New to waterfowl in Niagara

Rebelson

Rebelson

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The bush in Southern Bantario
I have property in wainfleet and have been hunting small game, turkey, deer etc for years successfully. Just now am I starting to get into waterfowl (Canada's and ducks). Any locals on here hunt them? What has been your experiences? any particular calls/spreads you've had good luck with? Am I better off to hit the water or stay in the downed feild? Cheers
 
Do you see birds coming into your fields? If so, then thats more than half the battle.

You’ll want to set with the wind in your back and you can try putting out decoys in a big J formation. Birds that commit to decoys will come in against the wind and will try to land in the open space.

Concealment is a must! You’ll want to limit movement when you’re working birds as movement will cause birds to flare. You can make A frame blinds to sit in or get yourself a layout blind. Be sure to brush your blind up with the same foliage/grass that surrounds you to help you blend in better

Calling birds in is one of the things I love most about waterfowling. You’ll want to practice calling because if you’re not very good at it, you’ll spook birds. Sitting quiet over decoys is better than calling them if your calls are bad.

Not much to it. Make shots at distances that you’re comfortable shooting at.....the closer the better. Enjoy your hunts!!
 
Pops did a lot of hunting near Port Colborne many years ago when we had a place on Crystal Beach. I recall there being an insane amount of geese and ducks there. If your property has a pond on it or if your fields get a bit flooded, you likely have birds piling in. I also recall pretty insane pigeon shoots way back when
 
1963beretta said:
Pops did a lot of hunting near Port Colborne many years ago when we had a place on Crystal Beach. I recall there being an insane amount of geese and ducks there. If your property has a pond on it or if your fields get a bit flooded, you likely have birds piling in. I also recall pretty insane pigeon shoots way back when
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When I was a teenager back in the late 70's we used to sit under the roller coaster at Crystal Beach and shoot divers once they had arrived on Lake Erie. We'd watch the guys from some of the duck clubs hunting them from their anchored offshore mega house like blinds and dream of one day being able to afford to do such things. Oh the memories! I imagine all those things are long gone now? If memory serves the roller coaster was torn down prior to my leaving southern ontario and before I finished high school? Oh the memories of cold late november hunts with those huge Erie waves hammering the shoreline and us being soaked trying to wade out to retrieve ducks or decoys.
 
the spank said:
When I was a teenager back in the late 70's we used to sit under the roller coaster at Crystal Beach and shoot divers once they had arrived on Lake Erie. We'd watch the guys from some of the duck clubs hunting them from their anchored offshore mega house like blinds and dream of one day being able to afford to do such things. Oh the memories! I imagine all those things are long gone now? If memory serves the roller coaster was torn down prior to my leaving southern ontario and before I finished high school? Oh the memories of cold late november hunts with those huge Erie waves hammering the shoreline and us being soaked trying to wade out to retrieve ducks or decoys.
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Good memories of the Crystal Beach amusement park. Unfortunately the park was closed down in 1987 and the land remained vacant for over a decade before they started building the gated community that now exists in its place. The roller coaster you speak of was called the Comet. It was quite the beast....at the time the worlds largest wooden roller coaster. When the Comet was torn down, it was relocated to an amusement park in New york state where it still operates today. Here is a photo of the exact spot where the Comet was located. You will see that the pier used for the ferry’s is still intact

I no longer hunt the area but I still go fishing there every now and then. World class small mouth lurk just beyond the white sandy beaches!!!

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Rebelson said:
Ive never hunted out that way but sounds about right. Any ideas for a small decoy spread? Sadly i only have 4 canadas at the moment but im picking them up when i find them cheap.
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You’ll definitely want to add more dekes to your spread. If you get a dozen full body goose decoys and then use silhouettes as fillers, that will do the trick. Ducks also decoy well with goose decoys, so I would first focus on getting a good spread of goose dekes
 
Keep a look out on Kijiji for old dekes. You can usually pick some up for cheap. A quick repaint can easily revive old decoys.

Remember, birds will want to land where there is space, so set up the decoys so that there is an open area in front of you. This will help direct the geese to your shooting lane
 
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