Has anyone used or patterned these?

Hi all,

I’ve been hunting duck and goose a bit the last 3 seasons and I’m absolutely in love with waterfowling. I currently shoot a used but perfectly functioning Mossberg 835 from the 90’s. I have most of the clothes I need for hunting besides maybe a nicer jacket. I rely on my friends for decoys (I hunt with them every hunt, one of my buddies has enough decoys to cover the group we always hunt with). We also dove, pigeon, and rabbit hunt a lot.

If you had 1000 USD to spend on waterfowl equipment, would you buy an auto loader, decoys, etc? Looking to hear how everyone would spend their money. (Links or specific brands/models appreciated)

Going on a field duck hunt around November in South Dakota. I’m from Michigan and currently shoot migra stacked load out of my 12 gauge. Typically I shoot a 2/3 stacked load with a modified choke for ducks. However, being out west where it’s colder/windier, would I be better off using my 2/bb stacked load to compensate for fatter ducks/geese? My 2/bb load patterns better out of my full choke. Would a full choke be better for field hunts? I’ve only been on 1 field hunt and that was 3 years ago.

I know I have lots of time before we go, but I’m curious

Howdy all! I’m currently located in the central flyway and may be moving to Maine next year. We obviously have “decent” duck numbers where I’m at currently. I know sea duck hunting is pretty common on the coast but what about puddle ducks? I’m not looking for anybody’s honey hole. Just seems like for puddle ducks you may have to set up on pond, small lake or river and scouting may be difficult. Any advice on how its done in ME would be appreciated.

Anybody here have anything on these chokes? They only make 1 waterfowl choke, but I’ve seen their other models in videos absolutely destroying paper at 40 I think. Just curious before I drop $100 on something that’s no better than my stock Mod choke. Benelli Mobil style choke.

I have a small pond in my wooded backyard. Earlier in the spring, I noticed a Mallard pair would often hang out in the pond. Occasionally a pair of Wood Ducks would join, but I haven't seen them in a about a month. Anyway, the I haven't seen the Mallard Hen in a couple weeks, assuming she is nesting somewhere. Ive searched around the pond with binos, but I don't want to get to close and disturb her if she is somewhere in there. The pond has a lot of brush and dead fall around it, many places to hide. The Drake I see daily, he will fly in and hang out for an hour, then fly out only to return a few hours later and repeat. Usually he will fly off into the direction of the closes lake, less than a mile flight. Maybe, this is just normal behavior. I just picked up waterfowl hunting a few years back and have started paying more attention to their behavior and would like to understand it better.

I grew up in Houston where waterfowl is huge but have since moved to the San Antonio area and no one out here cares about waterfowl. They only care about deer and pigs it seems. I’ve been having trouble finding leases or anything in the area (little to no public land). Does anyone have any experience in the area? I’d prefer not to hunt costal with my dog but I’ll do what I have to when it comes down to it.

$200 for 20 goose decoys some are socks majority are full bodies some shells 10-11 ducks and a layout blind

Trying to scratch a ruddy duck off the list and have been having a hard time. Hunting north east US, when I see them they show up to the same spots in a lake where you basically would need a layout boat to hunt them. They don't move much out of that spot and I don't see them too many other areas.

Any tips or tricks for them? Or is there areas of the country where they are a lot more abundant? I am definitely willing to travel but wouldn't mind hearing y'alls thoughts first

Heads up for budget conscious folks -- now through end of July DUCK DEAL SEASON. Some good deals also show up on Labor day, but I find that the spring - summer period is the sweet spot for duck gear. Last year some of my bigger wins: 250 case of Hevi-XII for 55% off; Sitka underwader insulator bibs for 60% off; premium dog blind for 40%; BOGO on agitator decoys.

I see the best deals from the specialty online retailers like Roger's and Mack's. In past few days, I've seen agitator decoys going for 40% off, TSS from 20-70% off, waders for 50% off, etc.

Wondering if people have any tried and true designs for their dogs section of the duck blind? Last year I had my dog in a dog house of sorts, with a ramp in and out of the water, and an access hole to the main blind so she could pass me birds, get into and out of her part etc. but I feel like she couldn’t see enough.

Does anyone know of or recommend any certain blinds for larger dogs? My Chocolate Lab is almost 8 months and currently 60 lbs. I’m expecting him to be on the larger end grown but all the blinds I’m finding are in the 3’x2’x1.5’ area and that seems pretty small to me.

This goofball has been hanging around a local pond, the orange feet kill me 😂

What do you think it's mixed with?

I’m in western Idaho and the season closes march 10th. But more the snows didn’t show up for a couple weeks till after it closed, and we have 900 acres of winter wheat. Well keeping them off was an expensive chore. They would completely wipe out a whole field in a couple hours (5 acre) but after talking to neighbors we discovered the wheat fields we had a chance to water last fall before water ran out they wouldn’t touch, they like it young and just sprouted to be able to pull up the actual grain seed. Now you can notice real light spots in fields. They migration has gotta bigger every year it seems and now it’s effecting towns 20 miles away that’s never dealt with the snows. I’ve yet to meet a farmer who says no to pushing them off fields. But just curious what’s the feelings across the board.