Scouting question?

[Sportland_Bait]

I am a novice waterfowler but I am thinking about getting into it a bit more seriously. In the past we always took a trip or two each year to ND and jump shot potholes. But I am not sure what is the best practice for scouting birds to set up decoys the next morning. Can you guys give me any advice for scouting ducks and geese? Especially interested in field hunting. What time of the day do you watch for birds? Etc. Thanks.

Jason

[TylerS]

Well, chances are if you've been jump shooting potholes you've also been doing your fair share of roost busting. That likely explains why you haven't had much luck decoying.

Scouting fields is much the same as scouting water. Go out at prime time (typically right around sunrise and a couple hours before sunset) and drive through likely areas. You can get a good sense of where to go based on satellite pictures (Google Maps, Google Earth, etc.). Look for swaths of ponds and standing water.

It helps to have a spotter in the car, both for safety's sake as well as the extra set of eyes. Watch the air, but concentrate lower in the sky. Flocks really high likely are migrators and aren't worth following. This isn't always a steadfast rule, but is accurate more often than not. Flocks flying lower in the atmosphere, however, likely have a destination in mind. Find a likely flock and follow it as best you can. If it's early in the morning or late in the afternoon and they birds light in a field, you have a good candidate for a field hunt. Pay careful attention to where the birds are in the field, how they are acting (jumpy, content, feeding, sleeping) and how many there are. You'll want to replicate this as best you can the next morning. Also pay attention to the surroundings and what's in the field. Will there be enough vegetation to hide blinds? Are there low spots or cattail sloughs nearby to conceal hunters? Is there a place to park the car away from the field? Is it posted and, if so, is there a name and phone number to contact and ask for permission? Is the field drivable, or will you have to huff out your gear 300 yards through knee-deep slop?

If the birds fly to water instead of a field, watch it for a bit. If the spot is sucking in tons of birds, don't hunt it. It's likely a roost and hunting it will push the birds off. You might get one good hunt out of the spot and that's it.

If you find a roost, look for neighboring bodies of water that may also be holding birds. If this is late morning (10-11 a.m.) and you're watching smaller flocks of ducks coming back from the feed, you could have a transition slough on you hands. These are excellent places to hunt, as birds that are shot at will have a better chance of simply retreating to their roost rather than vacating the entire area. You can have several good hunts in a row on a transition slough without impacting duck patterns.

Other than that, just put in the time and be mindful of private property. While unposted land is legal to hunt without permission, it only takes one bad egg to spoil it for everyone. Posted land is becoming more of the norm than the exception lately, largely because of slob hunters. Take care to leave it better than you found it, and if conditions do not warrant driving in the field, for goodness sake don't do it.

I hope you have good luck next time you're in Nodak, one of the last great states to truly freelance a hunt.

[Roosterslayer05]

Scout when the birds are flying, morning and evning. If you see a pond holding birds DONT JUMP IT. Leave them alone and go hunt it in the morning. Best thing to do is find a roost and follow the birds to wherever there going. Dont hunt the roost. If you go to a spot early in the morning and a ton of birds are already in there its a roost. If its a feeding pond there wont be any birds in it or maybe a couple when you show up in the morning, then they will pile in around shooting time. I know allot of guys, esp in nodak, dont like water hunting but I shot a pile of ducks over water this year and never busted a single roost.

[Roosterslayer05]

If you find a roost, look for neighboring bodies of water that may also be holding birds. If this is late morning (10-11 a.m.) and you're watching smaller flocks of ducks coming back from the feed, you could have a transition slough on you hands. These are excellent places to hunt, as birds that are shot at will have a better chance of simply retreating to their roost rather than vacating the entire area. You can have several good hunts in a row on a transition slough without impacting duck patterns.

Transition sloughs or "loafing spots" are my favorite place to hunt. If you shoot at the birds they just fly to the roost. If you can see the roost from your spot you can watch birds get off the roost and most of the time they come right to you. The best thing about these spots is the birds usually trickle in after they are done feeding and you get allot of singles, pairs, and small flocks. You can shoot your birds without educating allot of them and get out of there. If you do it right you can hunt a transition spot multiple times a week for the whole season and shoot birds.

[WallyGader]

Other than that, just put in the time and be mindful of private property. While unposted land is legal to hunt without permission, it only takes one bad egg to spoil it for everyone. Posted land is becoming more of the norm than the exception lately, largely because of slob hunters. Take care to leave it better than you found it, and if conditions do not warrant driving in the field, for goodness sake don't do it.

I hope you have good luck next time you're in Nodak, one of the last great states to truly freelance a hunt.

+1

Even the simplest of things like picking up your shell casings can go a LONG way with landowners.

As far as the scouting tyler did a good job explaining. Both morning and evenings are the best time, but ultimatly the eveings. Setting decoys in the field with honkers its more important to be exactly where they were and duplicating how you saw them before. With ducks its easier to run traffic.

[Sportland_Bait]

Never said we were all that unsuccessful decoying. Mostly just wanted to know some techniques for scouting fields. Especially the time of day that is best. Hoping to do a little goose hunting here in mn. Thanks for the advice. I understand the roost issue better And better all the time. Especially important to the field hunters in the area.

Jason