Hunting Fun

Keep Your Decoys Loose – Many duck hunters make the mistake of setting their decoys way to tight. When ducks are sitting tight on the water it’s most often because they are alert to danger and ready to take flight. Relaxed ducks on the water are typically spread out in small groups on the water, especially early in the season. Place decoys no closer than 3 feet apart, and at least 12 feet between the groups early on in the duck hunting season.

Don’t Over Choke – Before season arrives be sure to pattern your gun with the same shells your going to use during the upcoming duck hunting season. To pattern your gun simply shoot at a large piece of cardboard with a 30″ diameter circle drawn on it at 40 yards. Last season I was very surprised just how tight my modified choke was shooting, and switched over to an improved cylinder instead.

Finish That Bird Off – If a duck has it’s head up or is swimming after hitting the water from being shot always shoot it again, even if you have a dog. It can be tough for even a dog, yet alone a hunter, to catch up with a crippled duck. Many times a crippled duck will dive underwater and grab a weed, never to be found by either a dog or hunter. Successful duck hunting is all about efficiency and you certainly don’t want to loose a bird you have worked so hard for.

Use The Right Shotgun Shells – To many times hunters will blame steel shot when really they’re just using to light of a load, or to small of shot. When shooting smaller ducks such as teal or woodies with steel 1 1/8 oz to 1