Waterfowl Hunting
Identifying Waterfowl
Waterfowl hunting involves complex regulations that require the hunter to identify both species and sexes of most species. That is relatively easy after a little practice, but the practice needs to take place before the hunter goes afield. Spring can be a good time to study ducks and geese. Fall scouting can serve double duty as a refresher course in identification. Birds that are common in the local area and those that have special restrictions, like canvasbacks and black ducks, should be very familiar.
Waterfowl Habitat and Habits for the Hunter
The best waterfowl caller is the person who is situated where the ducks or geese already want to be. Being in that situation requires that the hunter understand the habits and the habitat preferred by the birds. During the hunting season, waterfowl require feeding, or grit, sites, resting or loafing areas, and roosting areas. Usually the birds leave or enter roosting areas outside the normal shooting times. As a result, most experienced waterfowlers tend to leave those areas alone or hunt them very lightly. The areas where birds feed, find gravel or other grit, or loaf are the best sites for the hunter. The types of habitat involved vary with the species, from wooded swamps and beaver flowages to huge areas of open marsh or bay. Within any given habitat, however, the birds will tend to have specific travel routes and to use specific locations. Discovering those specific areas is the key to being successful. Most species show a preference for specific types of cover, for example, emergent aquatic vegetation or high spots in picked cornfields. They tend to avoid conditions that force them to move, like strong currents, windy areas with lots of wave action, moving ice, or similar circumstances.
Flock Size and Behavior
Just as individual species tend to have specific habitat preferences, they also have relatively predictable flock size and flock behavior. Nearly all ducks and geese are gregarious, meaning they like to hang out in large groups, but flock size and distribution differs. Common goldeneyes, or whistlers, tend to have rather small flocks, say up to 6 or 8 while Canada geese or lesser snow geese may travel in flocks of hundreds of birds.
Some species change their flock size with changing habitat. Mallards, for example, may be in small groups or scattered as individuals in flooded brush or on small ponds. When they are using large marshes or lakes, they may travel in flocks of 50 or more birds. Although that may not seem too important to the hunter, the normal flock size can have an impact on the size of the decoy rig needed to effectively pull birds within shooting range.
Decoys and Decoy Rigging
A good way to start an argument among duck hunters is to ask whether they would rather have a few large decoys or lots of smaller ones. Both sides of the argument have some validity. Bigger is better. The larger decoys are most visible, and nearly all waterfowl are drawn better by larger decoys. They are also more bulky to carry and store. More is also better. Large spreads of decoys will often draw birds that will ignore a smaller rig. Those who like lots of small decoys rightly point out that the large mass of blocks draws birds very well, even when the blocks do not really look like birds (e.g. bleach bottles).
The best advice may be to use a number and type of decoy that can be placed so they appear natural. Remember, birds cannot tell if something is too big. In addition, decoys should be easily seen and they are most attractive to the species being hunted. Small areas require only a few decoys. An opening in a beaver pond may require only 4 to 6 decoys to be effective. Bigger areas can demand larger spreads. Gunning large bodies of water late in the season may demand 100 or more decoys to be most effective.
The gunning literature is full of rigging techniques that will increase a hunter’s success. Most of them really work, at least in the areas where they were developed. Basically, the rigs are designed to imitate the birds themselves. The fishhook pattern used with diving ducks can often be seen under windy conditions. Actively feeding birds will be in a knot at the head of the “fishhook” with resting birds trailing off downwind, sometimes for hundreds of meters. Incoming birds tend to fly the line of resting birds, landing at the rear of the knot of actively feeding birds. Puddle ducks, because they have a tendency to flush straight up off the water, generally do not fly over other puddle ducks to land. They land in openings or at the outside edge of a decoy spread. Often hunters place their decoys in a C, U, or W shape, with a landing hole on the downwind side of the spread. Birds landing in holes in tall cover often look for openings that can be approached almost vertically. Geese tend to avoid cover and prefer to land near the middle of fields or on high points. They will fly over decoys to get to such a spot, but they may also land short, much like a puddle duck.
Calls and Calling
Waterfowl communicate with a variety of sounds, and using calls that imitate their vocalizations can often attract them. The types of calls available range from the human voice to an assortment of reed, diaphragm, bellows, flute, or whistle devices. Some of them are extremely simple and easy to learn. Others demand quite an investment of time and effort. Beyond learning how the call works, however, the caller needs to learn how to talk to he species being hunted. Most waterfowl species have “hail” or “greeting” calls, “feeding” or more correctly, flock talk, calls, and “mated pair” calls. All of them can be used effectively to bring birds to the gun or camera.
