Scouting Question

[schr0563]

Taking the time to scout before a hunt will drastically improve your chances at seeing some birds come sunrise - this has been confirmed by countless reports on this HSOforum alone.

So if I happen to be driving the backroads checking out fields and potholes and come accross a few hundred, or even a few dozen, feeding birds clearly I have identified a place I SHOULD hunt. What I am curious about are the criteria that people use to identify places they SHOULDN'T hunt. Are there specific "red flags" that suggest that a spot may not be productive?

[mudslinger]

I wont hunt areas with a lot of surface weeds like pads or duck weed. Also, are the ducks feeding, roosting, or resting in said scouting spots? Where you see ducks dabbling mid-day, while scouting, may be nice to see but might not be the greatest place to set up for only a quick morning hunt. This i learned the hard way

[Farley]

if you see them in a field, IMO its better to hunt them there. You can shoot at them there and chances are they will fly back to the roost then probably come back the next day. If they dont they'll find another field around the area to feed. If you hunt them on the roost, then you'll probably push them out of the area, especially if there isnt a whole lot of water around.

As far as places not to hunt, I've seen ducks everywhere from a 5 foot by 5 foot puddle to a flooded standing cornfield. Only thing is if theyre not there to begin with, chances are they wont be there in the am.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I wont hunt birds that jump off the ground or act spooky the minute i stop the vehicle. also, i tend to scout at night to hunt at night...meaning many times we've hunted ducks in the a.m. to not have them come in the same numbers to the feed that we watched the night before.