Wood duck! Wood duck! Help!

[Spuddieselwwu]

So I've been duck/goose hunting for about 3 years now... All over the state, Up North (Snohomish, Skagit, Ferndale) down South (Nisqually, Vancouver) and East (Othello, Columbia River, Moses Lake, etc.)  And have never shot one.  

With another season winding down... I am left with another year of no woodys. I will drive anywhere in the state.  Can anyone offer some guidance?

[kbyers]

I've got a spot here around the Tri Cities that had a lot of woodies earlier this year.  I might be doing an afternoon hunt there today and will let you know if they are still there.  I shot a couple of mounter wood ducks earlier this year at Paterson and Cresent Island.  All of these spots are a good ways from you though.

[Spuddieselwwu]

Awesome. Yeah I don't really mind the drive- worth it to me.   Let me know how you do, might head over there this weekend- If not I will definitely make it over there next year.  Thanks for the info!

[Professor Chaos]

spend a couple hours scouting the backwaters in almost any of those areas and you should turn up some woodducks. 

[boneaddict]

Patterson/Satus or Yakima River.  The latter being the hardest to figure out and make work. 

[kbyers]

Bone, you figured out the spot.  I was out there today for an afternoon hunt.  Nothing flying.  There were still a few woodies on the river below horn rapids dam.  Not very many.  November had the highest population count of woodies.

[h2ofowlr]

Find an area with some hardwoods or trees that run up to the water.  You can usually find woodies in those areas.

[teal101]

Look for areas with dense (VERY DENSE) tree cover around the water.  Where I shoot mine is mostly russian olives that are flooded.  I've got about 5 separate spots in a 20 sq mile radius I know i can bag a woodduck up until the first freeze.
 

[Pathfinder101]

OH MY GOD TEAL!!  LOOK OUT!!  THAT ONE'S GOT A GUN!!!!

[teal101]

OH MY GOD TEAL!!  LOOK OUT!!  THAT ONE'S GOT A GUN!!!!

A 10 gauge to boot!!!!



 :rolleyes:Yes I shot the poor guy with a 10 gauge, along with 3 teal, a mallard, and a gaddie.  Only working gun I had access to

[Pathfinder101]

That's funny.  I shot a woodie a couple of years ago out at Wallula juction.  It was the skinniest, dullest looking drake woodie I have ever seen.  I was honestly a little scared to clean/eat it because that was the year that the bird flu was a big deal.  To make matters worse, I pounded him at about 10 yards with 3 1/2" #2s out of my 12 ga (slow day in the blind, I was jump shooting).  There was still meat left on him, but he was in no way mountable...

[teal101]

Thats how this guy was.  3-1/2" 2's at about 15 yards.  Lost the whole left breast.

[Spuddieselwwu]

Thanks for all the info guys!