Duck hunting gear?

Bowman

Bowman

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Oct 16, 2013
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What gear is needed for duck hunting? Ok shotgun, non lead ammo. But what size shot.
Clothing, boots or waders.
Insect repellent? Is a dog a must.
Or can it be done without?
Easiest way to identify ducks.
Phone app. Flat bottom Jon boat.
 
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longbowhunter2 said:
What gear is needed for duck hunting? Ok shotgun, non lead ammo. But what size shot.
Clothing, boots or waders.
Insect repellent? Is a dog a must.
Or can it be done without?
Easiest way to identify iducts.
Phone app. Flat bottom Jon boat.
Click to expand...
Waders (breathable), camo top, face mask or paint maybe, dog not necessary but may need canoe or boat instead for retrieval, insect repellent yes (spray and Thermacell is an added bonus), CA duck validation, Federal duck stamp, decoys and calls (if you suck it's better not to call at all), and #2 or 3 non-toxic shot (I use #3 Kent Fasteel), and maybe a mudseat. Also the lands passes deal if you go that route. And my favorite duck ID book is The LeMaster Method.. recommend it.

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SurfNHuntSD said:
Waders (breathable), camo top, face mask or paint maybe, dog not necessary but may need canoe or boat instead for retrieval, insect repellent yes (spray and Thermacell is an added bonus), CA duck validation, Federal duck stamp, decoys and calls (if you suck it's better not to call at all), and #2 or 3 non-toxic shot (I use #3 Kent Fasteel), and maybe a mudseat. Also the lands passes deal if you go that route. And my favorite duck ID book is The LeMaster Method.. recommend it.

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Click to expand...

Hi Jason
Great advice.
What size boat do you use?
 
SurfNHuntSD said:
No boat for me.. I hunt from a 14' canoe. Don't have to worry about mud motors and registration, but the windstorms f*** me up lol.

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I see makes sense. Light and easy to manage.. I was thinking of a 14 ft Jon boat. Would that be tougher to get in and out.
 
@SurfNHuntSD shit most people on here are to lazy to even try public land duck hunting let alone a airboat :) proof was my old airboat that was for sale and had zero hits from anyone. would have been perfect to mother-ship out at the sea

you canoe people are crazy them things scare me but not much difference between one and a 12' john boat. both flip pretty easy.

small jon boats are miserable for getting in and out of. you have to get in the 1548 range before they get stable enough to climb in and out while they are floating.

huge fan of the hybrid NL boats. I hunt out of them almost 100% of the time. cant flip them and they are light 541.JPG
 
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Breathable waders, 3" 1 1/8 oz 3's 1550 fps for ducks (prefer Kents), Benelli shotguns, any color camo, DR 85 call, widgeon whistle, and most any kind of modern decoys.

Used a 10' jon boat for years.....Little tipsy, but no one ever drown.....lol.....Best boat was/is my 14' camo v nose alumicraft.

.Crowley Lake 1982.jpgIMG_0079.JPG
 
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The reason I want a Jon boat is to use both for the local lakes , and for duck hunting. I for see more local fishing in the future. My brother had Jon boat when we were young.
I would throw it in the back of my Ford ranchero. Get to the local private lake. Friends of mine would give me access. Drag it to the shore.
I would use just oars. It was great.
But I know the marsh can be sticky hell. That little boat was fun.
Caught a few bass and catfish.
Those were the fun days. Low or no budget. But some how managed.
 
ilovesprig said:
Breathable waders, 3" 1 1/8 oz 3's 1550 fps for ducks (prefer Kents), Benelli shotguns, any color camo, DR 85 call, widgeon whistle, and most any kind of modern decoys.

Used a 10' jon boat for years.....Little tipsy, but no one ever drown.....lol.....Best boat was/is my 14' camo v nose alumicraft.

.View attachment 36493View attachment 36494
Click to expand...
Thank you for the kindly reply and advice Steve. Look like found memories
 
SurfNHuntSD said:
Steve,

Do teal whistles ever work for you at Wister?

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Maybe.....In all my years of 'fowling, I've only had one person (Jon/Greenhouse) actually seem to call them in with a whistle.....Up at a private club near Merced a few years back.

I do know they like to decoy to their own.....That's why I have a few teal decoys off to one side of my spread.
 
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SurfNHuntSD said:
Steve,

Do teal whistles ever work for you at Wister?

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Jason, are you just thinking because they might be over used in that area?

I use teal whistles just to add some sound to go with movement on the water. I am not sure I have noticed them turning birds and can relate that to just the calling specifically.

The wigeon whistle is a different story. I find wigeon ate very responsive at times and you can get them to decoy close with the wigeon whistle. Not sure if as effective in a crowded refuge scenario though.

The Dr85 is always on my lanyard. Mallards are stupid easy to call though in many instances. I find the dr85 to work well for teal quacks and gad quacks as well. Pretty versatile.

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