First hunt.

[fisherman149]

Well i never have been hunting before and i want to go duck hunting. i was wondering if it would be a good idea to go on a guided duck hunt sense i really dont have any mentors to take me hunting. (im 17 and dad never hunts) so what it be worth doing a guided trip to get an idea of it i been shooting trap for my high school team so i got some shotgun experince. Could anyone subjective a good guide?

[Scott M]

If you have been shooting trap for high school I take it you are firearms safety certified.

I would reach out to the Minnesota Waterfowl Association and see if they can help line you up with someone. There should be plenty of people willing to take you out locally rather than having you hire a guide.

I would suggest putting up an email address you can be reached at. The mentor is probably going to want to work this through your parents even though you are 17, just as you never know what kind of people are out there.

I can sympathize with your situation as my parents and family never hunted. I went to Greenwings for years and accumulated gear, went out shooting a few times, but if no one takes you, how will you ever go? I have a full boat for opener but if something else comes up I am happy to take you.

[fisherman149]

Thank you i will look in to the MN waterfowl associations and yes i have my gun safety. ill just put my email up its [email protected]

[Gordie]

I know you are quite a distance from me but maybe this fall we could also work something out to get you out I have two sons that love waterfowling

ages 16 and 13.

I'm sure that there will be one or two open weekends we could squeeze you in the boat but that may mean driving up this way.

[Scott M]

You can reach out to the Minnesota Waterfowl Association at their HSOforum. Brad Nylin is their executive director. You can reach him via his twitter page or via email with a little searching. https://twitter.com/mnwaterfowl/

The only reason I suggested MWA is I know a bunch of their guys and they are top notch. You might find some great people with a local Ducks Unlimited Chapter, local Sportsman's Club, or your local Delta Waterfowl chapter.

Reach out and you'll run into someone to take you; your MEA weekend will be a great chance to get out during the week. For that weekend, if you can't hook up with someone, at least see if someone will borrow you a pair of waders, some camo and calls, and a dozen decoys. A lot of places you can just walk in and hunt.

Good luck. Keep asking questions and reaching out and you'll get out there.

[fisherman149]

thanks gordie if you have an open spot or something we can arange i would be interested going along and thanks da chise31 the funny thing is my birthday usualy falls on mea weekend so that would work out great for a present haha and i plan on contacting all of the organizations listed see if they do anything

[fisherman149]

What are some calls you would suggest for duck hunting?

[benbosh]

If you are just starting I'd recommend a double reed call. I wouldn't spend alot of money on fancy calls, save that money for waders, decoys, etc. Some less expensive calls I have used and liked were the Buck Gardner Double Nasty, Primos Timber Wench, and Duck Commander Duck Picker. I still have all 3 of those calls and find myself using them almost more often than my fancy single reed that I thought I needed a few years ago.

[fisherman149]

Ok thank you ill look into them

[Gordie]

Email me you address and I will send you a vid on how to call ducks Its a VHS tape and I may ahave a few Cds as well. my email is machonellc@yahoo dot com

Any chance you get listen to live ducks and keep those sounds in your head.

[fisherman149]

i sent you a message Gordie

[fisherman149]

Well here alittle update i sent a few emails out hoping that they can help me out. Thanks for all the help

[Gordie]

Package on its way and enjoy

[fisherman149]

i got it today thanks gordie!

[Feathers Rainin]

If you hunt ducks in the Midwest the last thing you should invest money in is calls. You will need one for geese but you are better off not calling for ducks in MN until you are really good and even then you shouldn't call much. The shows you see on TV with the guys wailing away on their calls are mostly from the South where the ducks respond well to a call. I usually never need to call and when I do it is only when the birds are hesitant and not working in hot and you don't need to call much to get their attention. Most guys over call and push ducks away. Save your money, scout a ton, get on the x, and whack em. You will kill plenty of ducks if you are where they want to be, no calling neccesary. If you really want to call make sure you can identify ducks in flight. Don't be the guy wailing on his mallard call at divers, woodies, etc. If you would like to get out sometime I would be happy to take ya. I live in the Northern part of the state though.

[fisherman149]

were up north?

[Feathers Rainin]

PM sent

[fisherman149]

i got my first shotgun today! its a mosenberg 12 guage im getting closer and closer to duck hunting! I dont have to borrow a gun anymore