by Art Young

Created on: October 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 06, 2009

Late October and early November are like Christmas morning for waterfowl hunters because duck and goose seasons finally begin. This is the time to clean up the twelve-gauge shotgun, get out the waders, grab the duck call and get quackin'.

Because of the great conservation work of organizations such as "Ducks Unlimited," waterfowlers don't have as much of a problem finding a place to hunt as was once the case. However, many of these hunters DO have a problem in getting these birds into shooting range and then making that shot.

After talking with several veteran duck and goose hunting guides, there seems to be three primary areas where most hunters can improve their odds. None of these tips are rocket science but they might help the waterfowl hunter get better at the sport.

#1 Scout First

Most bird hunters don't take the time to properly scout the potential hunting locations. This is true for dove hunters as well as those who hunt duck and geese. A good guide will relentlessly scout all of the areas that he is taking clients long before they hit the field and if you don't have a guide, you need to do this too.

If you are duck hunting on public land, scouting is even more important than if you're hunting on private property. This is because public water has a combination of "local" and new, migrating ducks and public water is hunted harder than most private holes.

Hunters should try to determine whether the ducks are local or new, migrating birds. Hunting guides say that new ducks tend to land in the center of open water or in bigger holes because they are not used to the area. Like any harried traveler, migrating ducks will be somewhat more disoriented than the locals and if you set up near these, the likelihood of success is greater. Also, if the weather has been warmer for a week or two, the local ducks that have been hunted hard will be hiding in the thickest cover available.

With goose hunting, guides suggest that you scout out the places where the geese are tightly packed and contented, rather than a field with birds spread out and moving around. If the geese seem to be bosom buddies and hanging out with each other (calling each other nicknames, high-fiving, sharing a beer, etc.) this means that they have found a good food source on the ground. Near this field should be a great place to set up for the hunt. The key point is to use scouting to find birds that will return to the field rather than birds that are actively looking for food.

#2 Work on Your Shooting

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