Quick Hits

Similar to the recent NFL preseason, over the last few weeks at Duck Creek we’ve been disappointed by the lack of development in some situations, but pleasantly surprised by the glimmer of potential in others. Here are some quick hits of what’s going on:

Outcome from the rainfall

The rainfall from Isaac and the storms the last week helped saturate the soil. In Units A and B we were able to fill our scours and increase soil moisture, which will definitely give the vegetation a leg-up. Unfortunately, the rain did not contribute to a significant amount of recharge in Pool 1. It gained only two tenths and the water level remains low at 343.4 feet. We will need a series of wet weeks to improve this situation.

Teal Season Turnout

However, the rain did knock the dust off the drought and improved habitat conditions for the teal season opener. We had 56 hunters harvest 120 teal on Duck Creek over the weekend. Hopefully, this early scrimmage allows folks to sharpen their skills for the upcoming regular season.

Preseason Prepwork

We’ve previewed the habitat conditions and the moist soil vegetation is looking decent considering the lack of water control this year. The ducks will primarily be dining on a course of smartweed followed by chufa, sprangletop, millet, and toothcup. A side item to the main course will be the bevy of bugs found in the saturated salad. Also on the plate, despite the harsh summer conditions, will be corn on the cob and Japanese millet from our scattered food plots. With the grub in place, we’ve begun to set the training table by disking openings across Units A and B. This will help start the decomposition process and allow us to start showing some water once it comes time to flood. We’ve also begun to put some rock down on the roads and get the parking lots into shape.

Contractual Agreements

What preseason would be complete without a couple of hold-outs? It’s been a while since the contractors have been on site, but they have been getting their reps in this week. Like any fan of the game I’m anxious to see how it will all come together, but we’ve got to let the individual assignments or X’s and O’s work themselves out between the engineer and the contractor. If I had a completion date that I was confident in, it would have been August 1. Like most NFL contract stories, it’s good to have them back on the field.

Well, after a delayed snap count it looks like the blitz is on so buckle up your chin-strap and we’ll see what happens next. I hope you’ve enjoyed these quick hits from Duck Creek.