I need some education on some waterfowl hunts

[cant_rope_the_wind01]

I need some schooling on sea ducks and king eider ducks
my wife wants to drive out to nova scotia and new Brunswick to visit her children and grandchildren
so I thought I might go along and take in a cpl hunts like sea ducks and eider ducks when is the best time to go?
what do I need for equipment eg decoys ??
is a 16 gauge big enough or should I also bring my 12 and 10 gauges
and I will be bringing my Chesapeake bay retriever as well
thanks for any and all info in advance

 

[1963beretta]

Well, I cant say I’ve done a sea duck hunt but I’m currently on a road trip where I’ve been through both NB and NS and I gotta say, I think we have it a lot easier in Ontario. I’ve driven about 1500km of shoreline between the both of them and I have yet to see something resembling an easy hunt. Also, there doesn't seem to be an abundance of waterfowl like there is back home. There are decent enough numbers of sea ducks along the shore, but you would likely expect to be doing some serious pass shooting as the birds always seem to be out quite a distance. I’d go with a 12g at a minimum. Also need to take retrieval in account....and some of the shorelines that would make a good duck hunt are pretty nasty. I did see quite a few nice lakes/rivers that looked to be duck havens, but there were next to no ducks in them. Im now in PEI and within my first 30 mins of crossing the confederation bridge, I already spotted great places to hunt that held an abundance of waterfowl....more then the 5 days of looking in NS and NB. It is nice to see the amount of Black Ducks in these parts though.

 

[Ashcroft]

Of course you will be limited to non-toxic shot so that pretty well eliminates the 16 gauge from practical consideration. 12 gauge is big enough and has your biggest selection of easily sourced reasonably priced suitable ammo. Pretty well all shoreline except parks is privately owned in the maritimes so this brings up the subject of gaining legal access. If you decide to hunt from a boat the logistics become more challenging. If you are serious, you might want to look into a guided hunt, I'm sure they must be available. That way you just need to show up at the designated time and place suitably dressed and licenced with gun and ammo in hand and enjoy the hunt with an expert.

 

[Jim870]

I'd suggest a guide or outfitter if the Bay of Fundy is your goal and for any non-resident a guide is required to hunt in NB. 20-30 foot tides and fast moving currents can make it a very dangerous spot for a dog, not to mention a hunter. As well anyone who is unfamiliar with it can easily find themselves stuck on a rapidly shrinking seaweed covered rock in cold weather.
Decoys don't have to be overly life like, bleach jugs painted black and white still kill them if you have found where they are feeding or loafing depending on the tide. If they are working in close or you are shooting tungsten or bismuth shot your 16 gauge will do the job, but I'd prefer a 12 or 10 gauge because I prefer to throw larger shot like 1's or BB's because they are tougher birds. Weather and tide are what makes for the best sea duck hunting. The February seaduck only hunt is very good to according to acquaintances that hunt it but I can't say for certain. I don't really hunt sea ducks myself.

 

[donovanchinook]

Here are my two cents on your question..... Eiders and real sea ducks (scoters and long tails) are heavy duty ducks. So a 12 gauge will be required and will do the trick just right. Heavy #2s are minimum, BB or even BBB are better. I used BB most times. Tides and weather are key. Jim870 is absolutely correct you need a guide as a non resident in NB and also his suggestion of the bay funday for NB is spot on. NS overall may have better chance for your quest for sea ducks in my opinion, the eastern shore area of NS by Halifax has smaller tides, much less current and very good numbers of sea ducks. I will say the bay of Fundy may have better numbers of eiders in a concentrated area but a mixed bag of eiders, scoters and longtails are great. Saying that, I also agree being guided on a hunt like that if you dont know the area is really a must. Safety, finding birds, and equipment is what a guide will do for you and provide you an enjoyable hunt. I am nothing but a waterfowler, I am a resident hunter for both NB and NS and I have 30 years of waterfowling across the country. Saying all that long winded stuff, sea duck hunting will be and is the hardest, most challenging and least safe type of waterfowling a person can do. But....... there is not much that compare to it in the waterfowl world ( maybe a flight of cans in a laid out boat). So i think if you have the opportunity to it, serious spend the money do and do it safe. BTW sea duckin' is super friggin cold, the weather goes right through you.

 

[badgreenbird]

Agreed - save up some cash and use a guide. I know there's some good guided hunts around St Andrews; maybe elsewhere in the lower Bay of Fundy. Not sure about the best places to go in Nova Scotia. Use the 12 gauge. Just more versatile all round. Sometimes the shots can be long.. and if you are pass shooting...those birds are faster than they look! I always enjoyed the February season - when the sun comes out, it can be almost pleasant! That said, the few times I felt concerned for my continued survival were on sea duck hunting trips in the Bay... From what my friends tell me, the whole thing has gone downhill since I left 25 years ago. Bird numbers and distribution just aren't what they used to be. By the way - your chances of shooting a King Eider are practically nil. They are pretty rare out there. But the adult male Common Eiders are beautiful birds. So too are the drake oldsquaws - even the scoters with their nearly flourescent feet are nice looking birds.