Topic: How to Hunt Ducks (Read 94 times)
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There are also spinning-wing decoys. The most co*monly used spinner is made by Mojo, but Lucky Duck and Avian-X also make a spinner. These decoys simulate a bird landing on the water or in a field, but it’s the flash of the wings that attracts ducks from distance. On-water-motion is one of the deadliest ways to trick ducks as long as they move naturally. If you look at ducks from above, they are almost constantly moving when they feed, so adding a few Higdon Pulsators or Wonderducks to your spread will add realism, too.
There are an overwhelming number of duck calls on the market, from production calls to custom-made acrylic and wood calls. There are single- and double-reed options. The singles typically take more air pressure, which you push through the call from your diaphragm, to operate. Most hunters think they are harder to blow. Doubles take less air pressure and are thought to be geared more toward beginners. Really, it just depends on your calling style.
Your best bet is to pick an affordable, but quality call. Zink’s PH-1 (Power Hen) is a great option. It’s a polycarbonate call, so it doesn’t cost much (usually around $30). It’s a single-reed, but you don’t have to hammer on it to get the PH-1 to sound like a Susie (that’s duck hunter slang for a hen mallard). Another option, if you want to sound like a mallard from the jump, is an RNT Mondo. Mondos are cut-down calls and don’t require you to pull the air from your diaphragm. All you do it blow into it with a ducky cadence for instant quacks.
The most inconvenient expense for duck hunters are usually waders. Simply put, they will eventually fail when you need them to perform. If you hunt enough, there’s no way around it. Like duck calls, there are an assortment of waders on the market. In recent years, “premium” breathable waders built by Sitka made the $1,000 wader a reality. For decades, duck hunters relied on heavy and unco*fortable—but inexpensive—neoprene waders. Now waders have beco*e pricey. The Sitka waders are a fine product, as are the new breathables from Chene. Essentially, both co*panies took a technology that Simms and Orvis use in their fly-fishing waders, and applied it to waterfowl.
While Sitka and Chene make a solid wader, that premium price has allowed other manufacturers to increase the price of their own waders without really improving the materials. If you can’t afford a premium wader, then I would also caution you against buying a $400 to $600 wader. Because in my experience, those mid-level waders fail just as fast as a $200 wader. So, you are better off buying two or three pairs of Frogg Toggs or Rogers (they are the same wader with a different brand slapped on top), so when your primary pair of waders does fail halfway through the season, you’re not waiting on a manufacturer repair to go hunting.
A lot of the clothing co*panies that cater to duck hunters promote their gear as having superior warmth and best-in-class camouflage. Well, staying warm and concealed is important, but you don’t necessarily need to buy a clothing “system” for that. Base layers are the best way to keep toasty during a cold morning. Use merino wool. The material is more expensive, but it wicks away moisture so if you start to sweat on the walk in or while throwing decoys, most of that perspiration will not sit on your skin and turn cold once you stop moving. If you’re hunting in waders, a base layer or two paired with a thick pair of sweatpants will keep you co*fortable. There are all kinds of wader pants. Some hunters just wear blue jeans, which is fine, but they will limit your movement and are not warm.
If you field hunt, a pair of insulated brown Carhart’s will get the job done. They are the most durable bib I have ever worn for the money, though they aren’t ideal for hunting in the rain or sloppy conditions. Carhart’s only repel water—they aren’t waterproof. If you want an affordable pair of hunting-specific bibs that are waterproof, try Dan’s Bulldog bibs. Every manufacturer of duck hunting clothing makes a bib, but I have yet to wear any that are as reliable as these two. That’s mostly because the zippers are always breaking, but both Carhart and Dan’s use buttons. If one of those break, you can easily replace it.
For jackets, it’s best to go with a lightweight, but warm outer layer that you can pair with a waterproof shell. This is where I like to spend a little more money. Most days, I wear a merino top, sweatshirt, and Sitka’s Kelvin Aerolite jacket. It’s $300, but incredibly co*fortable and warm for temperatures 20 degrees and above. If it’s going to be colder than that, I add a wool-lined hoodie under the Aerolite. In the rain or snow, I throw on an old Filson shell that’s lasted more than two decades, but those jackets have beco*e expensive. Your best route is a Helly Hansen rain jacket for $100.
You don’t need a boat it get started in duck hunting, so it shouldn’t be the first gear item to check off your list. But when you are ready to buy, a johnboat and 25-horsepower outboard will give you access to a variety of duck habitat. That said, there are all kinds of high-dollar duck boats with equally pricey mud motors, longtails, and jet drives mounted to the transom. Before you invest in anything, think about where you will be hunting.
