To New Waterfowl Hunters

[Feathers and Fins]

This is for the newcomers to waterfowling, please understand what you see on the television shows and read in magazines are designed to sell those magazines and create ratings for the networks. It might look cool and may well be what perked your interest in waterfowl hunting. As a veteran hunter I would like to take a few minutes of your time to give you some helpful hints and advise.

1. Do Not set up within 300 yards of another group ever, first it is a safety issue and second its respect for your fellow hunter. If a groups is there first move on to that safe distance.
2. The first person/group to a spot gets the spot. Do Not show up 30 minutes before shoot time and tell someone that’s your spot, there is no “your spot” on public land. Doing so can result in bad things happening.
3. Do Not shoot at birds that are working another person’s spread, again this can lead to bad feelings and a bad situation.
4. Never cut through a person’s decoy spread.
5. Learn to call, just because you own one and can make it make noise doesn’t mean you know how to call. The best teacher is to go out to a lake or pond and listen to the birds and understand why they make a certain call so you know when it is to be used and also learn when NOT to call.
6. Go to a range or a field and practice shooting and learn the range of your gun for a clean kill 40yrds or under is best.
7. Never park your truck on the land where you or others are hunting at waters edge it is not normal and the birds know it. This goes for ATV as well.
8. Learn species identification and never shoot till you are sure what it is.
9. NEVER TRESSPASS, if it is not your land you are trespassing
10. Show respect for nature pick up your trash and that mean your empty hulls.

If any members here have additional suggestions please add in.

[JohnP]

Well said FnF. #10 is probably my biggest pet peeve especially empty shells but trash in general. Leave it better than you found, only thing you should leave behind is footprints.

[JohnP]

Less is sometimes more in regaurds to calling and decoys . Can honestly say that I've shot at more birds with out even blowing a call and have several times shot limits with half a dozen dekes out. Location, location, location.

[Feathers and Fins]

John when it comes to decoys you are so right on Location, I can put out 28 dozen duck floaters 10 dozen honker floaters and there is a time and place for that ( big water competing against large rafts) but in most cases less is more, 3 dozen is my set for mornings like this with ice out on small ponds, I had my limit in 7 minutes this morning i put out 3 dozen decoys in a big ball so close they were touching. some times just 3 decoys is all i put out.

What is even funnier is the spring snow goose season I see spreads of 1000's of decoys and will scale down to 2 dozen or less and outshoot the big spread, you have to do something diffrent. Early season I like the BIG SPREADS but come the CO you really have to see what the birds are doing, I have seen a big flock on the ground but they have smaller break off flocks that go to other fields and I have learned you can get many more birds being a break off flock than trying to compete with the superflock.

[JohnP]

Also helps to have birds around . had the op to be limited out on gads in 30 mins this morning and I'm still hunting . Had 4 gads in the dekes 5 mins before shooting time which they spooked when one bounced off a greenhead deke. Had a pair drop in for a visit and became permanent guest shortly after. 2 gads and a greenhead dropped in for a visit not long after that and didn't like hospitality of the black dawg welcoming committee that busted out the front door when they lit. Hard to throw steel at em when you don't reload the ol 835 after previous shots . Missed a couple other pairs of gads, just one of those days. Slow morning to say the least not seeing much fly, but what I have seen has atleast worked and gave me opportunity even if I cant hit squat . but atleast I have some sammich meat for lunch.

[Justin Spencer]

Less is sometimes more in regaurds to calling and decoys . Can honestly say that I've shot at more birds with out even blowing a call and have several times shot limits with half a dozen dekes out. Location, location, location.

I agree, I am not a good caller and only pull it out if I feel a group of birds is leaving, usually don't have to touch it. When I hunt with others that like to call it seems that when they are out chasing a cripple if any birds start working they come in much quicker sometimes without a even a good caller calling. I am no expert waterfowler, but it seems to me like some movement in a spread is just as important if not more so than calling.

[Feathers and Fins]

Justin all my decoys are on long lines, I run the shore line into the blind and can literally have 10 dozen decoys jerking, I have sucked birds in before doing it and they go crazy when I do it. So movement is a big factor, many times we have had birds come in with a dog in the decoys making a retrieve.

[Justin Spencer]

Justin all my decoys are on long lines, I run the shore line into the blind and can literally have 10 dozen decoys jerking, I have sucked birds in before doing it and they go crazy when I do it. So movement is a big factor, many times we have had birds come in with a dog in the decoys making a retrieve.

Nice, I've always wondered why sometimes it can be so hard to get them to commit, but a dog never seems to be the issue, now eagles on the other hand give me fits.

[Jeff Olson]

hey Scott, sounds like you had a nice hunt this am. were you on beaver. and if so, sounds like you had a bunch of birds down! still hardly anything here on the rock, even today. was it just not cold enough the last few days, or is the rock just not that appealing to attract any number of birds?

[Feathers and Fins]

Nope small pond with open water, I watch it because its big enough and creek fed so it doesnt freeze. the other ponds around were and it wasnt so the birds came ot it. I just drove Prairie Creek and didnt see a thing on it.