Foray into duck hunting!

bluesclues

bluesclues

CGN frequent flyer
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Location
Alberta
Last season was my first season to hunt ducks. Well sort of... 1 week into the season I had to go away with work for the remainder of the season.

Anyways, my experience was pretty limited. Mostly sneaking up on some ducks in the marsh and then shooting a couple as they heard me and flew away. This resulted in 2 ducks (missed the third shot) in my first 45 minutes of ever hunting ducks. Two days later I got one more duck using the same method.

Needless to say. I am hooked and decided to persue it this season. So I asked for and got a new Mossy 835 in mossy oak (thanks to my wife). And I just received 12 Higdon decoys (St Lawrence Outfitters) and a GK mallard slayer duck call.

I am pretty excited for the upcoming season and plan to be around for it.

To my fellow duck hunters, got any tips? Any duck hunters in the Trenton Ontario area?

And yes, my wife said that she would take away my new call if I continued to practice in the house:p

Thanks
Steve
 
If you really like duck hunting, alot, and want the ultimate duck/goose hunting, look me up in Sask. and we'll do it, and that goes for anyone else that is VERY SERIOUS about ducks and geese.
 
JamesM said:
Mojo= spinning wing duck decoy, works great.
I'll warn you it gets costly, duck hunting can lead to strained relationships and a desire to skip work and endure some of the worst weather possible.
Click to expand...

LOL. I have about $30,000 in gear and keep adding to it. Now I'm set up well for marshes, somewhat well for fields and am missing the right boat for deep water (what's another $30,000). Some guys I know have whole lot more than that invested. My wife keeps wondering if my decoys can actually breed and I have secret slush fund set aside for shells alone.

After 2 months of chasing birds, everyone in the house is quite relieved when deer season rolls around. It's cheaper, I'm gone less often and there is a bigger return on the meat but it doesn't get me excited like a morning in the swamp with a strong north east wind blowing sleet nearly vertically.
 
James, thanks for the info. Still learning some of the waterfowl lingo.

As far as costly hobbies go, buying and feeding AR's and pistol nearly requires a second job!

Ben, I have family out in Sask, so maybe I'll get out that way sometime.

sjemac, wow, check back with me in a decade or two for that kind of investment...lol
 
Yeah cost alone sucks
My buddies and I started waterfowling (goose mainly) in 08, but got serious about it in 09
We're at about 60 something shells, 4 full bodies, and maybe 4-6 floaters.
Then as the corn kept coming down and we had more and more open feilds the next logical approach was final approach, coffin blinds that is. Then there are our flutes, feeling like big spender getting the $60-$80 calls, sure they work ok, but then you hear the high end ones like the zink money maker (retails $150 USD) That's the next logical step
Needless to say my 2009 hunting budget was blown way out of the water on waterfowl alone

Oh and try Federal blackclouds, great round
 
dannymat, I picked up a box of blackclouds and plan to do some pattern testing next week. Very good reviews from what I've read too.
 
Like most serious waterfowlers I too "need" the latest and greatest autoloader, decoys, boats, waders, chokes, tungsten, calls etc. However, nothing kills more birds then putting time into scouting and the hide. Do both well and you'll kill more ducks/geese over tar paper/bleach bottles and a kazoo then you will over DSD/Columbia River decoys and the finest custom call.
 
Scouting seems to be a topic that comes up regularly. Done properly, one would assume, would yield promising results. However, delving a little more into it, what key points/features should I be looking for? I know (from last season) that the area I hunted briefly, had a small number of ducks on the water the couple times I went there. I would assume that there would be some again this coming season? Is there something in particular that I should be scouting?

What are some good scouting tips?

Thanks to everyone for tips already mentioned.
 
Spend as much time watching birds where you hunt as possible, they have standard flight paths over most marshes and tend to have rutines they stick to. For example If you notice birds feeding in certain areas at a certian time of day that would be a good stop to set up.
Find someone with knowledge hunting the area and see if they'll teach you a few tricks of the trade. Us duck hunters tend to be happy to take new folks out, just remember to help with what you can, be safe and respect their honey holes don't bring a bunch of friends in and give them a heads up before you go there without them. We appreciate that and will usualy share other tips in return.
Best advice I ever got came from a friend of my father, applies to life in general but he meant it about duck hunting, "If you don't go out, how will you ever get any?"
 
They tear birds up good too. You can tell when someone walks back with a few birds in hand which one is shot with BC.

Hope you have lots of room in your house!
 
If you get hooked on waterfowling it can be very very pricey... This calendar year ive spent upwards of 2500 on waterfowling gear and its not even the end of april yet!! Ill probably spend over $2000 on fuel finding birds this fall. I just spent 1200 killing snows in saskatchewan for 3 days... my best advice... run away as fast as you can,,, before you get the sickness!!!
 
Ontario Gunner, what is all the expense? I do understand gas to from hunting spots and scouting trips out of season.

I have the following:
-shotgun
-decoys (will ofcourse get more over time)
-camo clothing/gear
-steel shot/ practice ammo
-duck call
-access to a canoe
-hunting licenses (and waterfowl stamp in season)
-car to drive to hunting spot


What I am I missing that is so expensive? I am not being a smarta$$, I really want to know.

Thanks.
 
12-15 doz of fullbody honkers dekes
4 doz full body mallards
15 doz floaters
several calls
trailers
dogs (for those who keep one for waterfowl)
new jacket and waders (the leak and rip over time, some just plain suck balls from the get go)
Mojos
Leases
Gas
This list never stops really.

Think in terms of black guns, 500bucks for a crate of 223 and 600 bucks for a norc, how come it's so expensive...You spend it because you want to.
 
Duck decoys tend to be cheap/on sale regularly

Goose is what drives up the price

A dozen redhead (bass pro) shells cost around $100, $70 on sale
4 full body or floaters go for about the same price

Compare that to a dozen mallards for $30
 
gentlemen, when you put it that way, it is a lot easier to understand. Especially the reference to the crate of .223.:D

Anyways, good fun hobbies are seldom cheap...

I am sure there will things that I will absolutely "need" soon after I get a little more experience under my belt :p
 
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