Of Hybrids, Perseverance, and Such We all aspire to get full limits of the most prized drake duck species, while also hoping that every other important detail falls into place; like perfect retrieves, no missed shots, being the first back to the landing, and getting home while the coffee is still hot. But these aspirations are seldom reality. Today’s mass marketing of hunting is predominantly done through methods of showing nothing but end results that seldom portray reality. Generally speaking, our interest is best captivated when there are success driven results. But what about the hunting strategy, the overcoming of difficulties, and the many elements to the hunt that attribute to success? Seldom are those conveyed, which oftentimes leads to frustration because we all know that success is not obtained without encountering these difficulties. This Big Lake Hunting Report will discuss situations where the perfect duck hunting conditions were missed and frustrations were experienced, but where lengthy efforts eventually led to great hunts. The importance of a hunting location is only significant in terms of a prescribed timeframe, rather than the specific spot. Waterfowl are creatures of comfort and their comfort predominantly lies on the freeze line. The bulk of the migration pushes south just in front of these areas where ice locks up the bodies of water or the food gets covered with snow. A Boykin Spaniel of mine travelled with me to more states than most people see in a lifetime as a result of going to the ducks in many states to the far north and far south. We take a family trip with my father, my brother, and my brother‐in‐laws every year. We research the prescribed hunting location by looking at bird counts, getting reports from friends, and watching the weather conditions. A location is chosen based on this researched information rather than committing to a set location or relying on blind luck that the birds will be there. Just prior to the trip it appeared that our forthcoming adventure would allow us to hit the peak of the migration where the weather and the duck movement seemed just right. Being excited was an understatement. It is very atypical for it to snow in South Carolina but snow began to fall as we pulled out of the driveway for the journey west. As we crossed into Georgia the snow came down so heavy that all that could be seen were the heavy white flakes. The mesmerizing wonderland of white soon became a matter of concern when the snow began sticking to the roads and the perils became evident. Limited visibility, slamming on the brakes, and multiple cars spun out into the ditches became the norm for the many hours of driving. Driving through the night and next day with a truck loaded with gear and a boat in tow, all the while in four wheel drive, soon lost its appeal. Nonetheless, we pushed through a long but safe drive being motivated by images in our mind of ducks gliding into the decoys and the sounds of the reassuring hunting reports that we kept receiving. Upon arrival we knew we were pushing the envelope of being frozen out. The temperature was in the twenties which is great hunting weather but it is living on the edge of being completely iced out. The afternoon provided just enough time to take a scouting trip so we bundled up for the cold boat ride ahead. A boat must first be put in the water which of course requires backing down a boat ramp. This is typically an uneventful event, unless the ramp is covered in ice and there is a chance the boat and truck could slide into the water. Despite a lot of yelling, differing opinions and misguided instructions from the entire team, launching the boat somehow proved successful and we were on our way. Our scouting trip brought the sight we had so hoped for after driving those many miles. Ducks ‐ Thousands of ducks! Big flocks flushed off the water which instantaneously told us that many new ducks had pushed south in advance of the cold front. We formed a game plan while scouting the lake based on where the majority of the ducks were located, a spot to conceal ourselves, and the wind direction. We headed back to the landing having completed the task at hand. On the way back we got a chilling reminder of the dangers of duck hunting. We found a duck boat washed on shore with decoys, waders, and shells still in the boat. This was no small boat and had a powerful motor, but yet the sight of it was evident that it was no match for the conditions it encountered. The boat itself (which was much bigger than ours) had inches of ice caked over its entirety and had ice sickles hanging off the motor. The absence of people in the ice covered boat brought the terrible thought of someone drowning in the frigid waters. A quick call to the game warden revealed that a hunting party had encountered a terrible snow squall that suddenly blew in. The hunters were standing on the bank when the wind whipped up so strong that it swept their boat away, leaving them stranded. Even worse, it was snowing so heavily that they could not see which direction to go to get help. Luckily the game warden was able to find and save them despite the hunters having to leave the boat to weather the storm. Seeing the boat and hearing about the hunters that narrowly survived was a good reminder of taking safety precautions when pushing the extremes. The next morning was the climax of all the built up excitement and anticipation. With the excitement comes a deep down desire to skip the traditional morning routines because of a notion that every delay, whether necessary or not, will decrease the odds of being properly setup at shooting time and being ready for that first flight. The prerequisite gas station stop for morning coffee, snacks, and sodas just seemed to delay the hunt, regardless of how these