SmartHunter.com Your Waterfowl Hunting Tips.
Duck Hunting, Goose Hunting, etc. Learn what kinds of duck calls work best.
Tell us how to call snow geese within shooting range. How do you set up your
decoys. Give us a hunting tip on what works best on mallards.
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For all you duck hunters who keep your dog in the back of the pickup. My Lab didn't enjoy sliding around in the bed at all. If yours doesn't like it either, just take a standard sheet of plywood (cut it to fit your bed if needed) and cover it with some outdoor carpet. It staples down easy. The whole thing slides out when you don't want it. Your dog will thank you. As an added bonus, other stuff doesn't slide as much either
The use of a jerk cord or throwing rocks to put ripples on the water draw wary ducks into shooting range.
When duck hunting I always carry one leg from a pair of panty hose. You never know when you are going to shoot that rare duck. By placing the duck head first in the panty hose you keep all the feathers in place. it works really well.
Tie a piece of foam inside your decoy bag. This will keep it afloat in case it slips out of your grasp while empty. When empty, they sink!
If you don't own a boat, use a muskrat mound as a seat if one is available. You can use it as a backrest and look skyward for those oncoming ducks. I found that you blend in well with the mound and the ducks tend to come right into the dekes.
Many hunters call ducks & geese when the birds are coming at them. This allows the bird to pinpoint your location. Game should only be call when going away or to the left or right of you. This makes it harder for them to pinpoint your location. Some hunters call this "calling on the corners".
Ask your local grocery store for an old hand basket most are earth tone or easy to camo use for carrying ducks in boats and cuts down on birds freezing to the boat and cuts down on feathers in the boat.
Duck hunters with bad backs or having to move decoys long distances over land should try using a garbage can on wheels. A commercial can will hold 2-3 dozen standard ducks and 3-4 dozen goose dekes. Refuse haulers sell em cheap when the front handles break.
One of the best tools you can bring into the duck boat is a 5 gallon bucket that has been painted camouflage. It holds all sorts of equipment, such as the first aid kit, matches, shells and spare clothes. If you use a food grade bucket that held liquid the bucket will keep all the items dry. The bucket also acts as a great seat.
When duck hunting it is important to scout your locations. What looks good to you may not look good to the birds. The best caller in the world cannot convince birds to dump into a place they don't want to be. If you have birds pass your blocks repeatedly, move to where they are setting down, it will be well worth it.
Bring a folding camp seat that has bars along the bottom of the legs. Early in the morning if you are bank hunting you can set the seat up out in the water near a bush or reeds and it lets you get a few feet closer to your dekes and to the birds coming in. This only works early when light is low.