Hunting coastal estuaries help

[PsoasHunter]

I'll be clam digging in two weeks and am trying to work some duck hunting into the trip.  I have a 1 year old chocolate lab who has performed well so far this season, but I'm hoping to get her on more birds.  What a great excuse to hunt more days!

I've only been hunting waterfowl for 2 years and my experience so far is primarily in a flooded hay field in western Washington on private land, so this will be a new challenge, any advice is appreciated. 

I'm looking at the John's River Wildlife refuge, anyone here hunted it before.  I can't find any info on public blinds, so I'm hoping it's not a mad house on a weekend during hunting season. I don't have a boat, so I'm planning on hiking some trails to get the lay of the land, then finding somewhere to set out decoys and making a make-shift blind.

From my research so far, the biggest concern is paying attention to tides so-as to not get caught somewhere you can't walk out of.  Anyone have any experience with this that can offer advice on what to look out for when scouting an area?

Any advice on whether incoming or outgoing tide is better or makes a difference? 

Thanks in advance for any advice y'all can offer!

[Alan K]

Generally speaking I prefer the incoming through high, particularly if its a flooding tide. The late part season on the coast slows down in my experience. Seems like once the big wind storms hit many of the birds either head inland or south.

Careful out there if you hike a ways out. Certainly hike back to the timber before it floods. There are a lot of deep little finger sloughs that can be tough to see when looking through even a thin layer of water.

Good luck!

[ian_padron]

Great advice above.

I hunt tidal marshes/estuaries almost exclusively and would reiterate the need to know the tidal cuts. What might be inches of water can be over your head in no time and they are damn near invisible. Great way to ruin a hunt (don't ask how I know haha)

I've also had the best luck with a rising tide.

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[EagleEye]

Not exactly a response to your question but just an idea for hunting tidal areas.  After taking a bad step on an early trip I started carrying a metal rod.  Basically, I use it as to test each step when walking through any water because, as others have said, it can look like an inch but actually be a deep hole.  Additionally, if I were to fall into a hole my plan would be to use it to pull myself out - the same way some mountain climbers strap ladders to themselves to prevent them from falling into crevasses. Just an idea to consider to make it a little safer in a new tidal area.  Hope you get some birds out there!

[7mmCoug]

Scouting is key.  It is helpful to have some low water and high water options.  Like the others on this thread have stated incoming seems to be best and later in the season is usually tougher hunting.  I have had some great hunts during low and late though so don’t let that totally deter you.  Estuary hunting can be....sketchy sometimes.  Life jackets are your friend.  Use your decoy bag to help you as you move through the water. 

[PsoasHunter]

Thank you all for the advice, it is very appreciated.  I hear you all on the sketchiness related to depth changes, it's a concern of mine for sure.  Another question if you don't mind on decoy placement:

I've heard decoys set up on a side channel to the main inlet can draw birds, any truth in your guys' experience to this?  Any features to look for here specifically?  It seems like a wider basin to the side channel for more of a landing zone would be a good idea, but I'll also only be carrying about a dozen decoys, so maybe smaller and tighter is better?  Thanks for any input at all, it's much appreciated!

[AWS]

Getting to know the area is a great help.  Finding some low spots that flood first and setting up in the grass and waiting for it to flood works pretty well, lots of logs to use for cover no blind really needed I take a little folding stool to sit on, the dog can lay on the log when it is flooded.  Be careful I've spent more than one tide change sitting on a log because it was a higher tide than listed and be very careful doing that as in a really high tide the log can easily roll.

 A little trick I use a 100 foot(sinking) cord with a weight on the end and 2' drop lines on the decoys with a long line clip (so the dog can swim over them).  Stretch the line out and clip the decoys to it, when your ready to leave you don't have to wade out to retrieve your decoys just pull the line in and unclip them, it is as nice if your dog gets hung up in a decoy cord..  I wrap my mainline in a extension cord reel and have a backpack with my gun, lunch, shell, cord reel and decoys and carry a long walking stick to test the waters.  Small but deep cut can be hidden by floating grass.  With this set up you can actually set up at low tide and just drag the rig in as the water comes in, no wading and adjusting decoys.  Sometimes I set up way out on the flats(hard bottom required) at low tide and just sit on my stool hunched over, the dog lays next to me  there are so many logs and stumps out there that  you pretty much blend in unless you move.  As the tide comes in just keep moving ahead of it, the ducks like to work where the water meets the edge. 

To keep my rig manageable I use a half dozen or so water keel Teal decoys and two large water keel duck decoys.

Even when I use my boat a lot of times I just use it to access areas I can't walk to and hunt it the same way as walk in areas.

Be careful, the water is cold and it is a long way to try and get back if you go in the drink.  But it can be rewarding

It can be fun though

   https://imageshack.com/a/img924/4554/vLhYWI.jpg

[RJW]

So your dekes are in a row like most diver setups? This isn't a problem?

[AWS]

It hasn't been for me, a lot of times you will see them swimming in from deeper water to the shore line.  You can leave a loop in the and the tide or wind will form a U .  You can also just throw a couple weighted deke right in close to you to give a look of a small bunch  near the shore.  If you hunt with a partner two lines look even better, too much to carry and handle alone.

This works in a river also, throw the weight out as far as you can and attach the decoys.  Leave slack and the current will swing it out into the water that is too deep to wade in.

[7mmCoug]

I’ll look for a wide spot or a hole back in the grass.  I use anywhere from half a dozen to two dozen dekes depending on how much open water I’m hunting.  I try to keep them spread out, Ducks that are bunched up tight are nervous ducks.  Keep an eye on the wind when your setting up and think about how the ducks will come into the spread.  You may have to adjust a bit after a group or two come in