[duktatr]

I've been popping woodies and mallards in the north zone for 15 years and I'm looking to give the coastal and south zones a shot, maybe see some species I don't normally get a chance at. I have a friend with a place down near Cape May. We're looking to do some scouting this off season. Any suggestions with a boat ramp that far down? You don't have to give me the GPS coordinates of your honey hole (though you're welcome to), just a general idea would be great.

thanks!

 

[ithaca10]

There's a website for NJ that publish's all the public ramps. But unfortunately i don't know what it is.

 

[olclamman]

TRY THIS NJ BOATRAMPS.ORG A VERY GOOD BOOKLET WITH MANY RAMP SITES AND ITS FREE
OC

SEE YA DOWN THE BAY

 

[crewchief252]

There's a website for NJ that publish's all the public ramps. But unfortunately i don't know what it is.

http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/boat_ramp_guide.pdf

 

[LHFOWLER]

go to keyport ramp. have boadbill decoys just keep goiung to the rite past union beach. throw them out and wait. shoot all kinds of stuff.available all the time let men know i will go ..love and like to meet new people.have all decoys in the world just reply ..friend of mine will go have access to boat marina it is to easy ... just reply

 

[duktatr]

Thanks for the replies. I'l be checking out Dennis Creek, Macnamara, and some other nearby WMA's. If anyone knows where I can find a spot to walk in the Cape May Coastal Wetlands WMA for a Saturday afternoon hunt somewhere near Avalon or points south, just let me know. Duck crusher, I sent you a PM.

 

[jerseydutch]

Macnamara is a few minutes from me....aside from the 4,000 people that pheasant hunt the fields there, there is prob just as many that hunt the impoundments. Ok maybe not that many but there are always people hunting there. I honestly dont think they do much shooting but I could be wrong. I take the boat out in the river there and a few other ramps to get away from people. The mud can be pretty bad in some spots so be careful as well. We jumped some geese in there and broke a kayak paddle trying to pry one out of the mud in the ponds.

I haven't been to dennis creek but been meaning to check it out. All those creeks that ultimately run in the the del bay have quite a bit of mud and empty out pretty good at low tide but the extra work may be worth the effort since that seems to be a pretty productive area.

I dont know avalon well but do know OC. There is some diversity all along those salt marshes, i havent noticed as much diversity as the guys shooting north of us in tuckerton on north but theres some birds out there. There are birds everywhere down here. The nice thing about the marsh is if you dont have time to poke around or are 'exploring/scouting/hunting' a new area you can set up and see birds. But if you want to really get on them it is just like anywhere else, you have to go out and find them.

Good luck this weekend and if your looking to head south next season feel free to gimme a holler.

 

[jerseydutch]

oh and when I say diversity down south in the coastal marshes I mean mainly blacks, brant, canadas, buffies, and vairous other divers. There are other puddlers like mallards,teal and pintail, but for the most part its a one duck day if your going for puddle ducks...buy hey you can tell everyone you shot a limit :lol3:

 

[FFT]

Becareful on Saturday, walking in on a NE wind can be dangerous. The marshes flood at high tide and the water sticks in there until the NW comes around. A hard NW can also be nasty because ALL of the water blows out of the marsh leaving any size boat high and dry. I dont want to discourage you, just please dont get in over your head.

Some other hazards are the muck, it can trap you and your waders, bring a stick. Jump shooting Blackducks can be productive down there. I dont have a specific spot I can call a friend. Will post back if I hear from him.

Edit: duktatr, check your PM

 

[duktatr]

Thanks for all the replies. Here's the scouting report. In the south there were birds everywhere from the fields to the ponds and riverlets. They must have known it was safe. Dennis Creek held a few dozen blacks just off the boat ramp. Macnamara had a pond with near a hundred pintail, as well as some blacks, mallards, mergansers and geese. After crossing the parkway it was an entirely different story. Fewer birds than in the south zone, and most that I could see were close to homes. Brant were all over the place. I ran into a few hunters with similar stories of high numbers of brant and a few ducks.

With a little luck and some more scouting this summer I'll see some of you down there next season.

 

[jerseydutch]

That sounds about right. My brother said the same thing about the bay when he went out the other day before coastal closed...not many birds flying but pleny of brant. He saw quite a few ducks out in the marsh too. Funny how they come out of the woodwork as soon as the season is over. If you scouted the marsh down here in those places a few weeks earlier you would have probably thought there are not any birds and we are all liars when we talk about seeing birds :lol3: The ice did put a damper on the impoundments towards the end of the season though.