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Duck Hunting!

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Duck Hunting For The Beginner And The Pro

Waterfowl hunting season is generally in the winter and fall. At this time of the year, the birds have finished raising their young and are migrating to warmer areas. There are three elements used by almost all waterfowl hunters: a shotgun, hunting blind, and decoys. The decoys are used to lure the birds within range, and the blind conceals the hunter. Once the birds are within range, the hunters leap up from the blind and quickly shoot the birds before they are frightened off. Duck or goose calls are often used to attract birds; sometimes calls of other birds will also be simulated to convince the birds that there is no danger. Waterfowl hunters also often use dogs to retrieve dead or injured birds; there are many retriever breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, specifically bred for the task.

Wild ducks of various species (including ducks farmed and released into the wild) are hunted for food or sport, by shooting, or formerly by decoys. From this came the expression "a sitting duck", which means "an easy target".

Ducks have many economic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, feathers, (particularly their down). They are also kept and bred by aviculturists and often displayed in zoos. All domestic ducks are descended from the wild Mallard, except the Muscovy Duck. Many domestic breeds have become much larger than their wild ancestor, with a "hull length" (from base of neck to base of tail) 12 inches or more and routinely able to swallow an adult British Common Frog whole.

Despite widespread misconceptions, most ducks other than female Mallards and domestic ducks do not "quack"; for example, the scaup makes a noise like "scaup", which its name came from.

In 1934, at the urging of editorial cartoonist and conservationist J.N. "Ding" Darling, the US government passed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, better known as the Federal Duck Stamp Act. This program required hunters to purchase a special stamp, in additional to a regular hunting license, to hunt migratory waterfowl. Revenues from the program provided the majority of funding for conservation for many decades and funded the purchase of 4.5 million acres (18,000 km²) of National Wildlife Refuge land for waterfowl habitat since the program's inception. The Duck Stamp act has been described as "one of the most successful conservation programs ever devised." Duck stamps have also become collectible items in their own right.

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Regulations, Sportsmanship, and Safety

Waterfowl hunting is highly regulated. In most western countries, hunters are required to obtain a hunting license and face strict limits on the number of birds that can be taken in a day (bag limits) and the total number of birds a hunter can possess (possession limits).

In the United States, hunters must also purchase a federal duck stamp and often a state stamp. It is illegal to shoot ducks from a motor vehicle, a moving boat, or to shoot sitting or swimming ducks; this is also considered unsportsmanlike and possibly unsafe. Many practices that were once common in commercial duck hunting before the turn of the century, including laying baits such as corn, use of live ducks as "decoys," and use of guns larger than a 10-gauge, are now prohibited. In most areas, shotguns that can hold more than two or three shells must be modified to reduce their magazine size. Legal hunting is limited to a set time period (or "season"), which generally extends from fall to early winter, while birds are migrating south.

It is also considered good sportsmanship to make every possible attempt to retrieve dead or injured waterfowl the hunter has shot. Shooting before birds are within range is also considered poor form, as this often merely injures the birds and may drive them away before other hunters can fire.

Many states and provinces of Canada require hunters, including waterfowl hunters, to complete hunter safety courses before they can obtain a license. Waterfowl hunters fire short-range shotgun rounds into the air over often deserted bodies of water, so accidental injuries are rarer than in other hunting activities such as big game or deer hunting.

Duck Hunter T-Shirts, Buttons And Gifts!

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Guns and shells

The most commonly used guns are 12 gauge shotguns, usually with number 4, 3, 2 or 1 shot for ducks or teal and larger shot, such as BB or even T-shot for geese. In many areas, buckshot and larger shot is illegal to use for taking migratory birds. Ten,16 and 20 gauge guns are also used. Although it is legal to use a bow or crossbow to take migratory waterfowl in many areas, most hunters prefer taking migratory birds with a shotgun because of the difficulty of striking a moving bird with an arrow or crossbow bolt. Taking migratory birds with a rifle is illegal as well due to the inherent danger of lobbing long-range bullets into the air; also, the ability to take birds on the water at long ranges would give hunters an unfair advantage and endanger hunters who may not be seen on opposite shore.

