Al,
I'm no duck expert. I just got into regular duck hunting about 7 seasons ago. We have a ton of black ducks in the spots I hunt, so I've been fortunate to observe them a lot. Here's a few things I've learned.
-They flush at the slightest movement
-They flush at a greater distance than any other waterfowl I've seen (always beyond shooting distance)
-If they are cupping in to your spread and you turn your head toward them, they almost always flare and head off
-They are a great means of educating hunters in what to do and not to do
-I don't need to be out at day break to hunt them. I often shoot them between 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning, sometimes in the early afternoon too.
-They are fickle when it comes to calling. Sometimes it seems like I'm pulling them in on a string with my calling, other times I feel like I'm exhaling duck repellant with each breath into the call. My latest theory is that those times they seem to respond to calling they may actually be coming as a result of the decoys.
-They are very large ducks. Some much more so than others. I've shot brant and black ducks in the same day and been amazed to find the black duck bigger than the goose.
I'm no duck expert. I just got into regular duck hunting about 7 seasons ago. We have a ton of black ducks in the spots I hunt, so I've been fortunate to observe them a lot. Here's a few things I've learned.
-They flush at the slightest movement
-They flush at a greater distance than any other waterfowl I've seen (always beyond shooting distance)
-If they are cupping in to your spread and you turn your head toward them, they almost always flare and head off
-They are a great means of educating hunters in what to do and not to do
-I don't need to be out at day break to hunt them. I often shoot them between 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning, sometimes in the early afternoon too.
-They are fickle when it comes to calling. Sometimes it seems like I'm pulling them in on a string with my calling, other times I feel like I'm exhaling duck repellant with each breath into the call. My latest theory is that those times they seem to respond to calling they may actually be coming as a result of the decoys.
-They are very large ducks. Some much more so than others. I've shot brant and black ducks in the same day and been amazed to find the black duck bigger than the goose.
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