she passes on and she is a very young 7 year old dog,extremely intelligent but not a hunter,no doubt.Not sure if you have ever seen the load I put into a fine 2-man Chapman and can most assuredly tell ya,even a 30 lb Boykin would add the extra weight that I do not need,at the present time!!Thanks for the advice but I have lost maybe 3 ducks this season and paddled past the island where I searched in vain for a fine greenhead and saw a pile of feathers,circle of life,as perhaps a hawk found my mallard and he gotta eat as well!!I do like the idea of a dog,not at the present time,and also like the extra stability of bigger Chapman,and the Guide Special features spud holes suitable for stanchioning off the bigger 'rogue and at the end of most of my duck seasons,rafts of greys seem to want to get in bigger bays,well outta effective range and setting up with nice,stable Chapman would serve the purpose quite well.I tried one year,using a nice canoe but was difficult getting her stable and it took a lotta effort to blind the canoe.About 16-18 huge palm branches stuck in sandy bottom would about completely conceal bigger Chapman and doggie to retrieve would then make sense!!

Mandevillian

Keeping at what’s available for the taking. Killed a limit of 12 Dogris and added a bonus teal and grey. Saw a few greys moving high ahead of the front but don’t expect them to hang around based on experience from this season. Bat at it again in the morning.

Proud Pop,Bayoubob and I joked bout ya plunking down some coin for bluebill decoys but guess dey paid off in spades,pun intended!!!Wifey makes excellent gumbo with em but the problem is dey stink up de house when she boils em in salted water three times,tosses out water then de-bones dem bluebills and makes gumbo with em.When she makes mallard,teal,wood duck,grey,widgeon,etc gumbo she does not have to boil em in salted water and each duck has a distinct flavor but when she uses bluebills,the meat is bland,guess boiling dem babies in salted water three times takes out the fishy flavor and replaces it with unfortunately a bland taste.With the extreme lack of ducks in our usual haunts,we might welcome bluebills,key word is 'might'!!!

Mandevillian

Got the foam filled Bluebills so my hunter don’t have to worry about sinking my decoys and can just shoot away. Could have passed on the dogris and came out with a teal and a grey but why do that when you can enjoy some shooting. We soak in salt water for an hour or so the rinse, season, and grill med rare. Stuff with the pepper and chees if you want wrapp with bacon. Not needed. Never had anyone at the camp spot it out. Lol. Enjoy what is there for the taking and stay safe on the water.

Your right Scott! You have to play the cards your dealt. I have over 60 foam filled diver decoys consisting of bluebills,redheads and buffleheads. ALL the bluebills we got this season had grass in their gizzards. No fish! And as you probably know already but guess what duck is famous for eating those minnows in a trapped pothole. A mottled duck!
We are having a fantastic time hunting those divers and I know you are too. It's a guaranteed successful hunt where I'm hunting. Enjoy the hot action!

Wish Bayoubob and I could report some degree of success but dat would certainly be a lie and we met a hunter who joked with Bayoubob bout de mallards we were reporting about and I showed this gent a few pics from not that long ago when we were shooting a few nice,plump greenies!!Not gonna get any bluebill decoys anytime soon,especially since where we typically hunt,we rarely see bluebills,though someone hunting the Lake could potentially shoot ton of buffleheads and maybe a scaup or two!!Deer club president sent me nice pic of beautiful 8 pt killed on my deer club and Bayoubob and I saw fine doe on E side of Cane Bayou on our way out to hunting spots!!At least I can report dat Chuck Evans got the kinks worked outta ole Southfork and she roars like a brand-new engine,getting us to and fro with a lot less gas and much quicker!!!Not sure how many duck hunts I have left in ole body and might have to hang up waders and Beretta(other than for Honey Island tree rats)and start hitting deer stand!!Good luck to all and might have about 4 hunts left in ole body!!

Mandevillian

PS Another dnf hunt for me,getting ole and Bayoubob at least fired a few shells!!

