Tips To Increase Waterfowl Hunting Success

Tips To Increase Waterfowl Hunting Success

Whether you're a seasoned waterfowler or just starting out, understanding the finer details of staying hidden, managing movement, and optimizing your setup can make the difference between a tough day in the blind and a bag limit by sunrise. Dive into these essential tips to help you master the art of blind concealment and improve your success in the field.

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 occurring 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.

Reduce Your 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.

Hunt The 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.

The 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.