For the Missouri hunters

[RUGER]

@tickweed made a comment in another thread that made me wonder this.

Obviously there will be no back water this year, or at the very least there won't be any until VERY late in the season.
Being our first year to have a pit in the bootheel and the close proximity to the big muddy, I was just thinking the drought conditions have got to be a good thing for us, since we (along with 99% of the pits in the bootheel) will have water.

I know it has been a very long time since the river has been close to this low but just wondering what everyone's thoughts were about this?

 

[Displaced_Vol]

My .02 is it's a blessing and a curse. At first, the only water around may be a great thing but the birds wise up pretty quick and either go nocturnal or leave. If we don't get any more water, the overall area will have fewer ducks IMO so after you educate the ones you got it may be tough going.
I could be very wrong Ruger I'm no pro at this but that seems to be the way it goes in our part of the world that is backwater dependent for 90% of the hunting holes.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

Then too much water and they're spread all over creation. There could be 10k ducks in an area and you'd think it was empty.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

I don't get to hunt up there, but this is what I'd do, and I'm trying to convince the guys in our blind on Ky lake to try this year. With guaranteed water there, I'd guess the biggest thing will be not educating your birds too much, and vary the pressure. I wouldn't run the same type motion all the time, and pick a time mid to late morning to cut off regardless and get out. Mix it up and run spinning wings one day, ripplers one day(especially if the winds are calm), and mix in an odd flasher/splasher on occasion, and if you've got good water motion, I might just skip putting any out at all on occasion. Move em around and don't put em in the same spots all the time. Don't be afraid to try doing something that no one else is trying, if everyone else is doing it, the ducks will get used to it quick and seek someplace else out. I'm not an expert by any means, just my opinion.

 

[West_Tn]

You could burn em up at the very beginning and then I think it would probably slow way way down.

 

[WilcoKen]

This is my 2nd year of this style hunting so I am still learning. I'm really liking what TNGunsmoke said above. We basically only hunt weekends so maybe the 5 day break will help too.

What is crazy is that last year we had too much water. Buddy that is on with me demanded farmer keep filling our field up in late Nov. Farmer said you wont need that much water--trust me. Well he relented so we had water within 3" of the top of the pit on opener. Then Dec 31 about 5" of rain fell that weekend. The field stayed 2-3" over the top of pit the last 30 days of season (about 20" deep in field). Our pit is smack dab in the middle of a 40 acre field. Beavers had clogged the drain box to where it could not be unclogged so field could drain. So we had to hunt levee all of Jan. That just didnt work.

And now, we have no water. Lol. Water is supposed to be guaranteed--we will see I guess. If we do get water I think I have my buddy convinced that 6-8" of water is plenty. I'd love to keep a thread going about that style of hunting over there. Prior to last year I had exclusively hunted WMAs in middle TN. I try to keep learning about pit hunting etc.

 

[beefydeer]

we (along with 99% of the pits in the bootheel) will have water.

With the river being so low, won't you have to constantly pump? The water table being so low, the ground over there will suck up any water you put on it. Just my thoughts.

 

[WilcoKen]

With the river being so low, won't you have to constantly pump? The water table being so low, the ground over there will suck up any water you put on it. Just my thoughts.

This is kind of what I'm thinking.

 

[RUGER]

With the river being so low, won't you have to constantly pump? The water table being so low, the ground over there will suck up any water you put on it. Just my thoughts.

Actually it's hard to explain but the ground over there don't soak water up hardly at all.
The last time we were there we got less than a quarter of an inch of rain and it was all we could do to get down the field road and back out without sliding off in the field or ditch.
Crazy.

 

[beefydeer]

Actually it's hard to explain but the ground over there don't soak water up hardly at all.
The last time we were there we got less than a quarter of an inch of rain and it was all we could do to get down the field road and back out without sliding off in the field or ditch.
Crazy.

Must be gumbo mud. If it was sandy soil it would soak it in.

 

[RUGER]

Must be gumbo mud. If it was sandy soil it would soak it in.

That it is for sure.

 

[WilcoKen]

Must be gumbo mud. If it was sandy soil it would soak it in.

Its definitely not sandy. At least where we are.

 

[WilcoKen]

What I dont know is where our water is pumped from. Not sure if it is pumped from underground aquifer or if it comes from a nearby irrigation ditch. Ive got to imagine it comes from the ditch. If it does, I dont see how that ditch has any water right now. I will find out Saturday--headed over there to take everything.

 

[RUGER]

What I dont know is where our water is pumped from. Not sure if it is pumped from underground aquifer or if it comes from a nearby irrigation ditch. Ive got to imagine it comes from the ditch. If it does, I dont see how that ditch has any water right now. I will find out Saturday--headed over there to take everything.

We were supposed to go Saturday but I had to postpone.
We will be going the following two though.
Gonna brush the pit and put out about 200-300 decoys so we won't have to do it all opening morning.
They will start pumping the 15th.

 

[Duck dogn]

I don't get to hunt up there, but this is what I'd do, and I'm trying to convince the guys in our blind on Ky lake to try this year. With guaranteed water there, I'd guess the biggest thing will be not educating your birds too much, and vary the pressure. I wouldn't run the same type motion all the time, and pick a time mid to late morning to cut off regardless and get out. Mix it up and run spinning wings one day, ripplers one day(especially if the winds are calm), and mix in an odd flasher/splasher on occasion, and if you've got good water motion, I might just skip putting any out at all on occasion. Move em around and don't put em in the same spots all the time. Don't be afraid to try doing something that no one else is trying, if everyone else is doing it, the ducks will get used to it quick and seek someplace else out. I'm not an expert by any means, just my opinion.

Good point Gunsmoke I hunt ky lake alone most time and set out 3 or 4 dozen deeks each morning, with 2 or 3 mojos and 2 bilge pump pulsating ducks. I do hunt Slightly different locations in the same creek because i hunt out of a boat blind. Last year I noticed that as the ducks swing once or twice then they flare and the woodies coming up the creek would flare once they get to decoys. So last two weekends I hunted same boat blind same spot but had out like 2 drake mallards with one hen then 2 drakes and a hen on a jerkstring no mojos or pulsating ducks, alot less work and the duck would lock up and fall in like there supposed to do and actually had two drake woodies land in the decoys because I was piddling with something in the boat. So I have noticed that with all the blinds around the ducks are pretty smart oh and on the last two weekends I hardly called at all.

 

[prstide]

Must be gumbo mud. If it was sandy soil it would soak it in.

It's clay

 

[RobbyW]

100% gumbo mud. The stickiest mud there is. My brother farms both Mo and AR in the Boot Hill. I get several pictures like this every year

 

[TNGunsmoke]

That is unreal.

 

[RUGER]

100% gumbo mud. The stickiest mud there is.

Worst I have ever seen.

 

[tickweed]

mine is gumbo. But stay out when damp. but, boy, it sticks to my boots like crazy.