Newbie looking for help

[ETNyates]

First time duck hunting this morning, picked the right spot but ran into some trouble getting to it (popular place near Friendsville TN). Heard some hunters shooting at ducks and saw a few flocks so it wasn't a bust. Just looking for a little direction for duck hunting around the East TN area (I live in Maryville). Anything would help but I am specifically looking for generally good areas that I could scout myself so you don't have to give up a honey hole.

Thanks

 

[rocket04]

If you have a boat tellico has a few places to hunt and you can scout chota refuge and check to see if we have birds, kyker refuge is another place to scout and you can follow birds out and see where to go hunt there. On loudon its basically try and hope cause like you found out there are generally several hunters in the better areas

 

[rukiddin]

Anything would help but I am specifically looking for generally good areas that I could scout myself so you don't have to give up a honey hole.

Thanks

Your question don't really bother me but just a heads up that question you asked is considered "cyber scouting". Some forums will even ban you for it. I don't reckon it's that big of a deal over here.

I tried duck hunting around knoxville when I first moved here. Other than the early wood duck/teal season, I discovered that for the amount of money and time you spend scouting for so very few highly pressured birds, you will come out cheaper going to west Tenn for a few good hunts a year instead of wasting it in the waterfowl armpit of the country.

 

[rocket04]

Rukiddin i would tend to agree to an extent, last year we killed quite a few with the big freeze above us. This year with the warmer weather we are not seeing near the birds even on ponds. Hopefully this new front will make a push and freshen things up a bit. Its still a duck desert if we dont get weather up north

 

[ETNyates]

Anything would help but I am specifically looking for generally good areas that I could scout myself so you don't have to give up a honey hole.

Thanks

Your question don't really bother me but just a heads up that question you asked is considered "cyber scouting". Some forums will even ban you for it. I don't reckon it's that big of a deal over here.

I tried duck hunting around knoxville when I first moved here. Other than the early wood duck/teal season, I discovered that for the amount of money and time you spend scouting for so very few highly pressured birds, you will come out cheaper going to west Tenn for a few good hunts a year instead of wasting it in the waterfowl armpit of the country.

I understand what you are saying about the cyber scouting, but I was more looking for general advice. I would tend to feel as if I wanted someone to give me a specific area of the river as more of a cyber scouting effort. Thanks for your input though, I have sense asked some family and friends to take me along with them around this area as they kill plenty of ducks every year.


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[rukiddin]

I'm on a lot of the lakes in the knoxville area for my job. Ft loudoun and watts bar primarily. I was on the water about every day from mid November to last week. This year I have seen the fewest ducks in about 5 years. That's not saying they're not there, just saying I haven't seen them like I usually do. I usually see a ton of bluebills and buffleheads and I've learned that if there are any to be found in the knoxville area, they will be between the 129 bridge and the south knoxville bridge. But I haven't seen them this year either. I saw a few buffleheads back early December but seen nothing since. I remember about 3 years ago, I saw two different flocks of the prettiest bull canvasbacks you've ever seen. One was right in front of Thompson boling arena and the other was in front of Neyland stadium. But that was middle February. Hahaha.
I'll shoot you a pm if I happen to see anything worth goin after. Lord knows I ain't gonna hunt'em. Hahaha

 

[ETNyates]

Thanks brother, just had a friend that caught the bug and I have for once killed enough deer this year to justify branching out.


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[rocket04]

My buddy went this am and saw 11 total ducks on a killer pond. Normally anything less than 25 is a bad trip there. This warm weather has halted migration in its tracks. Really hoping for a good freeze up north soon.