Guns and Ammunition

By Steve Horvath

 

Let me clarify something from the get go. This isn’t about plugging a particular brand of gun or ammunition and bashing another. This installment is about proper loads, gun selection, and a little ballistics.    

 

You may very well already own a serviceable shotgun for waterfowling, maybe.Early in the season you may be able to take a majority of birds with an improved cylinder choke and a 20 gage. My choice for an all around duck and goose gun is a 12 gage with a 3 ½" chamber. This gives me the option of using the widest variety of loads available from 2 3/4 inch to the largest magnum loads. What, you don’t know what a choke is? I’ll explain and promise to keep it simple. The choke on a shotgun barrel is like a spray nozzle on a hose. The tighter the shot is squeezed or choked as it travels down the barrel determines how dense of a pattern impacts the target. Chokes from the widest to the most dense are as follows. Cylinder, Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified, Full and Super Full. Some of these chokes are available after market with Improved cylinder, Modified, and Full being what most factories supply. If you own an old shotgun (prior to 1970) you may want to ask a gunsmith about shooting steel shot through it.

 

Barrel length is the next consideration. A barrels length does not make the gun shoot farther. With even the best steel loads 40 yards is the maximum range to CLEANLY HARVEST ducks and geese. You may be able to knock them down occasionally at longer ranges, but it is the best interest of the game you chase to take it quickly and humanely. Barrel length can help you continue a smooth swing, or possibly interfere with getting the gun up. When I started duck hunting, hunters carried a 30" full choked barrel duck gun. With unbuffered shot shells, the hunter needed all the tightness they could get out of a pattern. Today with modern steel loads, that same gun may turn any given 20 yard mallard into ground meat at best and at worst, make it very difficult to hit a bird with such a small pattern. It seems that a 26" or 28" barrel would be a likely choice for the modern hunter. In cases where the gun is moved in close quarters, a 24" barreled turkey gun with a modified or improved cylinder choke may be optimum.

 

When it comes to waterfowl loads, I recommend size 4,3 or 2 for shooting smaller ducks, or larger ducks in tight quarters where you may be best off with an improved cylinder choked gun. For larger ducks or even pass shooting I would choose sizes 2,1 or even BB out of a modified choked gun. When choosing a steel load, choose a load which offers a good compromise of pattern density and speed. When we talk about effectively harvesting ducks and geese, speed kills but not without an evenly distributed pattern. For Geese over decoys use 1or BB and pass shooting BBB would get the nod. Remember pass shooting is not skybusting, the size BBB I recommend is because you are more likely to shoot at 40 yards than 25 yards.

 

I hope this installment was helpful. Remember these tips.

* Always pattern your gun and load/choke combos to know your weapons capabilities

 

*Choose smaller shot and lesser chokes for tight shooting and small ducks (Wood ducks on a stream or pond)

 

* Select steel loads of at least 1450 feet per second

 

* Steel tends to pattern tighter than a choke may be printed so choose an open choke and refer to tip #1

 

* Choose larger sizes for pass shooting 

Next Time : Decoy Selection and Placement

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Camouflage and Concealment

By Steve Horvath

Decoys attract attention to your general area, but proper camouflage and concealment practices will make you all but invisible to waterfowl’s keen eyes.

To fool your quarry, you first need to understand its habits. Most Diver ducks approach decoys from a very low angle, sometimes mere inches off the water. Puddle ducks will most likely approach from an almost vertical angle, spiraling down to the waters surface.

There are several ways to conceal yourself to approaching waterfowl from standing behind a tree to laying on the ground in a layout blind. The most likely scenario the hunter will encounter is the need to build a blind or hide their boat. Remember to give the ducks an open approach and landing area with the sun to your back if at all possible. Sometimes the best place to put your decoys can be a challenge to hide in.

Improvised blinds can be made along dead falls near streams and ponds simply by gathering sticks and leaves from the ground to add cover. Remember that it is easier to hide 3 hunters in individual blinds than to hide three in one blind and be invisible. Remember that in many areas it is illegal to cut tree limbs from live trees or to cut down brush, so consult game laws before using this practice.

Blinds on boats or commercial “Boat blinds” are much more common these days. Companies such as Flyway Specialties, Mud Buddy, and Cabelas carry blinds that after installation can be erected in fractions of a minute. These blinds however are seldom in the rite colors to match with many backgrounds. Materials available on the open market such as Fast Grass, Prairie Grass and other marsh mat type panels can be purchased to further conceal your boat or blind in a marsh setting.

