With the season on the back stretch, here are some waterfowl tips meant to put a few more birds in the bag.
Bob Frye.Everybody Adventures
No one knows everything. Everyone can learn a little now and again. More knowledge is better than less.
Those things are as true of waterfowling as anything else.
With that in mind, here are a half dozen waterfowl tips to consider as the season hits the home stretch.
They’re courtesy of Field Hudnall, owner of Field Proven Calls and a host of Ducks Unlimited TV.
Tip 1
Feeding ducks and geese – even resting ducks and geese, for that matter – are not entirely stationary. Neither should your waterfowl decoys.
In places – including Pennsylvania now – motorized duck decoys are legal. They often add just enough realism to sell a spread, no doubt.
They are expensive, though.
There is, however, a way to get around that. That’s by making a jerk cord. It’s essentially a decoy rope connected to an anchor by a bungee cord.
The rope – via snap swivels – is also attached to any number of decoys. Pull on the rope and the decoys move, bob and splash in the water without coming toward you. That motion can really bring in the ducks.
Full details on how to make one can be found courtesy of Ducks Unlimited.
Tip 2
What’s the value of a big spread of waterfowl decoys over a small one?
Mass. Migrating waterfowl seek safety in numbers, so a big spread looks more inviting to birds overhead.
With geese especially, whenever there are lots of birds on the water, they’re generally resting rather than feeding.
A big spread of decoys looks more like a comfortable, safe and attractive roost than does a small one.
Consider the weather, though. The windier it is, the better it is to spread those decoys out over a larger area.
That will help draw in live birds from further distances.
Tip 3
If you’re hunting ducks, throw a few goose decoys in your setup.
For whatever reason, ducks seem to be comforted by the presence of a few Canadas
Just don’t try things the other way around. Geese don’t necessarily appreciate having ducks around, so if it’s Canadas you’re specifically after, leave the duck decoys at home
Tip 4
When making a goose decoy spread in fields, think food.
Birds overhead will be looking to eat. Your densest concentration of decoys, then, will indicate to them where the most feeding is going on.
Make a tight, black knot of feeder decoys. Then, be sure to give the birds overhead a specific spot to land close to it, within gun range of your blind. That will be your “kill hole.”
Tip 5
If you’re hunting ducks or geese and a few land in your decoy set before you get a chance to shoot, let them be.
The same calling that might have seduced them while they were in the air won’t fool them on the ground or on the water, so rather than spook them, let them work for you. Their calling and motion will draw in more birds.
Tip 6
When setting up a decoy spread, consider what other hunters are doing.
Sometimes, hunters – individually and a group, especially in one locale — fall into routines. They set spreads that all look all the same.
Spend some time checking out the competition and make your set-up a bit different.
If you spend time looking at ducks and geese on days you can’t hunt, that helps, too. Arrange your decoys to mirror how they’re acting.