simple things are such a comfort on a cold morning. The long ride down snow covered country roads was driven with few words because of the nervous hopefulness that the first morning would go well. The boat was put in the water, decoys and dog loaded, and the hunters jumped in. However things were going too well and the inevitable delay occurred when the motor would not crank because of the extreme cold. No matter how much effort, it just would not start. The realization set in that we would not see the start of shooting time and that we would miss the best shooting. This did little for moral. A ride back into town to get a can of starting fluid was in order and by the time this was done, it was mid‐morning before the motor was finely able to be started. As we rode toward the hunting spot it was noticeably evident with the light of day that there was an absence of ducks. The ducks we saw the afternoon before were nowhere to be seen. But the morning’s delay actually proved to be to our benefit when it was revealed that the entire north end of the lake was frozen solid. We were so sure of Plan A that we never developed a backup plan. Now we had to take further time to scout out a new place, but it was good to do this safely in the daylight considering all the ice. We started seeing ducks as we rode across the lake and got away from the ice on the northern end. Several hundred ducks jumped up out of a cove and this seemed as good as anywhere considering the time of day. We hurriedly threw all the decoys and other necessary gear out onto the bank. Two of us started setting a decoy spread out while the other two hid and camouflaged the boat. Ducks were trying to come back in as we put decoys out and two Gadwalls were shot despite everyone not being hidden yet. We were finally hunting! It was not long before ducks started trading back and forth. We would greet them with a hail call and the birds would drop down to check us out, but they were just not committing the final few yards as if something was not quite right. The quantity of birds meant that it was a matter of changing our approach to obtain results. We put out more decoys and changed their placement, we hid the boat better, we brushed up our blinds more, and we even changed up the calling tactics to quieter calling. Despite all of this the birds just would not commit. High concentrations of birds will sometimes build up to loaf in a particular spot when one bird joins another and this is continued until it becomes a large flock. Large numbers in a location can sometimes be misleading due to thinking it is a preferred location when it is simply birds rafting with others as a matter of convenience. Birds will surely gather in a specific location that they have a preference for but a lack of any preference is evident if they do not come back. We began thinking this could be a possibility. There were birds going beyond the point of our cove to an area that we had not scouted. A scouting mission quickly revealed we were not in the optimal location. As the boat rounded the next point, so many birds got up that they looked like a swarm of bees. We were soon set up again and as flocks of ducks would fly the lake, we would hit them with the Big Lake calls. Despite being in the area that the birds surely wanted to be in, there was still technique to be used to get them in the decoys so as not to allow them to light on down the bank from the decoys in an area that was just as attractive to them. We used the Big Lake Open Water calls, which have an insert with a larger hole bored out so that there is less air restriction. This allows the caller to achieve higher volume but it requires a more adept and proficient caller to control the increased air flow. Such calling proficiency will still allow the caller to range across the high and low sound spectrum to produce the sound needed for a particular hunting situation. In some instances, a loud call is needed to essentially “command” the ducks in or else they will lose interest. This often occurs on open water in high wind situations such as we encountered. It was amazing to see the responsiveness of the ducks to the calls. Upon hearing the hail call they would immediately lock up and come down considerable distances. Two callers working in tandem can sound like a considerable amount of ducks. This can be achieved with one caller blowing hail calls and the other mixing in quacks and light feeding chuckles with each rotating so that there is a change in the unique sounds and volume of each caller. This produces the sounds similar to that of many birds, which can be important if the birds expect the refuge and safety of a large flock. But the timing of the hail call is particularly important. If done with the ducks right above you then this may scare them, but it may also get them to try to commit when they are not in position to do so. In notable winds the calling needs to be timed appropriately to allow the birds to set up in advance of being over you so that they can easily come down into the spread. Hail calls should be blown as the birds make a wide swing to get them to come back to you, and if timed when they are particularly positioned to respond to the call and where they will break into the wind, they will then set their wings and can land into the decoys. All of the small details of proper location, calling, and decoy placement were applied and a short time after the last setup, we had limits of fat northern Mallards. With the limits came a great appreciation because they did not come easy and were obtained with much effort and strategy. Duck hunting is like a chess game where you must respond with tactics that allow you to overcome the unexpected or else you limit your own success. This requirement would prove to be ever so true throughout