How to get into waterfowl hunting.

[Jtay561]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Sorry I haven’t responded sooner, new job and boards have been keeping me busy.
Seems like some good advice here, might just need to jump In and get started somewhere. I moved from somewhere where I had a ton of farm ground to hunt to the middle of high desert where I don’t know any ranchers so I might have to build a few friendships as well.
Side note, I’m always looking to add to the gun collection but moving recently I don’t have a lot to spend. Any recommendation for a entry level duck gun?

Are you in Ada Co?

 

[huntineveryday]

Duck hunting is fairly gear-intensive. The best option would be to reach out to some area DU or Delta Waterfowl chapters to see if anyone would let you tag along to get some experience.

If you want to go at it alone, which is how I started, here's a list of what I'd call a basic starter set:

-waders
-a call (rnt quackhead j-frame single reed is a great starter call, sounds pretty good and is under $20. A double reed will have you sound like a duck more quickly, but a single reed will teach you how to use a call with better presentation and will offer more versatility)
-some decoys (pick a dozen mallard floaters at a decent price, if you like duck hunting you will figure out what you like/want later and can always use cheaper decoys as fillers)
-decoy rigging (go with texas rigs, 4oz for ponds/sloughs, more weight if your planning to set them in a current on the river)
-decoy bag
-a motion decoy of some sort (I'd recommend a jerk rig over a spinner to start. Cheaper, lighter, will give you motion in the decoys on calm mornings, and birds won't flare off like they can with a spinner. You can add a spinner later)
-a way to hide (good camo or a ghillie suit top and sitting still can be enough, just set up with some sort of cover. Layout blinds or tule seats to sit in the reeds are great, but dependent upon what type of area you're hunting)

If you're hunting marshes or ponds, a kayak or canoe can really open up a lot more possibilities to hunt, but aren't necessary. Some cheap camo netting hides a canoe pretty well if you add some brush to it.

Duck hunting is great, probably my favorite thing to do, but it is a deep rabbit hole to dive down! Once you're hooked there are never enough calls or decoys or blinds...

 

[LongWayAround]

So, been watching this one from the background. Anyone have any recommendations on calls and decoys? Duck and Geese (Canadas). Don't want a huge spread - something I could haul by backpack or in my canoe or kayak.

Have spent plenty of time hunting big game, and some trap and skeet, but am making a commitment to starting some waterfowl this year. Probably a lot better Duck and Goose hunting near me than deer.

I have a kayak that I've been meaning to hunt from but haven't yet. It seems to me that if I want to bring more than a few floaters, dragging a sled behind it is the way to go. As far as the decoys, check out silhouettes or windsocks for shallows, sandbars, etc. I have six dozen real geese silhouettes and two dozen whiterock socks. The socks are kind of clunky (which I knew from wrestling them during snow goose hunts, but bought anyway), the real geese are heavy but durable. If I did it again, I would buy divebombs. My buddy has five dozen in one whiterock silhouette bag and he paid less than I did for 2-3 dozen of the real geese. A nice mobile kayak spread would be a bag of socks/silhouettes duck/goose whatever and a dozen or two duck floaters. The Final approach cheapo goose floaters are a little smaller than most but I would still consider them prohibitively large for kayaking. The whiterock bag with some socks/silhouettes is also a super easy carry option for walking in. Most floater bags suck ass for walking in and I've been considering a cargo panel or something for my hunting pack to carry floaters in.

 

[Newtosavage]

A) Birds will be where they want to be. I cant tell you how many times despite my decoys and calling the birds landed right over there, for what seems like no reason at all. That being said, If you are in "the spot" the birds will land there with just a couple of decoys and minimal calling.

B) Call to wing tips and tails. NEVER CALL TO BIRDS COMING TO YOU. They will spot you and they will flare.

C) A duck would never win a duck calling contest in Stuttgart. No stupid hail calls and no "feeding calls". Get a simple double reed and learn to do a simple quack and to do a 3-4 cadence quack.

D) Use a IC or mod choke. 2, 3, or 4s steelshot.

E) If there are no ducks around, take a leak, pour up a cup aof coffee, of adjust the dekes, those actions will bring in a suicide mallard from 3 counties over.

P.S. Before you shoot a duck, think about how youre going to retrieve the duck... (water depth) and if the "dead duck" starts swimming away, aim for the head.

spoken like an experienced duck hunter. especially E !

 

[Newtosavage]

Duck hunting is fairly gear-intensive...it is a deep rabbit hole to dive down!

Only if you want it to be. I've duck hunted for over 30 years with one pump shotgun one call and less than a dozen old decoys, and I rarely go home empty handed. See "A" above. Just like with other forms of hunting, scouting is the key to success. If you're where they want to be, you'll have to shoot them to keep them from landing there.

 

[jakelogsdon]

So I’ve been a big game hunter all my life and when I do go after small game it’s either upland or rabbits. Been thinking about waterfowl hunting for a few years. Any suggestions on how to get started? Just moved to Idaho from Michigan if that changes anything but there’s a few rivers and small lakes nearby. What basic gear do you need and what’s the learning curve compared to other styles of hunting?

Don't do it bro

 

[KurtR]

a dozen floaters, waders and water is about it. Add a mojo in to get real crazy. But the best part about it is you need a dog and watching them work is pure enjoyment. You dont really need one but i couldnt do it any more with out one

 

[Bisley45]

a dozen floaters, waders and water is about it. Add a mojo in to get real crazy. But the best part about it is you need a dog and watching them work is pure enjoyment. You dont really need one but i couldnt do it any more with out one

The only reason I went this year was to take my lab!

