Duck Hunting Field Notes: Lake Lavon

23 Sep'00: Early Teal Season started the week before but was unable to hunt opening day. Went out for a morning walk-in hunt. Birds were active with four flocks decoying and well within range. Managed to bag one Blue Winged Teal, missed three others.

10 Dec'00: Hunted the Regular Duck Season (North Zone) with a morning walk-in hunt. Hunted the weeks prior but was unable to connect. This hunt was able to take a Mallard and a Green Winged Teal.

16 Dec'00: Another morning walk-in hunt. Lake level remains low, walk-in hunts continue to be productive. Able to take one Green Winged Teal.

22 Dec'00: Back again for a morning walk-in hunt. Windy morning but able to bring in a lone Green Winged Teal over the decoys. Bagged him!

23 Dec'00: Decided to check out the duck activity in hopes that yesterday's front brings in new ducks. It did with several large flocks (20+ birds each) buzzing over the decoys! Bagged three Green Winged Teal.

28 Dec'00: Another morning walk-in hunt but had trouble with wading the shoreline. Front brought in rain, sleet, snow,.... bottom-line lake level is up. Could not make it to last week's spot. Did manage to find a spot and bagged a Wood Duck!

30 Dec'00: Took the jon-boat out for a morning hunt. Lake level was up by about 3 feet since last hunt. Able to set-up in a cove and took two Green Winged Teal. Did miss a Mallard that decoyed. Met up with three hunters at the boat ramp who bagged four Mallards!

06 Jan'01: Another morning hunt in the jon-boat. Lake level continues to rise. Set-up near a point. No flocks, just "onesie, twosies". That said, nearly limited out with 4 Green-Winged Teal and a Mallard!

14 Jan'01: Lake level up another foot; slow action this week with two Green Winged Teal passing by (out of range) @ 8AM and two Mallards also passing by (out of range) @ 9AM. No ducks this round.

20 Jan'01: Final hunt for the "2000-2001 Season". Water level again up another foot and well above the norm. Saw ducks at dawn. One landed in the spread, jumped him but missed. Another followed shortly after and was able to take him, a Mallard. Morning progressed with one Mallard passing by - missed! Two more passed but no shots offered (out of range).


Season Total: 17 Ducks
Green Winged Teal: 12
Mallard: 3
Blue Winged Teal: 1
Wood Duck: 1

15 Sep'01: Opening day for Early Teal Season started with heavy rain showers. Opted to watch the weather radar channel to see if a break in the rain was forthcoming. Saw an opening and headed out for a morning walk-in hunt. Arrived 6:30AM and set-up by 7AM. Had several flocks (~10-12 birds) pass quickly by but offered no shots. No ducks this trip.

16 Sep'01: Returned the next morning and walked-in. Nearly stepped on a snake, else was able to set-up by 6AM. Slow action but did see one hunter across the cove take three Green Winged Team with three shots. Had one Green Winged Team come in within range; bagged him!

29 Sep'01: Back for more chances at Teal. Lake level lower than last week. Area hunted last time is now a muddy bank. Still ducks were active with two flocks decoying and one Green Winged Teal taken.

30 Sep'01: Last day of Early Teal Season; two flocks passed by out of range. One decoyed but flared at the last minute. Took a shot but missed.

Remainder of "2001 - 2002 Season" was cut short; unable to make it out for the Regular Season.

Season Total: 2 Ducks
Green Winged Teal: 2

14 Sep'02: Hunted opening weekend Early Teal Season. Very warm and a lot of mosquitos. Also, foggy and tough to see in the distance. Sighted one Blue Winged Teal passing at supersonic speed. Did hear others shooting and likely taking a few. Else, no ducks for us!

22 Sep'02: Hunted the following weekend and what a difference a "cool front" makes! Cooler temps brought in Blue Winged readily decoying over the set. Bagged two and missed many more. Going to try some 1500 fps loads next round.

09 Nov'02: Started the Regular Season with a morning hunt. Sighted two Teal passing by but offered no shots. Else, no ducks this round.

08 Dec'02: First chance at duck hunting since the start of Deer Season. Morning hunt offered no shots but could see them flying in the distance. High-ball calling brought some closer but noticed more hunters in the area than had seen in the past.

15 Dec'02: Took the jon boat out to the other side of the cove. Set-up by first light and managed to take two Mallards. Less hunters than last week.