Just could not resist temptation to attach some pics taken about 10 minutes prior to legal shooting just yesterday,hunting some unbelievable local marsh loaded to the hilt with grass like this place has never had just no ducks and plenty of white pelicans.Was blinded up very nicely,had stiff NNW wind making decoys look alive,all the ingredients,minus the key ingredient,ducks and thinking about not chasing ducks this week end and instead hitting deer stand and too many sightings of deer on the move,coupled with weaker than weak duck sightings and guess ultimate insult was seeing fine doe just make it across bayou while we were traversing Cane to access our chosen spots!!!Pitiful dat we have more than adequate groceries in every pond I choose to hunt and rarely get a shot at anything,save pictures of glorious sunrises and video opportunities(have seen bald eagle land in ole cypress tree)and saw monstrous gator just last week.Maybe Mother Nature will bless us but I aint chasing non-existent ducks this week end as I got money and time tied into fine food plots and hunt real close to home,just like we duck hunt(guess we call it duck hunting)so close to home!!!Maybe break needed and might chase ducks last week of East Zone and gearing up for sac a lait,upgrading Lowrance Unit to one with GPS and Side/Down Scan!!

Mandevillian

Well, here we are. The eve of the last weekend of the season. Hoping for some breaks in the wether. Possibly looking like a washout Saturday and a blow out Sunday. Think we will get some shooting in before the rain in the morning. Good luck to all in the morning and stay safe on this possibility dangerous weather weekend!

Proud Pop,Funny thing about the strong NNW winds predicted for where I intend to do solo hunt tomorrow(gonna lower water a tad so it will make it easier for me to pass under bridge construction on Ole Spanish Trail)!!!Hunted Fritchie Marsh today and got a much later start than I wanted to(Wifey convinced me to stay in bed til 5,getting me a much later start)and was missing out on at least 3 shooting opportunities(when ya only get maybe 3 shooting opportunities and ya miss out,ya end up with nada)!!!Did see where some greys tended to congregate and hope to cash in tomorrow.Had mallards fly by just before I could blind up and had pair of mottled ducks clearly headed towards me but there were two hunters in pothole N of me and they dropped one and as folks paddled out,saw a few mottled ducks getting antsy!!!Hope and pray that I get a few shooting opportunities tomorrow.If nothing else,at least getting some intel for next Wed,Th,Sat,Sun!!!

Mandevillian

Passed on the hunt today with the combination of severe winds and extremely low tide. In my over 40 years of experience, those conditions usually result in poor hunts, even during years with plenty ducks. Cleaned up the camp and packed up most of my hunting stuff to put away for the season. Will have to make another trip down to gather some more things. Overall it was a very slow season compared to what we are accustomed to down in Delacroix. But man, did I have a blast doing what I love to do, chase Ducks! Praying for wet breeding grounds, high nest success, and cold dry weather come November. Good luck to those with another week to their season, I’m Done!

Proud Pop,Conventional wisdom and your experience as well as that of mine would have steered me in your direction and I would have slept in but I was determined to hit a spot in Fritchie Marsh that I hunted many,many years ago,quite successfully.Awoke at around 2:45,headed out de door around 3:15 and launched newer Chapman(pics of custom-fitted front and rear caps on Antique Chapman)around 4:15,made a nice and fairly brisk paddle across Little Lagoon and stirred up at least 200 assorted divers and headed towards an ole stand by,set decoys out and musta had one not secure as little later,into hunt,counted mallard decoys and was missing one of my drakes(saw him way down deep trenasse).Had chances at few teal right after legal shooting,spotted nice pair of mottled ducks that settled down in one of numerous pot holes scattered around and only had decent chance at rocket of a scaup that I hit on second and third shots,watched wind and current take lil jewel into marsh and went after him,unfortunately in vain and wanting to get home and do some work on Antique Chapman,plus get geared up for Saints game(how in the world can a ref miss a blatant call like they did),decided to call it quits around 9:00 and ya would know it,flocks of greys started flying and decided against re-setting up blind(already had decoys put up-retrieved lost drake mallard decoy)and on paddle back to launch,saw fine,mount-worthy drake redhead,apparently just wounded and I never paddle with loaded shotgun.Woulda been easy shot and guess poetic justice with me firing only three shots,dropping scaup and not finding him!!!At least my trip today yielded some intel for last few East Zone hunts and hope to get back out after licking wounds from losing to Rams and not getting any ducks today!!!Been miserable duck season and hoping fishing takes up de slack!!

