Duck Hunting Tips For Beginners

Whether you have been hunting for your entire life or this is your first time out, duck hunting is incredibly exciting and a bit different than deer hunting.

With a deer, you are most likely going to hunt with a rifle and scope. However, the 12 gauge is your weapon of choice with duck hunting. Plus, the ducks are smaller targets and have the advantage of flight. Due to this, there are a few basic tips you need to follow in order to set yourself up for success.

Use Decoys

Decoys are fake ducks that you set up in order to draw the attention of other ducks. Of course, it helps when you know the species of ducks you are going to be hunting. However, if you are not really sure, always go with a mallard. The mallard can fit in just about anywhere and a few decoys are not all that expensive. Before you go buying duck hunting equipment though, always try to learn as much as you possibly can about the animals you intend to hunt and the species that are prevalent in the area. This helps you determine the right kind of equipment for your hunting needs.

Selecting Guns

When it comes to selecting the gun, you always want a 12 gauge shotgun. Of course, there are different 12 gauge options out there. A semi-automatic allows you fire off more rounds, but a pump-action shout gun gives you a more true aim and is not going to misfire on you. You can go old fashion and opt into a double barreled shotgun, but you might want to hold back if you are less experienced as you only have two shots. Just know that you can only have a maximum of three shells in your gun though, as anything more and it is actually illegal for hunting. You also need to know that any sort of lead shot is illegal due to lead poisoning. If you have a favorite kind of shell though, outside of this sort of toxic shell, you are more than welcome to use it.

Switch up the Camouflage

You need to wear a slightly different kind of camo when hunting ducks, depending on where you are at. If you are in a marsh, go for a brown grass pattern. If you are in the woods, opt for a bark and leaf variation. You also need to consider covering your face in camo paint as well, as ducks have better eye sight than deer and they are going to notice the sun glare off of your face easily.

Duck Calls

One of the biggest problems with this is new hunters overuse a duck call. With proper scouting, you never actually need a duck call. Of course, if you want to practice, the best way to do this is to go to a local pond and listen to the ducks to hear their tempo and pitch. This should help you learn a proper duck call.

Understand Skybusting

Skybusting is when you fire into the air at a duck that is flying away. However, anything really more than 35 years should not be fired at. If you do, you are either going to miss completely or cripple it. It also can frighten the ducks away from other hunters.

For more assistance, take a look at our essential duck hunting gear checklist to get yourself fully outfitted before heading out.