 

[Rob5589]

But the best part about it is you need a dog and watching them work is pure enjoyment. You dont really need one but i couldnt do it any more with out one

So true. After putting my girl down it just wasn't the same in the blind.

 

[MNhunter]

Find someone to go with who already has all the gear and experience. This will save you lots of time and money as most duck hunters will gladly pass along knowledge and possibly older still usable equipment older waders, decoys, calls. If you cant find option A(the best option) I'd say a small boat kayak or Jon boat, rubber boots, a dozen decoys (species depends on your area and what you are most likely to be targeting). 12ga and a couple boxes of shells you certainly don't have to buy the crazy expensive stuff just make sure its Non toxic shot(steel). If you shot a duck and it doesn't look dead, shoot it again chasing cripples sucks. Have fun and enjoy the sunrise duck hunting is a beautiful thing.

 

[NDGuy]

So, been watching this one from the background. Anyone have any recommendations on calls and decoys? Duck and Geese (Canadas). Don't want a huge spread - something I could haul by backpack or in my canoe or kayak.

Have spent plenty of time hunting big game, and some trap and skeet, but am making a commitment to starting some waterfowl this year. Probably a lot better Duck and Goose hunting near me than deer.

Rig up some texas rig mallard floaters and you can hunt ducks on water. Maybe get a jerk cord setup to help you on calm days. Otherwise grab a few floater canada decoys. Most small groups of geese will work if you call them on water.

Calls I like Molt Gear a lot. Scott Threinen is a good dude. Zink duck calls are pretty popular too.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Are you in Ada Co?

I’m in Bonneville, Idaho falls area.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

Wife and I recently got a lab and he’s now 9 months old which is part of the reason I’m interest led in learning more. Is he past the prime training age? Also he seems to be pretty timid and I think he’s get gun shy easily. Any suggestions, been thinking of taking him to the gun range and gradually getting him more exposed.
Maybe I got a bad pup (for hunting, he’s an awesome family dog) but he hasn’t really taken to swimming yet either which worries me.

 

[Bisley45]

Order Richard Wolter's "Gun Dog" and "Water Dog" today. There is no perfect one way to train a dog but boy howdy, there's lots of ways to mess them up.

 

[KurtR]

Wife and I recently got a lab and he’s now 9 months old which is part of the reason I’m interest led in learning more. Is he past the prime training age? Also he seems to be pretty timid and I think he’s get gun shy easily. Any suggestions, been thinking of taking him to the gun range and gradually getting him more exposed.
Maybe I got a bad pup (for hunting, he’s an awesome family dog) but he hasn’t really taken to swimming yet either which worries me.

No he is still a baby. get those books and spend time with him. Get him excited about retrieving and the hunting will happen

 

[Newtosavage]

Order Richard Wolter's "Gun Dog" and "Water Dog" today. There is no perfect one way to train a dog but boy howdy, there's lots of ways to mess them up.

Those are the two books I used to train my lab back in the early 90's and what a lab she was.

 

[Oregon]

I hunt ducks 70plus days a year. It is the most over thought hunting there is.
If you hunt where you’ve seen ducks, you’re ahead of the game.
Your “hide” is way way way more important than how your decoys are set or your calling.
A duck call for most is the best conservation tool going. Place a few decoys where you’ve seen ducks, hide really really well. Sit still. Ducks land into the wind, I try and always set decoys so birds land coming left to right or right to left. Decoys directly below you give birds the opportunity to start their approach coming directly at you. Easier to kill, but they have longer to stare at you.

The absolute hardest part about duck hunting is figuring out how to retrieve birds and most importantly knowing exactly what you just shot.

Ive hunted ducks for a long time, and have personally never ever shot a duck I didn’t know exactly what it was when I pulled the trigger.
My dog screws up from time to time though.
I kill a hen wigeon and the dog brings back a gadwall. Even after sending her out numerous times she never finds the wigeon. Poorly trained obviously.

 

[Muzzy48]

Waterfowling is alot of fun but can be expensive or as cheap as you want. One decent call, a few decoys, a gun, and your set.

Alot depends on where, what, and when you plan on hunting. Fields vs water. Early vs Late season. That will dictate some gear choices as well.

Biggest thing is time. It’s all about scouting and knowing where fowl are. Ducks are easier than geese as ducks don’t move around nearly as much as geese tend to. Where you find ducks one day, they will be there for days/weeks unless they are given a reason to leave. Geese on the other hand follow their stomachs. If the food changes, so do their patterns.

The best is time spent with your buddies. It’s a style of hunting you can be joking around telling stories one minute and then focused on locked up fowl the next. Enjoy!

 

[Brendan]

Well, not sure to curse or thank you all, but been thinking about this more and more. Took a walk on public along a timbered marshy river, and it was loaded with ducks. Black ducks, mallards, hooded mergansers, plus Canada geese as well that I could make out.

 

[Spoonbill]

Wife and I recently got a lab and he’s now 9 months old which is part of the reason I’m interest led in learning more. Is he past the prime training age? Also he seems to be pretty timid and I think he’s get gun shy easily. Any suggestions, been thinking of taking him to the gun range and gradually getting him more exposed.
Maybe I got a bad pup (for hunting, he’s an awesome family dog) but he hasn’t really taken to swimming yet either which worries me.

My lab was gun shy and timid, I sent him to a trainer and she was able to correct all my mistakes. He was around a year when I sent him off. There are some good trainers in Idaho, it will be the best money you will spend.
He is 2 now and gets more excited to go hunting than I do.