Calling can be learned effectively in several ways. A local caller may be willing to teach the basics. Records or tapes are available from most manufacturers of calls. Listening to wild or domesticated birds can also be effective. AN accomplished duck hunter should be able to use a mallard call, a diver call, and a pintail whistle. The mallard cal is the familiar “quack.” It is produced by blowing air through the diaphragm through slightly pursed lips and shutting the flow off with the top of the tongue. The effect is one of saying hoo-oot! With an inflection or increase in air pressure on the second part of the call. The note should be sharply cut off at the end, not allowed to slur. Once that is learned, the hail or highball is simply the conversation of a hen mallard. Qua quaaaaa quaaaaa quaaa quaaa quaak” with a rising inflection on the first couple of quacks and a slightly falling one on the rest of the notes. Listen to hen mallards talk and try to imitate them. The feed call (not really, but that is what it is called) is simply a series of triple tongued “tuks.” It is made by saying “duga duga duga …” or “tuka tuka tuka …” into the call while puffing gently from the diaphragm. Those two calls are the basics for mallards and many other puddle ducks. The “come back” call is similar to the high ball, but somewhat more drawn out, sounding pleading. Many divers have a burring call that can easily be produced by vibrating the tongue while blowing through the call. The result is a “brrrrrt brrrrrt …” with a rising inflection on the latter part of each call that will capture the attention of passing cans, redheads, and scaup.
Pintails have a piping whistle. Using a police whistle without a ball, a couple of soda bottles screw-on caps with a nail hole in them, or a commercial pintail whistle can produce it. The resulting call is a “wheeep wheeep …” that is attractive to pintails, teal, wood ducks, and widgeon. Several manufacturers also make specialized wood duck calls that imitate the squealing call of the hen woodie.
Goose callers have a similar range of possible calls. Canadas use the familiar “ker honk!” for long-range communication. They also “grumble” or ”growl” both on the ground and in the air. Mated pairs use a doubled “kee honk kee” to discuss their locations and status when they land. That mating call is very effective when used in the fall as well. The array of calling devices for geese can be bewildering to the beginner. Pick one that you can use effectively and learn how to use it. Once that call has been mastered, you can expand your repertoire. Snows and white-fronts use a choppier call that sounds almost like barking. Listen to what they say and talk back.
The Best Waterfowl Call
Most experienced waterfowlers will agree that the best way to attract ducks or geese is to unwrap a sandwich, pour a cup of hot coffee or tea, re-rig a decoy or answer the call of nature. Any of these actions tend to produce a nearly immediate response. The reason may be general cussedness, but a more likely explanation is the movement involved. Resting waterfowl frequently stretch their wings or bathe. Their actions produce flashes of black or white, splashes that look silvery from a distance, and waves or ripples. The hunter can do similar things without being at a disadvantage.
Several techniques have proven themselves effective at adding movement to a decoy spread. Hunters may use either white or black flags, but they should contrast with the background for best visibility, to attract the attention of passing birds. Some people use rubber straps or pulley devices to move decoys through the water. Others have even motorized decoys to make them swim around in the rig. Occasionally throwing a handful of pebbles into the middle of the decoy rig will turn ducks effectively. Where the gunners are standing in water, doing a dance to produce some splashing and waves may work, too. Some hunters even use balloons or kites that are painted like the birds they are after to give the impression that other birds are landing in the decoy spread. Hunters in pit blinds may move goose decoys by hand to give the impression of live birds. These tricks may not work all the time (if I knew any that did work all the time, I would keep them a secret!) but they may help on days when the birds are not cooperating with methods that are more conventional.
Be Prepared
Waterfowl hunting takes place during fall and winter. Waterfowlers like weather that sounds like their quarry – foul. It is usually cold, often blustery, and frequently wet. Those conditions are good for hunting ducks, but they also pose some serious problems for the hunter. The type of weather described here is excellent for producing hypothermia, a potentially life-threatening condition. Even relatively mild temperatures can cause problems. Since hypothermia is easier to prevent than to treat, the best approach is to have adequate protection against wind, wet and cold. The waterfowl hunter needs freedom of movement, good wind protection, and good wetness protection. Since plenty of work is often involved before the sitting begins, the clothing also needs to be layered.
Most waterfowl hunting takes place around water. Hunters wade or use watercraft of some type to reach the hunting areas. Fall and winter water is very unforgiving of foolishness like overloading boats, failing to use personal flotation devices, and venturing out in boats inadequate for the conditions. The waterfowler should have a high quality, sealed foam PFD and use it! They should have adequate boats for the conditions and be very skilled in using them. Prevention may be the only way to avoid disaster on a lonely marsh or bay in the dark.
