10-30-12

I am finally able to get into some of my guide blinds and get started on the task of brushing them and getting them ready for the season. I get alot of questions on how I go about brushing the blinds for the season so as promised I did a photo documentation of how I do it.

The first thing that I do is clear all of the standing brush that is naturally around the blind. The reason that I do this is because it will get stomped down any how and wont stand freely after a couple hunts or a good storm.

I then put a 16' long X 24 " tall  hog wire panel  on the front side of the blind and drive 8 wooden stakes into the ground  to attach the panel to, using tie wire.

Once the panel is secure I then cut tall johnson grass and weave it into the panel so that it makes a solid screen. I then take the johnson grass and break it over even with the top of the panel to break up the square look and it helps to blend the front of the blind into the rest of the cover on the levee.

I then install my roller lid from the backside of the blind. Once it is on and adjusted I cover it with fast grass and then put some of the johnson grass cuttings over the top and secure it with tree rope.

Once this is done I drive 4-5 wooden stakes on each end of the blind and 5-6 wooden stakes along the front and back of the blind and attach bundles of johnson grass to them. This helps to hide the dogs as well as keep the traffic areas covered where we walk in and out of the blinds.

The last and final step is to put flakes of rice straw all around the blind and where the dogs lay so that we keep the mud under control and the blind stays alot cleaner.

This usually takes me 5 hours per blind, but if the brushing job is done right the first time it should hold the duration of the season. The only thing that you should have to do during the season is put new brush on the wood stakes every week or two and add a few stakes if something just doesn't look right. We redo the stakes every week to 10 days, however, it all depends on how often you use the blind and how careful you are when hunting and getting in and out of the blind.

Casey 

10-21-12

Today I guided Jeremiah, Pete, and Red at the wetland. We got into the blind and ready to shoot when Pete realized that he had brought his 20 gauge and 12 gauge shells, so I gave him my gun and we got started. The flight was not as good as it was on the opener but we ended the morning with 10 birds and probably should have had 21. It was a good hunt and I cant wait to see what happens when we get a little weather. It was just so still that the birds would work and work before you could get them to give it up.

I forgot to get a picture today, sorry guys!

Casey  

10-20-12

Today I guided Rich, Ray, Tom and Chris for ducks. The only blind that I currently have ready is in the wetland so that is where we headed. We got into the blind and had the decoys set 15 minutes before shooting hours so we got to sit and watch the show. Prior to legal shooting time ducks were going every which direction and it was a sight to see. At legal shooting time the shooting started as duck after duck was coming into the decoys! It took us several groups of ducks to get our shooting straightened out but once we did it was game on. It was a great hunt and we had 35 ducks in the blind by 10AM.

I wasn't sure how well the birds would come in to the new blind but it was pretty apparent  that the new blind worked fine as we had ducks at 20 yards all morning.

Casey

10-18-12

The harvesters are cutting to beat hell and the mowers and discs are right behind them. I started the first of the duck water today in Colusa and will be starting  a few more fields tomorrow. The harvest is going good and we are full speed ahead. As of now I think we should have all of the blinds flooded and shooting by November 10TH as long as the weather holds out!

10-1-12

It's that time of year again, duck season is almost here and so the work begins! The rice is yet to be harvested but the cutting will begin soon and shortly there after the prep work for all of the guide blinds will begin.

I wanted to take this time to document the work on the new blind in the wetland so you guys can see what goes into getting the blinds brushed up. I feel that this is the most important part of the pre season prep, as you will be much more successful in your hunting if the birds cannot see you.

As the prep work goes on I will document how we set up our rice blinds as well, since I always get a ton of questions or how we do it.

The new blind in the wetland took a few days to build as it is 16' long X 4' wide with a half roof that is 7' high. The blind turned out great but after looking at the finished product I was a little worried about how I would be able to brush it up so that it would blend in to the natural cover.

The first step was to run tree rope around the front of the blind and each side. This was done by hammering U nails into the wood and then running the tree rope through that. Once this was all complete I began cutting tules and stuffing them into the tree rope making sure to keep them running up right and tight by starting in one corner and working across the blind. After stuffing in each handful I push them to the side so they stay tight and straight. This takes forever but the end result will be a good solid wall of tules that should last the entire season. Once the front of the blind and both sides were finished I moved on to the roof.

The roof was first covered with avery fast grass that I stapled directly to the roof. I then ran the tree rope over the top with U nails and again started stuffing tules in. On the roof I ran the tules long ways so that they would hang over the front of the blind and would then stuff in the next bunch the opposite direction so they would hang over the back side of the blind. I was trying to break up the squared look of the blind and make it look more natural and blend it in with the trees and other natural cover around the blind.

When I was done with the tules I cut a bunch of willow tree branches and stuffed them into the tules on all sides and the roof of the blind, to give the blind some shape, and to breakup the square look.

In the end the blind looked awesome and I can wait for the opener to come so I can see if it works, or if I need to put more brush on it.

Casey