Tips to Increase hunting success

January 19, 2016 by Prairies Edge Outfitting

Blind concealment 

"the better the hide the better the guide" this is a common saying in the waterfowl guiding industry, all it means is that concealment is everything.  If everything else is right but the birds can see you its going to be a tough hunt. 

Always use naturally occuring brush or straw to blend in as perfectly as possible to your immediate surroundings, but be careful not to cut willows or rake straw right beside your blind as this causes an unnatural looking area which may cause birds to avoid it.

 Movement 

There is 2 parts to movement.  Decoys need to move more and hunters need to move less.  Plain and simple if you can get motion into your spread you will attract more birds, and if you can keep yourself from looking around to constantly watch the birds you will not flare them off.  Once you have birds working do not move.  Keep your face down, resist the urge to move your gun, turn your head or adjust your cap until its time to shoot as the slightest movement can cause birds to flare.

Wind 

Always pay attention to the wind, most waterfowlers know that birds always land with their face into the wind but how does that affect your set up?  Will the wind die down later today?  Is there a hill in front of you?  One of the toughest setups is to have a rise in front of you and a strong wind, even though the birds want to get into your spread they may not be able to fight the wind enough once they come over the rise.

Landing Zone 

Decoy placement is an art and there is many different patterns to follow but in each case you need a landing zone or a "hole" to steer the birds within range of your blind

Hopefully these tips will help you to get more ducks and geese with in shooting range on your future hunts

Posted In: Waterfowl Hunting