Early Season Waterfowling

EARLY SEASON WATERFOWLING ON SMALL WATERS

By Freddie Mcknight

Ripples on the water were the first indication that the wood ducks were there. Otherwise the water's surface would not even have been dimpled on such a fine afternoon. Edging up to the bank, I quietly urged my daughter to forge ahead and be at the ready for the quick explosion of wings that was about to occur.

After years of jump shooting ducks on these small waters, I knew how lightning fast the events would occur, so when the small flock lifted off the water, I swung on the lead drake heading downstream and folded him. There was not time for another shot.

Kieshia just stood there in awe. Though she has plenty of experience on clay birds, these miniature rockets of the water gave her no chance for a shot. Not to worry, I knew there would be plenty more opportunities and that she would get some action before it was all said and done.

Not far upstream, as we were rounding a bend in the creek, I spotted another small flock of woodies using a blow-down in the creek as a resting spot. Plotting a quiet, unseen approach from available landmarks, I sent Kieshia on her way. With just room for one shooter in this situation, I stood back and watched the predatory instincts of my daughter take over. I heard the flush, saw the gun come to her shoulder, and with two quick, well placed shots, a pair of young drake woodies were on the water. It was the first game of her young hunting career and I could not have been more proud of her.

I love to waterfowl hunt, but it is an often overlooked aspect in my neck of the woods. With so many waterways in the region, waterfowl are a common sight to hunters, but they get lost in the mix of other game birds and animals. Their loss is my gain as I spend countless hours in pursuit of ducks and geese all fall long, but perhaps the best time I have is during the early seasons.

I don’t own many decoys, nor do I have a boat, dog, or pit blind from where I do my hunting. My waterfowling consists almost entirely of jump shooting, something that fits well into the mold of the early season.

The trees along the streams are still full of leaves providing ample cover to the hunter sneaking along the shore. The grass around ponds and lakes is still high which also covers an approach. You need not worry if the ducks and geese are flying or not, nor should you be concerned about the weather, because you can come and hunt as you please. There is no getting up in the early a.m. hours to set out a decoy spread or put your boat on a foggy body of water, just don your waders, grab the scattergun and a box of steel shot and head for a backwoods stream lined with oaks.

This is where you will find the flocks of the early season. Mallards and Wood Ducks make up the bulk of the early season bag in my region. Most are resident ducks that have been born and raised on the very waters that you hunt them on. They are not yet that wary of man and his hunting, but they are quick learners and will still flush at the first hint of danger.

Jump shooting these ducks is a lot like combat, there are mere seconds of action, followed by a lull in between. While the intenseness will not measure up to those in combat, the adrenaline rush that is provided in those few seconds is what makes the hunt.

For all intents and purposes, this method is usually only advisable for one or two hunters to undertake, even on the bigger water courses. The action happens at a quick pace and you need to be aware of your surroundings and of safety.

When hunting with two people, we always agree that one hunter takes those that flush upstream; the other will only shoot at those that go downstream. Sometimes the ducks and geese will flush all one way, but that is okay because it is safety first that counts. When this happens, we just swap positions and allow the hunter who did not get a shot to be the lead man on the next flush. It normally works out where everyone gets action, but it is the camaraderie that we are looking for the most.

While streams make up the bulk of our hunting zones, we do not overlook opportunities presented by ponds and the shallows in larger lakes as a place to jump shoot. These areas hold waterfowl, sometimes in much larger numbers than the smaller streams. They can be successfully hunted, though it takes more planning and coordination to do so on the larger waters. The biggest difference is that the birds can pick you out at longer ranges and may flush before you have half a chance of being able to get a shot.

A good pair of optics and two hunters make the difference on the big waters. Coordinating two different approaches when possible allows the maximum percentage that at least one of you will get some action.

Geese are especially vulnerable to this sort of approach during the mid-day hours when they tend to be resting. Glassing a flock, then sneaking in close has accounted for more than a few geese in my freezer.

It may not be the grand type of hunting for all, but it works. For those with time constraints in today’s busy world, it may be this type of hunting for waterfowl or none at all. I would much rather take the former over the latter any day of the week.

Gear yourself accordingly for this type of fast action too. Too many hunters I know carry their regular waterfowl guns which are heavy and bulky. This tends to wear them out quickly after carrying them along the shorelines for maybe hours. It also slows their reactions down when the flush is made and may take away from the number of opportunities afforded them.

I go against the grain and often carry my 20-gauge on these jump shooting missions. Loaded with a magnum load of three inch steel shot, the usually close range waterfowl are easy pickings if my shooting is on that day. Plus the gun is light and easy to swing thanks to a shorter than normal barrel for a water fowling gun. I can carry it and a box of ammo along the creeks for an afternoon and not feel like I am too loaded down for the job at hand.

This approach is not for all, but if you are looking for some fast wing shooting action when no other is available, look to the waterfowl to fill that void. Your eyes will be opened to a whole new world on the water.