Tides and hunting

A

Andrew Schaefer

Active member
Seems like there's a lot of guys that shoot on saltwater here. I'm thinking about trying some hunting on the Gulf coast here this season and have some questions about hunting tidewater. I've done a ton of inshore fishing but have always duck hunted freshwater. In this part of FL, we get a semi-diurnal tide cycle, with two highs and two lows per day, typically one of the highs will be higher than the other, depending on the moon phase and whatnot. In the winter time, the tide swing is usually three feet or less, and a strong NE wind can blow most of the water out of the marsh.

I've heard that duck movement on saltwater is a lot more dependent of the tide. Do the ducks usually move during a certain period of the cycle (High, falling, low, rising)? What is your normal strategy, as far as when to get out there and when to leave, E.G. get out there as it starts to fall and leave when it comes back in, etc.?
 
I agree with the Captain, however will add this- I think they move around best when the tide is moving, not slack, (whatever the formal term is).


I like to head out during the high or falling tide, hunt the low, the return on the higher tide. Where I traditionally hunt, it's a LOT easier to get back when there's actually water to get back in on.


Jon
 
Depends on the water depth and the tidal range. Most areas of the gulf coast are micro-tidal, tide range here in Mobile is normally about 1.5', 2' is a big tide. And we only have one high and one low per day. Also the wind can overpower the tides, causing predicted water levels to be higher or lower than normal.
Most of the time our birds are concentrating on areas with submerged grassbeds. The best times to hunt is when the water is shallow enough for them to feed. For puddles, that may be from and couple of inches to a few feet. Divers are more flexible.
Only way to really know in your area is to scout and hunt and learn where they will be on what tides and winds. Also learning which areas are going to leave you stuck on low tide with a certain wind is very important. Don't ask how I know.
 
I find that it depends on the area you hunt, yes it is easier to feed in 6" of water but low tide in a lot of the area I hunt means no water, just mud. The teal and puddle duck come into these areas and feed in the grasses as they flood and then move back to areas that hold water on the low tide. If you can be in the area they want to move to before they get there is the best bet, but second especially with teal is to hunt a flyway they travel to and from feeding and resting areas.
 
I guess I should add that this would mostly be scaup, redhead, and bufflehead hunting from what I gather. I don't see puddlers on the coast often, but it does happen from time to time.
 
Tides definitely make a difference, and going out is usually best shooting. But, watch the water level with your boat, unless you brought a lunch and full thermos of coffee :)


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I hunt two tidal situations. Merrymeeting Bay is freshwater but tidal, with about 5 feet of tide, 2 highs and 2 lows per day. Ducks here are typically feeding on rice and other plants growing on extensive shallow sand and mud flats.

The Maine coast has tides of at least 9 feet where I hunt, and up to 11 feet on spring tide days, 2 highs and 2 lows per day. Ducks here are feeding on much more diverse food sources--everything from eel grass to clams and crabs.

I like rising tides in both places. At low tide I can't get the boat to the spots I hunt. (One exception is a salt marsh walk-in spot, where I LOVE low tide.) At low tide the birds disperse all over to feed, often up on the flats above the water, or in very shallow water. As the tide floods in, those feeding birds get pushed to move. When that happens, it pays to be set up in places where the birds collect to rest through the high part of the tide cycle, and we hunt those spots.

For divers (buffleheads and goldeneyes for me), I like to hunt rocky points on the falling tide. As the tide falls, the birds fly to rock ledges where they can feed on shellfish and other critters on the submerged ledges. I find the mid point of the falling tide to be most productive. Because these birds seem focused on rocky areas instead of sand or mud flats, getting left high and dry by the tide is less of an issue at my diver spots.
 
Andrew, what general area are you hunting?

You noted you are on the Gulf coast of FL, which means you will have one high and one low per day, like we do in Mobile. Also, the tide range is similar, 1.5-2' is normal, 3' is huge.
Also, I imagine the birds will be concentrating on the sea grass beds to feed. Redheads will eating the grass and tubers, scaup on the grass and the invertebrates in it, buffies on the critter.

My experience hunting Mississippi Sound, which is similar in the species, tide range and food source, is that the birds pretty much feed anywhere there is at least 6" of water at low tide. I have seen mixed flocks of redheads and scaup tipping to feed in 6" of water here. I have also seen them feeding in 4' of water at the same spots when the tide is high. Where they are on what day seems to be more dependent on weather conditions (wind mainly), hunting pressure and the alignment of the planets and stars. So its really a lot like any other duck hunting, its just bigger water and the tides to deal with.
 
Carl, I'll be hunting between Homosassa and Cedar Key, FL. We get two highs and two lows per day. You don't start seeing the one high tide per day deal until you get West of Apalachicola. Here's the tide prediction for an area near Crystal River, FL on December 12 and 13:


12-Dec Sat 2:05 AM
4.03 H

12-Dec Sat 9:14 AM
-0.48 L



12-Dec Sat 3:11 PM 3.09 H


12-Dec Sat 9:02 PM 1.02 L


13-Dec Sun 2:45 AM 4.09 H


13-Dec Sun 9:55 AM -0.51 L


13-Dec Sun 3:52 PM 3.09 H


13-Dec Sun 9:43 PM
1.0 L
 
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Well, learn something new every day.

Looking at Google Earth, there tons of grass beds in that area. Does it get much hunting pressure?
 
Looking at Google Earth, there tons of grass beds in that area. Does it get much hunting pressure?
Click to expand...

Watch out--cyber scouting alert! LOL!
Click to expand...

Haha I'm not too worried.

We do have miles and miles of seagrass here. There are some areas that definitely get hunted some. I have a friend that fishes in a certain area every weekend and he tells me that he occasionally sees people hunting and hears shots, or finds palm fronds left out on points. To tell the truth I don't know what to expect as far as bird numbers because I'm not out there often during the season. I normally hang up the fishing rods when duck season starts and don't get back into it until early march. If it were that good or easy there'd be lots of people out there doing it.
 
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My wife what go out with me after waiting to long while the tide was going out. We almost spent the night once with dead cellphones and nothing to eat but raw brant.
 
Since you're relatively new to the area and haven't seen the pressure the area you posting on the World Wide Scouting Web can generate I have no doubt that you don't have any worries. I can assure you that the people who already hunt there, and have for years, and who now see far more than the occassion palm frond or hear a shot "once in awhile" that your fisherman friend hears and see's, have much to be concerned about when prime areas get named and maps posted on the net.

Reality of the situation is is that the Fla Panhandle Coastal areas that hold numbers of ducks are limited, are heavily hunted and aren't the same spots that the fishermen tend to making fisherman information not exactly the best duck hunting information. Boots on the ground knowledge of the area is best kept to yourself because when you post it I can assure you that you will have even more competition the next time you go.

We don't know each other but we will likely hunt the same areas this season and in all probability will be at a ramp at the same time this season. I'll be honest and tell you that seeing your post that "you have no worries" about posting spots would keep me from ever sharing information with you. That's normally not who I am and I help a lot of people every season with information BUT ONLY with people that I know are going to keep that information to themselves. You'll find that the people that actually hunt there, (not the same people who offer advise that May or may not apply to your actual area), are the same.

Good luck this season and hold your cards close to your vest unless duck hunting is a group sport for you.

Steve
 
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