Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: Kiltit on October 31, 2013, 07:00:22 AM
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First year hunting in WA. In Mississippi, if you wake up to the pitter patter of rain, you just go back to bed. NEVER saw ducks on rainy days.
So, totally get that it's going to be rainy in WA from now until April. I keep hearing stories of people praying for terrible weather.
So here's my question: This Saturday it's 100% chance of rain and windy. Is the duck hunting great on days like that or when it's only 40-60% chance of rain? I'm going no matter what, just trying to gauge the severity of "bad weather" and how it applies to WA waterfowl hunting.
Thanks.
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Bad weather in Washington is also known as ducky weather...keeps them moving and flying low.
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Wind and some rain is good. You want the wind in NW to push the birds around. A good strong wind blows the rafts off the big water and they start heading inland for quieter areas. It definitely can't hurt.
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My worst days are definitely blue-skyed days.....meaning I never have a "worst day" here :chuckle: Just kidding, but I wasn't kidding about the first part.
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Wind has more to do with good hunting than rain. My best day in the Moses lake area was 40-50 MPH wind and the mallards didn't circle even once, no calling required. Like someone posted they leave the big water, and head for the Moses lake sand dunes or spillways.
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I hunt the eastside and hate to hunt in the rain, generally seems to shut them down and they usually don't fly unless they have too. The wind is another story, it makes it way easier when there is a 15-20 mph breeze. Never really hunted them in the wind and rain, that's pretty rare on this side of the mountains.
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They will seek shelter from the wind. We need rain to fill the sheet water spots in the fields where I hunt. Snow is a blast to hunt in.
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Anything is better then fog...
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ha ha Fog is my favorite!!! if you are on the X that is... if not on the X or if you are new and Don't know how to call (like one of my friends...) then its not so good... but if you are where they want to be and its foggy it doesn't take long and they don't get spooked at all ... just let them know where you are and they come rolling in...might not even have time to reload... that's just my personal experience. also I feel like subsequent flocks aren't as spooked by your shooting when its foggy ....
this is kinda funny...to each their own I guess :tup:
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Weather report looks good for tomorrow. :tup:
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i primarily hunt big water(nisqually/grays harbor) so i like wind to keep the birds moving. rain usually screws up my hunting because it floods the fields and the ducks all end up on private land instead of where i'm hunting.
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I would say wind is more of the key component thsn anything else! :twocents: :tup:
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The worse the weather the better the hunting.
Wind and rain drives the ducks off big water and bays and keeps them low and moving looking for places to wait the storm out
My ideal weather for duck and goose hunting is 30+mph winds, nasty grey skies, and sideways rain
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They are called waterfowl for a reason! Get out and hunt, seems to be pretty good as long as its not foggy.
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ha ha Fog is my favorite!!! if you are on the X that is... if not on the X or if you are new and Don't know how to call (like one of my friends...) then its not so good... but if you are where they want to be and its foggy it doesn't take long and they don't get spooked at all ... just let them know where you are and they come rolling in...might not even have time to reload... that's just my personal experience. also I feel like subsequent flocks aren't as spooked by your shooting when its foggy ....
this is kinda funny...to each their own I guess :tup:
This is my experience as well where we hunt. They know where they want to be and when its foggy, they have to commit to the spot to check it out. Turns into a shooting gallery. Fastest limits and craziest shooting I've ever had were on foggy mornings.
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I've experienced great hunting on "blue bird" days, rainy, foggy, and snowy days too. I've also been stumped on all these days too. I hunt when I can regardless of weather. The key is to scout and be where the birds are. By the way I hate the term "blue bird" I don't know why I used it...
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If your on the spot on a foggy day where the birds were the prior day, they bomb right in no questions asked. Like a turkey shoot. If you set up in the fog where the birds have not been, you may not even fire a shot as they won't see your set. Their GPS units in their heads are pretty exact. :chuckle: