Start Duck Hunting
Have you ever wondered what it's like to go duck hunting, but have no idea where to go or what to do? Have you watched someone else and now you are interested in learning? Well, here's a beginners guide to learn the basics of duck hunting.
Contents
Steps
- Make sure you can handle it. Hunting includes killing animals, and for some people, it's too much to handle. If you don't think you can get a little blood on your hands, you probably shouldn't be duck hunting.
- Find a place to hunt. There are places all over the world to duck hunt, you just need to find them. You can find people all over that have private land where you can pay to hunt exclusively, and that is where some of the best duck hunting is. But, if you don't want to spend a whole lot of money to hunt on private land, there are also a few wildlife areas and public lands that can provide good duck hunting, if you know where to go. Most people hunt around ponds, lakes and rivers, and, the more secluded your area is, the less competition you will have. Don't be afraid to ask some other people you know about where there is the best duck hunting and when the best time to go is. They can also tell you areas that are available but some people might be a little protective of there secret place so do some scouting and try different places throughout the season to see which areas do better than others.
- Get the proper gear. When deer or elk hunting, it's not mandatory to wear camouflage because they are color blind. But, when duck hunting, it is much more important because when the ducks come in to land, they will see anything out of the ordinary, so it is imperative that you have good camouflage and that you stay hidden when the ducks are flying around.
- 4 Wear the correct clothing.
- You will need a hat that's camouflage and one that is waterproof so your head doesn't get wet when it rains.
- You will also need a heavy warm coat that's camo, and waterproof is preferred. The warmer and dryer you are, the less miserable you will be and the more fun you will have.
- Some camo gloves are nice to have, too.
- One thing that is really good to have is a pair of chest waders; most likely you will be hunting by water and some good hunting ponds are only accessible by wading. Waders can also be used to retrieve ducks and setting decoys.
- Get the correct guns. You will only be allowed to use a shotgun, and you need one that is dependable and will still work when it gets dropped in the mud.
- Most people use 12 gauge shotguns but you can also use a 20 gauge (which is smaller) or a 10 gauge (which is bigger.) For hunting, try to find one with at least a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} barrel length; the longer the barrel, the farther you can shoot. Try to get one with a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} or even better a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} chamber. You can use 3 shot or 2 shot shells, but, if you are hunting geese or larger ducks, you can use BB. Make sure you have the right caliber and length to fit your shotgun and that you only use steel shot. However, when you use steel shot, make sure you use a modified choke instead of a full choke; using a full choke with steel shot can mess up your pattern and decrease your chances of hitting ducks. one of the most common shotguns are Remington 870 because they are so reliable and are cheaper but there are also Mossbergs, benellis, and countless others so just ask around and get some opinions.
- Use decoys and calls. Ducks can fly all around you all day, if you don't have any decoys or calls, most of them will stay out of range.
- Try using 6 good looking decoys than 2 dozen bad ones or, in other words, quality over quantity. If you have both, that's even better! Brand new decoys are very expensive but you can find used ones in good condition for a lot less, you just need to look around for some. It's normally a good idea to have at least a dozen but there are times when less is better. there are many different techniques to setting decoys, try doing a U shape with the bottom of the U up wind. When ducks land, they fly into the wind to stop more easily. Be sure to leave enough space in the middle of the U, for other ducks to land. If there is no room for them to land, they will either fly away or land out of range.
- Use calls. Calling is an art that takes practice, practice, and practice, and is important to get the ducks attention and to get them to come closer. if used correctly calling can be a very effective way to get ducks but there are to many hunters that can't call and/or don't know when to call. duck calls range from $5 to $100 but just because a call is more expensive does not mean it works better. if you suck at calling it doesn't matter how much money you spend, you will still suck, you just need to watch videos on how to duck call and ask for tips but most importantly practice makes perfect.
- Consider getting a boat. Boats and can be useful for many different things. They can take you to places that you can't normally get to or you can hunt out of them. If you decide to use them to hunt out of you will have to camouflage it pretty well and you will need to make sure that you and anybody else you're hunting with are well hidden. When hunting out of a boat, set your decoys all around it, but you need to be careful not to get your engine caught in any of the lines.
- Consider getting a hunting dog. Dogs can be very useful if they are trained properly and are well behaved otherwise they will just run around and scare the ducks away and cause more harm than good. If trained correctly they can find ducks that have hid and you may not have found by yourself and retrieve them quicker too. See How to Train Your Dog to Hunt.
- Know the rules and regulations. Each state has its own laws and it is your responsibility to know when and where you are allowed to hunt waterfowl. Most states have their own fish and wildlife website where you can look up season dates and the legal limits on what types of ducks and geese you can shoot.
- Kill the right ducks. Wait until you see what kind of duck they are before you shoot it. Learn how to identify ducks. It is very important to be able to identify different types of ducks on the fly.
- Look at pictures of the different types of ducks in your area. There are dozens of different species but not all of them will be where you hunt so get used to seeing what different types of ducks look like in the water and in the air.
- A few key ways to tell what type of duck it is is by looking at the size of the body (e.g. mallards are some of the biggest ducks while mergansers are some of the smallest). Also look at the color of the head (mallard drakes have green heads while the hens have brown heads). You can also look at the shape and length of the bills (mallard drakes have yellow bills while widgeons have a smaller and grey bill) and you can look at the color of the wing and the bird's wingspan (mallards have a purple patch on their wings).
- Take care of the ducks you've hunted. After the day is over and you killed a few ducks you have to do something with them.
- Most people do what they call breasting. That is where you cut up the center of the belly and on each side there is one breast for a total of two per bird. You cut out each breast and put them in a bag and freeze it until you're ready to cook it.
- Plucking is where you pull off all of the feathers and gut it out and then you just cook it like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Tips
- Decoys and calls are a very effective strategy so practice your calling and get some decoys.
- Take care of your gear and your gun, clean it regularly to keep it from rusting and dirt build up.
- Find a good place to hunt and talk to local people. Try out different areas to hunt and see what works best for you.
- Have the proper clothes needed to stay hidden and stay warm.
Warnings
- Many duck seasons will have random closed days so it's your responsibility to know when and where you can hunt.
- Always be on the lookout for other hunters so you or someone else doesn't get shot.
