Hunting Tips

Concealment

Ducks have great eyesight and are good at detecting movement, so make sure you and your boat/blind are fully camouflaged and you sit still when waterfowl are approaching.

Decoys

Hunt with the wind at your back. Decoying/landing birds most often land into the wind.

The most effective way to use decoys is to mimic what you are seeing the birds doing. If teal are sitting in small groups scattered throughout a wetland, use a small amount of decoys in the same fashion. If you are seeing ring-necked ducks landing in larger groups of coots, use a larger spread of coot decoys to attract them.

Taking the Shot

The effective range of most shotguns is 40 yards. Shooting beyond that distance is unethical and often leads to wounding birds that you don’t recover.

Identify and select a single bird as a target before shooting. Shooting into a flock often results in a miss or wounded birds.

Most hunters aim at the tip of the bill of flying waterfowl for the most ethical shot placement. It is important to follow through with your shot and continue to swing the shotgun after pulling the trigger. Visit a shooting range to become more familiar with your shotgun and practice your wingshooting. Skeet and sporting clays provide moving targets at multiple angles, which can be helpful to duck hunters.

Make sure you only shoot at waterfowl species you have positively identified, know are legal to take and are within your bag and possession limits.

Dogs

Dogs, especially retrievers, labs and spaniels, can help find and retrieve downed waterfowl, especially if the water is too deep for wading. Use caution during the early September season and on warm days because alligators may be active.