Waterfowl hunting with lead shot, along with the use of lead sinkers in angling, has been identified as a major cause of lead poisoning in waterfowl, which often feed off the bottom of lakes and wetlands where lead shot collects. In the United States, UK, Canada, and many western European countries (France in 2006) all shot used for waterfowl must now be non-toxic, and therefore may not contain any lead. Steel is the cheapest alternative to lead but steel has a much less effective range than lead because of its lower density. 30 to 40 yards is considered the maximum effective range for duck hunting.

Although steel is the most prevalently used shot, many hunters do not like its shooting properties. Steel is less dense than lead, therefore, its effective range is decreased due to a faster decrease in velocity. Many companies have improved steel shot by increasing muzzle-velocity and making more consistent 'shot' or pellets. Within recent years, several companies have created 'heavier than lead' non-toxic shot out of Tungsten, Bismuth or other elements with a density similar or greater to lead. These shells have a more consistent patterns and greater range than steel shot. The increase in performance comes at a higher cost.

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Bird Calls

In old times, a duck call was a very simple woodwind instrument. It had a barrel, a sounding board and a reed. Hunters would grunt into the call while saying "hut", "quit" or "ut". With the improvement of calls and calling techniques the best callers are able to use no voice. The most prevalent and hunted duck in the United States, the mallard, makes the well known "quack" sound many associate with ducks. Other species make many different sounds, ranging from high-pitched whistles to very low, grunt-like quacks. There are calls for almost all species of ducks. Pintails, teal, wood ducks, diving ducks and other ducks including the calls of both the male, or drake and the female, or hen.

In many species, the call of the drake (male) is different from that of the hen (female). Mallard drakes make a lower pitch, longer quack than the hen mallard. This call is often used while feeding and when a mallard drake is landing. It gives the other birds a heads up. The quack of a mallard drake requires voice and is replicated by humming into a special whistle-like call. This whistle is often called a 6-in-1 whistle, due to the fact that it can replicate six different duck species sounds.

In teal, the drakes make a call of short bursts of a high pitch whistle. The "teet! (pause) teet! (pause) teet!-teet!" or any other order of repetition. This call can be made by blowing short bursts of air into the "6-in-1" whistle.

The majority of duck sounds such as quacking people have heard and are familiar with comes from females, or hen, mallards. Hen mallards are extremely vocal and this is probably why the number one call for duck hunting in North America is a hen mallard call.

To hear examples of duck calling sounds click here!

Click here to listen to another mallard!
Listen To A Teal

Hunting Blind

A hunting blind is a cover device for hunters, designed to reduce the chance of detection.

There are different types of blinds for different situations, such as deer blinds and duck blinds. Some are exceedingly simple and easy to construct, while others are quite complex.

Duck blinds in the grain fields in south central Oregon and north central California can be as simple as a hunter walking two or three miles out into a grain field, stopping at a dike, a raised area, 2 feet or so high, 10 or 12 feet wide and usually a half mile or so long on a side.

The hunter simply sits down on the top and pushes dirt away with both feet, front and back. In two to three minutes a shallow depression is created. Then additional stubble from cut grain can be placed around the edges, enough to provide cover when the hunter lies down when birds are spotted, sitting up when they come in range.

The blind can be deepened to allow sitting upright by using an empty can, e.g., a coffee can, as a digging tool, much lighter to carry than a small shovel.

In other areas duck blinds can be quite elaborate. More substantial structures are common in the midwestern United States and their purpose often extends beyond concealment to include protection from the elements, particularly from rain and cold. In some areas, blinds can approach small cabins in their size and amenities. A sinkbox is another elaborate form of duck blind, designed for partial submersion in a body of water. They are illegal to use in the United States.

Duck Hunting!

Duck Hunting For The Beginner And The Pro

Ducks In The News

Regulations, Sportsmanship, and Safety

Duck Hunter T-Shirts, Buttons And Gifts!

Guns and shells

Bird Calls

Hunting Blind

Duck Hunting Links

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Duck Decoys on eBay

Bird Calls on eBay

Hunting on eBay

Videos about Duck Hunting

Great Books For Duck Hunters!

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Duck Hunting Gifts On CafePress

Great Gifts For Duck Hunters!

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