2nd attempt at Ducks

[TN Whitetail Freak]

So earlier this week I tried my first excursion on my own to duck hunt I walked in and plopped down by a pond I had seen ducks fly near. I threw out 10 decoys and sat a few hours. I only saw 7 ducks total that morning with a west wind. EVERY duck came from the south. It was a bust to say the least. I was thinking about giving it another try except set on the north end where those ducks where headed. Am I wasting my time if I set the north and the South wind Tom is gonna be in my face or should I throw a dart at the map and plop down next to another body of water elsewhere. I'M not scared to admit, I really have no clue how to find ducks. I just purchased a call yesterday to quack.

 

[TreyB]

Most of the time ducks land into the wind....

How did u throw the decoys out? IMO throw them to the left or right of where u want them to land

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

I throw decoys out to my right and left and got a little jerk rig slightly off center of middle. Went this morning and saw ducks but they didn't come in to my spot. I really don't know how to get em in but did enjoy watching the sun rise

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Leave a good landing zone in the middle. Jerk rig should go off on the side your decoys are on IMO. Ducks like to land into the wind, so I'd put the decoys down wind of me.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

Well I did all that today but no ducks guess I have to work on finding the birds which feels nearly impossible starting out on your own

 

[MickThompson]

It will be difficult to scout all the ducky looking water in west tn. I wouldn't bother, at least starting out, with any pond/hole less than 2 acres. Find where the ducks are sitting and either flush them off, set decoys, and hope they come back or set up there the next day. Research what ducks eat- much more than just corn. There are many natural foods such as wild millets, chufa, smartweed, acorns, aquatic vegetation, etc. Each species has slightly different food and cover preferences. I would get out and burn shoe leather with you if I wasn't across the state.

That said, I much prefer walk in hunting over big blind hunting. It is much more rewarding to find them and figure out how to set up on them on your own.


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[TN Whitetail Freak]

It will be difficult to scout all the ducky looking water in west tn. I wouldn't bother, at least starting out, with any pond/hole less than 2 acres. Find where the ducks are sitting and either flush them off, set decoys, and hope they come back or set up there the next day. Research what ducks eat- much more than just corn. There are many natural foods such as wild millets, chufa, smartweed, acorns, aquatic vegetation, etc. Each species has slightly different food and cover preferences. I would get out and burn shoe leather with you if I wasn't across the state.

That said, I much prefer walk in hunting over big blind hunting. It is much more rewarding to find them and figure out how to set up on them on your own.


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In other words take a gun only and hit suspect spots? Until I find some

 

[MickThompson]

Travel light. Gun, binos, bag, 2-3 decoys. Look on google earth for places that are dry in the summer but hold 12"-24" of water in the winter. When it dries out in the summer, food plants can grow.

For me, the order of importance goes
1) be where the ducks want to be
2) be well hidden
3) decoys
4)calling
If you aren't confident in your calling, then don't.


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