bit of advice on shooting duck

alan86

right lads looking for a bit of adivce. i will be looking to going out tonight for the first time to try and get some duck. the land i am shooting has a river running through it but no ponds. just wondering does it matter what time i should be going out. should i sit in a hide or should i walk the river bank.i will have the springer with me so i suppose it is best to have her walking to heal. any bit of advice is welcome as this is my first season.

thanks alan

deeksofdoom

Walk the river bank but stay well back from the edge, you will find duck in sheltered areas under trees.

alan86

thanks for that lad should i wait till it starts to get dark or dose it not matter on a river

J.R.

When searching for duck activity along a river don’t walk along the edge of the river bank looking for signs. If you do they will see you coming from a distance & will immediately take flight, well out of range. Precisely pinpointing the location of duck is of utmost importance to being a successful duck hunter. Hunting late-season wary duck will emphasise this fact.

To begin scouting the river walk along the bank, about 20 metres out in the field from the bank, and every so often stop and walk slowly, carefully and on full alert, while crouching down, into a likely spot by the river bank and carefully look up & down, with as little movement as possible. Look for ripples in the water or signs of activity where the river bends. Listen for quacking. Duck can often be hidden under overhanging vegetation so take time observing. Also check the vegetation on the bank as they may be out sunning, resting or preening.

If nothing is there return to the field about 20 metres from the bank and continue to walk silently again (at this distance if anything rises you'll get a shot but ducks on the river will not see you coming). Travel about 30 metres down the field and again walk carefully into the bank...look up and down to see if you can see any duck on the river.

Proceed like this, in & out to the bank, & you may get a shot as you sneak in on some duck. If some rise out of range let them go. Mentally mark the spot & return again some other day. Duck tend to return to the same spots to feed. Often when walking along the river you'll hear them quacking so listen carefully for sounds which will forewarn you of their presence.

When you do walk into the river bank and see some duck upriver in the distance (usually at the bend!!!) make a mental picture of where they are in relation to the field you're in....about 15 metres from next hedge, 10 metres beyond the cattle trough etc. Look at the vegetation on the bank where you’ve spotted the duck…is there anything that can be used as a landmark to pinpoint their location? Then go back to field and carefully sneak up & in where you've mentally marked. (If you don’t mark the spot where they are, mentally, it can be difficult to pin-point where they are when you return to the field for the stalk.) When sneaking in be on the alert to your left and right, as well as straight ahead, as you may not have pinpointed the spot exactly.

This form of duck hunting can be very productive and enjoyable. When duck are encountered make a mental note of the location to use to your advantage in future hunts.

This can be done any time of the day.

alan86

thanks for that jr thats some serious info u have given me. sounds like a man who knows what he is talking about.right going heading out soon hopefully it will be good news.

EPointer=Birdss

Well put JR.
Don't forget the dog on heal & no noisy clothes if possible. Where ditches meet the river hop them further into the field where possible.
Bring your waders in case the dog doesn't mark the bird. when a few do get up pick 1 bird & fire & then a 2nd if the chance arises. Don't just fire into the bunch & hope for a fall
Also aim for drakes

alan86

thanks for that epointer dont know how much i will remember when a couple get up but sound for the help. went out tonight anyway and none to been seen it had all the signs of someone been there before me but it was nice to just get out. let the springer hunt a few ditches on the way back to the van so she was happy out aswell.

FISMA

alan86,
We all have our own way of doing things, however, I have found that ducks in Ireland, especially on the Shannon, want nothing to do with humans.

I have not had much luck at the ambush method. The ducks where I shoot bolt at the sight of a person. 200 or 300 yards out and they are gone. It is trying to stalk within shotgun range.

Anyhow, you'll have to sit and be patient. They will come to you. Find the spot they like and set up before light. They will come.

Watch how you walk, especially if the area is wet. Flying birds will see your tracks from a mile away and know the land has been disturbed. Trampled grass and reeds looks like a road map from above.

Try to find cover that has been there and not create new cover with which they are not familiar on the day you head out. A bit of camo cover should be fine though.

The ducks will know the land, so disturb it as little as possible.

Patience will be rewarded.

J.R.

If you're having no luck on the river and fancy some evening flight at duck & there's no ponds about then you've a very good chance of getting a few shots in corn fields cut....wheat, barley oats etc.

Lots of grain is left on the ground in stubble fields and ducks come in at dusk to feed.

The first night will really be a scouting mission to find out if duck are coming it and where.

A windy night is best. Set yourself up beside a hedge with the wind at your back. Duck will land into the wind....with the wind blowing in their faces (like all birds & planes)

Listen carefully and you may hear them quacking or you may hear the whistle of air through their wings as they approach.

They will come in just as dusk approaches......you will know the time as the blackbirds will begin to sing & chirp before settling down. When you hear the blackbirds keep your eyes & ears peeled......duck will appear (if about) within 10 - 15 minutes.

Duck may land at the other end of the field the first night & you not get a shot.........but you'll then know the best position to be in for the next night as they return from the same direction, feeling confident, safe and secure when not shot at in that spot before.

blackstairsboy

I would love to try shooting duck on stubble but I doubt that it would work in my area. A relatively low mallard population combined with a vast acreage of barley and wheat would really make it a hit and miss affair. Might do some recce and see over the weekend.

highduck

Alan86,

The above is all top class advice(from good guys-reading their posts) and as you try all the above methods and situations you will realize this.

There is nothing like getting your first few duck in each of these situations.Every one of the above situations still excites me as much today as it did when I was in your situation 25 years ago.
Try them all and you will build up an invaluable knowledge of your sport and your area.Patience will stand you in good stead wildfowling.

If I had one piece of advice it would be don't over shoot any one spot no matter how good you think it is.It is also important that if birds aren't coming into you exactly one evening/morning but they are coming into that area, don't fire at them just for the sake of it.You cant place yourself better the next time.I have found that you will often learn more in an evening where you never fire a shot than if you fire a box of cartridges.

Good luck.:)

HD.

J.R.

blackstairsboy wrote: »

I would love to try shooting duck on stubble but I doubt that it would work in my area. A relatively low mallard population combined with a vast acreage of barley and wheat would really make it a hit and miss affair. Might do some recce and see over the weekend.

You're dead right - it's a hit & miss affair everywhere.

I've been shooting duck over stubble for a long, long time and it's practically impossible to pick which field would be the best one. It's just a case of scouting.

Years ago, I checked a permission we had that runs alonside the river. There were six stubble fields (barley) running alongside the river. We checked it out a few evenings and nothing....even though we knew there were duck along the river.

The same farmer also had stubble on a slight hill at the oppisite side of the road....about 2 miles from the river. We hadn't ever tried it as we had concentrated along the river. I was driviing past the hillside stubble fields one evening at dusk and about 20 feet high over the car I saw a flock of about 15 mallards crossing into the field.......followed by another flock....then another!

There was nothing special about that field...same farmer....same crop...planted same time....harvested same time......but miles from the river.

Each year afterwards ducks continued to return to that hillside stubble field....so when you do find the field they frequent you could have some sport there for a number of seasons.