2020 Waterfowl Thread

Well, early goose season in southern Ontario has come to a close. Not much action early on, but bug migrations have now started where I hunt. Got out this morning and had some luck early on. First small group flew by at 7:00 and luckily I was able to call them in within range and 3 of the 5 dropped. 15 minutes later, a couple more came by and they both dropped. Unfortunately one of them didn’t drop dead and swam its way into the swamp where I was unable to recover it. So it goes sometimes....

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the spank said:
Where out west are you hunting? We never have to walk gear in even in swath.
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BC lower mainland have had some kick ass shoots but these are locals and they learn pretty fast, no driving into fields here use a cart which with gear and 10 geese gets pretty heavy dragging through a wet cornfield :) but worth it
 
Another solo hunt. I took my time this morning.......limited out in 1 hour, instead of 1/2 hour. While gathering-up the decoys, birds kept on coming in, circling and honking. I had a chance at a flock of specklebelly, I played them with the call, but there was something they didn't like, therefore they flocked-off.
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Ducks got smart to my stalking up on them, time to do waterfowl the right way. As a beginner, is 18 field decoys (6 mallards, 6 goose, 6 black ducks) enough to get some action on otherwise duck-free land? I’ve got lots of wheat stubble (am a farmer), but I’ve yet to see a bird land in any of it. Basically just curious how well decoys draw birds in before I drop a fortune on plastic ducks and a layout blind.
 
birdman86 said:
Ducks got smart to my stalking up on them, time to do waterfowl the right way. As a beginner, is 18 field decoys (6 mallards, 6 goose, 6 black ducks) enough to get some action on otherwise duck-free land? I’ve got lots of wheat stubble (am a farmer), but I’ve yet to see a bird land in any of it. Basically just curious how well decoys draw birds in before I drop a fortune on plastic ducks and a layout blind.
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Go out and give it a whirl. I've shot geese (not many mind you) sitting in corn stalks using painted plywood decoys, about 25 of them in various poses. Is this ideal? Crap no. Did I learn a lot? Sure did. I still don't have many actual decoys but I am not overly serious about waterfowl. That is something else you need to decide before buying a big spread.
 
birdman86 said:
Ducks got smart to my stalking up on them, time to do waterfowl the right way. As a beginner, is 18 field decoys (6 mallards, 6 goose, 6 black ducks) enough to get some action on otherwise duck-free land? I’ve got lots of wheat stubble (am a farmer), but I’ve yet to see a bird land in any of it. Basically just curious how well decoys draw birds in before I drop a fortune on plastic ducks and a layout blind.
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If you have some considerable amount of water for birds in your area and lots of birds in the sky then you will be able to entice them to start feeding with a few dec's set out but don't expect it to be a "set the decoys & shoot at that point in time"...let the flocks build for a couple days after they start feeding then crawl into your blind up for your shoot.
 
The bigger problem is that you have to set up where the birds are feeding.
They don't often go to a new field because you have a set up there.
This is why the waterfowl guides spend a lot of time scouting.
To find out where the birds are feeding, so they can set up there when the birds are off at the roost.
You will have greater success setting up where the birds want to be than you will have trying to draw them somewhere else.
 
DFarmer said:
The bigger problem is that you have to set up where the birds are feeding.
They don't often go to a new field because you have a set up there.
This is why the waterfowl guides spend a lot of time scouting.
To find out where the birds are feeding, so they can set up there when the birds are off at the roost.
You will have greater success setting up where the birds want to be than you will have trying to draw them somewhere else.
Click to expand...

That is true to a point and probably 'best case scenario" but birds (duck or geese), after being shot out of one field or another still need to eat and can be enticed into starting a new field with a few decoys. Many time I have seen bird feed in one field with another feeding bunch and get up & move 200 yard or a mile to another feeding bunch...must be just a "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" sort of thing.
 
Opening day has now come and gone in southern Ontario. Lots of activity from a hunter’s standpoint, but not so much from the birds in the morning hunt. The evening hunt had more bird activity with much less hunters. I was out with VictoryXC in the morning and we came away with three woodies. The evening hunt was mayhem as the birds that were feeding in the fields all made their way back to the lake where I was set up. I made out with another three woodies. Unfortunately the geese didn't want to cooperate in the evening and made their way back to the lake from safe directions.....except for the 5 geese who landed in my decoys at 7:41 when legal shooting ended at 7:36. B@stards
 
Welp, missed early goose season due to work/kids. Now, NB's full waterfowl season opens on Thursday, with the marshes dry enough for a forest fire, since we haven't had any real rain since May.

Except for the next 4 days, of course, where it's supposed to rain every day ... so there's no point in building a blind on the Saint John River where we all hunt, since nobody has any idea what the water level will be ...

Sigh. Sometimes I think I should have stuck to crowbusting.
 
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Sitting in a ghillie suit in a cedar line dropped this nice pair with 2 shots from the old double 10. Few moments later indropped another 2. Felt kinda bad leaving my a400 in the case but i just love the 10ga on geese
 

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The Canadas didn't show, so we shot four limits of specs, one snow, one lesser Canada, and some ducks. We could have easily shot twice as many specs.

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Can anyone point me in the right direction on how to get started waterfowl hunting?

Me and my buddy want to dip our toes into hunting by taking some geese and trying the breasts out for jerky
 
Went out this morning behind the house (I live in the country) with my 5 y.o. son. That's waht I call quality time..... He's hooked since he's 3.

Cheers and be safe out there !
 
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