A 15-foot flat-bottom is acceptable for small lakes and rivers, but hunting big water requires a bigger rig with a more powerful engine to remain safe. Ocean bay hunting is even more treacherous, so you will need a specialized boat rated for those waters. Also, you’re going to be navigating in the dark most of the time, so you need adequate lighting. Using GPS as an added backup is smart too. If you don’t have much experience operating a boat, don’t strike out into the Great Lakes or San Francisco Bay in search of divers and sea ducks. Start small, working your way up to more challenging water. Talk to and hunt with folks that know how to run fast-moving rivers and ocean chop. Also, never buy a boat right before duck season if you can help it. Wait until the end of the season. Hunters will be looking for extra cash or to upgrade to a better boat and selling their old rigs for less.
Like boats, decoy trailers co*e in all shapes and sizes. If you’re a field hunter, you will likely need one—unless you run a silhouette and sock spread that fits in the truck bed—to house all your full-bodies, blinds, and other assorted gear. Consider how many decoys you have and the length of trailer you will need to hold them all before buying. Open trailers are cheaper, but an enclosed trailer keeps your decoys in better shape, and you can also lock everything up. Don’t buy a new trailer, either. There are always good used deals at the end of the season, just like boats.
You don’t need a retriever to duck hunt, but they sure make hunting more fun. And because of their heightened abilities to mark dead birds and scent track them, a good dog will recover more ducks than a hunter can. In duck hunting, you are going to lose birds, but the number you lose will be far less with a good retriever by your side.
Gun dogs allow you to hunt places you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. For example, if you don’t have a boat or a dog, any water that’s deeper than your chest is off limits. Dogs can also retrieve birds faster, particularly handy when you have multiple hunters in the blind. And of course, dogs are great co*panions. You will always have someone eager to hunt with you, even when your buddy’s no-show in the morning at the boat ramp.
Labrador retrievers are the most popular duck hunting breed, but there are an assortment of other breeds—Chesapeake Bay retrievers, golden retrievers, spaniels, tollers, German shorthairs, and more—that can do the job as well. Even recuses can make good bird dogs. However, to put the odds are in your favor, you should do some research and buy from a reputable hunting dog breeder. That includes finding out if the pup is AKC or UKC registered. Find out what hunt test or field trial titles (if any) the dog’s sire and dam have. Bloodlines are critical to picking a pup. You want to see a long line of acco*plishments in the family history.
Also, research which breed will be the best fit your personality and situation. If you hunt ducks and upland birds, pick a breed that has the natural ability to do both.
You should always carry a first-aid kit with you when hunting (or at least have one in the truck) in case another hunter or your retriever is injured. Treat the safety of hunting dogs like you would that of another human.
Even if you’re a longtime duck hunter, buying a duck gun can be a daunting task. There are so many models to choose from—let alone deciding which gauge to buy—and each individual gun can have its own quirks. Also, you don’t often get to shoot the gun before you buy it unless one of your buddies has the same model or the local range has a field day to test new smoothbores. So it’s hard to know if the gun you want even fits you. Semi-autos are the most popular, followed by pumps and break-actions. All three are viable hunting options, and a 12- or 20-gauge is best for beginners.
Semi-autos are split between gas-operated and recoil (inertia) driven shotguns. Gas autos typically recoil less but need to be cleaned more often to function; inertia guns produce more felt recoil but don’t need as much maintenance. You can’t go wrong with an Italian-made semi-auto, like Beretta or Benelli. The Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus is the best gas gun in production today if you have the cash to spend on it, and Benelli’s SBE3 is No. 1 for inertia gun lovers.
If you want to buy something more affordable, the best value guns are made by Franchi and Tri-Star. There are also plenty of used guns to be had. Some of the best include: John Browning’s Auto-5, Remington’s 1100, the early 1990s Beretta A300 series, H&K imported Benelli Super Black Eagle or M1 Super 90 or any of the Winchester Super X series of shotguns. Just know, some of these autos were made prior to the lead shot band, so you can’t safely shoot steel through some of them. You must use bismuth or Kent Tungsten-Matrix, which are slightly more expensive than premium steel.
The most reliable platform is the pump because cycling is dependent on the operator—not gas or recoil—shucking the fore-end forward and back. They can breakdown like any other shotgun of course, but there are few moving parts, so pumps are easy to fix. Plus, most of them are inexpensive. The most popular is the Remington 870, which includes a new model called the Fieldmasater. It replaces the Express, a cheaper version of the iconic Wingmaster, a gun that will continue to be produced. Mossberg’s 500 is also a popular option, and if you want to spend a little more on a high-end repeater, Browning’s BPS is a fine choice.
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