Duck Hunting Forum banner

this season?

1K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Powerstroke 
#1 ·
this is my first full duck season and i have always heard that it is turning on by now...now i know its HUNTING not KILLING but im getting discouraged :umm: ...i shoot GREY LOGDE mostly and have had bad bad luck so far...are the other refuges and clubs/rice fields shooting better? or has it just not "turned on" yet?
 
#2 ·
Grey lodge is a great refuge. Hang in there. You may also want to try Sacramento NWR south of Willows (off I-5)

Have you tried hunting in the afternoon, especially if there is fog or wind. Some of my best hunts have been right when a major fog breaks up. the birds go nuts at times. going in the afternoon allows you to "scout" from the parking lot. be sure to bring binoculars and look for bird movement. Also, the check in staff aren't so stressed (and awake) in the afternoon so they will be a lot of help. Be sure to use decoys and back off on the call unless you are pretty good. try a pintail whistle (like wingsetter) because it is easier to use.

Good luck, it will happen. the best of the season is from now till the end.
 
#3 ·
don't get discouraged sport! this is why its called hunting and not shooting.

lot of reasons but the season is still young. the best is from x-mas till close so it really ain't started yet for anybody. i have shot a couple of limits this year but i have also spent several less than spectacular days and well as a couple of "i ain't seen a frickin duck" days.

those are the ones that really get me disgruntled! :laughing:

try some different places(lot of fuges in that area) and mark up some of those days to scounting. duckhunting is not like other types of hunting. it is a "learned sport" and requires some time and a load of luck.

you should always consider it a very successful day if you see ducks even if they are way out of range. when you actually get to shoot at one you are just about to graduate and then you still have 4-5 years of duck college in front of you before you can even start on that Ph.D.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
 
#4 ·
Terry is absolutely correct. This is my 4th season at it, and I'm just now finally starting to shoot some birds. I've been out 6 times this season, and have gotten 8 birds. Thats more than I've gotten in all the previous years that I've hunted. I guess this is the year that I crossed that threshold. Hang in there, and keep loving the sport. Because a lot of the time the sport is all you have, and no birds. Keep asking these guys questions. I've learned a lot alone from the brief time I've been coming to this forum.

:salude:

Matt.
 
#5 ·
I also hunt Gray Lodge a lot and can tell you I had not seen a SINGLE duck on the East Side until Sunday, when I flushed a lone mallard and what I think were a pair of woodies (could have been pintail, there was a %^*@ tree between me gun and them. :pissed: )

There are lots and lots of coots (which, properly prepared, can be an OK consolation prize) around, but the parking lots have been full of pheasant hunters not duck hunters lately.

I am planning on exploring the West Side starting this weekend. I will let you know if I find any decent spots.

Have you seen all those snows and specks flying overhead though? Oh My Gawd!!! Now all we need is fog to get em flying low...
 
#8 ·
Powerstroke,

you should feel very luck you just got a LOT of good info given
to you. heed russell's advise "be adaptable"
dont be afraid to throw a change up :thumbsup:
#1 hang in there it will happen if you persist.
every day we spend in the field just makes use that much better the next day. Some days I move 2 or 3 times if i'm at a blind were I cant move me; I adjust decoys, call style, try and find out what they dont like
and fix it. dont br afrad to get rid of robo, use less decoys or dont call.
I great when you FIX it your self and get it to work.
Its only going to get better starting now.

Dan
 
#9 ·
Yeah like they said hang in there
When I was a kid it was nothing to shoot 4 boxes of shells a day,ducks everywhere you go.Those days are hard to come by now.
You have to do some homework, there`s ducks around but finding a good uncrowded place is tough.Use the dead days to explore the refuges drive around the hunt areas and look for birds with binos.Look for places the ducks want to be then wade out there and see where they`re going if it`s freeroam so you can be familiar with how to get there in the dark, if it`s a blind area use the map to figure out which one it is.One of the things I do on the refuges is listen for where the most shooting is going on and figure out which blind it is for next time, you need to see if the guys are just shooting at whatever is passing by or if they are actually working birds so I`ve come out and driven around and watched them with binos to be sure it`s worth marking down.
Anyways there`s so much to it we couldn`t possibly share everything we`ve learned but the best advice I can give has already been said, be adaptable, have several options, get a map and explore you never know what you`ll find
Don`t overlook this place (internet) the last time I went north I allowed extra time to check out a lake on the BLM website that included migratory waterfowl in the description of wildlife that can be found there.It was way off the beaten path and was worth looking into even though it was dry.In a wet year it may payoff you never know.
I still find new spots every year :yes:
 
#10 ·
I just saw you`re post on the 9 robos
They work on migrators great but resident birds........?
Some days the birds come to them like a cat to a ball of yarn and some days robos are a dead giveaway to the ducks
I used to do the 3 dozen deke thing with the robos and winduks and whatever everyone else brought with them, sometimes 4-6 dozen, huge spreads work somedays don`t get me wrong

My bag has 12 dekes in it now usually 6 mallards, a drake wigeon, a drake greenwing, and 4 coots, when my brother goes we throw out his 6 wigeon and another half dozen mallards, 4-6 pins help too but we don`t usually take them,

When you`re where the ducks want to be less is better, I`ve found small groups around the edges work much better than large spreads out in the open. Watch real birds sometime yeah they`ll raft up out in open water but in the smaller holes they rest and feed around the edges, clustered up out in the open signals danger
I don`t know, we could debate decoy spreads and calling or lack of (feeding chuckle and wigeon whistle is about all I ever do) all day this is just my personal experience

stick with it and good luck there`s nothing like it when they`re locked up and landing on your head, a couple of hunts like that and you`ll understand why we`re addicted
 
#11 ·
WOW thanks for all the advice guys...i know there is alot of knowledge and personal preferance to hunting...i am putting in my time and i enjoy the time in the field/swamp just as much. my discouragement comes because i havent had a flock of ducks work my dekes yet this year...they all just "B" line it straight over...anyways thanks for all the insite. and ill see ya all out there... :thumbsup:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top