Left home at 4:30a.m. and launched at I-10 Butte La Rose at 5:00 a.m Only one other boat hunting. Its nice to be able to go during the week.

It was cold as ice this morning: 22 deg in south Louisiana is a rarity. Trip was not so bad as I was doubled up with clothing. Getting to my spot I had to cover a large patch of water hyacinth and when I hit that all hell broke loose...frozen. You never heard such racket. I managed to negotiate that all right and then the next obstacle presented itself...large cypress knees which I knew were there but the water came up 1.5 and I misjudged, so I'm now almost impaled on one. I managed to rock my boat free after several minutes worrying whether I'd hole my boat again, but all was well.

I set out my decoys and mojo duck (which now has two wings again) in a small opening cleared of hyacinth. Then set up by boat blind. I rested a while cause this is becoming hard work for me now. I then drank a cup of hot coffee. Two woodies chit on my head...I was not prepared. Had I been, they would have died. Two more buzz me later and I never see them. There is a lull. I drink more coffee. In the distance flying low a flock of 10 ducks flying low crossing in the distance, and I can't tell if they are woodies or mallards so I call...they break and head my way, see the mojo and cup...in my decoys. First shot, one dead. They take off right at me and are so close I could have touched them. Second shot I think I should kill two in one, but nothing drops. Third shot...woodie hovering 10 feet away and I miss. I am a sorry SOB of a shot...or I really think there is something seriously wrong with my pattern. I check my two remaining choke inserts to determine that I have installed the modified one which is fine, but I want to try improved cylinder now. So I try to unscrew the choke and it won't budge. I grab my pliers and start banging on it and the damn thing breaks in my barrel. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve all the pieces. Later that day, a flock of 40 mallards drops from the sky to check me out. They circle three times, the last within range but just barely, so I chance another go round and my fricking dog decides to jump up on the deck....mallards hall azz.

I stayed in the blind till 11:30 waiting for more big ducks but none came. I'll be back in the morning.

Cold weather is diffently a challenge fo our area as well ..... I wurshed it would stay like this fo at least another week .....