How late do you hunt each morning?

[Borch]

I mean I see a lot of guys picking up decoys within 1 1/2 - 2 hours of leagal shooting without much for birds. There always seems to be a pretty good mid to late morning flight of birds.

My favorite is from 9 - 11 am the opening weekend of pheasant season. A lot of ducks get pushed out of irrigation ditchs, fields and puddles by pheasant hunters. We always have good shooting then. Am I alone on the duck sloughs by then?

Borch

[Little Joe]

You're not alone! I hunt with the same group of guys and a couple of them pull up and leave after an hour of legal shooting. A lot of people in the area must do the same thing and kick up some birds on the way out cuz we always have a 2nd/3rd wave of birds buzzing our dekes right around that time.

To all of those that leave after an hour or so; my dog and I thank you!

[outdoor ran]

We stay untill this guy that hunts the marsh leaves. He leaves everyday at exactly 10:00. He runs across the lake and kicks up the ducks that have been rafting all morning. Most of the time a few will break off and come scootin in. Most of the time we let the ducks tell us when its time to go.

[Mike Walerak]

It all depends on if I am hunting fields or water. I will leave a field earlier than water. Here in SD the mallards usully fly for about 2 1/2 hours. During the migration I don't leave until sunset. If I don't have a limet alreadythat is.
It also depends on if there is a walleye bite going on. If the eyes are biting I maybe packed up after 2 or 3 hours.
MW

[lumbertick]

So, you mean you guys actually leave the blind before legal closing?!) I never thought of that!!

[Dean Schellinger]

I usually have nothing better to do than sit in the blind, sometimes i will walk around and shoot up the potholes in the area or blast a few tweets to past the time. Oh yea. Nothin better than that.

[Seabass77]

I usually hunt till about 11 or noon. I don't drive for an hour, hall out the dekes, get set up, just to hunt for 2 hours. I think some of the best hunting is around 9 anyway, after the ducks are done feeding.

[outdoor ran]

Depends on how much you get out. If I only got out once a week, I would hunt all day. I get to hunt about 4- 5 days a week so I'll just hunt 3 or 4 hours.

[wooduck26]

....depends...if I am in a place that I am shooting mostly Mallards I wait it out.....nothing weasier than decoying Mallards that have just returned from the corn fields and are thirsty.....Woody

[honker23]

I agree, best time for me is 10-2, for mallards that is. I consider it a bonus if I shoot some early before they leave to feed.

[BLACKJACK]

I'm one of the ones that pullout after 1-2 hours, nothing more boring than watching decoys when nothing is flying. Plus I've got better things to do than sit in a duck blind til noon. I hunt close to home, I'll work on some projects - deer stands, garden, etc that need to get done before hunting pheasants and the archery deer rut kick in. But I can see if you've driven 2-3 hours to hunt, might as well make a day of it.

[Riverratpete]

Normally let the birds tell me when to leave but rarely if ever before 9am.

[Guest]

Very rarely before Noon.

We also consider any birds before 9 a bonus. Best shooting for us is at 9 and then again at Noon. Some years you can almost set your watch to it.

It really is quite funny to see hunters bust their tail to get set up and then to watch them pack it in before the shooting really starts. Oh well, their loss and our gain!!

[jblabsnduck]

I let the birds tell me also. More times than not we are done by 9:30-10:00 at the latest. Dosen't make since to sit in the blind when you already have a limit.

[Borch]

We nocticed and number of factors that seem to help those who stay in blind longer. First the other hunters who leave early usually move birds. Second the birds returning from feeding in fields. Third, Fall fisherman on the small lakes also move ducks around. Forth, the pheasant hunters jumping ducks buried in the thick stuff. Fifth, Natural migration & weather. Seems like there are one or more of these working in our favor thoughout the season for those late morning birds. Also it seems that those late morning birds are more willing to decoy as well. Especially as the season wears on. Seems like the early morning flyers are more local and the later birds are often new arrivals(easy pickins).

Borch

[Swamp Scooter]

We hunt early mornings and then stay until the sun gets too bright to see. Usually by 9am unless there is cloud cover the morning dust off is over. We have sat there all day but you just get hot and swat mosquitos.

We go back and clean birds and then maybe go for a grouse or two. Then we head back out about 2 or so for the evening push. Always stay until close unless limited out and then rush to get out and watch the just after closing massed pile in the slough for the evening.

That time is getting closer.

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

We usually hunt different spots for morning and evening hunts.Depends on what's flying.Might start in the field then goto a slough or just hunt sloughs all day.BUT no matter what,we stop for lunch !

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Greg

[FOOT]

I hunt as long as I possibly can without going over my limit. If and when I reach a limit I then like ot sit and watch the ducks come in.
Life's way tooooooooo short to miss a single minute doing what you love to do.
I will admit though, when its in the 70's or 80's and it's sunny as hell it's difficult not to hit the links in the afternoon. But if it's in the 40's or even 50's I'll just find a pond and relax.

[Farley]

Mornings, I hunt at least untill noon the first couple weeks of the season, but as the season progresses it seems like I pack up sooner and sooner. If the weather is decent (as in cold, rainy, sleet) I'll stay out all day. I pretty much only hunt on the weekends though.

[bigbucks]

You guys are mostly the diehards I guess. (What else should be expected here right?) I used to stay out all day, but since becoming a bowhunting addict, the duck outings are just a fun diversion. I'll usually hunt the whole first day & a couple hours the second morning & then my season's restricted to a little jump shooting & an evening hunt or two. Hunting the local population just on close to home spots, seems to mean the rest is usually a waste of time for me. Most of the time I don't use my dekes, so not much invested if I make a short hunt out of it.

[BLACKJACK]

Well put bigbucks, that kind of describes my philosophy. Hit the early ducks, throw out a few decoys, do some jumpshooting, then hit the deer stand. I struggle the first couple of weeks of the season, go duckhunting or go deer hunting? but then deer hunting and pheasant hunting takes over. The first week of Nov, right before gun hunting, I take off the whole week, hit the deer stand early and late and pheasant hunt inbetween. Life is good!