 The morning of Nebraska waterfowling was something of an epiphany. Or, to be more precise, the revelation was a reminder, tracing back to my youth, that there’s more than one way to kill a duck. In company with a couple of fellow writers, I spent the prime hours of the morning in a blind indulging in wishful thinking while watching distant ducks scoot across the horizon like wind-blown specks of black pepper. For two hours, not a shot was fired, other than an “I’m desperate” barrage unleashed on an ill-favored coot.
At that point our host came by the blind and asked if anyone wanted to do some sneaking and peeking with him while dealing with pothole ducks. My companions declined, but I jumped at the chance for some jump shooting. Using the terrain and stealth to good advantage, we crept up on a series of tiny ponds, none of them larger than an acre. On the first such sneak attack, my Remington 11-87 brought down two greenheads, and 90 minutes and half a dozen waterholes later I had a mixed limit of ducks.
The following day Remington’s Eddie Stevenson joined me, and once again we had some first-rate action involving both geese and ducks. We never touched a call, carried no decoys and had nothing to do with sitting and waiting in a blind. Instead, we relied on utilization of natural cover, close observation of flight patterns and some good old-fashioned woodsmanship to enjoy success. All of this translated to an eminently enjoyable experience and a meaningful object lesson in waterfowling. It was a style of hunting that I had used to account for a lot of ducks in my younger years, along with two other tactics of a somewhat similar nature.
All of them might be considered waterfowling the old-fashioned way, with a minimal amount of simple equipment and no need for elaborate blinds, decoy spreads or the sometimes overwhelming paraphernalia associated with hunting ducks or geese. Instead, these poor man’s tactics require nothing more than waders over suitable clothing, a gun and shells, perhaps a canine companion and, in certain situations, a canoe or johnboat. Let’s look at four distinct approaches in some detail, remembering as we do so that each of them has the potential to produce waterfowl for the game bag in meaningful numbers.
Paddling ’Em Up
All across the country there are creeks, sloughs and small rivers that draw ducks like a downed dove attracts fire ants. Most hunters overlook these waterways for the simple reason that they can be navigated only by small, shallow-draft watercraft. Yet they are ideal for those willing to paddle a canoe or push a johnboat. As a rule, such duck havens twist and turn this way and that, and every new bend, each change of direction, carries fruitful promise of waterfowl scrambling for the sky as they suddenly remember urgent business in the next county.
This approach is best done by a pair of hunters, although a fellow who is quick on the uptake and skilled with a paddle can manage it alone. When done in tandem, the gunner sits in the front of the boat or canoe, gun at the ready, and gets in some jump shooting anytime ducks get up within range while his buddy maneuvers the craft. Equality of opportunity comes through switching positions periodically — perhaps after a pre-determined number of shots or after passage of a given amount of time.
The key to getting shots is keeping quiet. That means silent paddling or poling (some outdoor carpeting in the bottom of the watercraft can help quite a bit) and clinging to the side of the stream that best conceals your approach to turns. Similarly, the boat needs to be painted in camouflage or earth tones, and sometimes keeping a low profile or even having a bit of netting on the side can be advantageous. In the case of canoes, be sure to have one with a good-sized keel. The added stability will be welcome at times of sudden moves, such as the need to swing on a fleeing duck.
Don’t overlook any backwaters or sloughs that seem even marginally penetrable when hunting this way. They richly merit exploration, for this is precisely the kind of place where hard-pressured ducks like to idle away the middle of the day. One final consideration needs to be kept in mind. Allow more time than you think you will need the first time you cover new water. Such trips should be leisurely progresses, not hasty exercises in paddling, and you never know when you will have to portage around log jams or a tree across the creek. Participate in one “idiot roundup,” as the wife of a good friend described an outing that found us well short of our take-out point when dark fell, and you will appreciate the importance of allowing enough time for the float trip.
Walking ’Em Up, Part I — Creeks And Rivers
Along with floating streams, it is also possible to walk their banks or wade shallow ones. In effect, you are doing what the still-hunter out for deer does, and at times the still-hunting can turn to stalking as you spot distant ducks. A good pair of binoculars, allowing you to scan distant pools, can help, and obviously you want to listen carefully for duck conversation that alerts you to their whereabouts.
