Coffee Doodle 7/2
- Thread starter B Ballard
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William Reinicke
Well-known member
Crazy how they have really started to push west. I have access to a farm in southern part of my state. 2 years ago, we saw our first breeding pair. This year he has counted 8 breeding pairs on his property. Come season... no where to be found. One day I think I will get to pull the trigger on one in my home state.
I can remember when a friend's wife, who then managed Laccasine NWR, was excited about having their first breeding pair, but they've since surpassed nuisance level, and this fall will see our first extra, early October, black-belly season, in addition to our regular duck dates, during which they've always been open.
Perhaps oddly, many, if not most, hunters here who have scads of them all summer wonder where they went come the regular season, too. But while I can't speak to all of them, I can say that the marsh the camp I now work for holds a growing mess and a half of them by its November opener that continues to grow throughout the season.
Perhaps also oddly, the pup and I made the loop of our blinds a couple days ago, just to be in the marsh, and could have counted the number of squealers, fulvous and black-bellies we flushed on one of his paws. But here's a clip I took while running the trail between two of the blinds while fishing gators on Oct 4, 2022:
William Reinicke
Well-known member
Ya I want one for the wall in a bad way. One morning, coming out of a mallard hole, I was making the LONG run back to the boat ramp and one flew across the narrow part of the lake. I stopped and watched for quite some time. Its the only one i have ever seen in season, obviously no real shot at it, but it was neat to see during season. I do hope one makes it to my spread or crosses through in the near future. I would love to stare at it in the man cave with my other odd birds.
Thats an absolute MESS of black bellies. I love good gator, but thank goodness I dont have to think about them when sitting with my feet in the marshes hunting around here. I dont know how you all arent uneasy sending the dog to retrieve. Thats a lizard I want no part of!
Thats an absolute MESS of black bellies. I love good gator, but thank goodness I dont have to think about them when sitting with my feet in the marshes hunting around here. I dont know how you all arent uneasy sending the dog to retrieve. Thats a lizard I want no part of!
If you happen to have a Haydel or similar squirrel whistle, it wouldn't cost half an ounce of extra weight to add it to your lanyard, and it will mimick a black-belly's tone to a "T". (Far better than Rod demonstrates with their "black-belly call," which is just the whistle stuck in a barrel. Don't know what was wrong with Rod, aside perhaps from lack of familiarity, but a buddy has one that sounds much better.)
Re: the gators, they're a dangerous nuisance until water temps in the low 60s shut down their cold-blooded metabolisms. Here's an old clip of September teal retrieval from water deep enough to hide a meaningful one:
In the small marsh holes my morning blinds have been in, there are still going to be crips that fall in or make it to the grass or shallows where a dog's required for their recovery and employed under armed guard when that's deemed adequate. And, of course, I do my best to teach them to avoid gators and snakes they're aware off. Pounding timber, just thinking about it...
Re: the gators, they're a dangerous nuisance until water temps in the low 60s shut down their cold-blooded metabolisms. Here's an old clip of September teal retrieval from water deep enough to hide a meaningful one:
In the small marsh holes my morning blinds have been in, there are still going to be crips that fall in or make it to the grass or shallows where a dog's required for their recovery and employed under armed guard when that's deemed adequate. And, of course, I do my best to teach them to avoid gators and snakes they're aware off. Pounding timber, just thinking about it...
William Reinicke
Well-known member
Ya no thanks on any of that. I dont know how you boys do it. Im sure ther are a few dogs lost every so often, which is just absolutely so sad. I couldnt imagine being on the end of that deal.
If black bellies start to get populated here, I may just get one of those haydels. I should just get one and practice with it and see what I can do. Would be kind of fun knowing how to do it, in the event the opportunity every arises. They decoy pretty well to the whistle?
If black bellies start to get populated here, I may just get one of those haydels. I should just get one and practice with it and see what I can do. Would be kind of fun knowing how to do it, in the event the opportunity every arises. They decoy pretty well to the whistle?
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." Our spotter's helicopter had maintenance issues, but if today's test flight goes well, I'll be celebrating the 4th by mugging momma gators for their eggs (by permit), which we'll hatch and sell to the gator farms for stock. And while the only remaining hide market is for clean (no scars) farm-raised hides, come the first Wednesday in September, we'll be fishing wild ones (under permit) to get them out of the hunted marshes and make a little on the meat.
Re: the black-bellies, they're quite call responsive. I use a herding dog whistle, which isn't as true to their normal whislte as a squirrel whistle can be, but is much louder and does a greater variety of their sounds better. Keep one on the string with my EDC dog whistles, so I can mess with the squealers seen on our country exercise rounds. Yesterday brought them within easy gunshot of a walking man in a white T with a dog messing around nearby with a little of every sound I know them to make: normal 2-note whistles, whistles ending in chatter, fighting chatter alone and even alarm "chucks" and the screams they make when hurt or something's got 'em. Coming to check out another's troubles has gotten a lot of the initially most distant ones killed.
Re: the black-bellies, they're quite call responsive. I use a herding dog whistle, which isn't as true to their normal whislte as a squirrel whistle can be, but is much louder and does a greater variety of their sounds better. Keep one on the string with my EDC dog whistles, so I can mess with the squealers seen on our country exercise rounds. Yesterday brought them within easy gunshot of a walking man in a white T with a dog messing around nearby with a little of every sound I know them to make: normal 2-note whistles, whistles ending in chatter, fighting chatter alone and even alarm "chucks" and the screams they make when hurt or something's got 'em. Coming to check out another's troubles has gotten a lot of the initially most distant ones killed.