Duck Hunting

Robo duck decoy

2005-11-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

No, it's not going to take over the world or try to protect it, but it will get you more ducks. Robo ducks are great because they move to simulate a duck landing, swimming, or taking off. They are powered by batteries to move the wings or the prop. Ducks flying over and seeing movement of fellow ducks will be more attracted than looking down at a still spread. The robo ducks are not cheap they can vary from 50$ - 200$ depending on the quality and features. Another option is buying the wind powered duck decoy. Now these are cheaper and produce the same effect unless the wind comes to a dead calm. They need very little wind infact. The decoys wings act like windmills to give it a lifelike action. Homemade robo decoys can be made with minimal effort. Simply look at a robo duck, get the specs of the wings and build it. Use a direct or belt driven system to power the wings. A wind powered decoy wouldn't be so hard to build either. You just have to make sure the wind will actually turn the wings. All in all a robo duck is a good buy if you want to see more action on the water.

Cleaning a duck

2005-11-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

So you just got home with your bag limit and now what, well make your catch ready to be cooked or frozen. People have many different ways to clean a duck but one of the easiest is to step on its feet and neck, stick 3 fingers on top of the breast and pull out the breast. Now you can just pluck the remaining feathers and clip one wing. The reason you only clip one wing is because you have to be able to identify your catch even after cleaning to keep it legal. Place in individual freezer bags to store and mark the bird types on the bag to keep your freezer organized.

Practice with clay

2005-11-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

Clay pigeons are a great tool to help you with your shooting, and they can be purchased at any local retail sports store. They are fairly cheap, ranging from
10$ - 20$ for a 30 pack. You will also need a launcher. A manual launcher can be purchased at Wal-Mart for 15$. This requires a friend to launch the clays with his arm. Another method is to buy a pull string launcher. These are a little more expensive but make it easier to shoot if you are by yourself. They vary in price ranging from 50$ - 200$. Last but not least, the beast of launchers, the electric one. These are easy loading, easy firing launchers. The only downside is the price. They tend to be in the couple of hundred to a thousand dollar range. If you don't feel like paying for one, why don't you make one yourself. It's very easy. Just take a piece of plywood 2x2 feet in area, another piece of wood like a 2x4, and make it so the 2x4 swivels along the plywood. Now get a large industrial elastic for 3 bucks
and tie it so that when you pull the 2x4 down the elastic stretches. Now drill a hole where the maximum stretch is and in that hole place a bolt or anything to stop the 2x4 from firing. Tie a string to the bolt and now you have a pull string clay pigeon launcher for under 10$. Note if yours doesn't fire the clay pigeon far enough, you can just make it larger and use a more powerful elastic.

Cheap duck boat

2005-10-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

So you don't have a boat and you just need to get out there. Well here's a simple cost effective solution to your problem. Jon boats range from 10 to 18 feet and are perfect duck boats. The price varies from 500$ for a 10ft to a couple thousand for a larger one. The beauty is you don't need a large boat to hunt ducks. A 10ft boat is great for 1 person on calm water. A 12ft is great for 2 people. Anything bigger is more than enough for 3 people. So shop around the net and find a Jon boat. Now you notice that there is no motor. Well that's not a problem because a simple electric trolling motor will get you to you destination slowly but surely. The motors can be found on the net for 70$-300$ depending on features and trust. Trust is the amount being put out by the motor, usual measured in pounds. So now you have a boat and a motor, now you need a duck blind. Well buy yourself a camo cover blanket usually found at any Wal-Mart for 20 bucks or so. Get enough to cover the boat and boom after getting all the required safety equipment for a boat in your area you are set to go out. You can also make a blind using a wood or steal frame to suit your desired need. Get creative, make you boat invisible to the prey. With all the money you saved you should be able to. Some people have built nice duck boats for under 600$. All you have to do is shop around and look for deals.

Duck Calling

2005-10-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

The art of calling ducks is regarded as a great skill not harnessed by many. This is a quick how-to for getting off on the right foot. First off do yourself a favor and get a quality duck call. Ask you local hunting expert for the best call you can get in your area, or, get one of the net, but be sure it's from a reputable company. A call can last a lifetime if it's maintained properly so the expensive cost of a good one is well worth it. Instruction tapes and CD's should be your next purchase. These are a great asset to learning basic to advanced calls from the best of the best. Now start practicing the basics. Learn quacks and the feeder chuckles, and learn them well because these calls are the foundation of all the calls you will be performing in the future. Now just practice until it's second nature. This is a slow learning process but will lead to great hunts.(and maybe impress a couple local experts)

Decoy Spread

2005-10-25T20:48:00.000-05:00

So people always ask what is an effective decoy spread. This is fairly simple. You need to know what your duck landing zones are. Theses zones are pockets, not obstructed by decoys that the ducks feel invited to land in. Always remember to have a spread where your pockets are larger than the size of the flock coming in. A rule of thumb is to have more available space to make the ducks comfortable in landing. Your spread should take the form of a C or a U, with the pocket being in the hollow of the letter. Using this simple technique, and playing around with different patterns for you specific area can lead to a more successful duck hunt. Always use as many decoys as you can, some people use 200 - 300 so there is no limit.