Mandevillian

Normally I look at post of no birds and think people just are not putting in the work, Saturday, I hunted close and easy, 2 limits, Sunday I worked with the low water and paddled in 2 miles (realizing my age the whole way), 3 of us ended with 9 birds...Our season was not bad when looking at final numbers, but you could tell number of ducks was way off, I also deer hunted during the duck season this year and haven't done that in 10 years. We made 5 less hunts this year than we did last year. Hoping next year comes back around!

Bracki7,Got deer hunt trip planned tomorrow afternoon(not wasting time tomorrow on ducks)and can most definitely tell ya I put in tremendous amount of time and effort and hunt about exclusively Federal/Public Land and the ducks just never did show up,other than possible pockets of ducks,nothing consistent and only one of the guys I hunt with got a one-man limit and that only happened one time and we know our area better than anyone else(other than a few spots we leave for folks that likewise have put in the time to locate and scout)and teal season shoulda given us a hint,though where we hunt not usually a teal mecca and there have been some exceptions.For quite a few hunts,I watched flock after flock,mostly woodies and greys with a few mallards,either emerge from a particular area or head to this same particular area and probably great reason why-non-pressure and extreme effort to even get half-way close to this area.I do have a strategy for next teal season(when the water levels are typically much higher)and just might seek out this spot in teal season and see what gives and hope to at least get somewhat close before this miserable season ends.For me to opt for a deer hunt on a day when I can hunt the Big Branch Marsh says quite a lot about the duck population locally and even hit Fritchie Marsh a few times and still not much in the way of ducks,other than a smattering of divers(buffleheads and scaup),none of which entices me and I did unfortunately lose a scaup Sunday,thanks to extreme tidal movement accelerated by ridiculously strong NNW winds and had to make quick exit or I woulda gotten mired in mud.As it turns out,winds predicted for Th might yield lotta mudflats,not a good recipe for where I intend to close out my season.At least we did shoot a few fine mottled ducks,mallards and few teal,greys,redhead and I managed but one drake Woodie,absolutely horrific results in anyone's book but I chalk it up to numerous factors,all outta my control!!Hope to at least see a deer or two and have til end of this month here and til Feb 15th in area next to us!!

Mandevillian

Mandevillian, I know you nor I will give up, too many outstanding memories...I just moved back to LA 10 years ago (this is home) and had the privilege to hunt all over the country. Not saying best hunting is here,if not very close to it. I love the marsh hunting opportunities we have, the only fault I have with hunting here is I have 22 bands on my lanyard and have hunted here for a good 25 years and only 1 band came from here and that was a Woodie. With that said, be safe, good luck with the deer, more meat on them anyway...

Bracki7,Just outta curiosity,did most of dem bands come from Arkansas??Hunt with a diehard that has at least twice my duck hunting experience(20 plus years for me)and he has yet to bag a banded duck and the only band I can claim came from a jake killed in Sherburne WMA,probably extremely rare to shoot banded turkey as they are extremely wary and lots of folks joke that if the wild turkey had the sense of smell that deer have,they would be virtually impossible to kill,their eyesight and hearing is that keen!!Got buddy headed to the Dallas area,hunting tank ponds,hoping to shoot some mallards and I am waiting out this rain to go with a deer/duck hunting buddy to our deer club not that far from where we live.Where I duck hunt is getting bombarded with giant salvinia and hope the Feds take notice and eradicate that invasive stuff pronto or the Big Branch Marsh will suffer just like other formerly pristine duck hunt areas,like Joyce,Manchac to name just a few formerly gems of Public Land.I have gotten some incredible reports,along with pics to back up glowing reports,of fine trophy canvasbacks and pintails from Public Land(not gonna disclose area as it already has tremendous pressure)and all one would have to do is to take the time and effort to scout some Public/Federal land and possibly enjoy some incredible free hunts,pretty much any day of the week,except for Federal Lands,where hunts only allowed on Wed,Th,Sat,Sun and mudboats not allowed.Love my flatboat/pirogue hunts and know folks that hunt the mouth of the River,but they have much bigger rigs than me and I am not keen on MS River hunts,unless I go with a veteran of those hunts!!!Time to focus on balance of East Zone,get geared up for Wild Turkey,sac a lait,specks,reds,flounders,etc and Honey Island crawfishing hopefully will be outstanding after few years of slim,slim pickings!!!Hope to one day bag banded duck but quite happy with banded jake,probably much more rare!!!

