Types of Ducks

Most people don’t know this but there are over 50 types of ducks in America.  Although i have not shot at all 50 species, i would love to say i have that accomplishment one day.  We mostly kill buffleheads, widgeon, wood ducks, mallards, teal, ringnecks, mergansers, and bluebill.

 

I have to say that wood ducks and mallards are my favorite.  We can go to almost any pond or swamp in NC and shoot ample amounts of both kinds of these ducks.  With the occasional merganser or ringnecks flying over our spread.  I love watching ducks fly over us and trying to figure out what kind of ducks they are to hit the right call and make them commit.

Choosing the right ammo for the job!

Well, since last week i shared my fondest memories with you guys, this week I will try and go over how we choose what types of steel shot to use depending on where we hunt!  Since most days we hunt in small swamps off main lakes we prefer to use a 3″ 2 or 4 shot.  For those of you who don’t hunt i know this means little to you, but the larger the shot size the farther the pellets will travel when shot.  a 2 shot will travel further than a 4 shot and so on.  In turn, when hunting smaller areas it is wiser to have more and smaller pellets in each shell to scatter the pattern of pellets.

When hunting open water or shooting geese we use what is called BB or BBB shot which is much larger and can kill larger animals.  This helps us shoot at farther ranges and bag more birds.  So depending on the place you are hunting that will decide what shells for you to use in your gun.  Scouting where you will be hunting is also very important for knowing what type of shells to use and why.  So take this tip with you on your next hunt and bag more birds!

Stories

Its the little things in life that make the best memories.  Some of my fondest memories involve a few of my closest friends and i, sweating in the early season and freezing in late season, laughing and shooting geese in cut cornfields.  Watching the southern sunrise and feeling the sun hit your face as it tops the carolina pines.  There is nothing that beats it.

Some of my favorite hunts are from ground blinds early goose season near my house.  We get flocks of geese coming down from up north that stop in the huge cornfields for a quick bite.  Setting the decoys up just right and remaining hidden on the ground is always a challenge, but a well rewarding one.  Laughing at the misses and congratulating the hits as the geese fall towards the ground.  Some of my longest friendships are made in the blinds and its something ill always remember.

Decoy Spreads

Well, i figured this week i would take a break from telling stories and give my viewers an idea of how we set things up!  As you know if you read any of my other blog posts me and my friends usually hunt shallow swamps and holes off main lakes to catch ducks retreating from open water pressure and some places where ducks are not pressured at all. We like this method of hunting for close encounters with wood ducks and the all famous mallard ducks, but will occasionally shoot ringneck ducks, teal, buffleheads, and even geese coming in for an easy meal.

As season starts off we throw out a wide spread of decoys including a few mojo’s and a hefty flock of warn out mallards.  This is because in early season ducks flock together to find mates and love the company of fellow friends.  We have had good success with this in the past and will continue to use lots of decoys early season.

As the season winds down and temperatures drop below freezing we only carry one or two spinning wing decoys and a few pairs of mallards (hens and drakes) that are a little nicer in color/ larger and easier to see.  Late season ducks have paired up and we have better luck with a few scattered pairs of ducks.

Calling the swamps of North Carolina is how i grew up hunting and it still continues to surprise and amaze me when we get ducks to circle our decoys and come in just right.  It is a learned combination of placing the decoys just right to fool the ducks into thinking you are real and calling just soft enough to make them think your a duck.  Still cannot wait for season to roll around again next year!