Duck hunting, or more professionally labeled ad waterfowl hunting, is far from the typical experience of hunting game in the wild. Instead of carefully setting your traps and positioning yourself behind bushes and trees, you’re more exposed to the waters than usual. This is why you’ll need to apply a different strategy when hunting ducks.
Duck Hunting Essentials You Should Bring
The simple change in terrain can make a world of difference, especially since you’re hunting an animal capable of traveling by water, land, and air. For this reason, you’ll need to bring appropriate gear to make your duck hunting trip successful.
Before you go waterfowl hunting, make sure you have these three hunting tools packed and ready to go:
Waterproof Apparel and Bags
As every hunter would know, moisture is a major concern in protecting your hunting gear. You’ll need to adapt to wetlands, so you should swap your thick jacket with a waterproof one. Additionally, since you’ll be wearing boots and waders as a pair, it’s unnecessary to wear long pants underneath. Remember to bring along waterproof bags for your gear, even if you’re hunting in fair weather.
Calls and Blinds
Bringing the right gear to attract prey while simultaneously concealing your presence goes hand in hand. This is why you need to pay extra attention to your calls and blinds.
For calls, it’s best to start with types appropriate to the local species, but you should take extra goose calls even on a duck hunt in case they appear in the area. Some notable calls you need to get are feeding, mating, and comeback calls. Keep in mind that these three differ in tone and length. Additionally, some parks forbid the use of electric calls, so check with your hunting guide before bringing one along.
For blinds, you need to assess the environment and how you’ll be traversing the area. You can bring a layout blind, chair blind, or boat blind, depending on which one will hide you more. Keep in mind that each one also offers practical advantages over its visual camouflage. For example, a chair blind gives you a 360-degree view of your surroundings. In contrast, layout blinds keep you practically immobile to blend in much better.
Appropriate Guns and Ammo
The ideal duck hunting weapon will vary, depending on your handling. Some duck hunters prefer shooting them in midair, while others prefer waiting until they’re more predictable on land. Your best option is to choose a 12-gauge shotgun. Picking a pump action with a camouflaged frame is ideal, but you may prefer a heavier gun for better recoil.
For ammo, remember to choose the right type concerning the prey you’re hunting without sacrificing performance. Since you can’t use lead shots, you need to pick between non-toxic pellets, like steel, tungsten, or bismuth bullets.
Since ducks are much easier to track during waterfowl hunting trips, you’ll have plenty of chances to be liberal with your ammo usage. Unless you want to run out of bullets after several tries, remember to bring extra ammo boxes in your person or on your boat.
Conclusion
Newcomers to fowl hunting are wrong to think that the hunting game is the most difficult part of the trip. In reality, the greatest obstacle you have to overcome is booking the right accommodation. Thankfully, you can seamlessly plan your hunting trip by working with professionals.
If you’re ready with your waterfowl hunting gear, it’s time to book your trip to the best game hunting spot around. At CAT Sport Fishing, we offer hunters a unique experience with our professional Port Aransas duck hunting guides. Book with us today!