2014 Duck Projects

Decided I'm done wrapping up decoys when 100% of my hunting is done in 3' or less of water for puddlers. So I going to texas style rig them. So what projects do you have slated for this year?

Fowl one, turn on your messenger, message me when you do. Oh, and my project, y'all? Build my own 20hp mud motor this fall. -Quacked

Yes, I did know that. The hunting Atlas I use when scouting had the areas labeled. Because of the 80%, imo, that's why I'm interested in hunting it. If the whole area was open to hunting, it wouldn't be as enticing to me. And with the minimal access points, along with the work (paddling) required to get out there, I'm very interested. I did see a @$$ load of pelicans moving around, thought I was on bago. Quacked, does it get ridiculously busy? Kinda figured, off the beaten path, tough getting out, etc, and when I checked it out last season, wasn't to bad? So, now I dropped a couple pins, flagged a couple routes on the gps, going to give it a try. But do I need to arrive at 2:00 am to get a spot, come late Oct. ? Thx.

True, but having been hunting here for years, the 20% that is huntable holds a crapload of birds. Especially teal. Drake teal. Even the rare Cinnamon teal. And pelicans. Lot's of pelicans. Even cormorants. But those can't be shot. And millions of mudhens. On second thought, this place sucks. I'd just stay away; you prolly wouldn't even like it there anyway.. -Quacked

1 fowl - You are aware that 80% of the marsh is closed to hunting, correct?

A cool pic at the end of the day, on the way out.

Got to a project I wanted to do this summer. Scout the Grand River Marsh. Holy crap! It's huge. Kind of shocked, didn't see the amount of teal I was hoping for?

I talked with a woody researcher who I know well. He said that when putting out woody houses make sure to set them so that other houses can't be seen. Otherwise, hen's can egg dump (in another hen's box) and your houses are less productive. I didn't know that and will be moving a house or two after clean out..

I tried the Texas rig deal. I just don't like it. Noisy decoys and they get beat up. I stick with regular line, bungies and keel grabbers.

taking apart the diver gang lines and anchoring them individual, make a better raft this fall, we'll see.

I have started one of the big projects- Cleaned out the wood duck houses. I now have them open and airing out. I will go back and put fresh wood chips in the boxes in February. We had successful hatches in 9 out of the 10 boxes this year. I would guess the average was about 7 or 8 per box. One box had over a dozen empty shells. One of the stranger things was 5 of the houses had 1 single egg that did not hatch. We have not had any unhatched eggs in the boxes before.

I've got 3 dozen herters to burlap/paint