i'm trying to plan my fall hunting activities, and am on a very slim budget for now. i have been wanting to duck hunt for a few years now, but have ha a chance. from what little i've read on it jump shooting sounds like it might be affordable enough and simple that i can probably squeeze in a day or two. as i understand, it's basically two guys in a canoe, one in the stern paddles one in the front shoots. idea is to quietly as possible paddle along, "jumping" any ducks you may encounter. does this sound right or am i thinking of something else? also is it really dangerous to hunt from a canoe?i keep[ having people tell me i'll end up tripping it over with recoil, but have a hard time beleiving that.
jump shooting ducks
- Thread starter kevin.303
- Start date
The canoe works pretty well, especially if the lake or river you're hunting has lots of reeds and an uneven shoreline. The kick's not a problem if you're used to a canoe.
Keep in mind that shooting from a canoe is tricky - not cause of tipping, but because you can't move your lower half, it can be tough to shoot anything to the right of the canoe's centreline (assuming you shoot right-handed). Just keep that in mind when you're covering the lake, and plan your route so that the shore is to the left.
Keep in mind that shooting from a canoe is tricky - not cause of tipping, but because you can't move your lower half, it can be tough to shoot anything to the right of the canoe's centreline (assuming you shoot right-handed). Just keep that in mind when you're covering the lake, and plan your route so that the shore is to the left.
Floating in the canoe or walking will both work. If you have access to land allong a small river or creek it can be a good hunt to walk one way shooting ducks that flush along the way and maybe get a grouse or two as well. And then after going one way have a bit of lunch and then come back the way you came in and shoot birds again. On a strean flushed birds will often only move to land eather behind you or in front of you a couple hundred yards or less. If you canoe a river be sure you will not get into any white water surprizes.
Robin down under
Robin down under
My advice is to take some waders with you ...and if you have a dog (make sure he is trained how to behave in a canoe)....sometimes (more often then not) when jumpshooting ducks they drop in the most inconvenient spots....I have lost many a duck in the tall grass and weeds/scrub next to ponds and small rivers.
Dave
Dave
no dog,thats why i want to use the canoe. haven't canoed in a couple of years but used to fairly often, will get out a few times to refresh my self. the rivers i have in mind are small and meander through farm country so i doubt whitewater will be an issue, esp[ecially with the really low water levels we've had in manitoba. that might work in my favour though, the birds might concentrate on the rivers if the sloughs and ponds are dry
I've done that in my inflatable raft. Not too comfortable and not very easy, but I did have a little success. I found it easier to walk through the shallow stuff with waders and tow the raft behind me for the most part. Gotta be pretty stealthy though, ducks are keeners. Good luck.
also is remington hevi shot bismuth? my gun choices are a 50 year old stevens pump or a Browning Auto-5, both with full fixed chokes. it's $22 for a box of ten, but from what i've heard about this method of hunting is that you don't get too many shots anyways, so it might be worth a few boxes if it gets the old timers out in the field again, instead of being soley trap guns
When I lived in NB, we would cut a bunch of small trees and bring them out to your spot in the canoe. Assuming your in a marsh with only a few feet of water and a muddy bottom, push them down into the mud and create a v shaped blind that you can paddle the canoe into. Put your decoys out. The next morning (while still dark), paddle into the v, tie off the canoe on a couple of the trees for stability and wait for the ducks. Its a common practice in NB.
Now in NF, we walk the barrens (wide open with no trees) scoping out the ponds and if we see anything in them, we crawl on our bellies for about a mile or so and see if we can get close enough for a shot
Now in NF, we walk the barrens (wide open with no trees) scoping out the ponds and if we see anything in them, we crawl on our bellies for about a mile or so and see if we can get close enough for a shot
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
Jump shooting ducks is an art in it's self. A lost art I would risk saying as well. The oldtimers years ago would walk slowly through cattail sloughs and marshes on bright sunny days when ducks, primarily mallards, would be snoozing on a rat house or the like. One must hunt with the wind at his back if possible as ducks then would be forced to jump into the wind towards the shooter thus exposing their chest and neck/head areas. Fine shot was used as well, #6's or 7 1/2's back in the "glory days" when lead was used and shotguns kill cleanly. Shots were on the short, side inside of 40 yards. When a bird was dropped the shooter would keep his eye on the exact spot where the duck dropped walking swiftly as possible to that spot. Taking your eye off the spot the duck had dropped would almost always result in a lost bird. This was tough as many times dozens more birds would flush at the shot. A good dog was worth it's weight in gold when hunting in this manner.
Many jump shooters worked in pairs, one spotter the other shooter switching off after each shot. My father and I would hunt in this manner years ago on the Libau marsh in Manitoba. That marsh is a mere shadow of what it once was due to several negitive enviromental factors.
As I stated jump shooting is all but a lost art as it's a lot of work, walking in thick cover with soft bottoms. Many hunters today won't work that hard as we live in an increasingly motorized world... IMHO. Still the opertunities are still there and jump shooting is a very exciting way to hunt web feet. Very little equipment needed. I write here with reference to prairie Canada as I know jumpshooting ducks varries across the nation. Also as my old man always said.."duck shooting is for young men"!
A retired jumpshooter.
Many jump shooters worked in pairs, one spotter the other shooter switching off after each shot. My father and I would hunt in this manner years ago on the Libau marsh in Manitoba. That marsh is a mere shadow of what it once was due to several negitive enviromental factors.
As I stated jump shooting is all but a lost art as it's a lot of work, walking in thick cover with soft bottoms. Many hunters today won't work that hard as we live in an increasingly motorized world... IMHO. Still the opertunities are still there and jump shooting is a very exciting way to hunt web feet. Very little equipment needed. I write here with reference to prairie Canada as I know jumpshooting ducks varries across the nation. Also as my old man always said.."duck shooting is for young men"!
A retired jumpshooter.
I have heard of jumping ducks in the ditches that cross the fields in the Fraser Valley of B.C. Need permission for private land. The ditches which drain the fields have steep banks and you are able to walk up to the edge before flushing the ducks. Usually the ducks are in singles or pairs. I have never tried it but from what I have observed, it appears it would work.
