Gueydan, Louisiana

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Shannon Nardi 

Recently we have the pleasure to hunt with one of my favorite folks down in Gueydan, LA. Ronnie Purdhomme. I previously met Ronnie at the Super Retriever Series. Ronnie is always around to cheer on his pride and joy, GRHRCH UH Dakota's Cajun Roux, call name Roux. Roux was the youngest Dog ever in SRS history when he and handler Bill Autrey placed third in the El Campo Texas SRS qualifier in 2004. He is a young one and I am sure he will be around for while.

Ronnie along with Shannon Bertrand, their families, and friends hosted our crew to the most wonderful cajun hospitality anyone could imagine. They were not strangers to a great big crawfish boil and how to put one on. It was my very first crawfish boil. I have to say I cannot wait until the next one. Shannon’s wife, Michelle brought me the best pralines to eat and I think during that week at camp I ate the entire bowl. They were well worth the diet now.

This camp was unique in that we didn’t have to get up at 4:00 am and drive to an open field or ride in a boat to get all set up in time for the hunt. We got up at 5:30 am and pretty much walked out the front door to a four wheeler and drove about 600 hundred yards to our hunting grounds. Ronnie and Shannon were very excited about us being there. Speckle Bellies were our target and Shannon Bertrand knows Speckle Bellies. He certainly knows how to call them, no doubt.

We got the crew well hidden; it always takes a little time. We had to get everyone mic’d up, covered up and hidden pretty well. David Mitchell would be shooting up close shots at the line of fire and Jimmy Howard would be covering the birds in flight and dogs on the run. I was, for the first time, away from the action, the hunting action that is. I sat back with Jimmy. Jimmy and I had our own special action this morning; mosquitoes and a lot of them. I just tried to stay in my Finisher Blind and not peek out. All I could hear was Jimmy slapping himself. Once I peeked out to make sure he was not being carried away and about a thousand of those little buggers flew in. I usually take a nap in my blind, but not today.

It was a weird weather day; very warm and humid and a big storm was about to roll in. I think Speckle Bellies must have known this because they, too, stayed in their finisher blinds this morning. Only one goose decided to pay Yella and Roux a visit. The rain set in and the temperature changed. We closed down shop and would set up for ducks in the afternoon.

I said before Roux is Ronnie’s pride and joy. I have to say without hesitation that Roux is the most handsome Chocolate Lab I have ever seen and very camera friendly. He is Hershey Dark Chocolate and has golden eyes that are magnificent like the sun. Ronnie knew he had a unique and talented pup at a very early age. His successes in the retriever games have proven that. Around camp Roux just has a great time. All the pups ran and just enjoyed the day. I think that Roux knows he is the apple of Ronnie’s eye.

That afternoon the ducks did not cooperate, the next morning we had a pretty good speck hunt but there was such a heavy fog that I'm not sure how much of that will show up on tape. Later that day we got a few more specks but not to the boys' wishes. Shannon was starting to take it to heart. They had limited each day they hunted since the beginning of the season, right up until we got there. Most folks worry about this more than they should. You have to realize that we are there 3 to 4 days. We will shoot a lot of tape in this time. This show will air 22 minutes and 26 seconds. Not a lot of time, but a lot of information to cut down into one story. Everyone wants a limit and a spectacular hunt. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen like that and that is always okay by me.

I never say too much about my train of thought during a shoot or where my mind will go with the story. I do think about it a lot; almost to the point that it may not seem as though I am not having fun. I am having fun though and a lot of it. This trip was one of my very favorites. I am probably out to lunch so to speak. I think I am recreating situations in my head on how the story will go and what other shots I might need and before you know it, it all comes together. Justin and even my camera guys seemed to be somewhat frustrated with the fact that I never have a plan for them. The minute I seem to get a plan it all changes so, I just don’t plan. It seems to work for me. I always come away with a story.

My story here could be a lot of things. It could be that it stormed and the birds got funny about it and never really made a glory appearance until the last morning.

It could be the cow’s curiosity or that Roux’s tail did not ever, for two straight days, ever stop beating against the Dog Finisher he was in. Ronnie even tried to cut a hole in the back of it; that didn’t work. Roux had just too must excitement for a young lad.

The story could be meeting Mr. Saltzmann, a man that revolutionized Speckle Belly Calls.

The story could be that Justin used to hunt around these parts back in his college days. It could be that on our last morning hunt, Justin brought the wrong size shells causing him to miss the first 6 shots he had and to top that off Yella broke... more than once.

The story could be that Gueydan Louisiana is in the top 5 places I love - the hospitality, the people, the friendships new and old, and let’s not forget the food - all the best in the world.