Now that you have a blind, we need to conceal you! To me Camouflage is Camouflage. I believe that any broken up pattern unless it has bold colors in it can help hide the hunter. Realtree, Mossy Oak, ASAT, etc all will benefit the hunter. I believe the most overlooked piece of camo is the face mask! More ducks are spooked by a shiny red face than all other goofs combined. If you wear a face mask (or Camo Make up) and move very slowly in the blind you should not spook many birds.

I believe if a hunter uses the following “tips” they will improve their harvest rate.

1. Hunt where the ducks want to be and take the time to hide effectively.

2. When hunting Puddle Ducks, overhead cover is as important as frontal and side cover.

3.Blend into the cover, use materials that make your blind hard to find. If you have a hard time spotting your hide, so will the ducks.

4. If possible, use background cover (backstops) to hide the profile of your blind, like a high bank or reeds.

5. Always wear a face mask.

6. Keep the ducks attention on your decoys and not the blind by placing them for a crosswind approach.

Next Time : Guns and Ammo

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So You Want To Be A Duck Hunter

By Steve Horvath

Well, you have made the decision to start duck hunting. It’s a sport rich in tradition with origins going back to market hunting when hunters were feeding the American public. Many of today’s techniques have evolved from the market hunters practices. A good example are calling and decoys. Ducks were attracted to wild live decoys that would be tethered to a stake where they would call to the targeted fowl as they would fly by. This brought them into the range of the market hunters who would then harvest them. Later, live decoys were outlawed and hunters needed to learn to imitate the sounds of ducks and construct their own decoys.

Ducks are grouped into 2 basic categories, Puddle and Diver. Puddle ducks would include Mallard, Black duck, Wood duck, Teal, Gadwall, Pintail, Shoveler, etc. Divers include Bufflehead, Scaup, Canvasback, Ringneck, Redhead etc. There are a group of ducks some call fish ducks. These members of the Merganser family are found around both types of ducks. Diver Ducks are usually found on large bodies of water, while Puddle Ducks are usually found in marshes and nearer shore.

All duck hunters need the same basic equipment, which can be tweaked to fit the exact conditions and waterfowl they choose to chase. Basic needs are attracting ducks, concealment, comfort, duck harvest and retrieval.

In most cases a hunter will lay in wait while ducks return to a feeding or resting place. Decoys are placed to reflect the look of relaxed ducks in their natural habitat. Modern decoys are constructed of plastic, foam, cork, and wood to name a few materials. Before choosing decoys, the hunter should learn the habits of the ducks they will try to harvest. For instance, if a hunter chooses to hunt a small pond they may not need more than 6 decoys while a hunter on Barnegat bay may use 100 or more decoys to hunt for a particular species. Ducks found on ponds, small lakes and creeks in this area include Mallards, Black ducks, Wood Ducks and some other species of ducks. These ducks are referred to as puddle ducks and

usually can be taken with a dozen or so decoys. Most times these birds will decoy well to Mallard decoys and that’s all you will need. These decoys should have a cord attached that is at least 3 times the water depth you intend to use them in. An 8-12 oz sinker tied onto the end will anchor them in place except in strong current.

The Diver duck hunter tends to hunt larger waters and needs to use a larger volume of decoys to attract their quarry. Many times the decoys will be rigged in groups of 12 or more to the string to make deploying decoys more efficient. Several of these strings or “Gang rigs” are placed next to each other in order to look like a large flock of fowl. Duck species such as Scaup, Ringneck, Canvasback, Goldeneye, and Bufflehead are often intermingled into the set. Many times these decoy sets are set out in a “fish hook” formation to attract ducks.

When an area houses both puddle ducks and divers, the hunter may want to place diver decoys in open water and puddle ducks nearer shore. This way they can appeal to a wide variety of ducks at one time.

Ducks like airplanes prefer to land into the wind, so decoys should be placed so the birds approach from a downwind angle. Traditional thought is that the wind should be at the hunters back, making the ducks approach directly in front of the blind. The problem is that if the duck is looking straight ahead, it will look directly at the blind and detect any movement from the waiting hunters. If the decoys are set with a crossing angle, the ducks won’t be looking directly at the blind or hide giving the hunter a better chance for success.

