Duck hunting is a nationwide sport that has been going on for thousands of years; Whether it be young kids with dads or elders who have been hunting for their whole life. This article will give you the best spots, how to get started and how to make it fun.
Why do people go duck hunting?
People go duck hunting because they enjoy the outdoors. My father, Case Schopeke, a man who has been hunting his whole life with his father said, “My favorite part about duck huntings is getting to watch the world wake up and shoot a gun.” Some people enjoy the early mornings and late nights, while others just enjoy shooting the gun. My father likes all aspects. Personally, I go duck hunting for the memories with my buddies and because of the taste of duck meat. Also, My most favorite part is being awake before the sun comes up and watching the sunrise as there is nothing to compare to. Watching the world wake up and come alive is a different kind of freedom I hope everyone can experience at least once.
How is duck hunting fun?
As Steve Schwartz, author of the article A Quick Guide to Run-and-Gun Duck Hunting, said “Other hunters can go to war for waterfowl with their $70,000 boats, 150-decoy spreads, and sleepless nights, and I’ll be out-maneuvering them on foot, happily shooting my way to a limit one at a time.” You don’t need to spend your life savings on a hit or miss sport. Many people get away with kayaking out to a blind (a structure to help you not be seen by ducks, usually camouflage with sticks, leaves and a camo see through sheet), and with their gun and a couple decoys. Now you don’t need any fancy decoys; a dozen or 2 mallards will do the trick. Although, a trick I learned from Ben Brettingen, author of the article, Everything You Need to Know About Duck Hunting, he states “motion decoys! The creation of the spinning wing decoy fundamentally changed the waterfowl game for decades. For many years in the north, we’d joke that you’d have a better chance of shooting a limit of ducks over one spinning wing decoy than a whole spread of regular one.”. Duckies are skeptical little things, motion decoys move and look real, making the duck feel safe to come in and take a dip in your lake, pond or marsh. Even if you don’t get motion decoys, your chances of getting a duck, let alone a limit, with still decoys will be less than if you had motion decoys, but not a make or break kind of deal.
How do you go duck hunting?
To go duck hunting on water you need to get up a few hours before shooting light which is normally at sunrise. Shooting light is the legal shooting time for those hunting waterfowl. This time ranges day to day, but usually between 3 hours till sunrise and 3 hours until sunset. Brettingen also states in his article that “From the day the season opened in late September, there were plenty of puddlers to chase. At some point in the middle of October, you’d inevitably get a nice snowstorm pushing new birds down, and this kept happening all the way until freeze up, normally sometime at the end of November.” This gives a monthly time range of when the season begins and when the season unfortunately ends. Along with that, you’re gonna need some coffee, you’ve spent all this time getting up and getting ready to shoot some birds, why not treat yourself? Finally to make your trip 10 times better, make sure you bring a buddy along. You may not think this but you’re gonna make some of the best times with your buddy, creating a friendship you didn’t even know was possible.
To end the article, just have fun, relax and enjoy your time. Don’t stress about not getting a duck, it is a sport for enjoyment and a good time with family and buddies. Don’t take these times for granted and get ready for the crack of dawn wakes and midnight rests.
