Here goes nothing...

[ChefEff]

I'm planning my first DIY duck hunt this weekend. I'll be going solo.  I've got no dog and no boat but but I do have a dozen mallard decoys, waders, camo, a 12 gauge, a duck call, and a float tube should I need to retrieve in deep water.  I scouted a small plot of public land with a couple ponds and small seeps.  Am I missing anything?  Advice?  Pointers?

[Stein]

Have fun.

There's only one way to learn, don't get disappointed if you don't see much.  Conditions are pretty tough right now with the calm warm weather but you never know.

Keep at it, waterfowling is much easier to pick up and hunt productively than big game.  There are tons of places to go and millions of birds and you will figure out how to get at a few pretty quickly if you put in the time and effort.

I may be in Chelan a couple times this winter, I'll hit you with a pm if it happens.

[Duckslayer89]

Build the best blind possible and keep your face hidden or painted and head down, no movement in the blind. Use natural cover as much as possible for local birds get suspicious of a giant clump of vegetation out in the open next to the water.

[WapitiTalk1]

I haven't waterfowl hunted in many, many years but when we didn't have a dog with us, we'd take a fishing pole with a big old heavy lure on it to "cast" and retrieve birds that fell way out in the water.  Just a thought.  Others will surely chime in if this practice is illegal for some reason in WA state. 

[Fungunnin]

Hide really well, don't call too much and don't look directly at the birds. Hunt weekdays if you can. The weekend pressure makes things much tougher.

I'm pretty new to waterfowling too ... only my third season. I have great satisfaction in going out solo. I don't have a dog or a big boat, just me, my kayak and about 2 dozen deeks. The conditions are tough right now but I was able to scrape out a limit on Tuesday. 


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[Ellensburg]

Looks like u got it down.

[mud]

I don't understand you duck hunters.  I go to the park with a bag of bread.  No camo/ammo needed.   

[Badhabit]

Take some tree loppers with you. Saves you a bunch of work from trying to pull/cut limps and branches to make your blind. Please pick up your empties when you're done and scatter your blind. Try to keep the wind to your back. If the ducks are working let them work, nothing like 20 big ol mallards back winging above the decoys. Most important thing of all is to have fun, enjoy it whether or not you get skunked or a limit.

[hdshot]

Would not use a float tube to retrieve birds because get caught in wind, current, or pops then you are in a very bad situation.  I don't have a dog just limit shots to close range.

[ryan2202]

Good Luck!  I'll be doing the same thing!  I think you got the checklist covered!  Make sure to post results, lessons learned...hopefully success stories!

[mburrows]

Dont over call and stay still as their approaching. Pick one out and swing through your shot. Good luck!

[Bill W]

another thing you might need is a pair of hand cutters for vegetation.  I've used those for making a blind.  I believe someone else mentioned the fishing rod and floating bass plug for retrieving ducks. 

[fast60eddie]

Make sure someone knows where you are going and what time you should be home. Don't be like me it's embarrassing when the wife calls the cops cause I'm not home and she is worried 

[HuntnFishnRyan]

Don't forget your ammo. 4-7 shot worked good for me. Duck hunting is a blast but I had to give it up because I don't like the taste of the meat. . Something else you can do is practice using your calls with ducks at your local city park.

[ChefEff]

Thanks for all the help fellas!!!  I'll keep you posted and try to add some pics. 

P.s.  While I've only ever shot one wild duck, I've literally cooked  thousands.  A quick tip:  while some of you will refuse to pluck your birds, I STROnGLY encourage you to cook them with the skin on.  And treat the breast meat different from the leg meat.  Breast should be cooked over dry screaming high heat(grilled or pan roasted) for a short period and served like you would a medium or medium rare steak.  Legs should be cooked at a wet low temp (like stewing or braising) for a long time 2-4 hours.  Give it a try, and it will change the way you look at cooking game for the rest of you lives.