Mandevillian

Yes more in Arkansas, then Minn, and Texas. I am a meat hunter, the bands just add jingle to the calls. I do like to get the certificate telling where the bird was banded, always interesting. I have taken several turkeys in the local management, never a banded one though.

The salvinia is a huge problem here, more so in Canarvon and Delacroix in the places that I hunt. I hunt closer to the lake in big branch and have not had the same problem. Probably from the amount of people running through there.

Good luck, I enjoy your posts, keep it up.

I find its more rewarding to get a banded bird where its hard to come by them. To get a band is not something you can try for i suppose but it just happens. I have gotten 5 of them in around 20 years of hunting in southeast Louisiana. 2 mallard drake, 1 ring neck, 2 from double banded whistling duck. I guess I've had some luck in that part of the sport. The first time you get one it is an awesome experience tho.

Had yet another tough NShore Marsh hunt today but was pleasantly surprised at the nice load of huge limestone rock someone delivered right at the Cane Bayou launch and at first glance(when I was backing down at dark:30,looked like overturned boat),not sure what I was backing down towards!!Bayoubob and I hit familiar spots(I zigged when I shoulda zagged-doggone ducks followed series of ponds where just last year I was pounding out a few mallards)and I set up quite a bit N of that fine series of ponds.Did see smattering of mottled ducks(dey never seem to cooperate,for de most part)and zero greys,zero woodies and nice flock of teal but they had absolutely no intentions of visiting my spread!!I did not fire a shot,quite a familiar refrain and hope last two hunts are better than last bunch of hunts combined!!!Not 100% sure where I will wrap up my duck season and might get with Last Cast to scope our area 9 for the balance of their archery season!!Might have to ease pain of painful duck season via chasing Honey Island tree rats,Joyce,Maurepas,Manchac tree rats,deer,etc!!!Do have sac a lait trip planned for next Friday!!

Mandevillian

PS,If I never shoot a banded duck not end of world as banded turkey gotta be much rarer and I have yet to hear of another turkey hunter reporting shooting banded turkey!!!

My season is done in the coastal zone and I am having bad withdrawals already. This is the time of the week I am usually checking with the other hunters and planning the meals we will eat at the camp for the weekend. Should be Studying the wind and tide forecast, getting everything ready to head down after Friday’s work day in hope of making a scouting run before dark to see if “They Showed Up”. As slow as this season was, the preparation for the hunts will be missed as well as the time in the blinds. I feel like going back down this weekend to see if more ducks arrived with the weather even though it really doesn’t matter at this point. If the weather gets nice I may make a redfish/bass trip just to be in the marsh again. My job will soon keep me busy even on the weekends but will have to make time for a trip to fish and look for ducks every now and then from now through March. That will be when we say goodbye to the duck migration till they hopefully return again starting in September. Man, this off season will be a tough one!!!

Proud Pop,My season un-officially over(gonna deer hunt Sat/Sun vs chasing non-existent ducks)and just read DU Migration report for Arkansas and when they struggle,why should I expect the NShore Marsh to have an appreciable mallard population???Last year was last year and had plenty of green to target,this year few greenies and very few greys and glad to be hanging up Beretta and waders,finally.Last Cast suggested I toss in de towel and just as well as I got decent coin invested in deer club and everyone I respect with regards to deer hunting suggests that in our area,rut still underway and that bodes well for me.He and I might hit Area 9 after closing our archery season in our area and just may find some mallard/wood duck magnets in deer marsh near Ponchie!!!

