Waterfowl hunting is without a doubt the most social friendly form of hunting. That being said, it is not easy. It is like playing chess, but your opponent is not just a bird. It is the instinctive behavior that God gave these creatures to survive coupled with the conditioned behavior that we instill in them. In other words, the survivors get educated. Add to this chess match of location, decoy selection, and decoy placement with the skills of calling and wing shooting, and you get a very enjoyable challenge.
I recall one middle aged man who was first introduced to duck hunting. It was a bit chilly that morning, and of course the hunting party was on the water well before dawn. The decoy spread was carefully placed while the wind was whipping the boat around. Finally the aroma of the morning coffee drowned out the stench of the bog behind them. No birds were seen early, just the beautiful sunrise in the cloudless sky. Without warning a squadron of the feathered prey swooped over the decoys from behind. The morning stillness was disrupted by the sound of the barrels hurling their steel shot. Three green heads lay upside down in the water. The group barely was reloaded when a flock of teal buzzed through. Another salvo erupted and two green wing teal joined the mallards on the lake. Moments later a pair of wood ducks coasted in and the rookie duck hunter marked his first score! High fives all around, and the boat owner exclaimed, "It just doesn't get any better than this!" To which the rookie replied, "Well if that is as good as it gets, you can have it." You can imagine the looks of disbelief this guy received! The truth is waterfowl hunting is not for everyone.
I took my son deer hunting, turkey hunting, squirrel hunting, and waterfowl hunting as he grew up. One morning I put him and his friend in a deer blind that was in a great location. I gave him my crossbow and bolts. I had to leave for awhile. "Text me if you need anything", I whispered. At 9:00 AM I received a text from him, "Come and get us!" In my excitement I asked, "Did you kill a buck?" He replied, "No. We are out of arrows!" Well, these two boys certainly enjoyed themselves, but my son still preferred waterfowling. "I don't have to be quiet when we duck hunt, and I can eat!" Spoken like a true boy!
While I was sharing pictures of a goose hunt with some friends, an acquaintance walked up and said, "I didn't know you duck hunted." We had quite a conversation about the sport during which he shared that what he likes best is being able to talk, laugh, eat and run a heater unlike other pursuits.
Getting back to the "chess match", it begins in the summer as decoys are painted or replaced. New lines need to be tied on and the latest mojo or swimmer is added to the spread. Our group has gone to all Herter style foam decoys. We also have some corks. The reason is that they are large and their density allows them to float so realistically in the water. It really makes a difference in choppy water. Scouting is another important component in the game. Let's face it. We are all much better callers when we are in the field, point or bay that the birds want to use! Once you find where the birds are, you need to conceal yourself. Concealment also needs to start in the off season. Building a good blind can include the need for comfort and to not "stick out like a sore thumb". Most well concealed blinds are built using existing vegetation to help it disappear. Boat blinds are commonly a necessity. The Avery quick set is my favorite, with modifications. I wrote a blog entitled, "Avery Quick Set Blind -ways to improve it", I refer you to that if you are interested. The advantage to a boat blind is that you can change position as the wind changes. Ideally we want to hunt with the wind and sun at our back in a place where we are well hidden. An experienced waterfowler knows that birds prefer to land into the wind. Ducks or geese coming straight in at you gives you the best shot. It works well if they don't see you. Some times we may have to settle for a cross wind because of concealment or because you don't have permission to be in the ideal position. That is another consideration. There have been a few times when the wind, sun and hiding place were all wrong, but I got ducks anyway because I was right where they wanted to be. Another consideration is the species of blocks to use. When we hunt our favorite lake we like to have goose, puddle duck and diver decoys. We shoot mostly puddle ducks as in mallards, blacks, woodies and teal, but occasionally some bufflehead or ringnecks will find their way over our fakes. We also shoot redheads, cans, scaup and others, but mostly the aforementioned duo. Geese are also present. That being the case, we like to separate the geese and puddle ducks with a landing area or "hole" in between. A diver line is usually placed outside the rest of the spread leading to the outermost puddle duck. The reason for this is that divers will follow the line until it ends and try to land on the upwind side. Snow geese also do this. Puddle ducks and Canada geese will land short of the mass in a opening, if provided.
Once you have selected your decoys and decided where you need to hide, the next chess move is the decoy position. My favorite decoy arrangement for puddle ducks is a "V" with a group at the apex of the V placed slightly upwind in a cross wind situation. As the ducks attempt to land, I want the landing area to be in front of the boat. I like the mojos in the near line of the "V" to pull the ducks closer. Another arrangement that works well for changing wind directions is a two group spread. I place one to the right of the boat and one to the left, leaving a gap as a "hole" for them to land. Two friends of mine learned a valuable lesson about a "hole" or landing zone. They were set up in a pretty good location, but one flock of mallards after another circled and flared off. "I don't get it", Randy said. "Well, you kept filling in the 'hole' as I was putting out decoys!" replied Matt. As soon as he heard, "I've never been a big fan of a 'hole'. I just like to spread them out." Matt was moving decoys. After the "hole" was created, the birds finished their descent and limits were filling up!
A friend of mine showed me a trick. We were hunting from a blind that I constructed. Our shots were long the second week, because the birds were a little "blind shy". We had a light wind that day, so Larry adjusted the "hole" in the shape of an "S". This cause the birds to maneuver through the dekes and not pay attention to the blind. I was shocked, but it worked!
I rarely target divers, but when I do, I use a "J" spread. The divers will follow the straight line of the "J" and try to land on the upwind side of the hook where most of the decoys are. Divers are best hunted on a point of land or from a layout boat.
Another enjoyable aspect of waterfowl hunting for me is training and hunting my dog. My dogs and I always develop a close bond both in training and the hunt.
I have not even touched on the skills of calling and shooting. The point is that there is quite a bit to duck hunting. Socializing is certainly a plus, but experiencing the outdoors, the wildlife, the breaking new day and the hunt makes waterfowling dear to my heart. I enjoy hunting deer, turkey and pheasants, but I will always be first and foremost a waterfowl hunter.
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