Next time : Hiding The Hunter, Blinds And Camo.

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At Diver Down Outfitters we may be new to the guiding business, but we certainly are not new to waterfowling. Steve -our head guide (and owner) took his first duck in 1975. Since that day when he stood on the bench seat of his family's stake blind and shot his first Black Duck on the bay he has been chasing waterfowl.

Our entire living is made in the outdoors, lobster fishing spring and summer then waterfowling in the fall and winter. We are in the business because we genuinely enjoy waterfowling. We have introduced many family members and friends to waterfowling over the years and hope to enjoy many days in the field with our customers.

We highly encourage our clients to take part in our hunts as we have no secrets. Questions are encouraged and if a hunter wants to learn the ropes we are willing to show them how to get started. Our pledge is to give our guests our best efforts on every hunt, and to see them return again and again.

Weather you are a seasoned waterfowler looking to take a species you may not have in your area or would like to spend time on the bay and enjoy a day doing something new we are the outfitter for you.

Hunting Reports

January 18 & 19 2008

Hunted the 18th and 19th with Arron S from Harrissburg and man it was tough! We literally had THOUSANDS OF BRANT in the decoys(too bad they closed on the 12th). Our bag was 2 Black ducks, 2 Mergansers and the largest Canadian Goose I have ever seen. (Pictures to come) On Friday we had 30 knot winds out of the west which kept the birds flying high and with calmer conditions on Saturday we did a little better. On the way back to the ramp we encountered lots of Oldsquaw and the occasional Buffies. Arron returned home with 2 birds to take to the taxidermist (a Black and drake Merganser) and promised to return for the Brant next year!

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Jan 12 2008

After breaking ice to get to open water this morning John H had a bang up day with his limit of Hooded Mergansers on their way to the taxidermist. We had pintails ,shovelers, buffies and a three man limit of hoodies. Having over half of the bay iced over really concentrated the ducks this morning. Warm weather won't bode well for the rest of the week. We will be hunting every day from the 17th until the end on the 22nd if we get some weather it could move the birds around because they are here!

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Jan 1st 2008

To quote John " We went out in the pitch black across this bay that was the size of an ocean. All of a sudden they slowed the boat and both of them bailed out into the darkness. How could they have a clue where they were or how deep it was." John had a great time seeing the diver ducks disappearing beneath the surface for up to 30 seconds at a time and surfacing 20 yards from where they would dive under to root for food. His day was topped off by taking a drake Red Breasted Merganser which is on it's way to the taxidermist 

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Dec 31st 2007

We went out this morning to prospect for broadbills in Great Bay. If you want the answer, it is yes there were birds but there were floating blinds everywhere. We abandoned plan A for plan B and then B for C where we found an area to set up without crowding another blind. The birds traded back and forth early avoiding the blinds. (A sure sign of intense hunting pressure.) Strong winds came up early and chased us off the water so we spent the morning driving the bays in the heated truck. John H will be with us in the morning on his first hunt.

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Dec 29th 2007

Dec 22nd 2007

Finally, the long awaited Northeast wind. We went to the honey hole today and were not let down,at least by the birds. Our shooting was not good, at least mine wasn't. We had brant, broadbills, mergansers, blacks, mallards, goldeneyes, and buffies in the area. Nick and Dave took their first goldeneyes and 6 buffies. Not a bad bag for a short day!

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Dec 15th 2007

THE WEATHERMAN LIED!!!!!! We arrived at our launch spot expecting a Northeast wind and was greeted with a strong Northwes instead. We had to go to plan B and drove down to the Ship Bottom area to launch.Shortly before shooting time, Dave,myself and a newcomer (Bill Davis) were tucked up next to an island. 5 minutes before shooting time a drake broadbill dropped into the spread and left shortly afterward. Next came the Black ducks with a minute left to go. The day ended with a bag of brant (Bill's first) and mallards.

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December 8th 2007

Hunted the upper bay with friend Dave and my son Nick. The tide was way out with skim ice and slush along the shoreline. We had to walk the boat the last 100yds to the shoreline. The wind was out of the west at about 5 mph.  We could hear the goldeneyes flying offshore of us in the darkness while waiting for shooting time. Saw lots of buffleheads out in the main bay trading back and forth from first light until we quit at 11 am. Our bag included buffies mallards and a hen goldeneye.