Mandevillian

Had to attach last sunrise of rotten duck season 2018-2019 with closing remarks that this has to have been most challenging duck season in my over 20 years of chasing waterfowl!!Chatted with numerous folks about the factors outta our control and one thing I can certainly control is the scouting efforts that I plan to do very soon to find areas that definitely have held ducks,this past season no doubt,and will concentrate efforts on sac a lait(already have received confirmation on two relatively easy-to-access spots)and getting ready for Wild Turkey Season and chasing reds,specks,flounders in Lady P!!!Plenty of fishing to accomplish,coupled with finding remote duck spots,particularly to E of where I typically have been hunting!!!Gotta be reason we hear tons of volleys in area I know can be accessed!!!

Mandevillian

Went this morning to a pond that was holding A LOT of ducks last weekend. Had 4 people total, ended with 15 (9 greys, 2 widgeon, 4 teal), thought all the scouting I did last weekend would pay off a little better, but since this year did not turn out as expected, rinsed the decoys and accessories and will put them away tonight.

Thanks to everyone for their posts, I will keep my fingers crossed all summer!

Hey Bracki, not a bad way to end the season considering how slow it was state wide. I made another trip down to the camp with the trailer and hauled back all of my decoys and boat blind. I made a run around the property to see if the ducks showed up the week after the season like they sometimes do. Not really any improvement except for one big bunch of teal. Cleaned up the boat a little and plan to go back down next week to get the Pirogues and pressure wash the boats and get them ready for fishing. Plan to fish next Sunday as I will not be watching any football. The long off season has begun and it’s time for the ducks to have a good nesting season followed by dry and cold weather next fall. Can’t wait till next season, come on September 14th!!!

Proud Pop,See ya like the Texas-rigged decoys and must be like minds think alike as I too use those red nylon straps to keep decoy strings separated and the carabiners are perfect for the top loops.Funny thing about some duck hunters-dey get stuck in a rut and refuse to either alter/modify their tactics or just complain and dat definitely don't do any good.I have been using a yak paddle for the past ten or so seasons and it doubles as a push-pole and I rig all my decoys Texas-rigged with typically either 3 or 4 oz egg sinkers with coated line exactly like ya picture shows and it takes seconds to toss out dem decoys and I typically toss two dozen in front of my antique Chapman.My concentration the rest of this month and into next month(Feb 15th last day of Archery in Area 9)is gonna be doing my best to stick a deer and also chase some T-Funky and Bayou Lacombe slabs and bass,biding my time awaiting sight-fishing for reds and Causeway jigging/trolling,etc for mostly specks.Even though most of the folks I chat with had poor duck seasons,there were quite a few bright spots and as a pure coincidence,I was channel surfing and landed upon DUTV and Dale Hall,with DU summed it up perfectly stating that we did not have the stars align up with wetter than typical weather up and down the flyway plus we never got the same Arctic push and photoperiod plays a tremendous effect on duck migration and once the days start getting longer,even if we got serious Arctic fronts,it was probably well too late for serious duck migrations to occur,if at all.I will paddle some of the NShore Marsh ponds I typically hunt in the next few weeks and will not be shocked if I scare up tons of green wing teal and possibly some mallards and greys and who knows,possibly some widgeons,a duck that once was a staple in our NShore Marsh hunts.Love they way they sound,decoy,taste!!!Hard to beat Wifey's roasted widgeon,stuffed with a sweet potato or apple or wild rice.Miss those widgeons and did see few widgeons in straps of Venice young gun that has been communicating with me on a regular basis.Venice,for one,was a shining star for those willing to really bust it to find the ducks and I have a buddy that used to regularly hunt it and might have to light a fire under him to get back after Venice ducks.One factor I certainly control,besides my attitude,is my scouting efforts and I did not scout one day this past season,other than same-day scouting while hunting to see what the ducks wanted to do vs what I wanted them to do!!!

Mandevillian,Public /Federal Land Warrior

Hope all Saints fans boycott Super Bowl and maybe we can get Matt Bowers to print up some tee-shirts with the following Bobbie Hebert phrase,'Ya can cheat us,Ya can't defeat us!' I plan to NOT watch the game,choosing to either work on our huge vegetable gardens or chase sac a lait,maybe both just will not watch Stupid Bowl and hope others follow suit!!

Mandevillian