First time hunting ducks

[John B]

Hey all, I'm planning on giving duck hunting a try on Sunday. I've never gone, I hunt upland. My dog loves to retrieve and loves the water, but he's never been on waterfowl. A work buddy let me borrow his dekes for the season, however I'm not sure how to set up or anything like that. I have a duck call, but don't really know how long to blow through it or how often. If anybody with some experience wants to come out, hopefully within an hour or two of Bothell, let me know. I'm planning on setting up at one of the pheasant release sites near me. Any advise is welcome, I've done some research, but still feel a little lost. Also, I have a 10' jon boat if that helps

[constructeur]

Hi John. Mostly importantly is to mind the flood warning this weekend and respect the water and where you are.

Calling-Less is more until you know what you're doing and when to apply what. Youtube for direction if you need. I'm a big fan of the single quack here or there for beginners.

Dekes- for starters I'd reference Ducks Unlimited articles. Just make sure you can retrieve whatever you toss out.

For tomorrow keep expectations low, and just have fun with the dog.

[lokidog]

Calling, single quacks often work great.  J-hook, one short end, leave the open part where you want the birds to land.  Do a Google image search for j-hook decoy set.  There are lots of good pictures there.  I used to do this with 13 or 14 decoys and did well.

Have fun!

[vandeman17]

Calling, single quacks often work great.  J-hook, one short end, leave the open part where you want the birds to land.  Do a Google image search for j-hook decoy set.  There are lots of good pictures there.  I used to do this with 13 or 14 decoys and did well.

Have fun!

  I think, especially this time of year, less calling is better. This is even more true for a rookie caller. If you can do a solid single quack, stick with that and watch how they react. Trial and error works best 

[John B]

Thanks for the tips. Didn't make it out, the dog tore a pad playing fetch Sat evening so he'll be taking it easy for a week or so.

[lokidog]

Bummer about the dog, hope he recovers quickly.  This just gives you more time to work on calling, bird ID, shooting (hope you've had a chance to shoot some steel at clays since it flies a bit different from lead), and reg reading....     It'll come together, and when it does, it's a blast.