If a guy wanted to shoot a few sea ducks -

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Paul W

Well-known member
Is there a good place I can drag my rig to do this on my own (read: not with a guide - added cost)

Shooting a few white wings on the fresh water really primed the pump for me to do a DIY or "crash on somebody's couch" trip. I do not want you to post specific info on this thread, please pm me any info you can give is most welcome. Thinking about how I want to use some pto either this year or next.


Thank you!
 
I agree with everything that was said previously, and "safety first" is always the way to go..

So before venturing out for a Sea Duck hunt in the Northeast, make certain that your "captain" skills as a boater are good enough to venture out on your own. This includes navigation, safety gear, weather forecasting, reading tides, and reading weather and water conditions once on the water (weather forecasters can be very wrong up here in the NE). As a good friend of mine always says when we are heading 150+ miles offshore to fish the NE canyons... Remember we are boaters first and fisherman second... same is true for hunting out of a boat.

That being said, if you have all skills listed above and are confident in them... it certainly can be done. I cannot speak for all states or even other areas within Massachusetts, but there are several areas on Cape Cod that are accessible to the public, relatively close to boat ramps and can be very productive. Often Eider and other sea ducks can be hunted from shoreline areas, particularly on the nasty days where boating is not advised.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I would be glad to answer them, as best I can.

Jim O
 
Paul:

I don't sea duck hunt, but I stayed in a Holiday Inn and have a bunch of friends who do. I tend to agree with the comments above. In addition to the safety factor, I think sea duck hunting is highly dependent on local knowledge. Knowing where birds are likely to be given the combination of wind, tide and weather is not easy.

That said, if you are set on a DIY trip, there is plenty of good public access to the coast in Maine. This link (http://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/water_activities/boating/public_boat_launches/google_earth_maps.shtml) should take you to a Google Earth image of the entire state that shows all of the state-owned or managed trailered and hand carry boat launch sites. There are also other sites that are private or town owned . Sorry, but I don't have a single source for those.

I'm not qualified to give you advice on best parts of the coast to target, but I do know folks who hunt the area around Saco/Biddeford, outer Casco Bay, the lower end of the Sheepscot, Damariscotta and Kennebec Rivers, Penobscot Bay, and the area around Deer Isle. (Lest anyone accuse me of spot burning, that highlights about 1/3 of the Maine coast . . . .)

Hunting is best late in the season when water is cold and conditions are difficult. Be careful, and it probably makes sense to plan for one weather day in every three you plan to be here. It's not unheard of to get 4+ days in a row when you really can't safely get on the water. Remember that Maine does not have Sunday hunting--but if you focus on southern Maine you could cross the border and hunt New Hampshire on Sunday. I've never heard anything about it, but I suspect the eider hunting out around the Isles of Shoals on the ME/NH border would be good. You'll need boat enough to get ~10 miles offshore to get out there, and watch the location of the state line, which cuts right through the archipelago.

Brad Allen at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife might be able to provide some information to help you plan a trip.
 
Also remember that these birds need to be close and when downed they can revive only to lead a lab on a death march out to sea once they get beyond whistle range. That is if you go without a boat. Also some areas have currents that will put a forward swimming lab in reverse and out to sea. Been there done that and that is why I love the puddle ducks.

Army Corp controls numerous areas including breakwaters, canals, flood control gates, stone groins, channel markers, lands surronding these navigation aides and levies. Sounds like urban areas not associated with hunting but they control several of these features in my area and patrol them religously. Some are regulated and others are not but you need to know before you go and they do not show up on Google Earth
 
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I have shot many Squaw on Michigan out of a MLB. All Scooters of been shot on that body as well... and the occasional Harli....



 
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