Crazy Crazy Crazy!

[jnorm1984]

U waterfowl hunters gotta have a screw loose, Im sure of this! I have a couple buddies who are as crazy as you all are and I havent figured it out yet. Waking up at 3 am, setting out 150 dekes, in a barren field, only to kill a couple of sky carp! But really, I love it and praise you guys. I picked my passion to be bowhunting, cause I could never find time for both. But what I'm wondering is what makes you guys tic. What is it about a flock of 200 Canadians setting, unknowingly, into your spread, why would that ever get you excited? Whats your story on why you are a waterfowler?

[fishkid]

any body can trick a duck or a goose or a deer but when you have a flock of 200 geese with 400 eyes that you have to fool it is awesome. seeing how the dance down in when they really want it bad gets anybodies heart pumping. or big water diver hunting when you have a flock of 30 bills comming in to ur dekes in a line then all a sudden bunch up into a ball and stick out the landing gear! cant beat that.

[jnorm1984]

love it!

[benbosh]

I like the fact of calling in the birds and watching them react and the challenge of figuring out what notes they like and don't like on a day to day basis. And don't have to worry about stinking and being really quiet like bowhunting, but i still am a bow hunter. Stickin' a arrow through a deer is awesome but watching a flock of mallards or any other kind of duck and working them with the call is sweet. Aint nothin' better then watchin ducks drop outta the sky at 300 ft to back peddling over the dekes a couple minutes later.

[JAR JAR]

or big water diver hunting when you have a flock of 30 bills comming in to ur dekes in a line then all a sudden bunch up into a ball and stick out the landing gear! cant beat that.

NOW THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!!!!

Jar Jar

[JPowell]

I second that ben...i like that you can stand around and exchange stories with your buddies while you are out waiting for birds to come in.

JP

[BoxMN]

Amen to all of the above, but I think a big part of it is the social aspect. You can be in a boat or blind with your Dad/kid/friends and be talking and having a good time up until the action starts. Then you get to give praise or heckle the great shots or great misses, and you get to share it. I deer hunt and love it, but not like duck hunting- I think because you get to share it with whoever is with you.

Also, it can't be said how much fun it is simply shoot, even if you miss, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with 2 cycle smoke is awesome in the foggy mornings

Plus, duck hunters have cool "stuff" - from dekes to boats to different boots and waders to different dogs... the list is endless. You don't need it all, but it is cool, kinda like ice fishing It is just fun to be with others who do the same stoooopid stuff (i.e. get up early, in a storm, when its cold) just for a chance at flock of bills coming in

Sorry, you got me going, now a short answer turned into long post, ha! Good topic!!!!

[Lunker]

All of the above, but I agree with BoxMN especially.

I love deer hunting(bow and rifle), but I also enjoy sitting in a blind with a couple of buddies shootin the breeze, drinkin coffee and having a dip.

Not that I won't duck hunt alone, but it is much more enjoyable with company.

[honker23]

ben hit it on the head for me. It's the interaction with live birds and "fooling" them with the calls. Some days it's like you have a string around their neck, and that one note/call can just about flip them over and into the dekes.

That's also why i love to hunt mallards on the water with a 10-15 mph sounth wind the day after a front with blue skies.

[GooBack]

i like it cuz you get to shoot alot. thats all im good at right now.

[jnorm1984]

everyone who replied............ THATS! WHAT I WAS LOOKIN FOR! keep em comin! love to see the passion you have for your sport

[cutter08]

Like everyone els said fooling birds and shooting the breeze with friends is part of the fun in waterfowl hunting. But for me a big part of it is watching the dog make a good retrieve on a crippled bird. Especially when its a diver. With how much time and effort that goes into training a duck dog, Its all worth it when they get a bird that would be next to imposable to get without a dog.

[Gordie]

The sounds of the wings that go whistling over your head at 5 min before shooting and then of course that flock of ducks that do excactly what you wanted them to do is a rush. The mornings in the duck swamp,lake are some of the most spectacular I have ever witnessed in my life with or with out ducks its stuff like that keep me coming back. watching my boys first duck drop out of the sky as his eyes get as big as bicycle refectors because he just got a duck. proud dad moment memorys from past duck hunting trips with dad grandpa friends. keep me coming back. watching a dog do it s job. always ready do do it again and again.being able to say where are the birds and you can see it in the dogs eyes like christmas morning when the kids see whats under the tree. If that aint enough to keep me hunting.

I love to see geese fold up after I pull the trigger and even if they dont fold up and they fly by because I missed. the fact that I called those geee to my spread is enough gradafication and that will always keep me coming back to duck hunting. the list goes on and on so I guess If you have to ask you'll never understand. well thats what I tell the wife anyways

[Tyler23]

if i could only hunt one thing in my life it would be by far waterfowl... its sooo much fun..alot of work but can be rewarding

[Superduty]

You guys hit on many of the reasons why I chase waterfowl. Bottom line, I hunt waterfowl because I have to. Tried to give it up a few years back while I got into fall fishing. Couldn't stay away. Duck hunting is: expensive, hard work, wet, cold, muddy...It is an addiction.

[Gordie]

I agree superduty

HI MY NAME IS GORDIE AND I'M ADDICTED TO WATERFOWLING

[kc0myy]

Thats it. we are making a new group duck hunters anonymous (DHA). its nice to meet you Gordie. I am Justin I live in annandale MN and I have duck hunter for 7 years now. I am trying to stop duck hunting. but seeing the sun riases the rain, snow, fog, and ducks I I...just can't stop. I love to see mallards move there head side to side looking to make sure it "safe" to land. i just want to see more and shoot more. I am sorry guys I start crying now here but I need help. please help me quit!!! now all of you men who don't think you have a problem you do please join DHA. lol

[Gordie]

group hug

[benbosh]

tear....

[JAR JAR]

Sniff Sniff....

[dan z]

its all about the early morning decoys sets, [PoorWordUsage] ing between flocks, talks about previous hunts and future hunts. giving people [PoorWordUsage] about flaring ducks when they dont do the dance. its about how many flocks can you outsmart during the day. its about how unique every bird is. IMO they all have different looks( straighter lines brighter colors darker colors...) this is just the tip of the ice berg for most of us. I could talk for days weeks and heck my gf catches me talkng bout it all freakin year long LOL. new decoys new calls blah blah blah is all she hears but I will never stop hunting ducks and geese till the day my arms fall off. or until I parish and go to duck heaven

[carpshooterdeluxe]

walk into a flooded corn field to see thousands of mallards erupt into the air....

sit on a hill top at lac qui parle and watch tens of thousands of canada geese fly over you...

sit on a gravel road and watch wave after wave of migrating snows and blues pile into a corn field knowing you have permission and will be laying in that corn in 10 hours....

having birds almost break their necks they turn so hard to the call or flag...

thats why i do it.

[RumRiverRat]

The title of your post sums it up.

I am crazy.

Thanks to Superduty I now enjoy freezing my butt of during late goose, that is a special kind of crazy if you ask me.

I am shivering just thinking about it.

[matt f]

A pictures worth a 1000 words

[Gordie]

Mattf thanks for the fix