help with waterfowl

[Guest]

i would like to start hunting waterfowl this season if any one could help me with shotgun choice hunting area even ammunition i would never be able to thank you enough.

[Fisher Dave]

fishgun .. welcome to the world of waterfowl hunting.

I can give you a few basics. If your primarily duck hunting a 12 guage will suffice for any hunting you will encounter. Most of the newer guns are chambered for 2 3/4" or 3" shells so a wide variety of shotshells are available to match your preferences in your hunting conditions. I personally use 2 3/4" shells for duck hunting and they suit me just fine. Many other people prefer the 3" shells for more shot (less gaps in pattern) and a slightly higher velocity. For early season hunting I use #4 - #2 shot, and later in the season I will use #1 - B shot for ducks. There are less pellets with the larger shot but there is much better penetration for when the birds get their heavy winter down.

For goose hunting a 12 guage works well, but a 10 guage has the most knock down power. If your planning on doing alot of goose hunting it might be a good idea to invest a little more money into one of the modern 12 guages that are chambered for 3 1/2" shells. While I have knocked down many geese with 2 3/4" shells and #2 shot duck hunting, a 3", or 3 1/2" shell with shot size ranging from BB to T are far more effective, especially on longer shots. I have been hunting behind a Remington 870 wingmaster 12 gauge for 20 years and wouldnt trade it for anything.

Decoys and duck calls are obviously important attributes. For the early season you dont need many decoys. A dozen decoys are usually more than enough for the 1st few weeks. As the season goes by and the northern flocks start coming around, it never seems you can have enough. For duck calls just go to a local sporting good shop and find one that sounds realistic to you and preferably not to hard to blow. If you have no experience with calling its not a bad idea to get a tape and practice some before the season .... driving down the road is a great place to do this.. better than learning in the blind watching ducks flare.

Another good thing to pick up is a handbook on waterfowl identification.

The best thing to do overall is to hunt as much as possible with experienced hunters in the beginning. The infomation you can learn about hunting basics and ducks at a distance is priceless in the long term. Most experienced hunters can tell you what kind of duck it is 1/4 mile away simply by the size, flight features, and subtle characteristics of the birds. This type of info you cant learn in any book.

I often have extra room in my boat if your looking for someone to hunt with.

Fisher Dave
[email protected]

[Guest]

is it legal to hunt goose that arent in water or whatever cause that doesnt sound like waterfowl hunting because i see TONS of geese in some farmers feilds and thay have to be flying right?

------------------
drags make music

[Fisher Dave]

Fishgun ...

The early goose season is going on right now and its only legal to hunt on land, at least so many yards from water (I think its 100). Farm fields are the ideal place to be. The geese will fly out to the fields in the morning to feed. This can provide some of the best hunting of the year with the right fields. Be sure you get your Goose Stamp if your going to hunt the early season because it is required before the opening of the duck season.

The birds wont be sitting on the ground long if your in the field shooting. Are you sure your not seeing hunters decoy spreads out there?

[Guest]

yes im positive they waddled around away from the farmer

[Fisher Dave]

Fields like that are tough to come by for most of us (me included). I drove over 300 miles today scouting for geese and decent fields and came up with nothing ... but seen lots of ducks.

It wouldnt be a bad idea to try to get permission to hunt his field. The geese will keep using the same fields for feeding as long as their not getting shot at.

[HUNTER2]

Where are you located Fisher Dave?

------------------
Hunt&Fish tell you drop!

[Fisher Dave]

I'm in the metro area...

Been scouting ares within about a 2 hr radius.