It's Better Than A Day At the Office

It is the day before Thanksgiving and I thought I would update this blog since we had a very good day for a change. We ended today with 34 (give or take a duck) killed out of the camp.

This brings our total for the season up around 185. I will probably have to make a slight adjustment either up or down when I get the "official count" from the camp-house score board.

We are not near the "pace" that we were on at this time last year. In fact we are about 80 ducks behind. But, hey! It still ain't that bad. I've had worse.

The lake is still dropping and the salvinia (while not gone) isn't a big factor right now. What we really need is a straight northern front.

I hunted with Bob and his son, Coy, this morning. I really had a great time! The only thing you have to watch out for is Coy has this unpleasant trait of stealing your shotgun shells if he thinks you aren't watching. It does save him considerable money throughout the year. I think he learned this from his father.

Anyway, they were kind enough to have pity on me and allowed me to hunt with them and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I Would Never Say I Told You So!

I would never be one to say “I told you so” …

Oh hell, who am I kidding, everyone likes to say “I told you so” when proven to be correct.

All along, we have been strong proponents in raising not lowering the level of the lake in order to rid Lake Bistineau of salvinia . (See Blog Entries of Sept. 7th and Sept. 21st)

This theory of raising the lake always seemed to fall on deaf ears until Mother Nature decided to become a major player in the “Salvinia Game”. She dumped over 7 inches of rain into Southern Arkansas. The resulting run-off from these rains brought Lake Bistineau’s water level up 5-1/2 feet above normal. Water from the lake is now rushing over the lake’s spillway carrying the surface-floating salvinia with it.

In a matter of just days, Mother nature has removed more salvinia than the LWFD has done in 2 years. (see the video titled “Salvinia at the Spillway” by following this link … http://www.bayouducks.com/photo15.htm “)

Imagine how much of this plant could be removed if the LWFD worked through a program that utilized a series of raising and lowering the lake level.

We are not advocating raising the Lake level 5-1/2 feet each time but just 2-1/2 feet above normal. This continuous series of raising and lowering the lake level could be done 3 to 4 times a year ,“flushing” literally “tons” of salvinia over the spillway each time. This plan would not eradicate the plant, but in two years it would bring it down to a manageable level. If you have doubts, then just follow the link listed above.

Right now the LWFD needs to close the gates that are open and force all of the drain off from the flood waters over the spillway. The raised gates are simply draining water from the lake and leaving the salvinia behind.

The Most Rewarding Time

Hunting with my son is one of the most rewarding things that I have experienced. We started several years back with the two of us participating in open day dove hunts. These beginning hunting trips to the dove fields slowly progressed to deer hunting and then to duck hunting. Some of the most rewarding times of my life were spent in a deer stand and a duck blind with my son when he was at a very young age.

Then the most terrible thing happened. He began to grow up, discovering girls, video games, friends, paint ball, etc. He made fewer and fewer hunting trips with me as he found other avenues and playmates to occupy his time. My companionship and expertise was no longer required and I found myself without a steady hunting partner except for that traditional opening weekend dove hunt. These dove hunts started off when he was very young and have encompassed a three-state area over a 12- year period.

The years have passed and my son has grown up, but each year, he still reserves the Labor Day weekend to spend time on a traditional dove hunt with his “old man”. Immediately following each of those dove hunts, I begin anticipating next year’s hunt. I wouldn’t trade those weekends for anything.

The last few years have been especially rewarding as he has become a very good wing-shot, nor does he now require a constant train of food or entertainment. In fact he has killed as many if not more birds than I have. He does rib me a little about my advanced age and tends to over orate about his shooting skill, but at the same time showing a little mercy for his old man’s lack of youth, creaking bones, bad feet, poor eyesight, faded hearing, and everything else that comes with getting older.

He will be in the duck blind with me this year on opening day. Not only am I looking forward to the time we’ll spend together in the blind, but I am going to show this “smart-mouthed-whipper-snapper” a thing or two when it comes to shooting. That is, if I can find my eye glasses, a bottle of arthritis pain killer, sole cushions for my boots, my hearing aide, and also remember where my blind is located. If not, then I’ll just cherish the time spent together.

The Most Plentiful Water Bird

I was out brushing the blind this weekend and the following occurred to me……..

Ok …. duck populations are up. This is good news. But if duck populations are up, then it stands to reason that other migratory water birds are also experiencing an increase in population. This may be bad news.

Teal, mallards, widgeon, pintails, shovelers, scaup, golden eyes, redheads, canvasbacks, Canadas, snows, cranes, snipe, and others, can all be hunted and harvested this season. The largest number of migratory water birds, however, is the only species that cannot be legally hunted: water-turkeys!!

