Saturday

Please read Grover's post below titled WORK DAYS if you haven't already. If you have, read it again. It's perfect and should be saved and posted every season right before the first Work Days. When we first got in the club we had no idea what to bring out for cleaning/pumping/brushing the pits. We learned by trial and error and believe me when you find out something that works well, you stick with it. Every tool David has listed below is a must for pit cleaning. Everyone needs to try to bring one of the 1/2 gallon "scoops". If you have a gallon of milk/water in the fridge in the plastic container, then drink it up and cut the top off in sort of a 'V' for scooping the mud and slime in the bottom. This is a MUST for cleaning the pits. Every year the pits get pumped out real well, but there always some pits that are just pumped but not cleaned that extra 2 inches of mud, etc. It's a rough job, but it's a must. When we all climb in and out of the pits during the season, the pits get mud and grime all in the bottom again. So after a couple weeks of hunting, they need scooped out again. If we add all the weeks of mud to the 2 inches of mud and grime already in there that we didn't get out before the season, then by the 3rd week of the season we got a big mess. It has taken me and another worker about an hour to clean the pit out at the bottom with the scoops. And once it's done right then we are set for the whole season.

Grover also mentions square head shovels. This is also a must to get all the big clumps of stuff at the bottom before you start with the scoops. In the past, once the pit was pumped and we had the 2 inches of grime and mud to cleaned out, we have shoveled out some live snakes, turtles, rats and even a dead raccoon or 2. You don't want to be scooping up a snake with a gallon jug in your hand, so use the square head shovel to scoop up most of the big stuff. Another must he mentions, is rubber gloves. We prefer the one's that come up to your elbows. Commercial grade would be best if you have or can get some. And finally, hand sanitizer. I would get one of the huge bottle(s) of it.

It's really not that bad to clean and brush the pits. You gotta remember these pits are our home for 60 days and we will be spending hundreds of hours in them this season killing limits of ducks, so we want them as clean as we can get them. Like I said, just read and re-read his list below. It's perfect on what you need and what you need to bring.

We will be by the North Shop around 8am to pick up the pump (if available) and head over to the Claypools farms to start pumping. My cell number is 256-497-3543 so anyone heading that way please call me on your way. I will be at the little white house across from Claypool's clubhouse. If I'm not there I will be at one of the pits, so please call me. I believe Hunter said many of the guys would cut rice bundles first at the Shop then head out to the pits a little later. With a lot of guys help and hard work, there’s no reason we can’t get the majority of the rice pits pumped, cleaned and decoys taken to them. We are looking forward to getting a lot done and maybe seeing a few ducks flying around while we work.

See yall Saturday-

Brad Griffin
256-497-3543
brgriffin5@yahoo.com