Whatcom Waterfowl Help For Newbie

[cameronwe]

Hi There, hoping to get some help. A guy at work has some land out off Axton  Rd (For those of you in the area) with a couple of ponds on it. He is more than willing to let me try and get ducks or geese out there. I have zero experience and am wondering what  the absolute bare minimumn gear, clothing etc. I need to have half a hope of getting something. If I could use the gear for multiple purposes that would be better (thinking primarily clothing).

Current gear I have;
Shotgun-Benelli nova pump
Ammo
Fishing waders-non cammo

Do I need a bunch of decoys, blind etc. I really don't want to drop a ton of money and then discover I A. don't like it or B. His place sucks:)

Any help would be appreciated.
Cameron

[Stein]

Buy a dozen Flambos from Amazon for $35 and try it out.  Hide as good as you can.

Before that you could always scout right at shooting light and try to jump shoot them.


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[Oldguy]

Private message sent

[spadebit]

You have private access which is a big advantage.
I hunted a lot with fishing waders...just get a decent camo jacket even if it is used.
Id say if you arent calling... a jerk is your best bet. 
Buy a cheap call eventually.  Good luck and prepare for a new addiction. 

[CP]

You have everything that you need to start.  Gun, ammo, private land  .   As long as your waders aren't bright pink or something similar they should help.   Just take your Benelli and ammo out there one morning, find a comfortable spot and just watch and listen for awhile.  If you see or hear birds it's a good spot.  Find out where they like to be and what their flight pattern is.  Then you can hide yourself near where they like to sit or somewhere along their flight path. 

After you get all cold and wet and muddy and shoot a bird or two you'll know if water fowling is for you or not.

 

[Buckewe]

The gear you have is exactly what I started with. Learn to hide extremely well and where the ducks want to be. I live in whatcom county and would be willing to help you out. It bibs a pretty steep learning curve trying to do it yourself. I have some decoys I could sell you if you are interested.

[EWUeagles]

I would invite someone who knows how to hunt along. They'll have all the gear you need and the know how. Once you have seen how it is done a couple times you'll have an idea of what you really need or if you even like it.

[Stein]

If you take a look at the ponds just before daylight and then again at noon, you will know if you have a great spot or an OK spot.  If the birds are on any of the ponds at either time, just arrive before they do, throw two decoys in there and set up and you will get a chance at them.  Likewise, if there is a good way to approach them without being seen, you can always just jump shoot them and forget about all the decoy/calling nonsense.

If not, you are probably in a decent area for either pass shooting or using more decoys and calling to convince them to come check out your pond.

It's hard to be more specific than that without more details, but first step is to see if the birds are currently using any of the ponds and then go from there.

[T-Bone]

I would encourage you to attend a meeting of the Whatcom Chapter of the WA Waterfowl Association (See the attached link). Also, do some internet scouting via the WDFW website. You are in a good area for waterfowl hunting at Lake Terrell and Skagit Bay.

http://www.wwa.shuttlepod.org/wwa_chapters

[Special T]

The wdfw has a bunch of good articles on duck hunting. the waterfowl minimalist is one of them.  Half dozen decoys is plenty for you to get started. A black 5 gallon bucket with a padded lid and your set!

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[cameronwe]

Thank you all for the replies. I appreciate it so well as the offers for help. I'll definitely be contacting some of you for more info.