Lack of love for waterfowlers

Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Messages
753
Location
NorCal
Tons of guys on Rokslide killing more big critters than CWD. Where are all the guys who’s true passion is shooting ducks or geese?

Where are you located? What species do you spend the most time targeting? Hunting private or are you a refuge rat? Ag land or natural?

Since this is a gear site, Gun and ammo of choice? Decoy brand and type? What call company are you repping?

Let’s start a waterfowl thread.
 
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Messages
2,238
I do love killing ducks but mule deer are my passion. I’m in central CA and mostly hunt the refuges. I’ve had good success with a small spread of cheap decoys, minimal calling, and a good hide. Most importantly being on the X and let ‘em work!


Since you mentioned green…72CA2D67-9F7A-4C23-A0CD-AD034304C37E.jpeg
 
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
360
Tons of guys on Rokslide killing more big critters than CWD. Where are all the guys who’s true passion is shooting ducks or geese?

Where are you located? What species do you spend the most time targeting? Hunting private or are you a refuge rat? Ag land or natural?

Since this is a gear site, Gun and ammo of choice? Decoy brand and type? What call company are you repping?

Let’s start a waterfowl thread.
Mainly a goose hunter now,but grew up duck hunting with my dad. I still love a good duck hunt we I get time to go. Love elk and deer also. There's something about calling geese that drives me to it.
 

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CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
6,563
Did a lot of waterfowl hunting when I was in college but gave it up after my stuff got stolen. Just starting to buy stuff again.

Ducks and geese for me. Doesn’t matter, I enjoy them both. We get a lot of mallards, pintails and gadwalls in Northern Utah. Can’t say I target one type more than the other.

Shooting a Nova and generally Kent’s Fast Steel.

Thought I had a boat bought but the kid backed out so right now, I just get to go when someone invites me.
 
OP
Banded_spooney
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Messages
753
Location
NorCal
Guess that means it’s my turn.
Sac valley of California ducks in flooded rice and geese in dry rice. Rarely I’ll hunt the river or hunt geese on green grass. Haven’t played the refuge game since high school.

I’m slowly converting into Mule deer being my favorite thing to hunt and maybe one day I’ll truly switch but Specks and widgeon work a call so well that I can’t shake them.

I have about every kind of decoy known to man outside DSDs (can’t afford them) and I have some I don’t like but none that I swear by. The only exception is G&h super magnum sprig are close to perfection, if perfect exists.

For geese I’m slowly converting to dive bombs and big als but I still like to put full bodies (usually ffd GHG) in the kill hole.

SB2 and an M2 shooting Kent 3” 2 shot at ducks. Blue box federal 3” bb at snow geese (cheap) and 3.5” hevi shot bb at honkers and specks.

All Duck calls and my finishing speck calls are JJ Lars. My longer ranch speck call is a TG super speck.
 
Joined
Jul 28, 2014
Messages
3,615
From Modesto , Only been doing it a few years and started because my daughter took an interested. Only hunt the public grassland refuge’s around Las Banos. We get a mixed bag here.

Avian X decoys

Cheap ass shotgun (Pointer) , a Mt bike and a backpack
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KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,534
Location
South Dakota
South Dakota ducks and geese mainly dry land private ground now but grew up on the public waters. Either way as long as my dog is working im happy. Wingmaster for 32 years and got a franchi affinity 3 last year and love it. Im a divebomb guy after all the success last year they have me convinced. Planning a flooded timber hunt in Arkansas for my kids senior present next year. Had a stretch where i didnt go that much but the new dog has the flame burning bright like it did in my 20's and big game is now if the birds are not flying. We have went after the mallards in the afternoon many times when seeing them while deer hunting in the morning. Goose calls are the drc life sentence and just got a molt gear triumph my kid has a pacific calls 509. Waterfowl is my favorite game meat also
 

kpk

WKR
Joined
Sep 25, 2014
Messages
700
Location
MN
I live in the land of the giant canadas and really enjoy hunting them when we can. Use a Browning Maxus with Black Cloud and am using Tim Grounds, Big Sean, or Molt Gear calls.
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,534
Location
South Dakota
We get a nice variety here only ducks i have not shot are cinnamon teal, sea ducks and a black duck. big geese, little geese, snows, specks, cranes all come through, some days all in the same field. Never shot one of the true cacklers that they have in the NW either
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
910
I was a waterfowl addict for a solid 15 years hunting nothing but dry ground private. Routinely we'd chase springs snows in late February early march from Missouri and follow them into CANADA. Would do the early season Canada goose hunts with liberal limits wherever it was legal. Would then transition to duck hunting across the upper Midwest until freeze up. Also did some sand hill crane field hunting when that become legal
-we ran 500 full body GHG snow decoys with another 100 dozen white rock socks.
-we ran 10 dozen GHG Canada's and then transitioned to 10 dozen GHG FFD's (half full size- half lessers) when they came out.
-8 dozen GHG full body duck decoys
-Used a late 50's or early 60's model Belgium made browning A5 with the 30" full choked barrel until 04 when the SBE2 came out and used that ever since. Had a custom drake killer choke made for the SB2 which was 100x better than any generic store bought one out there. Also had the nordic components 11 shot extension tube for the SB2 for spring snows.
-Federal Premium Red box 3 1/2" one shot on Canadas
-Federal Premium Red box 3" one or 2 shot on ducks
- Tried the Federal blue box for spring snows but they were dirty and hated the blowback you get in your face so switched back to the federal red box 3" ones or BB.
-Have tried about every acrylic call out there but the lanyard is mostly all Tim Grounds. To be exact right now it has the Tim Grounds Triple Crown in burnt maple, Tim grounds Triple Thang, DRC inmate or life sentence, C&S custom calls apostle. Tim grounds duck call but i can't remember the name and a whislte.

Haven't waterfowl hunted more than 4-5 times in the last 8 years so i sold the enlosed trailer and all the decoys. Only thing i kept was my calls, one good layout blind, about 8 cases of steel shot and my shotguns of course.
 

dukxdog

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
190
Waterfowl hunting was my first love.
I have a Gator Trax for the river and marshes. I hunt over hand carved cedar decoys that I had a guy in New Jersey make me.
I love to field hunt when find birds using one.
I go to Canada early before the season opens here.
Can't get enough duck hunting in.



 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,534
Location
South Dakota
i always have said i get a fully plumed out holy wood (spoony) im mounting it. We never get them this far north
 

BravoNovember

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 26, 2021
Messages
220
Location
Wisconsin
Slowly losing interest in Waterfowl here in SE Wisconsin, its gained a lot of popularity and hunting pressure is insane, and private land is becoming really hard to get permission.

That said, I still do it because I love the dog work. UBMI5214.JPGIMG_1939.JPG
 
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