First Time Waterfowl: What are the essentials?

[FairWeather]

I’m pretty new to hunting all around, and this year will be my first year waterfowl hunting. I’m looking to hunting duck and goose, though depending on how large of an undertaking that is, I may opt to focus on just one.

What are the essential pieces of gear I will need to have any chance of success?


For reference here’s what I already have:
12 ga pump.
Rain gear & camo.
4 duck decoys ($20 total at goodwill!).
Inflatable kayak (no bird dog).
(Sounds like I’ll need waders? Are those necessary or just nice to have? Will rubber boots suffice?)

Re: calls, I don’t have any, or practice with one. Is not calling at all better than calling poorly?

I’m sure this thread will get busy, so thank you in advance!

 

[Nick87]

Not calling is better than bad calling. You need to scout and find where they want to be. Maybe find a few more decoys and get yourself a jerkstring. Mojos work really well the first 30 minutes if shooting light.

Two questions- where and what type of terrain are you planning to hunt? How much money are you looking to spend? That would help prioritze.

 

[FairWeather]

Not calling is better than bad calling. You need to scout and find where they want to be. Maybe find a few more decoys and get yourself a jerkstring. Mojos work really well the first 30 minutes if shooting light.

Two questions- where and what type of terrain are you planning to hunt? How much money are you looking to spend? That would help prioritze.

The only places I know of are public land here in western Oregon. The terrain for duck is a lake w/ surrounding wetlands, and the banks of the rivers in the area. Not sure where along these bodies of water the ducks like to congregate, so I’ll have to do scouting for that for sure.

For goose, there’s a few hundred acres of farmland scattered around that are open to the public to hunt to help with goose damage. Those seem to mostly be ryegrass fields.

As for $$ at this point, as little as possible is always a good place to start, but realistically $200 to start with, not counting waders/footwear into that.

 

[Art Vandeley]

The only places I know of are public land here in western Oregon. The terrain for duck is a lake w/ surrounding wetlands, and the banks of the rivers in the area. Not sure where along these bodies of water the ducks like to congregate, so I’ll have to do scouting for that for sure.

For goose, there’s a few hundred acres of farmland scattered around that are open to the public to hunt to help with goose damage. Those seem to mostly be ryegrass fields.

As for $$ at this point, as little as possible is always a good place to start, but realistically $200 to start with, not counting waders/footwear into that.

I don't mean to dissuade you, but realistically getting into goose hunting is going to be very tough on that budget in my opinion. I know a lot of the Oregon guys run DSD decoys for those highly pressured geese, and you will need a good ground blind as well. I would probably stick to getting some more duck decoys and try and go with people that already have goose gear.

 

[Nick87]

I don't mean to dissuade you, but realistically getting into goose hunting is going to be very tough on that budget in my opinion. I know a lot of the Oregon guys run DSD decoys for those highly pressured geese, and you will need a good ground blind as well. I would probably stick to getting some more duck decoys and try and go with people that already have goose gear.

Yup.

 

[Nick87]

The only places I know of are public land here in western Oregon. The terrain for duck is a lake w/ surrounding wetlands, and the banks of the rivers in the area. Not sure where along these bodies of water the ducks like to congregate, so I’ll have to do scouting for that for sure.

For goose, there’s a few hundred acres of farmland scattered around that are open to the public to hunt to help with goose damage. Those seem to mostly be ryegrass fields.

As for $$ at this point, as little as possible is always a good place to start, but realistically $200 to start with, not counting waders/footwear into that.

For $200 not counting waders, a jerk rig and maybe a couple more decoys. Make sure your using the right choke in your gun too.
Doesn't cost anything but make sure your hidden. Can't kill birds if you can't hide well.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If you want to try field hunting for geese, look for harvested grain or corn. Alfalfa fields planted this year or sometimes last year can be a sleeper that many hunters overlook. Farmers usually seed new alfalfa with a "cover crop" of grain, often barley or oats. Then they bale it instead of combining and feed to livestock. Not sure what the purpose is, perhaps to help keep the ground shaded and moister till alfalfa can get going. Anyway, geese know there's grain underneath the green alfalfa. Rye grass is a rest crop for rotation and I don't think I've ever seen geese land in it. This is a new alfalfa field. Look close and you should see evidence of the cover crop mowed and baled late summer.