21 Dec'02: Very windy day that offered no shots. Did see flocks in the distance but the wind and waves made for a tough hunt. Had a hard time getting the boat motor started. Even harder getting the boat going in the right direction. Almost became another hunting fatality with the cold temps and rough waves. Barely made to the boat ramp. Checked the weather report later. Winds were 25 mph gusting to 35-40 mph. Whew!

24 Dec'02: Snuck away for hunt before Christmas. Cold with some light snow sprinkling the Lake. Opted for a walk-in hunt that produced one Mallard! Going to have some duck with the Christmas ham!

27 Dec'02: Hunted the afternoon with temps in the high 50's/low 60's. Big change from just a few days ago. Able to take one Mallard!

31 Dec'02: Morning hunt that started cold and windy and ended cold and windy. Several Teal and Mallard flocks in the distance but nothing in range.

01 Jan'03: Kicked of New Year's Day with a quick trip walk-in hunt. Windy again and cold. Sighted a flock of Mallards but no shots taken. Did meet another walk-in hunter with a Mallard taken!

05 Jan'03: Took the jon boat across the cove and set-up in thigh deep water. Several flocks came but including some Speckle Belly Geese! Did not shoot straight, managing to take only one from several flocks that passed. But, it was pretty Wood Duck.

11 Jan'03: Afternoon hunt that failed to produce. Sighted ducks in the distance but none came in range.

20 Jan'03: Morning hunt that also failed to produce. Sighted two flocks of Teal, one flock of Mallard, and a few singles passing by. But, none in range.

26 Jan'03: Final hunt for the Season. One flock of Teal came in before legal shooting hours, and then two Mallards followed after sunrise. Bagged one!


Season Total: 8
Mallard: 5
Blue Winged Teal: 2
Wood Duck: 1

14 Sep'03: Early Teal Season starts out overcast with storms in the area. Luckily no rain where we hunted. Lake level is low this year with easy walk-in access. Two flocks of Teal came in range and another two passed by out of range. Able to bag one Green Winged Teal.

21 Sep'03: Cloudy and warm morning. Took the jon boat and crossed the cove; set-up near a flooded treeline. A lot of actvity with flocks decoying well before legal shooting hours. Action was steady throughout the early morning but died down around 9AM. Bagged three Green Winged Teal.

28 Sep'03: Clear but cool morning. Hunted just about 500 yards from last week's spot. Activity was slower compared to last week but remained steady until about 8AM. Bagged two Blue Winged Teal and a Green Winged Teal.

26 Oct'03: Went out for a morning walk-in hunt during the Youth Season. Windy and cold with walk-in access available. Set-up near treeline; shoreline muddy and noticeable drop in the lake level. Two small flocks (3 to 4 ducks) of Teal passed by and another two decoyed and were well within range. Watched as youngster bagged two Green Winged Teal!

28 Nov'03: Morning walk-in hunt during the Regular Season. Sighted a number of flocks passing by in the distance; looked like two flocks were inbound but opted to skirt the treeline and stay out of range. Had a chance at two Mallards that decoyed but failed to connect.

29 Nov'03: Went out again for another morning walk-in hunt. Calm with little wind. Sighted flocks in the distance with two turning to decoy over the spread but flared away out of range. No shots this morning.

06 Dec'03: Cold morning with light winds and clear skies. Activity was slow but did have two Mallards pass within range. Slow reaction resulted in no shots taken. Did have three hunters set-up about 100 yards away (too close). Had two flocks of Teal decoying to our set but flared away when the three hunters began calling. Lesson-learned: Too much calling will spook the ducks.

19 Jan'04: Morning walk-in hunt on cold January morning. Set-up early and sighted a few ducks passing by but no shots offered. Last hunt for the Season; better luck next year!

Season Total: 9
Green Winged Teal: 7
Blue Winged Teal: 2

18 Sep'04: Early Teal Season starts with high lake levels that offer minimal walkin access. Went out in the jon boat and set-up in the upper part of the cove. Partner and I managed to take three Blue Winged Teal and a Green Winged Teal. Seemed to connect better using the 1500 fps shotshells.

26 Sep'04: Not as good as last weekend. Ducks in the distance with none opting to commit to the spread.

18 Jan'05: Unable to hunt the Regular Season until this hunt. Sighted a few flocks in the distance but no luck in decoying. Better luck next year!


Season Total: 4
Blue Winged Teal: 3
Green Winged Teal: 1

Unable to hunt Early Teal Season and the Regular Duck Season for "2005-2006" and "2006-2007".

