duck hunting chat

duck hunting chat - No matter when duck season opens where you are-chances are wood ducks will probably be there-and probably lots of them.



Wood ducks nest throughout many areas, and for some backwaters off the main migratory flyways, they may be the only real web-footed game to be found. Being that they are likely residents of your area, you can usually rely on wood ducks to show up for opening day. They may be beautifully plumed birds that taste just like they look, and while they're elusive, they are not particularly wary. Hunting them successfully is less about gear, calling, and decoy spreads plus more about scouting hard and shooting straight.



Generally, one typically shoots at far more wood ducks than are hit-and still a lot are hit. Woodies rank since the second most important duck within the bag after mallards within the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways. Knowing where to set up for them will increase your chances. Here's a brief overview on wood duck hunting.


duck hunting chat
Wood ducks were nearly extinct in the turn of the 20th century due to overhunting and clearing of old-growth forest habitat where they nested and fed on acorns. They rebounded nicely because of better regulation, forest maturation, and thousands of volunteer-built nesting boxes.



Today woodies nest from the Canadian prairies to the Gulf of Mexico and are found in the Central and Pacific Flyways also.



Typically, wood ducks congregate inside a marsh or pond during the night, roosting near deeper water where they think safe. Early risers even by waterfowl standards, they leave the roost before dawn and fly in the market to feed in shallow ponds, sloughs, and streams, where they eat duckweed, acorns, berries, seeds, and aquatic insects. Woodies also prey on waste grain in dry cornfields. They generally return to the roost after shooting hours end at sunset.



duck hunting chat
As you sit in your blind on opener, bubbling with anticipation and excitement you'll hear the initial duck before you see it--a shrill whistle, rustling wings, along with a plunk like a rock dropped in water. This is the cue for the moment when, like a friend puts it, "God empties a barrel of ducks from the sky." Wood ducks are available in from all points of the compass in singles, pairs, and flocks. Regardless how long you have been waiting for them, the last-minute frenzy of shooting right before dark is more than worth it. Good hunting!