Free: Contests & Raffles.
Criticize? Ok. Scrap that whole battle plan and quit overthinking this. You're not where ducks want to be. Find that spot. Kill ducks
If I were you I would get up and walk out in the middle of my decoys like I'm picking up.Works every time.
Birds like to land into the wind. The wind should be at your back. If your blind was was facing east with an east wind than it would have been in your face. I always try to avoid that.
Great topic. I would suggest getting help in person. The WWA has a mentor program that pairs new hunters with experienced waterfowlers for a minimum 2 hunt commitment. Its a steep learning curve and experienced hunters will help bring up your success with new skills.
Being on the X is obviously the best way to get them, but unrealistic for public hunting at times. Besides what others mentioned, get some different species in your decoys, gadwall, wigeon, coots, or other divers. It gives confidence to them and not many hunters run more than species or two of decoys. Standing out can often be best, especially late season.
Depends on what part of the state you are in. Getting on the X in Skagit county on public land is a whole different can of beans than in more rural parts of the state.
True, but it's not realistic or even possible to scout the entire state every week. For the majority of waterfowl hunting, I would guess people shoot pretty close to their house with maybe one or two trips somewhere else if they are lucky.It's kind of like saying the guy in Dayton could easily go crabbing a couple times a week.In my mind, that's the very cool thing about waterfowl, most people can hunt pretty local.
—just a fishing boat that isn’t a great platform for a blind.
The quality hunt places are most definitely not the way to go. There are a few that are indeed good at times, but beings that there are 100's, that's not saying much. To find the good ones, you have to scout, and that's not aloud. Your best bet is to hit lakes up north with your canoe, or hit the bays up north with the jon boat.Get out as much as you can! Learn something every time you go out, even if it's that that particular spot is a no go. Did you do any scouting at spots you are aloud to hunt at?
I would try focusing on a specific area and trying that to either develop a place or then move on. Scouting two counties in a morning isn't very effective as most of the inland places (quality sites) are good hunting for an hour or so after legal light. Big water places can have birds moving longer during the day.
Quote from: Stein on December 21, 2021, 09:55:08 AMI would try focusing on a specific area and trying that to either develop a place or then move on. Scouting two counties in a morning isn't very effective as most of the inland places (quality sites) are good hunting for an hour or so after legal light. Big water places can have birds moving longer during the day. ^^^ ThisOP have you made a jerk string yet? A jerk string is very important and critical with a small spread. Jerk on it a bunch when the ducks aren't looking or far away, but stop jerking when they are close and looking. As if you were 15 and your mom....nevermind I think you get the point...On calm days I would rather hunt over 6 decoys on 2 jerk strings (3 on each), than I would over 5 dozen motionless decoys. Ducks see the movement of the dekes and the ripples on the water from the sky way better than calm water stagnant decoys. Or at least they are drawn to it better.