scouting for puddlers

M

michael barnes

Active member
this coming season will be my first real attempt at duck hunting, and i really dont understand what it takes to find where the ducks are. ive kinda narrowed it down to a few questions, and would really appreciate some help.
1) do black ducks feed in field like mallards? i have never seen em in fields, so im not sure
2) if blacks dont feed in fields, what do they feed on?
3) if there are no fields nearby, how would you go about finding mallards?
these are really basic questions, and i have no idea about the habits of ducks, and id appreciate any help.
 
I have never seen many blacks in fields that did not have any standing water and or water very close by. Black ducks feed on seeds, roots, stems, grain, aquatic plants, aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and some fish. They are dabblers meaning they filter-feed at surface of water. Tips-up in shallow water. Makes occasional dives in deeper water. They breed in a variety of wetland habitats, from salt marshes beaver ponds, river islands, and bogs and spend their winters primarily in salt water along coasts, also to be found in a variety of freshwater areas inland.
As far as Mallards go you will find them to be very close to the above descriptions but you will find them further in inland in small puddles and streams. I don't do much field hunting so I can't speak for that situation. I live on Long Island and we hunt in tidal marshes.
Get out before sunrise and on a still morning I'm sure you will hear them calling and then you will know where to go. Try to get off the beaten path for some better hunting.
You can also use google earth to check out the areas you want to hunt to see how the water and land lay out to get a better idae of where to start looking. I have already started scouting some new areas for next year that look like they have some potential.
Where are you on the coast of VA. I have spent time down there running through Chesapeake Bay, North Landings River and the ICW from Norfork to Beauford,NC. Seems to me you should have some great areas down there on either side of the Chesapeake.

Good Luck
Capt. JOhn
 
Hi Michael - I will resist the temptation to continue the corn but it isn't easy. Couple of suggestions. Not sure about how you want to hunt ( decoys ? ) or where ( fresh or tidal ) but I have found over the years that getting some local advice can shorten the learning curve. If you have a local DU chapter and have the time - volunteer and you are likely to meet some good folks that will appreciate that and give you some tips. It is a great organization. Another suggestion is to hire a local guide if you can find one with decent references. Good guides are always helpful to clients that truely want to learn. If it wasn't for a guide in Upstate NY that took pity on me I would never have gotten close to being able to call ducks. At least now they wink when they go by at 1/4 mile ! Lastly, if you do other things like fishing in the area - pay attention to what the birds are doing when you are in the neighborhood.

I have gotten very interested in photographing ducks in flight and am still taking my sneakboat to the marsh every weekend and putting out some deeks and taking pictures. In the process I have noted a couple of flight patterns and landing spots that I was not aware of - in a spot that I have gunned for more than 20 years - nothing like paying attention. Hopfully the local game warden will not mind my new offseason passtime.

If all else fails - do the corn !

sarge
 
Don't take this the wrong way, do some reading on ducks habits and habitats. Best way to scout is knowing as much as you can about each species you will target. You can google each species and there will be a number of hits from sites describing the particular duck. You might even come across a scientifc article, or study in your area and there can be some very useful info in them. There is also some good books, best one I know is "Ducks, geese and swans of North America" it descibes almost everything you need to know.

On the chesapeake I like hunting grass, or submerged aquatic vegetation. I see cans, redheads, ringnecks, widegon, pintails and various other ducks. Down your way I am not sure whats around, but there are internet sites to help find them. I would imagine Black ducks in your area are going to be on large marshes with little potholes or standing water dotted throughout the marsh. When you find a good spot they will be like flies. Its a good time to get out now and scout before most of the ducks head back north, even without a boat. Drive around and get as close to the waters as you can, bring your pair of binos and watch.
 
thanks for all the advice, the corn tactic sound like a winner! anyway, i appreciate all the help. i will be hunting tidal saltwater and salt marshes. so many little winding guts and potholes around here its not funny. i do work on the water in the summer, so i know where alot of grass flats are, so maybe they are worth looking into...? thanks again.
 
