re: the real big freezes.... 1983 and 1989....

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48

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Me too.

My BIL is 38. We have the same initial of last names. In fact they are so close that we get called each others frequently.

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But the blind started shaking and vibrating and the ropes that were holding the blind to a couple of piles were tight like a bow string.

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Yup-exactly.

dad and I use to hunt/fish the Hopedale marsh back in the day. During the '83 freeze, we launched from Pip's and headed down MRGO. It was nasty cold as all I remember was ice everywhere and thick fog. Dad made the decision to turn around and wait back at the marina for the weather to improve. After 2 hours we said F it and drove back home to Metairie. Tiffin Inn French toast and hot chocolate never tasted so good.


During the '89 freeze I had moved to Lafayette and decided to take advantage of the artic freeze that rolled in. I went duck hunting for woodies off the Breaux Bridge Hwy behind Jake Delhomme's current house. Will never forget shooting birds that crashed onto the thick ice and slid for 10-15 yds.

lots of close calls hunting and fishing and thank God I'm still here today. Never lost any friends due to hunting accidents, but my dad's best friend and duck hunting buddy tragically died during the Luling Ferry disaster in 1976. RIP Mike Webre

'83 - I was visiting my Dad on military leave. Spent entire time helping friends and neighbors repair busted pipes. Not a fun vacation, but spent time with old man.

'89 - I was in Kodiak, Alaska and it was in the 40's and 50's up there. I couldn't believe what I was hearing about down south.

I liked this thread

I've posted about this location before, but that swamp off I-10 between Gonzales and LaPlace used to be the greatest mallard shoot in the state of Louisiana. It was truly unbelievable. Stayed that way until the salvania ran all the ducks out.

Anyway, the freeze in 1983 froze a good bit of actual Lake Pontchatrain, at least what you could see from 10 between LaPlace and Kennah (brah), so obviously, every swamp/canal etc around there was solid ice.

I was at a friends house in Reserve, and his two little brothers came back to the house with 3 mallards and and a gadwall. They were like 6 and 8 years old, and had left the house to hunt robins with Benjamin pumps.

I asked them how in the world they killed those (I thought they were someone's pets until I say the grey duck), and they said "man, the hotwater ditch is fulluh ducks, yeah".

My friend and I walked behind his house, about 200 yards to the hot water ditch (it ran out of the sugar mill into the swamp, eventually dumping around East St. John High School), and there were places on that ditch that another duck would not fit.

We smoked them right there for about 3 days until some bigger water thawed.

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in manchac wma that's the guys glass and i are referring too.

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One of the guys wife worked with my mother, he was holding on to stump trying to hold boat and waves started splashing up on him. They had to use pic axe to get him off.

83 the morning hunting was almost warm, when the wind shifted after lunch we went to move decoys and the cords were freezing on deck almost immediately. A few days later when it warmed up we slaughtered the specks and reds in some deep dead ends, then the kill came.

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In 83 I was 6 years old. Bussey Brake froze over solid. Mom took us out the cause she heard people were playing on the ice. We got there and sure enough people were scattered around out from the boat dock skating (roller) around and whatnot. She would only let us get out a little ways from the bank. Then we heard this loud arse noise and see some Jed round the bend on a Big Red 3 wheeler skint back. After that it was on. We walked all around Bussey that day on the ice. There were countless people riding 3 wheelers out there and even 1 VW Bug. Good times.

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My parents' pond froze over and we were able to walk on it for what seems like a week.

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They were like 6 and 8 years old, and had left the house to hunt robins with Benjamin pumps.

I asked them how in the world they killed those (I thought they were someone's pets until I say the grey duck), and they said "man, the hotwater ditch is fulluh ducks, yeah".

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Do you think it got cold enough for that this year

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the ones that get caught shallow will, but not close to 83 kill, that was of epic proportions. There was ice everywhere down here for days. We actually started hunting Miss River where new casino is and murdered the birds.