During the fall and into winter ….. hundreds of thousands of cormorants swarm Lake Bistineau. Flying overhead and in the distance, flying in every direction and even into each other. They gather in large groups and feed on fish while floating across the lake, all the while, making the most grotesque sounds. They roost in the tops of the nearby cypress trees. Which I believe are being slowly killed by the amount of excrement that these birds pour over the trees each day. I mean … just look at the cypress trees, they are dead and/or dying from the top down.

These birds have no social redeeming value, all they do is eat tons of fish and kill cypress trees each day. They are long crook-necked, creepy, alien-looking birds. They stare at everything through their blank, prehistoric eyes and then attempt to cover everything they fly over with poo. Those that cannot manage a stream of poo as they fly past, seem to be able to vomit instead.

When in the blind duck hunting, this becomes a living hell. Poo splatters intermittently down from the sky as they fly over. We spend more time dodging the air-borne poo-bombs than we do looking for ducks.

Sometimes a well aimed stream of falling poo catches you off guard and it hits your back, across your cap, splatters your gun, etc. Now I can handle the rain, but when the weather forecast calls for scattered showers of water-turkey excrement, I’d rather stay under a roof.

This past season, while looking at the sky filled with these worthless creatures, I wondered at what point a locust storm could do more damage than this hundred-thousand cormorant sanctuary called Lake Bistineau. My belief is that the overwhelming presence of cormorants has adversely affected the duck population. They not only destroy the duck habitat …. but I suspect that when the fish grow scarce, they will eat duck and maybe even young humans.

They are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, although their increased populations have resulted in property damage in the form of droppings, (which can destroy polyurethane roofing materials), dead cypress trees, and a much reduced fresh water fish population.

It is my hope that someday it will be deemed necessary and legal to load my shotgun along with every other waterfowler and bring these pre-historic looking creatures under control. In other words, kill the Son of a b_ _ _ _ _s. It wouldn’t be the same as the art of water fowling but almost as gratifying.

Well back to the task at hand. We have just finished brushing the blind, it blended in well with the surrounding landscape. I looked up and some 40 yards away a group of early season teal flew by.

While watching the teal, something in the distant sky caught my eye. It stood out distinctly, and I saw its dark wings began beating faster, its neck outstretched fully, this ominous, evil figure drew closer. It came bearing down on our newly brushed blind ….. yes, you guessed it. A water-turkey in August!!!!

I knew that there was little we could do. As it drew closer it took aim and “pow!” it laid a 10-foot stream of poo directly across the middle of the blind. I swear that the damn bird grinned!!

"Curse You ..... Red Baron!!!"

That was all I could think of

Well, It Ain't Bad News!!

By now all of you that are waterfowl hunters have heard the good news concerning the high increase in duck numbers. It seems that breeding habitat, weather, and food all came together to produce a "whopping" 25% increase in duck population. This in itself is great news. You can imagine my excitement in anticipation of the release of the 2009-10 waterfowl season and bag limits.

Well, it wasn't exactly what I hoped for .... but it wasn't dismal either. I had hoped for an increase in daily bag limits. that didn't happen, it remains at 6. But, what did happen is that we can harvest canvasbacks this year due to a 17% increase in Can population. Wood ducks went to 3 per day and with a 14% increase (still below the 10 year target) scaup went from 1 a day to 2 a day.

Not the most exciting bag limit, but it don't suck either.

We are now in the middle of August which puts the opening day of Dove season just around the corner with Teal season following the very next weekend. I'm already getting excited and I'm already wondering how I am going to get everything done before then!! I am running out of time ... I have decoy weights to make, decoys to paint, strings to cut, rotating winged decoys to repair, a walk-way to build, blinds to brush, .... I mean it ... time is getting short!!

Mr. Kilgo .... drop me a line

Duck Hunting - It's a Life Style

Since the end of the last duck season (2008-09) we have spent almost every weekend and a lot of week days preparing for next season. We had blinds to repair , blinds to build, and even a 30 year old blind that needed updating. (see the photos and video here) We had water lines to run, electricity to take care of, blinds to relocate, and in some instances … we had blinds to locate.

Duck Hunting for us is not just a sport …… it’s a life style. We live it every single day. We plan vacations around it, we work around it, we even plan social events and family gatherings around it. Nothing interrupts our passion for being in the blind during those 60 days.

Last season I was very lax (Ok … I was down-right neglectful when it came to updating these postings), but I vow that this season will be different. I might have to call upon the wisdom and writing skills of such noted authors and duck hunters as Jere L., Bob B., and that infamous father-son team … Kim and Kennon G. to lend a hand in keeping it updated, but I’m sure they will be up to the task.

Anyway, check back often and maybe …. Just maybe, there will be something new posted to this blog.