the rest of the trip. A Cold Day of Hunting We knew exactly where to set up the next morning, it was just a matter of getting our coffee and getting on the water before the good hunting commenced. As our multi‐million candlepower Q‐beam pierced the cold dark, it was met with a responding light from where we wanted to hunt. Our success the day before obviously did not go unnoticed and we were beat to our preferred spot. The boat was shifted into neutral and we converged for an on‐the‐boat meeting. Rather than take a chance on spots we were less familiar with, we collectively decided to hunt the next point down from where we knew the birds wanted to be and from where the other hunters were. We were several hundred yards away, but by hunting a point that extended out into the lake we would be noticed by birds as they traded up and down the lake going to their preferred spot. Being set up on the point meant that our decoys would be in the wind and rough water rather than in a secluded cove. Additionally, the wind was in our face. A duck hunter whose set up is with the wind in their face and in rough water is the anti‐thesis of accepted puddler hunting protocol, but we had done this before and knew how to achieve the desired outcomes. A minimum of seventy five decoys were to be set out. This will give ducks that are flying down the middle of a big lake the appearance that there is a raft of ducks. The decoys should only be placed one or two deep and very close to the shoreline so that they are strung down along the bank for forty or fifty yards. Despite the wind blowing directly into the shoreline, there will be an angle to it which dictates the approach the ducks will take when landing. Taking all of this into consideration, we bunched up a large number of decoys on the end where they would be landing and set them out to thirty yards from the shoreline. Additionally, we set full body decoys along the couple of yards of ice that protruded from the shoreline. This gives the appearance that there is a large flock of birds that are contentedly resting. If you take notice of live birds that are loafing near to the shore they will be sitting in a similar fashion in which some are resting on land and the others are very near the shoreline in the shallow water. When the birds attempt to land they will struggle as they come in with the wind. This serves to make them swing nearer to the shoreline and fly up along the string of decoys. Conversely, if the decoys are too far from the shoreline then the birds will swing well beyond the decoys and out of shooting range. As they fly along the shoreline and approach the wad of decoys at the end, they will then set up to land before they reach this large group of decoys that form a pocket. This puts the birds right into shooting range in conditions that would otherwise have the birds lighting well beyond range, or not even giving consideration to the decoy spread. Wind Direction
Decoy Placement for When You Have to Hunt The Wrong Wind Direction
We began to see our plan come together as the morning progressed. Our calling and the prominent placement of our decoy spread served to catch the attention of ducks, despite them flying at high altitude over the middle of a sizable lake. It was gratifying to see the ducks lose altitude to drop down with the wind and make a swing up the string of decoys and into shooting range. The perfect spot is not necessarily the secluded cove where the wind is at your back, but can rather be where you are visible to ducks so that they can be called in (even if you are on a point with rough water and the wind in your face). This emphasizes the benefits of good calling, which can be fully realized when holding a big greenhead in your hands after overcoming a less than perfect situation. The eventfulness of the day was not over despite our hunt being completed. We loaded the ducks, the decoys, the dog, and the members of our hunting party into the boat. We needed to ride across to the opposite side of the lake to get to the boat landing. Winter weather had set in and the lake was on the verge of icing up so it was no mild blue bird day. As we got toward the middle we soon realized that it was going to be a rough ride due to the wind whipped water, which was a staggering contrast compared to the glassy calm from the earlier morning’s boat ride. The water started to lap at the boat’s transom and we turned the bilge pump on to discharge the cold water that splashed into the boat. The water that splashed onto us and into the boat instantly turned to ice which complicated the effectiveness of the bilge pump. Safety became a real concern as we made our way. The deserted ice covered boat that we came across on the first day was an image that was ever present on everyone’s mind. A sense of responsibility and reason came over us and we decided an attempt to reach the warm trucks was not worthwhile while jeopardizing our safety. We turned back around and decided to go back to a landing on the calm side of the lake and hoped that we could catch a ride to get our truck. The problem with this was that the lake was desolate and it was the middle of the afternoon, which further reduced the likelihood for someone to come to our assistance. Waiting for a considerable amount of time in the cold for a passerby was still the best and safest option, but as luck would have it we pulled into the landing just as another boat did. As we made introductions, it was a surprise to find out that the other hunting party was also from back home. It is odd how you can meet someone in the middle of nowhere that calls the same place home despite home being hundreds of miles away. Better yet these fellow hunters had similarly phenomenal hunting, and we got to share stories as they gave us a much needed ride