Made an attempt for Teal during "2007-2008's" Early Teal Season but came up empty. Made no attempt during the "2008-2009 Season".

A lot of missed opportunity for ducks during those years. Drought conditions and low lake levels combined with work requirements and other commitments made it difficult to duck hunt.

Moving forward, we our anxious to see how this and future seasons pan out!


Season Totals: 0

15 Sep'09: Decided to make a quick trip to Lake Lavon for a go at Teal. Saw two flocks. Passed on the first flock, went for the second one. MISSED! Need to work on pass shooting at the Skeet Range.... Noted limited walk-in access; opted to take the kayak to set-up on one of the points.

19 Sep'09: Late afternoon hunt for Teal started slow but picked up the last 10" of legal shooting hours. Was calling it a day and decided to load up the boat and head back to the boat ramp. Big mistake... two flocks buzzed overhead while picking up decoys. Took a passing shot but did not connect. Hopefully the cool front forecasted later in the week will bring more action.

23 Sep'09: Made it out to the Lake again for another chance at Teal. Saw a few flying in the distance and had three land about 100 yards in flooded brush. Else, no luck with Teal but what a sunset! Was hoping the cool front that arrived yesterday would have pulled in more ducks. May need to brave the crowd and try a morning hunt!

27 Sep'09: Last day of Early Teal Season. Teal were moving in the early morning but only one came within range and buzzed the decoys at first light. Watched others skirting the trees along the shore with one flock heading to a group of hunters. Well past light, a flock of five Teal came out of nowhere, eyed the decoys, and then cupped their wings and came into the set in line with the Roboduck. Managed to bag one - a Green Winged Teal! Had several more chances but was too slow, not accurate, moon and stars were not aligned. Bottom-line: Shoot one duck in the flock....

01 Nov'09: Regular Season Opener started out early in search of a huntable location. Area changed drastically in the last week due to recent rains. Rigged decoys for deeper water with depth ranging from 8 to 10 feet deep. Between Legal Shooting Time and 8AM, saw a lot of activity but blue skies and no wind made it tough. Ducks opted to stay at "high altitude". One flock of Widgeon skirted just within range but failed to connect. Shots scared up a Coot near the brushline; dropped him easily with one shot (gonna have to pull out the gumbo recipe for this one). Later, several flocks of Teal buzzed by "from way high" but no shots were taken.


Season Totals: 2
Green Winged Teal: 1
Coot: 1

10 Sep'10: Pre-Season quick trip to the lake to run the motor and check the path through the trees. Motor ran well and the path only had a bump or two else it will do for now. Water level is up from recent rains; walk-in access remains available. Duck activity was minimal with a few Mallards moving about. No Teal sighted but rarely see them in the evenings. Should be interesting tomorrow given opening day. PS: Be sure you have your License, Stamps, and Lake Permit.

11 Sep'10: Hunted the morning of opening day! Ducks were in the area, just chose not to decoy. Did see a number of ducks, Teal included, in the distance. So, Ducks are there. Just tough to get a decent shot. Had two flocks pass, managed to knock down one but lost it soon after. PS: Ended up grounding out about 200 yards short of the opposite shore, rowed the remainder of the way and set up along a point!

19 Sep'10: Hunted Sunday morning on the second weekend of Early Teal Season! Ducks were in the area, looks like Blue Wing and Green Wing have arrived. More ducks this weekend compared to last weekend! Good news... was beginning to wonder where they were or went. Had two Green Wing decoy into the set just after LST, took one. Had a lone Blue Wing decoy later, was able to down it with one shot. Really fun stuff.

26 Sep'10: Opted for another Sunday morning hunt to closeout the last day of Early Teal Season. Conditions looked good with fog to deal with. Set up near one of the feeder creeks but not close enough.... Ended the hunt without a shot fired. Saw others taking Teal, heard a lot of calling, and noticed the birds started flying later in the morning. Teal seemed to be flying low and along the tree lines. Cool front arrived last night, then another front came in around 8:30AM. That said, looking forward to the Regular Season!

2 Jan'11: Has been a tough season for the Team. Low water levels and missed opportunity has plagued our hunts. Will keep at it for now... till then have added a Twitter Tweets and Google News section. Hope others are doing better in their area!

Season Total: 2 Ducks
Blue Winged Teal: 1 (1 cripple noted)
Green Winged Teal: 1