BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[eajohnston1969]

where i am located is supposed to be some of the best waterfowl hunting in the states. unfortunately for me, i have limited experience in this area of hunting. (i did a little on a friends farm back in MD.) anyone got any good tips for a guy just starting out? i don't need to bring home limits of ducks, though i won't complain if i do, but to be able to got out with some knowledge of what to look for would be helpful. (yes, i know to look for water...ha ha)

i don't have a dog or piles of decoys. i could get a call easily enough, but i doubt i would sound like anything a duck recognizes without any real practice.

any tips?

[ChesterGolf]

It isn't as hard as one would lead you to believe. First you have to identify the types of ducks in your area and buy calls that correspond to them. You don't need a truck load of decoys either. Fire a few singles and pairs out to the left and right of your blind but always leave an opening for the incoming birds to try to land in. If the water is deep go with a boat(even a cheap inflatable will work). If the water is shallow go with chest waders. Non-lead shot is usually required by law and does not act like lead(with the exception of the premium lead substitutes). use a shot size a couple bigger than you would think with lead and keep the shoots fairly close(inside 40 yds.) Go out and try it. You can't really screw it up and it is a fast learning curve.

[bitmasher]

I have never been geese hunting before. Do you use a 12 gauge and how big of shot?

[eajohnston1969]

sounds good Chester. thanks for the tips. i'll let you know how it goes.

[ChesterGolf]

For goose hunting a 12 Gauge with 3" magnum is a minimum in my opinion with 3.5" 12 ga. or 10 ga. 3.5" being better. If you know how hard it is to drop a duck with steel try doubling or tripling it for geese. I use all premium shot for geese, used to be bismuth but I am using Hevi-shot this year.

[eajohnston1969]

i looked into Heavi-Shot..that's some spendy stuff. i have a mossberg 840 pump. it's chambered for 3 1/2 inch shells and it has an oversized bore. the diameter is actually closer to that of the 10ga than a normal 12ga. the increase in bore size is mostly for recoil reduction when using the 3 1/2's. i think i'll just go with the regular steel in the big shells. probably use a #2 shot.


what i was going to ask: i know morning hunting is best, but what about evenings? is it worth it to head out in the afternoon or should i strictly plan on morning hunts?

[ChesterGolf]

Afternoon hunts are fine if you have a spot that the birds come to to rest over night. I think morning is more productive because you can sneak in at dark and not disturb anything but as long as the ducks are there it doesn't matter what time of the day you shoot them. I get a good percentage of mine aroung the 10:00am mark. The #2 shot in 3.5" mag. will be perfect for ducks. Good luck.

[bitmasher]

Thanks for the info. How far out of a shot are you taking with the minimum and best config you describe? I have heard geese can be really tough to drop.

[eajohnston1969]

thanks for the help...i picked up a couple of boxes of shells (wishful thinking that i'll need more than one) and a set of 6 Mallard decoys (three drake/three hen). no call though...i doubt i could make any type of noise a duck wants to hear without any practice. anyway, i am going out to a local place tomorrow afternoon to try my hand at ducks. seeing as how i am not shaping up to be much of a Blacktail hunter (dang critters are a lot tougher than muleys and whitetail) i figured i'll use up the afternoon/evening standing waist deep in water.

[ This Message was edited by: eajohnston1969 on 2002-10-16 22:45 ]

[ChesterGolf]

Bit,

A rule of thumb I was told and now use is if you can clearly see the eyes of the goose then pull the trigger(40-50 yds Max.). Just to let you know, geese are flying way faster than they look. The birds are so large that they seem to be going slower so lead them accordingly.

[GooseHunter]

I still have one month to go here is colorado before goose season stsrts!!!!

[eajohnston1969]

well, my first trip duck hunting out here was a disaster. well, simply because of the incompetance of a local licensing agent i was not allowed to hunt.

in OR you are required to have in addition to your hunting lic.:

State Waterfowl Validation
Harvest Information Program validation
Federal Waterfowl Stamp

i knew this and when i went to the local agent here to acquire these items i was told that the waterfowl validation printed on the front of my license acted as the stamp as well. after questioning him extensively he assured me that the validation was all i needed and that the stamp was no longer used. old technology and all that.

so, at 4:30am this morning i was in line at the Hunting area, i had a good low number (raffle system) and was confident i would get the area i had been told was a hot spot.

as i stepped up to the window to check into my station the first thing the ODFW agent did with my lic was to flip it over and look for the stamp. i knew it before he said it and all of the nasty ways i could inflict harm on that dang sales agent suddenly popped into my head.

long story short...there is nowhere to purchase a stamp until 9am. so, i packed up my gear and went back home.

oh well, stuff happens. i'll be ready to give it another try when elk season ends. oct 19th-23rd is my unit's season, so that is my focus for now.

[bitmasher]

Sheeezzz... :roll: Sounds like a mess of paper work just to go hunting ducks, EA.

Good luck with the Elk!

[ChesterGolf]

Man, duck hunting is hard enough without all that S%@#!! I thought up here was getting tough. Hang in there, EA, it is worth it in the end.

[maineguide]

Hi guys it has been awhile since my last post.
Here in Maine our license is the size of a sheet of notebook paper.
If you want the state duck stamp that is another piece of paper,
Fishing license same, any permits another piece of paper.
You don't get all of these extra pieces of paper if you buy them all at once, but sometime you can't afford all at once.

Go figure