to our vehicle on the other end of the lake. The weather continued to get colder throughout all of our hunts. The decoys iced up, the drain plug in the boat froze over solid, and the lake itself was gradually icing up from the northern end. The good aspect of the cold weather was that it kept the birds in motion, which had allowed us to safely take our time getting to our hunting spot and provided steady bird movement throughout the day. However, this changed when the temperature dropped even further one night and the lake became a solid sheet of ice. There was one area that was still open and could be hunted, but the inevitable occurred. When we got on the water that morning the numerous flocks of Mallards were noticeably absent. The mallards were replaced by Greater Mergansers and Goldeneyes. Certain diving ducks are a telling sign that everything is frozen to the north because they seem to always be the last birds to migrate. Hard Freeze that Moved the Ducks Out The birds had left and we knew our hunting opportunity was over at this lake. Half the hunting crew had to go home, so a smaller hunting party left us even more mobile to make a location change. We checked the weather for surrounding areas and picked a new hunting location. We arrived after several hours of again driving across a distance of hundreds of miles. We were greeted upon arrival with cold weather, but no snow and a temperature that was above freezing meant that we had found perfect weather conditions for hunting. Here at the new location we were met with competitive hunting as well. There was a hunting party already in our preferred location, so again we had to go to a backup plan. We set up in a narrow cove on the side where both the sun and the wind were to our backs. We had ample time to get the decoys in place and were set up and waiting well in advance of shooting time. It was a cold clear night where the stars were clearly visible which made the early morning solitude enjoyable, until to our dismay another hunting party came and setup right across the cove from us. They were close enough that our safety was in question. A couple of flashes of our Q‐beam were greeted with a couple flashes of their own, as if to say “we see you but we are staying right here.” Having already set out numerous decoys we could not just up and move before shooting time, so we hunkered down to see how it would pan out. At daylight a flock of Mallards promptly responded to our calls and simply dumped into the decoys. As the birds got up we emptied our guns. Dead Mallards were laying throughout the decoys. Our Boykin Spaniel and each of us collectively started picking up the ducks to get ready again as quickly as possible. Upon making his retrieves, the Boykin Spaniel’s coat iced up, but nonetheless he was shaking from excitement rather than cold. Birds would fly the cove and we would work them as tightly to our spread as possible in order to keep the other hunters from interfering. We did this by being aggressive on the calls and not letting up until the birds hit the water in the decoys. Otherwise, passive calling would have given the birds the opportunity to stray and likely get shot. Group after group committed and before long we were smiling as our limits began to fill. We were enjoying our success when out of the corner of my eye I saw two birds. They were already cupped and hovering over the decoys. A quick glance revealed that Dad had no idea they were there. Dad has gotten well past the point of coddling his sons while duck hunting, and it is each for his own in terms of shooting. Dad being quick with a gun and a great shot affords few opportunities if one is not ready when hunting with him. I saw my chance for a double and in two quick shots had two birds flopping in the decoys, all to Dad’s surprise. Dad asked me what they were and I responded that they were Gadwall. He asked if I was sure because one seemed unique although he did not know why. With curiosity, I went and picked the ducks up. To my surprise one of the ducks was a hybrid cross of two species. The bird was a drake Brewer’s Duck which is a cross between a Mallard and a Gadwall. We were astounded to have an opportunity to harvest such a prize duck. But this could have never occurred if we had not applied proper techniques of decoy placement, concealment, and calling. Otherwise, the hunting party that setup so close may have been offered the opportunity to take the Brewer’s Duck as well as the other birds in our bag. They instead placed themselves in a position to view a great duck hunting performance put on by Big Lake hunters. Brewer’s Duck: A Perpetual Memory of the Hunt These hunts prove that as ducks move with the changes in weather, such as a cold or warm front, a hunter needs to be mobile to achieve the greatest hunting success. Many hunters seem to resort to staying in just one location. Despite having historic success in a particular location, if there are no birds why limit your success when a little extra effort might result in great hunting? Going beyond your comfort zone and driving the extra miles to scout, knocking on doors for permission, and inquiring with the locals can help to put you into the birds. The extra effort can easily be worth the greater hunting opportunities. An additional benefit is that there are always the known tried and true hunting location(s), but the scouting can provide you with new options that you can add to your repertoire of location choices. With new options and choices, your future hunts have a much better chance of resulting in great hunts and memories. Additionally, if one is to place great effort on where to hunt, then the same effort should be applied to all the other important details, such as calling, to dramatically improve the chance of a positive outcome.