Gulf Coast Scouting Report

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
Got out yesterday morning to stick my blind for opening day.
BTW: Its a tradition down here on Mobile Bay that guys can stick a cane blind and a sign with their initials and no else hunts that spot opening day, but only opening day. Been that way for at least 50 years. Works very well, very few disputes on the opener, still crowded, but its an organized chaos.

Anyway, headed to the spot where I hunted the last two years opener and did very well, saw a few ducks on the way onto the flats, not even close to what I saw the last two years at this time. Got close to "my" spot and saw that other guys beat me to it over the weekend, there were already 3 blinds in the area. Did some more running around that grass flat and really didn't see many ducks in that area anyway.

So I headed to a spot with good grass beds about a mile away that I used to hunt quite a bit. Got close to the grass beds and flushed up about 250 gadwalls and shovelors strung out along about 200 yards. And not a single blind in the whole bay. Stuck my sign & blind right in the middle of where the raft was located.

Did a little more scouting and some windshield scouting after I put the boat on the trailer. From what I saw, we have a good number of coots but not many ducks at all. Every year it seems the ducks show up later and later on the Gulf coast. Past years we would have a ton of ducks by Halloween. Now its more like right before Thanksgiving.
Our opener is the day after Thanksgiving, I sure hope this next front pushes some more birds down!
 
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Good luck on the opener. Interesting tradition, is there a standard on how early you can stake out your blind?
 
No, but most guys wait until around Halloween.
Some guys stick the same blind spot year after year.
Others, like me, try to move where the early arrivals seem to be.
 
Up here in the north end of the state, the local kids/rednecks have started a tradition of fist fights and burning down blinds on opening morning.[mad] They will camp out 2+ days on “their” spot (missing Thanksgiving with the family) just to protect it. Seems like a big fuss for a couple Gadwalls.

I am SO looking forward to using the layout boat this year (now that my son can legally drive the big boat) so I don’t have to worry with points, coves, or blinds. In a week or two they will have every duck here sitting in the middle of the lake because they will not let them rest anywhere else. My biggest fear is one of the Bubbas running up on the layout when they are out harassing the few ducks on the lake. Going to put a big flag in the layout so maybe they will see it…
 
Carl,

Good luck with your opener. Not a lot happening up here on the Ole Mississippi either. I'm told the ducks are still in MN and northern IA but haven't heard Mark Wollner and Phil Nowack back that up.

Here is the latest waterfowl aerial counts up here. The locations are below us so this tells me the birds flew past us. We're not seeing these numbers. I wish they would go back to flying over Pool 13 which is the big pool above us but as you know not much money in the old coffers anymore for this kind of stuff.

http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/files/2315/1068/6728/ms11132017.pdf
http://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/files/2315/1068/6728/ms11132017.pdf

Still beats sitting on the couch!
 
I know I say this year every year about now, and I feel differently when I see the huge flocks of birds some of you see on flyways with a lot more birds, but . . .


Thank goodness I live in Maine where duck hunters are few, public access to the water is guaranteed by both law and long tradition, and we have remained rural enough that many people don't post their land and those who do are usually willing to grant access to those who ask respectfully.

I'd quit hunting if I had to deal with the territorial spats some of you describe.

I think Carl's "blind stake out" tradition is a good way to deal such a situation, but I still wouldn't like it. On the rare occasions I have uncomfortable confrontations, it's a matter of heading across the marsh or around the point to the next island to get away from it.
 
With 3-4 days of hard water in NE Wisconsin birds where I hunt have moved on. I found that out yesterday. Things opened back up so Cree and I hit a small river that had been full of ducks before the freeze. Only cranes and swans in the air. The ducks had vanished. Hopefully they're headed your way. Good luck.
 
The same tradition was used on Lake Champlain on the Ny side for years. It was only for the 1st opener. I don't believe it is honored anymore.

Yesterday morning we tried to get out despite the small craft warning(it seems there is always one). We loaded the boat and I commented we were bow heavy but it fell to the wind. As we came around the breakwater the full force of the lake was on us and the rollers started to build. I think it was the third wave over the bow that did the trick and back to safe habor we went. Plan B went into effect and we set up in a marsh .
 
got out in the boat today, lots more ducks and colts here vs what I saw on Monday. Mostly gadwalls but I saw a few divers. Couple of boats were out for our youth day and seemed to be gettting a lot of shots. With a cold front tonight and another later in the week things are looking up for our opener next Friday.
 
that's great to hear Carl. Today was our opener...i'm hoping that we get a push of birds in here. Pretty slim pickings it seems like around here.
 
Actually had frost on the rooftops in Mobile this morning!
Did you do any good Saturday?
 
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