Grass flats are definately worth finding, that is where the redheads and cans will be and bluebills and wigeon and about any other bird you can think of except maybe seaducks. Down here, that is the areas we hunt, eel grass, wigeon grass, shoal grass and milfoil.
No grass, no birds.
We've killed 16 species of ducks off one blind on a valisneria bed (what we call eelgrass, up in your area eel grass is Zostera sp, I believe):
Gadwall
Greenwings
Bluewings
pintials
wigeon
mallards
mottledducks
Wood ducks (kinda weird, over a mile from shore in brackish water)
ringnecks
greater scaup
lesser scaup
cans
redheads
buffies
Common GE
White-winged scoter (1)

Oh, and mergansers too, all three species, so that makes 19.

Find grassbeds, find ducks!
 
Last edited:
Can't tell you as well as some of the Black Duck purists on the page , but I killed one once that had a whole peanut, shell and all in his crop. We don't see too many flooded peanut fields around here as good land for growing peanuts has to be well drained. That means to me that they will feed in fields as well as in the marshes and shallow open water. Most places I hunt the Black Ducks make a later showing in the morning than do other puddlers. Don't know how it is up your way.

I have shot more Mallards while actually targeting Wood Ducks than elsewhere. Beaver ponds and swamps are good places for them. Big open water,not so much

I'm excited for you as a whole new dimension of outdoor sport is opening for you. Be careful or it may become an addiction. To me it has taken the first place over any other type of hunting or fishing.

Always be careful,
Harry

Hope we'll be able to hunt together someday,
Harry
 
You will find black ducks on most of the tidal creeks in your area. The mallards are harder to come by. Our coastal mallards are held in any number of flooded impoundments and trade between them. Cold weather is the key down here. The impounds freeze and the mallards leave. Most of the blacks that I killed fields were only after the creeks froze out.
Nothing beats driving the roads at dawn with field glasses.
 
Not having hunted East of MI's UP, I might be out of turn, but here's my thought -
If you don't have any connections to help you out, do some reading and get out in a canoe or kayak and try to find some spots. Sounds like you have a good head start working on the water.

The book "Game Warden" by Willie Parker is an excellent read. It's about busting violators on Chesapeake Bay - you should learn quite a bit and the locations he mentions might be places to snoop around, or at least give you an idea of what ducks look for - besides corn.

Someone else mentioned "ducks, geese, and swans of north america" by Kortright and it is an EXCELLENT reference.

Also, "High Tide and an East Wind" might be up your alley

"The Duck Hunter's Book" is also excellent and has several black duck stories in it. If you read between the lines of the stories, you might glean some good info. This is probably the best duck hunting book I've ever seen - it has stories, how-to, etc, etc. It's not an ID book, but its very well rounded. It's a collection of stories and it was edited by Lamar Underwood. The book is about as thick as a bible!
 
Harry,

You guys have some nice areas down there. While making my way up or down the coast I had put in at a few places down there, Oriental, Moorhead City, Jarret Bay and Coinjock to name a few. There is a great steak house on the dock there in Coinjock but I cant remember the name of it.
Funny story, when I was down in Beaufort,NC I was on the phone with my wife telling her we came into Beaufort and a guy tapped me on the shoulder and said " If you shake the dam Yank out of your a$$ you might be able to say it right". Apparently there is a Beaufort, NC and a Beaufort, SC not to be mistaken for each other and pronounced differently. I guess no one told him the war was over. It was funny.
I also make a trip to Greenville Airport when I had to leave a boat in MooreHead City for an intercooler repair. So I got a chance to see things on land also. I have traveled the entire ICW from end to end. Not by choice but because I had to get boats down to Florida and did not want to wait out the weather. I prefer to run outside but sometimes mother nature has a different plan in mind for me. I have seen some beautiful places along the way including your back yard.

Regards,
John
 
Absolutely John, but most of those places you mentioned are controlled by local hunting regs that makes it all but impossible to hunt without the services of a native guide. Except the North Landing River which has a lot of shoreline that is in the Game Lands program. HYde County is a great place for freelancers as are some of the inland counties that have big lakes. A bud of mine has a float permit for Va. waters but the 500 yd from another blind is the hassle there.