A lot depends on the terrain. I hunt the edges of the fields where there's cover for me and dogs to hide in. Geese shy away from landing too close to the edge so my decoys are out in the field 45-55 yards. I rely on the wind to force geese to approach the deeks coming in overhead. If no wind it's a crap shoot but most will approach from down the field and I'm screwed. Just let them pile up till something circles close enough for a pass shot. If the geese are pressured and no chance for cover on the edges, then you'll probably need a layout blind. Ground pop-up blinds do not work well for pressured geese.

A dozen good shell goose decoys will work fine for Canadas. For snows you'd need at least a hundred decoys. The arrangement of the decoys can be VERY important. I can give you a few tips if you decide to go that route. Use the call sparingly to get their attention then shut up. Too much calling has screwed things up more times than I can count. I use a flute style goose call. A bit trickier to operate but I think they sound better. Maybe stick with conventional style call to start with as they are easier for novice to work. If you get a layout blind perhaps consider a flag but otherwise forget it. Motion decoys for honkers do NOT work. In fact they work against you. Geese don't want anything moving in the set when approaching. A hard lesson learned over many years.

Edit: Looking at that photo it appears my dairy farmer did combine the grain cover crop. It was feed and likely went into silo. He does raise some cash crops, mostly canola (which geese DO NOT like, probably because the stubble is too high and coarse). Incidentally, those geese were not shot in this field. I parked my rig there and hunted sloughs on the other side of the highway. Got them jump shooting. For corn fields, look for chop harvested rather than cob harvested (chop has everything chopped up for silage). Seems just as much feed is left on the field but chop harvesting leaves much shorter stubble and geese seem to like that. Easier to land and get going again. Also, cob harvested fields are dangerous for dogs and can be hard on brake lines.

 

[FairWeather]

If you want to try field hunting for geese, look for harvested grain or corn. Alfalfa fields planted this year or sometimes last year can be a sleeper that many hunters overlook. Farmers usually seed new alfalfa with a "cover crop" of grain, often barley or oats. Then they bale it instead of combining and feed to livestock. Not sure what the purpose is, perhaps to help keep the ground shaded and moister till alfalfa can get going. Anyway, geese know there's grain underneath the green alfalfa. Rye grass is a rest crop for rotation and I don't think I've ever seen geese land in it. This is a new alfalfa field. Look close and you should see evidence of the cover crop mowed and baled late summer.
View attachment 241182
A lot depends on the terrain. I hunt the edges of the fields where there's cover for me and dogs to hide in. Geese shy away from landing too close to the edge so my decoys are out in the field 45-55 yards. I rely on the wind to force geese to approach the deeks coming in overhead. If no wind it's a crap shoot but most will approach from down the field and I'm screwed. Just let them pile up till something circles close enough for a pass shot. If the geese are pressured and no chance for cover on the edges, then you'll probably need a layout blind. Ground pop-up blinds do not work well for pressured geese.

A dozen good shell goose decoys will work fine for Canadas. For snows you'd need at least a hundred decoys. The arrangement of the decoys can be VERY important. I can give you a few tips if you decide to go that route. Use the call sparingly to get their attention then shut up. Too much calling has screwed things up more times than I can count. I use a flute style goose call. A bit trickier to operate but I think they sound better. Maybe stick with conventional style call to start with as they are easier for novice to work. If you get a layout blind perhaps consider a flag but otherwise forget it. Motion decoys for honkers do NOT work. In fact they work against you. Geese don't want anything moving in the set when approaching. A hard lesson learned over many years.

Edit: Looking at that photo it appears my dairy farmer did combine the grain cover crop. It was feed and likely went into silo. He does raise some cash crops, mostly canola (which geese DO NOT like, probably because the stubble is too high and coarse). Incidentally, those geese were not shot in this field. I parked my rig there and hunted sloughs on the other side of the highway. Got them jump shooting. For corn fields, look for chop harvested rather than cob harvested (chop has everything chopped up for silage). Seems just as much feed is left on the field but chop harvesting leaves much shorter stubble and geese seem to like that. Easier to land and get going again. Also, cob harvested fields are dangerous for dogs and can be hard on brake lines.

