Any chance I could get ducks to land in a field?

[jlovie]

My goose hunting field is smack in between a goose/duck watering hole and a lagoon with my field being lined with trees. I've had good luck with geese landing in my sets but I would really like to take some ducks. I've never had any even hint at coming in to check my goose sets. Any ideas of what I can do to get ducks to come in without being on the water?

 

[Yukidaruma]

Really that is strange! I have killed many ducks while hunting over goose decoys in a field out here in Manitoba, those eastern ducks must be snobs and won`t eat with the geese!

 

[darbdarb]

Mojo decoy on land works great, just put it in the goose spread, but do not run for geese, they do not like it. Works best if there is some water in the field,

 

[Magellann]

I'd throw out a few decoys and see what happens, what do you have to lose.....

 

[the spank]

Mojo decoy on land works great, just put it in the goose spread, but do not run for geese, they do not like it. Works best if there is some water in the field,

This!!

 

[Yukidaruma]

Mojo decoy on land works great, just put it in the goose spread, but do not run for geese, they do not like it. Works best if there is some water in the field,

Yup, if the Mojo does not bring the ducks in then it may be something about your location to the trees or some other factor with your spread!

 

[badgreenbird]

Are you doing any calling? Can't hurt to try, as long as you're not awful. Mallards, pintail & wigeon should all come into a field spread. Obviously, diving ducks will not

 

[mrgoat]

Yup again, I have probably shot more mallards in fields than anywhere else. Like noted above it helps if there is some flooding in the field, also helps if that field is cut corn with some still standing. Never owned a Mojo decoy but it sounds good. I always used silhouette decoys I made out of cardboard sprayed flat back with coat hangers cut and bent to hold them up. If we had water we put out a few ordinary floaters as well. Mallards can be very wary and fussy on what field they land in as you know, but if they decide they want in I have had them land around me and the dog while setting decoy's. Like mentioned calling is also good but if you don't know what your doing shut up is best.

 

[roba]

Ive never tried it, but years ago I read in a waterfowl book that they could be fooled by laying out a roll of building poly? guess it looks like water to to them?

 

[canthitathing]

Ive never tried it, but years ago I read in a waterfowl book that they could be fooled by laying out a roll of building poly? guess it looks like water to to them?

I was going to say this too. A little breeze getting under the rolled out poly can make it look like waves. Place some decoys on the poly to keep it from blowing around too much.

 

[hoytcanon]

You are doing this bass-ackwards... you don't get birds to come to you... you go to the birds... if you want to get ducks, do some scouting and see where they want to be... then get there ahead of them... anything else is an exercise in frustration. Just my opinion after 40 years of waterfowling.

 

[2233]

You can absolutely shoot ducks in a field. Good decoys, some motion aka mojo dcoy, and good concealment and you are gtg. Obviously being in the right field is key but give it a try.

 

[JamesM]

You are doing this bass-ackwards... you don't get birds to come to you... you go to the birds... if you want to get ducks, do some scouting and see where they want to be... then get there ahead of them... anything else is an exercise in frustration. Just my opinion after 40 years of waterfowling.

The above is right, there is some reason that the ducks are not using that field. I can't tell you why, if I could I'd write a book on how to pick the ideal location to hunt waterfowl and what waterfowl are thinking.
I know there is a bunch of fields near me that hold one or the other. I've tried with varying degrees of less then stellar success to draw birds into locations they weren't using. Results vary from drawing birds close enough to pass shoot, to having them circle at 80 yards until they decide they'd rather carry on to where ever they were headed to in the first place.

 

[jlovie]

You are doing this bass-ackwards... you don't get birds to come to you... you go to the birds... if you want to get ducks, do some scouting and see where they want to be... then get there ahead of them... anything else is an exercise in frustration. Just my opinion after 40 years of waterfowling.

I can't go to the birds. I know where they land and take off each morning and night, it just happens to not be on my property. Thanks guys, I will maybe grab a couple mojo's and give it a whirl. Water never pools in this field, maybe it's the land, maybe it's the tiling, either way, it gets mucky but that's it.

 

[hoytcanon]

I can't go to the birds. I know where they land and take off each morning and night, it just happens to not be on my property. Thanks guys, I will maybe grab a couple mojo's and give it a whirl. Water never pools in this field, maybe it's the land, maybe it's the tiling, either way, it gets mucky but that's it.

Knock on some doors... get permission... there are more birds than just the ones you are looking at... drive around morning and evening watching flights, check topo maps for good looking habitat... find fields that they are landing in (they land where there is food and water and escape routes for the existing wind conditions)... then get permission and then set-up... it is the recipe for success... OR you can try a thousand mojo's trying to get birds to land where they don't want to be...

 

[wingshots]

You are doing this bass-ackwards... you don't get birds to come to you... you go to the birds... if you want to get ducks, do some scouting and see where they want to be... then get there ahead of them... anything else is an exercise in frustration. Just my opinion after 40 years of waterfowling.

Agree, you have put in the scouting time, or no meat for mama!

 

[jlovie]

I guess I have to be more clear. It's municipal land around the property. I cannot hunt there.

 

[hoytcanon]

I guess I have to be more clear. It's municipal land around the property. I cannot hunt there.

There are more birds than the ones in your immediate area... and more places to scout and hunt than the field you are in or the municipal land around it... move around, look for new areas...

 

[mrgoat]

You are doing this bass-ackwards... you don't get birds to come to you... you go to the birds... if you want to get ducks, do some scouting and see where they want to be... then get there ahead of them... anything else is an exercise in frustration. Just my opinion after 40 years of waterfowling.

hoytcanon has an excellent point and a critical one, never thought to mention it in my previous post as I just assumed folks scouted out fields. When we hunted the fields a lot we would drive the concession roads and watch which fields the birds were favoring. And then knock on a few doors for permission. And then be there the next day at least an hour before the birds were due to arrive. It was a waste of time to set in a field they didn't favour. Or a section of field they didn't favour.

Scout for favourable fields, what part of the field, time they arrive and leave, and wind direction. As you know birds land into the wind. Noting the wind direction and placing your decoys and yourselves to take full advantage of it can make or break your hunt as well.

 

[jlovie]

Guys, I appreciate your comments and thoughts but if there was another field I could get permission to hunt on I would. I know where the birds are and where they generally go and I cannot hunt there. Nobody is allowed to hunt there. I'm hoping there is a way I can get them to drop in to the field I am allowed to hunt on which happens to be in between their stop and go points.