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I need some help!

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  goosebuster11 
#1 ·
I just found this site a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed reading the posts and seeing pictures of how everyone has been doing! This is my first post so hopefully I do this right. I have been hunting ducks and geese for 5 years now, and this has been my best year yet! (11 geese and 3 ducks). Traditionally I have been a goose hunter, and pass shoot or jump ducks while goose hunting, but this year I shot my first duck over decoys, which I really enjoyed. Because I am relatively new at setting up on ducks, I had a question for you guys. I found a very secluded spot the other day and there were a bunch of ducks in it! It was midday, and rather than jump them, I decided to leave them and do a little scouting. The next day I went back about a half hour before dark, and sat just watching to see if the ducks were there, and if they were roosting there as well as feeding. Turns out they were there and they stayed put for the night. Now I know if its a roosting spot you set up in the afternoon, and if its a feeding spot you set up in the morning, but how should I go about hunting this spot since they seem to stay all day? Any advice would be appreciated!!
 
#2 ·
A lot of people would say don't shoot the roost pond, because once you do a few times they will pick up and leave. This case may be different if they have food there too.

If you want to hunt it, it seems like there is only one real option. I have never done it, but have seen it mentioned before: Jump them out first thing, set up and hope they come back to the spot in small groups and hope they come back early and don't go to a feeding spot or another rest/roost pond.

I am surprised they stay all day. I can't think of any spot where I see them do that. Maybe they left first light and came back to rest later on and had "nothing better to do" until it was time for them to roost? :huh:
 
#4 ·
Scout it one more time and see if they are there in the morning.

If they are not then see what is around in the area. Could be a roost pond and if you set-up on another nearby swamp in the AM you could be on the X.

Good luck andf Welcome to the forum

HH
 
#5 ·
If you want to hunt it, it seems like there is only one real option. I have never done it, but have seen it mentioned before: Jump them out first thing, set up and hope they come back to the spot in small groups and hope they come back early and don't go to a feeding spot or another rest/roost pond.
Before I moved to NH I had the mother of all roosts in MI. Absolutely loaded with mallards. We would do exactly as Justin described and it worked perfectly. We'd push the ducks up at shooting time, set up, and they would then come back in smaller groups that we would pick off.

On good days we were done in 20 minutes, having never educated the bulk of the birds. We only hunted it on weekends and let it rest all week, which kept the birds there and not too weary. Obviously no one else hunted it.

GOD I miss that place....
 
#6 ·
Thank you guys so much!! You guys had some great advice. I scouted once more in the morning and they were still there, so Saturday morning, my buddy and I went in at legal shooting time and jumped all the ducks out. We quickly set up, and it took until about 8:00 but after that they all cam back in in small groups!

We ended up with these 6 mallards (2 hens, 2 drakes, and 2 immature drakes), and should have had our 6 more if we knew how to shoot :lol3:

It was the best day I have had duck hunting and hope to try it again in a few weeks if they are in there again.

Thanks again for the advice and good luck guys! :thumbsup:
 

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