TIPS AND TRICKS PLEASE

[Paratrooper395]

I was hoping I could get any information on mid season duck and goose hunting more goose than anything. I've been overseas in the Army for 3 years now so my ability to scout and remember what the birds are doing when and where is pretty much gone. Any tips tricks what you do for this time of season and with what would be greatly appreciated. Also late season tips wouldn't hurt ethier. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

Scout cut fields at night. If the birds are there in the evening it's a safe bet they'll come back the next morning. Ducks will show up right at first light, geese a little later typically

[Bowguy 1]

Late season hunt brooks. They're very often the only thing open n the birds pour in. Mid season expect the migrations to start n can be hit or miss depending on so many variables. Now if you use dekes set your pocket so the birds fly in against the wind. If they gotta fly w the wind they prob won't land or will pass set n you'll watch em out of range. Open your chokes up cause steel is harder than lead n makes the pattern one size smaller most times. One year I shot 147, (I was doing harvest surveys for the state or I would never know) n the tightest choke was ic. I even use this choke on reservoirs for divers. Oh n use extra dekes to sorta "clog" spots you don't want them to land. Follow the birds as they follow food n open water

[BKhunter]

5 minutes ago, Bowguy 1 said:

Late season hunt brooks. They're very often the only thing open n the birds pour in. Mid season expect the migrations to start n can be hit or miss depending on so many variables. Now if you use dekes set your pocket so the birds fly in against the wind. If they gotta fly w the wind they prob won't land or will pass set n you'll watch em out of range. Open your chokes up cause steel is harder than lead n makes the pattern one size smaller most times. One year I shot 147, (I was doing harvest surveys for the state or I would never know) n the tightest choke was ic. I even use this choke on reservoirs for divers. Oh n use extra dekes to sorta "clog" spots you don't want them to land. Follow the birds as they follow food n open water

When you say follow birds, what do you do if you only have a certain area you are able to hunt? I have been trying to find public land to bird hunt int he southern tier and haven't been to successful. Really don't want to hunt the salt water shores and am really limited to only hunting the fields where I deer hunt for geese. Never seen any ducks land there. There are however to small ponds on the property where I think I could set up but I think it is very hit or miss with more dead days then anything. Might get a flock fly in here and there over a weeks time.

[Bowguy 1]

There's no such thing as certain areas. Don't take that wrong. There's tons of state land, private parcels, land trusts, refuges, on n on n on. Don't limit yourself to one spot, one you'll burn it out if the migrations aren't good yet, two if the birds aren't there you have no options. Check every spot possible you can hunt n catalog them. Look for recently flooded timber not on a map, maybe beavers got it or simply heavy rains. Check swamps or marshes way off the beaten path. You'll have to work at  it but imo duck hunting is a sport of two types. Really rich guys w great leases who drive boats up to the blind, or grunts who work hard to make it happen. As the food sources change, water levels change, species move in n out you gotta stay w current bird areas. Hope this makes sense

[Bowguy 1]

There's no such thing as certain areas. Don't take that wrong. There's tons of state land, private parcels, land trusts, refuges, on n on n on. Don't limit yourself to one spot, one you'll burn it out if the migrations aren't good yet, two if the birds aren't there you have no options. Check every spot possible you can hunt n catalog them. Look for recently flooded timber not on a map, maybe beavers got it or simply heavy rains. Check swamps or marshes way off the beaten path. You'll have to work at  it but imo duck hunting is a sport of two types. Really rich guys w great leases who drive boats up to the blind, or grunts who work hard to make it happen. As the food sources change, water levels change, species move in n out you gotta stay w current bird areas. Hope this makes sense. I should add a hotspot for geese is a recently harvested cornfield. Watch for the farm equipment to show n start working. Plan on being there soon as the birds show up

[Bowguy 1]

Thinking of a way to explain following the birds better. Say the geese are on a nice manicured lawn. Than one day they're gone. Find what drew them away, maybe the field down the road (corn) was cut, now you can't but say you could hunt that manicured corporate lawn. The birds were there all summer so they must be here? If you went to the cut cornfield birds'd be all over it. Now they leave that one, where'd they go. Perhaps another field got cut n this ones picked through. Or say you had a great honey hole pond for ducks n it freezes over, staying there ain't good obviously so find some open water where they are. Woodies are in flooded timber but it dries up, find where they went

Edited October 5, 2016 by Bowguy 1