duck hunting

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

I have read that they are no faster than other ducks but that their small size and flock behavior just makes it seem that way. Sure has me fooled. It's hard to lead them too far.

I have read that they are no faster than other ducks but that their small size and flock behavior just makes it seem that way. Sure has me fooled. It's hard to lead them too far

I learned the same recently. Didn't know teal are actually the slowest duck but they like to pivot so much its deceiving

 

[MNElkNut]

Woodies dropping altitude quickly are the equal of any teal doing acrobatics. I remember trying to shoot one and missing by about 10 yards! It was there....then it was not there. And I feel no shame in missing by that amount either!

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Regarding shooting waterfowl leaving due to poor penetration when they are coming in....I always prefer the coming in shots and have never had a problem with penetration. That might be a case where you need to spend more to get quality shells if your BBs are not penetrating through incoming duck feathers.

For the average hunter (myself included), I would attribute this to not enough lead/no follow through vs poor penetration. You get that pattern 6-12 inches further forward and see what happens....

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

If you are shooting an IM, that is aweful tight for ducks. I like IC for ducks working decoys and modified for later season skittish ducks.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Unpopular opinion, but it works for me: Less is more when it comes to calling and decoys. I'd rather have fewer decoys (or sometimes none at all) if conditions are bad and they can possibly flare birds. I rarely throw out more than 18 decoys. Also, just get the basics down on calling, and just call when they are turning or going away. Never when when they are coming in. Just my strategies...

I have a similar strategy for a different reason.
I put out 5-6 motion decoys (wiggling duck butts, flickers) to start.
Then I watch to see where the "X" is..the locations the ducks are landing at.
I typically move to where the ducks want to land then set up more decoys.

I also typically setup in a cross-wind so birds coming into the wind and
birds working into my decoys are not looking directly at me.

Often I'm 50 yards upwind from the start of the decoys so any wary birds working into the crosswind
that land outside the dekes are in easy shotgun range.

When mounting the gun, I try to mount so I am in front of the bird as the shotgun hits my shoulder.
That effectively slows down the target compared to tracking the target from behind.
Lead is not as important as gun speed.
Gil Ash explains this in the following youtube video:

 

[MT_Chad]

Pass shooting does require some minimal expertise. Shooting at a flared goose landing in the decoys not so much. Some guys shooting from blinds in the middle of their decoys get a charge out of turning flared birds into confetti at 25 yards. It's not my thing. I hate shooting off my butt. Also not into wasting time dissecting shot and feathers from meat when I could be watching the football game instead.

Gonna have to continue derailing this thread, I couldn't let this go. I'll give it to you, I'm sure you are a better shot than me, it doesn't take a lot of skill to kill geese at 25 yards. Isn't that kind of the point? To provide a definite, clean kill. There's no "charge" and none turn to confetti, mostly because we call the shot when they are backflapping in the decoys at 20 yards. By the time you sit up and shoulder, the geese are starting to lift and you have a near motionless shot. I don't waste time dissecting because these easy shots are nearly always head shots.

 

[Nick87]

Gonna have to continue derailing this thread, I couldn't let this go. I'll give it to you, I'm sure you are a better shot than me, it doesn't take a lot of skill to kill geese at 25 yards. Isn't that kind of the point? To provide a definite, clean kill. There's no "charge" and none turn to confetti, mostly because we call the shot when they are backflapping in the decoys at 20 yards. By the time you sit up and shoulder, the geese are starting to lift and you have a near motionless shot. I don't waste time dissecting because these easy shots are nearly always head shots.

Thank you.

 

[MT_Chad]

Thank you.

No problem, I figured I wasn't the only one that comment bothered.

 

[jeff_gibbons]

Easy, sorta

Advice, go do it. See what it's like for you. You will adjust your approach every year.

Focus on a good hidden blind and a few decoys. The rest will come with experience. Bottomline, it's an expensive sport but can be extremely gratifying. I'd find out if you like the taste of duck first!

Last sentence here! Do that before buying gear.

 

[TwistedSage]

Ah, banded geese. My boys had just started hunting and my neighbor and i brought our kids out. The geese were thick and we shot 6 bands that morning out of 5 different flocks. We were all excited to see where they were banded....Canada? North Dakota perhaps? Maybe south like Arkansas? Nope, they were all banded in town about 2 miles away.

First and only band I've gotten was from a canada goose. I was all excited and ready to find out where it was banded to put a story to it. Called the hotline to report and they informed me it was banded that spring as a juvenile the next town over. Lol. Those yearling local farmfed geese were some of the best game meat let alone waterfowl I've ever eaten.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Gonna have to continue derailing this thread, I couldn't let this go. I'll give it to you, I'm sure you are a better shot than me, it doesn't take a lot of skill to kill geese at 25 yards. Isn't that kind of the point? To provide a definite, clean kill. There's no "charge" and none turn to confetti, mostly because we call the shot when they are backflapping in the decoys at 20 yards. By the time you sit up and shoulder, the geese are starting to lift and you have a near motionless shot. I don't waste time dissecting because these easy shots are nearly always head shots.

Sure, I know two guys from the club here who shoot from layout blinds with 20 gauge because they don't want to blow up the geese. And there's so many birds they can pick only the best close shots. I know way too many others who think they need 3.5" thunder sticks to do the same job. Poof! If you can hit your geese every time in the head shooting off your butt in a layout blind, you are definitely a better shot than me ... or maybe Olympic gymnastic flexibility? Under normal circumstances (i.e. standing in a typical waterfowl blind) shooting a flared goose is a piece of cake. They are a big target trying to change directions and the shooter can change his body to intercept and move with the target. I have hunted from those layout coffins on a guided deal in Sask and found they really restrict my movement onto target (besides being colder than hell). Difficult to be terribly precise unless the approach is exactly perfect. I certainly can't be sure I'll hit them in the head that close. Usually pass on the really close shots. I remember once when a lone mallard was sailing into the decoys from my left. The other hunters were lined up on my right. I shot quickly and folded the duck about 35 yards out. Not a hard shot as it was coming in level and never saw the movement. The outfitter said "Maybe you should let them get closer." "Why? So these other guys can blow out my ears shooting past me? The pattern is perfect at that range. Closer and it's blow him up or miss." Anyway, who wants to hit a greenhead with more than one BB shot (we were hunting geese)?

 

[corndog1]

Should be good out west for the next couple weeks with a new push of birds from up north!