Be glad to swap hunts with you sometime. By chance were you flying a Mooney when you visited PGV?

Best,
Harry

PS the crowd in SC pronounces Beaufort as if it was spelled Byuofort. We pronounce it correctly in NC. It's hilarious that someone from Currituck called you a Yank as most folks living in Currituck (and many of the Outer Banks counties) these days are imports .themselves
 
Scouting for ducks is easy.
- For those with green heads: plastic bags, wonder bread and a park with swings.
- For divers: water with toxic levels of selenium and petrol on the sand
- For geese: a golf course or another park with swing sets and a jungle gym
- For wood ducks: trees and wood
- For whistlers: a carnival midway and men with mullets and girls in jean skirts

Seriously, you should find someone to help get you started in your area, one willing to take you out to some public areas and get you headed in the right direction.
Good luck.
 
Michael.

Now that Derek has given away all his secrets, find a mentor, someone who will take you hunting, teach you the ropes of what to do and more importantly what not to do. If you notice most of the guys on this site are gentleman hunters.

The most important thing that you can learn from a mentor is how to behave in the field, find an older guy that is willing to pass on the tradition.

From your previous posts, you have a crap load of questions, find someone willing to spend the time and answer them.

Steve
 
Michael,
I hunt a marsh not too far from you.
Some of the better holes I have found for black ducks have been found while deer hunting.
The deer bed down in the marsh to get away from pressure and we do a lot of glassing from stands on the edge.
When I see where the ducks continuously drop in or swing by to look I will go back later to see myself.
Many of these holes are not much bigger than a bathtub.
Just remember, a blackduck can be a traitor.
I've cleaned more than one with a crop full of minnows and the smell to match.
PM me a phone number and I will try to give you some other hints.
Billy
 
Harry,

Have you ever been down by Oregon Inlet area? I have seen a bunch of permanent blinds over by an island named (believe it or not) "Duck Island". It's on the north side of Old House Channel and Oregon Inlet Channel on the way in towards the USCG station and the Oregon Inlet Fishing Station. Looks like it would be a great spot. There is some pretty shallow water there even in the channel. I seem to bump every time I go in or out with some of the bigger 50'+ yachts. I would not go there by choice but it's the last stop for fuel before rounding Cape Hatteras. The whole area around there where Roanoke Sound,Croatan Sound and Pamlico Sound meet looks like a hot spot. Well off the beaten path.
No, I was not in a Mooney. Just a small commuter plane, Gulfstream or something like that.
If your ever up this way give me a shout and I'll take you out around the lawless parts of Long Island where almost anything goes. You can even put up your own blind and as many as you want as close as you want.

Regards,
John
 
Hi John,
I have hunted a blind with a guide in the flats just off Oregon Inlet and within sight of the Bonner bridge. We did very well on snow geese but only shot 2 ducks.

Duck Island used to be the headquarters of the Duck Island club. I used to catch a lot of Speckled Trout around their blinds etc. but never was invited to hunt there. Have seen mostly buffleheads over that way so I haven't been too worried about not being able to hunt there. There can be some good public hunting on Bodie Island but you have to draw for untaken blinds or make a reservation based on a lottery basis with the Feds to hunt Bodie Island blinds. It's too much of a hassle to me but some folks go there almost everytime they hunt. You can also put in for hunts on game land blinds in the Currituck Sound. Check out ncwildlife.org for the hows and wheres.
Best,
harry
If you get down this way during the season give me a ring and if I can get away i'd be delighted to take you out after "dem loosive waterfowl". (you can buy a 3 day nonresident license pretty cheap)
 
Harry,
Thanks for the offer. I am usually on my way through in early March heading north and October or early November heading south. I am planning another family trip to the OBX for this summer. I'm trying to find some reasonable rentals now. I have concidered dragging my 23' Mako down with me. I'm looking to get down there to do a few more dives on some of the U boats off the coast.

Regards,
John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top