Whenever possible, it is better to wade than walk the shoreline, mainly because the former approach enables the hunter to keep a lower profile and utilize natural cover to maximum advantage. Just be sure you know the depth of the stream, especially in murky water situations, before you get too adventurous. A soaking can be uncomfortable at best and downright dangerous at worst.
Whether you wade or ease along the bank of the stream, stealth is of great importance. In still water, even an unnatural wake can alert ducks, and rest assured you will be seen when still out of range should you persist in rambling along on high ground rather than stooping, creeping or even crawling. More often than not, as is the case when paddling, your shooting opportunities will come when you round a turn in the stream and surprise ducks at close range. Occasionally, though not too often, you can get a second chance at ducks jumped this way. If they aren’t certain about the exact nature of the danger that frightened them, sometimes they circle back and offer a pass shot.
Speaking of them circling back, keep an eye on the sky as you ease along. Most of your shots will be at ducks you have jumped, but occasionally the alert hunter will spot waterfowl winging his way as they follow the stream. When this happens, the best thing you can do is freeze immediately. It is normally movement, as opposed to your profile, that gives you away to ducks in this situation. This also offers an obvious argument for utilizing trees, whenever possible, to mask your approach as you ease along.
Walking ’Em Up, Part II — Ponds And Potholes
Taking shank’s mare to ducks found in ponds and potholes involves somewhat different approaches from those which are most effective when walking along creeks or small rivers. In most cases, you’ve got to be willing to stoop to conquer. In order to get within shooting range of ducks resting or feeding on farm ponds or other isolated bodies of water, you need to utilize whatever cover is available. Where a dam has been built to create the pond, it is often possible to approach from below it and peek up over the dam ready to shoot when ducks take wing. In other cases, cattails, willows or similar vegetation may let you slip up unobserved.
The key thing is to keep out of sight until you get as close as possible. That may literally mean crawling on hands and knees or even slithering along like a snake, but it can be worth it if you get some shooting. Just be keenly aware of the fact that once you show yourself, or once ducks smell a rat, things will happen in a hurry.
Waiting ’Em Out — The Fine Art Of Pass Shooting
A final possibility, one that more closely resembles hunting over decoys from a blind, involves selecting a prime spot for pass shooting. The observant duck hunter can pick out favored flight patterns as ducks go to and from roosting areas or choice feeding spots, or there may be sites where they just seem to fly by with regularity. For example, islands in the middle of larger streams or the points of peninsulas sticking out in large bodies of water can be fine places for pass shooting. Similarly, it is sometimes possible, especially on cloudy or overcast days when ducks return to roosting areas while you still have legal shooting hours, to get excellent action at dusk near a roost without actually disturbing the roost.
It takes good knowledge of duck habits and habitat preferences, not to mention first-rate wingshooting skills, to score effectively when dealing with hard-flying ducks on a mission to a distant destination. But in common with the other methods of hunting described above, this was a traditional way to deal with ducks. Try these offbeat tactics, perhaps interspersing them with more commonplace ones, and chances are you will add heft to your game bag along with enjoying some of the ways folks hunted when they didn’t enjoy the luxury of boats driven by 100 horsepower or heated blinds with many of the comforts of home.
Some Oddball Tips
Calling has little place in the types of waterfowling described here, but there is one notable exception. You can sometimes use a call to locate garrulous ducks, much the way a turkey hunter uses a locator call, and then, having pinpointed them, commence your sneak attack.
An old quail hunter’s adage suggests “always start cold,” and the same thing applies to this style of duck hunting. Whether you are paddling, walking, crawling or wading, there’s a lot more exercise involved than when sitting in a blind. Keep that in mind when it comes to attire. Here’s where wicking long underwear and breathable waders like those featuring a Gore-Tex membrane really shine.
A staunch canine companion is as valuable an ally when employing these tactics as is the case in a blind. He’ll find downed ducks that fall on land readily, get those that end up in water where you can’t venture even in waders, and often alert you, through “body language,” to the presence of waterfowl. However, good training and behavior are essential, for a wayward or unruly dog can flip a canoe, spook ducks or otherwise spoil the show in a hurry. — Jim Casada
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Waterfowling The Old-Fashioned Way