The basic rules of shooting safety also apply in waterfowl hunting. Nearly every accident that takes place in the marsh is the result of a violation of simple safety rules. One of the most critical when shooting from confined quarters is well defined zones of fire. Waterfowlers need to be concerned about the potential dangers of shooting at cripples, such as ricochets from the water’s surface and other hunters in the line of fire. They must also be aware of the range of the loads being used to be sure that the entire shot fall zone is clear. Careful determination of clear fields of fire is particularly important in crowded public areas, since the other shooters are likely to be camouflaged and difficult to see. Waterfowlers should also be aware of potential dangers from others. Watch for signs that the stopped vehicle on the road may be the target of a sneaking shooter who has failed to recognize them as fakes. Give such situations immediate and clear attention, being careful not to become a victim of an unrestrained shooter.
Arms and Ammunition for Waterfowl Hunting
A few legal restrictions apply to modern waterfowl arms and ammunition. Firearms must be capable of holding no more than three shells and they cannot be larger than 10 gauge. The requirement that approved non-toxic shot be used means that 28 gauge and .410 bore shotguns cannot be used because no suitable ammunition is available. Ethical restrictions require that the shooter use a combination of arm and ammunition that effects clean kills and that the gunner stay within the limitations of the tools at hand. The arms and ammunition need to be matched to the ability of the shooter, the game being hunted, and the conditions of the hunt. In essence, the future of waterfowl hunting lies with big bore shotguns able to handle large payloads of big steel shot.
The traditional lead shot loads for waterfowl ranged from #6 shot over decoys to #4 and #2 shot for longer range shooting. Since soft iron shot is lighter and loses its energy faster, the wise waterfowler goes up at least one or tow shot sizes when switching to “steel.” Although the number of pellets in a lighter load of steel shot is slightly smaller than in a comparable load of lead shot of a smaller size, the hardness of the shot tends to keep a higher percentage in the pattern. Thus, the shooter may get better patterns with steel than with the best lead loads from the dame gun. That change in pattern density may be enough to permit dropping down one or more levels of choke without losing pattern density. Most ammunition manufacturers have produced sets of recommendations for shot charge and shot size for waterfowl. A third major difference in shooting steel shot is the increased velocity of the steel loads over standard lead loads. The increased velocity adds energy to the shot, but some shooters will tend to over-lead birds until they adapt to the ammunition. Swing through shooting normally gives better results than sustained lead shooting in learning to hit with steel. As with any other shotgun shooting, patterning our shotgun to see how well and where it puts its pattern is a very important process.
Concealment
Most waterfowl hunting is done from some type of concealed position. Ducks and geese see very well, and even hunters who are jump shooting find camouflage clothing to be helpful. Pass shooters and decoy hunters usually use some type of blind. The simplest and often best blinds are patches of available cover barely large enough to conceal the hunter. Keeping blinds small and unobtrusive is a good strategy whenever possible. On the opposite end to the spectrum, extremely large and obvious blinds may also be quite effective.
Sometimes a boat serves as a blind. It is usually covered with netting or vegetation. Specialized boats known as layout boats are used in gunning waterfowl. These craft are low floating, wide-beamed boats that offer a very stable shooting platform with a low profile. Layout boats are used mainly in hunting diving ducks. A coffin-like boat, known as a coffin box or gunning coffin, is often used to hunt marshes. It is pulled or pushed into the marsh vegetation, covered with vegetation, and used as a single person blind. Boats may also be pulled into a hedge or screen of netting or vegetation and used as a gunning platform within that box or screen.
Blinds may be built on the shore from available materials that blend with the shoreline, e.g. rocks on a stony point, brush along the edge of a beaver swamp, or cattails along the edge of a marsh. Where snow cover is common, a simple white box makes an excellent blind. These blinds can be moved into shallow water by placing them on stilts or stakes.
Pit blinds, from simple slit trenches to elaborate heated pits, are used in hunting waterfowl in many areas. Where tidal movement is minimal, pit blinds with extendible curtains to keep out the water may be used. They cannot float, however, since any floating device that conceals the hunter below the water becomes a sinkbox and is illegal.
Beyond blinds, waterfowl hunters usually employ camouflage clothing. That clothing comes in many patterns and colors, designed to blend with the background, whether green, brown, rusty, white, leaf pattern, cattail pattern, etc, and to break up the outline of the hunter. Sometimes an obvious color is used, white, for example, that blends better with the decoys than with the background. That amounts to hiding by being very obvious. The best of camouflage and blinds cannot make up for the flashes of skin when hunters look at their potential prey or for movement in the blind. Skin color can be changed using camo head nets or face paint. Movement needs to be the responsibility of the shooters themselves.
