Last season I was scouting my way out of some flooded timber that is on public land with a ton of pressure. Around mid day I found a small pocket loaded with green heads. I didn't want to push them out, and left them undisturbed for the next day's hunt. Well, the following day came and went without seeing many ducks at all. Did I make the right call, or should I have pushed them out that day and set up on them hoping they would return shortly later? What do you guys typically do in this situation?
duck hunting
- Thread starter michel
- Start date
Al Hansen
Well-known member
Michael, you happened to stumble across something that is very important. What you need to do is begin planning your hunts in this area to start around the time that all the rest of the hunters leave. Normally that should be around 9:30AM give or take. Ducks are always looking for a place to loaf the day away and you happened to find them. They might not be there the next day but if you were to be in the area, maybe you could coax them into your spot with decoys/the right set up.
Take advantage of what you found out when scouting. Good job. When you got there to hunt, the reason you didn't see them is that the ducks were using this spot for a resting area. It was just your timing that was off. My take on this.
Al
Take advantage of what you found out when scouting. Good job. When you got there to hunt, the reason you didn't see them is that the ducks were using this spot for a resting area. It was just your timing that was off. My take on this.
Al
Vince Pagliaroli
Well-known member
Michel
Just my 2 cents worth. When hunting Mallards & Black Ducks in timber, birds are always on the move especially when following acorns. If I came upon a large flock I'd study the situation, then bump them as gently as possible then set up. If they came back in mass, I would never shoot, and just enjoy the show when they dropped down very close to me. If they came back in small groups and pairs. I'd try to take my birds with as few shots as possible, then vamoose. If you play your cards right, you can enjoy the show and have good hunting for many days.
All the areas I hunted were public, the worst thing that many "hunters" did, was flush, then shoot at the ducks. As Al has already stated, study the other hunters as much as the ducks, and you will do fine.
Just my 2 cents worth. When hunting Mallards & Black Ducks in timber, birds are always on the move especially when following acorns. If I came upon a large flock I'd study the situation, then bump them as gently as possible then set up. If they came back in mass, I would never shoot, and just enjoy the show when they dropped down very close to me. If they came back in small groups and pairs. I'd try to take my birds with as few shots as possible, then vamoose. If you play your cards right, you can enjoy the show and have good hunting for many days.
All the areas I hunted were public, the worst thing that many "hunters" did, was flush, then shoot at the ducks. As Al has already stated, study the other hunters as much as the ducks, and you will do fine.
Was this actually in the UK?
I haven't heard of hunting flooded timber in the UK before.
The other members from the UK mostly posted about hunting tidelands & pass shooting.
Tell us more about how you hunt, what kind of decoys you use, what your seasons are, etc..
Also, given the restrictive gun laws in the UK, are you hunting a traditional double or an over-under?
Also, your homepage is quite interesting, tell us more about your Vietnam-oriented tour company.
I haven't heard of hunting flooded timber in the UK before.
The other members from the UK mostly posted about hunting tidelands & pass shooting.
Tell us more about how you hunt, what kind of decoys you use, what your seasons are, etc..
Also, given the restrictive gun laws in the UK, are you hunting a traditional double or an over-under?
Also, your homepage is quite interesting, tell us more about your Vietnam-oriented tour company.
Dwight Harley
Well-known member
Ditto what Carl said....I would be interested in hearing about flooded timber hunting in the UK