Duck hunting beginners guide

scott_r said:
One other question for you boys...Does the quality and detail of the decoys make a huge difference? If you were to buy a dozen what would be your choice?? Ive read excellent reviews of the Avian X and dont mind dropping the cash on them but if something cheaper does the job Im all for that.
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You wont start seeing fully plumed birds much before November in Canada and most places I've lived and hunted waterfowl the birds have pretty much moved through by then. Highly detailed and brightly coloured decoys look unnatural in my opinion for early season. Look at the birds, most are mottled and patchy from being juveniles growing their first feathers or adults having molted for the summer. I used to buy the Greenhead Gear hen packs or early season packs as they called them and ran them adding drakes in by mid-October. I found ducks decoyed much better to the all hen spreads early on. Don't overthink it or over invest. I originally built my spread by hitting yard and garage sales. Came across some great deals on decoys, bags, camo netting etc.. A few decoys will have you killing birds in no time. As mentioned before be where the birds want to be and you'll be shooting to your hearts content.
 
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Buy a dozen decoys and throw them in the pond. Where some clothing that doesnt directly contrast against the background and dont move an inch when you see ducks coming in.

A couple rolls of burlap will camo your canoe acceptably for retrieval of birds.
 
Hunting over decoys is a lot of fun, but to me, nothing beats the thrill of jump shooting. But, around here, that takes years of work to learn which ponds and creeks hold which birds at which tides, since mostly what we hunt is coastal.

Jump shooting, all you need is your gun, shells, and maybe hip boots.
 
blasted_saber said:
Buy a dozen decoys and throw them in the pond. Where some clothing that doesnt directly contrast against the background and dont move an inch when you see ducks coming in.

A couple rolls of burlap will camo your canoe acceptably for retrieval of birds.
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This is really good advice. I'd also recommend Texas rigging your decoys; it's far easier for carrying them and setting them.

Like he noted, you don't need fancy camo to hunt ducks, only colours that don't clash with your surroundings. The best camo you can have is a blind you're in, or a tree you're behind. I laugh when I see the schmucks out in their fancy pants camo in the middle of a marsh, thinking a bird can't see them. If I can see them, you bet a bird can.
 
scott_r said:
Well thats what Im doing here on this post. Learning from fellow hunters that actual contribute useful info unlike douches like yourself who waste space.
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Still some of the best advice in here,

"thanks...the area I'm at is loaded with ducks and nobody really shoots them on water, Ive been scouting for my moose and every single little puddle has ducks".

So why didn't you spend observing those ducks? How/why/when they come in? I wish I had the Internet let alone a mentor starting out, a few times afield and I started to figure it out a bit(yeah right) . There is a lot of great advice in here but a few hours scouting and watching them ponds would be invaluable to you, don't just look at what they're doing, but why.
 
bearkilr said:
I see you're in SK. It's much easier if you can get permission on a combined grain field, bonus if there's straw bales to hide around. Dry, no mud, easy retrieval with no lost birds. I've limited out the last 3 evenings with only a spinner, no decoys. Just be patient, ducks like flying late in the evening.
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Was just talking tonight to some farmers they said no problem shooting on their land. Are you setting up your spinners and shooting them in the morning and evening?
 
scott_r said:
Was just talking tonight to some farmers they said no problem shooting on their land. Are you setting up your spinners and shooting them in the morning and evening?
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I've been going in the evening. Ducks fly very early in the morning usually, and late in the evening. At least around here. Geese don't seem to like spinners, so don't expect to attract any, but rather repel them. If you're hunting at or near ponds and creeks/rivers, you can go after them all day. They work best at attracting loners or small flocks.
 
I have been hunting ducks and geese for more than 40 years in Sask. Have never needed, or wanted electronic spinning wing decoys. One piece of technology you can definitely do without. On our prairie sloughs, the only advice you really need is to put your 6-12 decoys where the ducks want to be. You don't need fancy decoys, don't need many decoys, but you must put them in the right place. Calling is optional, but adds to the experience and is fun to learn. Waders are necessary, neoprene is more comfortable than the other types. Please resist the urge to buy more "stuff' unless you are a committed gearhead and get enjoyment from possessions. Becoming a good hunter just requires observation and hunting skills, not more "stuff".
 
If you are just looking to have fun, you can get out with very little investment. You won't get as many birds but I usually find some natural cover by a pond and wait for a bird or two to fly into range. Sometimes you get lucky and a flock of geese fly in low like last week where I shot twice and got two nice snow geese. My investment is waders, cheap camo jacket from Walmart and my shotgun/shells. I am not limiting out by any means but it is still great fun and I often take the kids for evening hunts.
 
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Went out today and found a spot I knew always had ducks....shot 8 in no time, took me longer to drive to my honey hole then kill them.

Cheers!!
 
cheap? ...with your kids? scout a pond full of ducks...do a slow crawl....jump up and blast em! worked for me for years...it's call jump shooting for a reason!

(you can also float a small stream in a canoe that's camoed...done that too many time on the prairie...boom...boom...boom)

...and i didn't have the $ for waders...just stripped to my underwear and in i went!

(have dogs now...they don't have to wear underwear)
 
nw mb said:
cheap? ...with your kids? scout a pond full of ducks...do a slow crawl....jump up and blast em! worked for me for years...it's call jump shooting for a reason!

(you can also float a small stream in a canoe that's camoed...done that too many time on the prairie...boom...boom...boom)

...and i didn't have the $ for waders...just stripped to my underwear and in i went!

(have dogs now...they don't have to wear underwear)
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As a kid I would crawl through a mile of Canada Thisel to get a shot. Those were good times. My old man would ask a dusty grain farmer for permission...farmers would say "kill all ya want, they dont only eat my grain they sh!t on it too"..
 
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