Waterfowling Tactics
Waterfowl are hunted in many ways, but the techniques may be lumped into three categories: jump shooting, pass shooting, and decoying. Jump shooting includes sculling and drifting as well as sneaking resting or feeding birds. Decoying includes the use of tolling dogs. Those minor techniques are not covered here.
Jump shooting involves stalking feeding or resting waterfowl or potential locations for them. Usually the action comes fast and relatively close. It is over in seconds. The hunter must move very cautiously and quietly through the cover, while remaining alert for signs of waterfowl. Often an open choked, short-barreled gun more often thought of as an upland bird gun is most effective for jump shooting.
The pass shooter is at the opposite end of the waterfowling spectrum. Pass shooters wait below traditional flight lines, shooting waterfowl that are flying along those routes. Pass shooting is usually a long-range game that involves long-barreled (for better pointing and smoother swing), tight choked guns shooting maximum charges of big shot. Pass shooting is more deliberate and requires good range estimation and restraint.
Decoying waterfowl is a technique that attempts to bring the birds to the gun. The hunter must know the birds, their habits, and their habitats. Decoys must be rigged in an attractive manner and the gunner must often use a call. The decoy hunter pays careful attention to the wind and the way various species come to the stool. They may use more open guns that the pass shooter, but often they will have at least one barrel that is tightly choked for flaring birds. Decoy hunters may employ confidence birds, like coots, herons, gulls, or crows to increase the drawing power of their sets. Duck hunters often add a few geese to the rig, both in an effort to pull some geese and to add visibility and drawing power for ducks.
Estimating Range
If a simple technique for estimating range were available, everyone would use it. Many waterfowlers use feather detail or the ability to see the bird’s eye as a cue to its being in range. Others use a dead bird and cover it with wither the muzzle or the bead of a shotgun at various ranges. They use the maximum range as a criterion for shooting or holding their fire. Those who use the latter technique must apply it to several species to be most effective, however. A giant Canada goose is a much larger bird than a green-winged teal. Experiment with different techniques until you find one that works consistently for you.
Shooting Techniques
As in most other types of shotgun hunting, waterfowlers use three basic forms of shooting: sustained lead, swing through, and spot shooting. Pass shooters use sustained leads most often, where a visual distance between the passing bird and the muzzle results in consistent hits is determined by trial and error. Basically, the bird is towed through the skies by the muzzle of the gun. Quick calculation of sustained leads requires processing of the complex data set involving flight velocity of the bird and travel time for the shot charge. That requires either a great deal of experience or a mini-computer. Some hunters find the system works well for them while most find the swing-through better.
Swing-through shooting establishes the appropriate lead by controlling the speed of the barrel’s movement. The shooter starts behind the bird, swings rapidly through it, fires as the muzzle clears it and continues with a fast follow through. Lock time and travel time for the shot provides some lead and at least partial compensation for distance. Swinging through shots is relatively independent of flight angles and somewhat more “instinctive” than is sustained lead shooting. It also assures greater target concentration and is similar to the techniques used in the basic shotgun marksmanship lessons.
Spot shooting involves the use of a stopped gun, pointing at the spot where the bird is expected to be when the shot charge arrives. Some gunners are very effective with the technique, particularly on jumping or decoying birds; but it is not consistent with good shotgun shooting in general. Spot shooting may have some place in the waterfowler’s bag of tricks, but it should be placed near the bottom. Other techniques are much more likely to produce consistent results.
Waterfowling Summary
Waterfowl hunting is a complex sport, but one that can be learned in stages. It involves hunting fast-flying game at a variety of distances in many types of cover. The quarry ranges in size from buffleheads, ruddy ducks, and green-winged teal (about the size of the average fist) to giant Canada geese, tundra swans, and mute swans 14-26 pounds). The shooting can be fast and close or deliberate and at long ranges. A variety of strategies can be employed, but they all boil down to a few basics. The hunter tries to get the birds as close as possible, to make the shots as simple as possible, and to assure easy recovery of cleanly killed birds. That involves careful selection of hunting techniques and tools to match the situations at hand. It also argues strongly for plenty of scouting and study of the birds, their habitat, and their habits. Dedicated waterfowlers often become active in a variety of conservation organizations and in the other activities that surround the sport – retrievers, boats, decoys, conservation activities, wildlife art, and wetland conservation.