Regarding a blind, I’ve got one of these goretex bivy covers. Would that work as a lay out blind, especially if I were to *attempt to* cover with some vegetation?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Regarding a blind, I’ve got one of these goretex bivy covers. Would that work as a lay out blind, especially if I were to *attempt to* cover with some vegetation?

Hard to say. I've never been into blinds of any sort.

 

[Moserkr]

Brushed in well.



Not brushed in well.

Just remember they see very well from above and will hang up or flare if they notice somethings off. The other recommendations above are spot on. Jerk string, minimal calls til you can talk to them. Only one way to learn though… go try.

Best thing to me? Goose decoys. They work for ducks too…

Last - dont shoot the scout. Sometimes the flock lets the wise duck decide whether or not they should land. Pass on it and roll the dice for a few more shots. Or shoot the scout haha and help out the next guy.

 

[FairWeather]

Brushed in well.
View attachment 241217


Not brushed in well.View attachment 241218

Just remember they see very well from above and will hang up or flare if they notice somethings off. The other recommendations above are spot on. Jerk string, minimal calls til you can talk to them. Only one way to learn though… go try.

Best thing to me? Goose decoys. They work for ducks too…

Last - dont shoot the scout. Sometimes the flock lets the wise duck decide whether or not they should land. Pass on it and roll the dice for a few more shots. Or shoot the scout haha and help out the next guy.

What’s annoying is they did have a bunch of goose shell decoys at the goodwill that day, too, but none of them had the neck/head. Just a stack of about 20 bodies, so I didn’t buy any of them.

I don’t have any friends that hunt (though I’m working on convincing a few to try it), so I’ll be going it alone. Honestly I’ll be perfectly happy just to get 1 goose this year, though I’m expecting I won’t get that even.

I had hoped hunting geese was as simple as go sit in a field and just shoot them as they fly overhead. Should have known nothing is ever that simple.

 

[Four22]

You have to set up where they were yeaterday. If they’re in the southwest corner of a field or pond, set up there. Scouting is key unless you want to get up at 4am to rot.

And coffee. The coffee decoy get them everytime

 

[Hunting Wife]

Get the waders. First time you step in a muskrat hole or slip in the mud you’ll be glad to be dry. Especially when it gets cold…the crappier the weather, the better for waterfowl. You’ll need to stay dry if you are going to sit out in it very long.

 

[Nick87]

Regarding a blind, I’ve got one of these goretex bivy covers. Would that work as a lay out blind, especially if I were to *attempt to* cover with some vegetation?

Probably not especially in wet terrain you need to find a downed tree or something of the sort. Or build a little homemade one man blind.

 

[Nick87]

Get the waders. First time you step in a muskrat hole or slip in the mud you’ll be glad to be dry. Especially when it gets cold…the crappier the weather, the better for waterfowl. You’ll need to stay dry if you are going to sit out in it very long.

I might add a wader repair kit is as important as the waders themselves.

 

[Four22]

That’s tough on everything

 

[FairWeather]

Get the waders. First time you step in a muskrat hole or slip in the mud you’ll be glad to be dry. Especially when it gets cold…the crappier the weather, the better for waterfowl. You’ll need to stay dry if you are going to sit out in it very long.

Is there reasoning other than person preference for PVC vs neoprene? Looking around, it seems PVC are less expensive and lighter, but neoprene seem to have insulation options. Is one more beneficial or practical?

 

[Hunting Wife]

Is there reasoning other than person preference for PVC vs neoprene? Looking around, it seems PVC are less expensive and lighter, but neoprene seem to have insulation options. Is one more beneficial or practical?

Probably depends on your situation. Up here in the frozen north you will literally build up snow/ice on your waders. For these conditions, I like the warmth of neoprene. In milder climates, they might be too much.

My summer work waders are the nylon style. They are fine if it’s not cold.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Is there reasoning other than person preference for PVC vs neoprene? Looking around, it seems PVC are less expensive and lighter, but neoprene seem to have insulation options. Is one more beneficial or practical?

When working Alaska I fished every day in a glacial fed river with breathable Orvis waders and did just fine. Sometimes with three layers underneath including wool pants.

 

[FairWeather]

That’s tough on everything

My gun is only 3”, but I’ll keep it in mind when I go shopping for rounds.