I am in the military and I'm from Washington State. I grew up duck and goose hunting and now that I'm back stateside I want to get back into the sport. I was looking for any advice or direction on the matter.
Looking to get into SOCAL Waterfoul hunting
- Thread starter marinediesel87
- Start date
MD87,
Welcome to SCH and thank you for your service.
Probably not the amount of opportunities to waterfowl hunt as you have in Washington, but SoCal can be good.....Most popular places are Imperial Wildlife Area (Wister Unit), San Jacinto W.A, Lake Henshaw, and Barrett Lake.....There's also the Salton Sea which is total freelance. Lots of places to hunt it, but it can be tricky & dangerous.....Scouting before hand, asking lots of questions here on SCH, and reading past threads should send you in the right direction.
ps.....Pendleton also has a waterfowl program most years.
Welcome to SCH and thank you for your service.
Probably not the amount of opportunities to waterfowl hunt as you have in Washington, but SoCal can be good.....Most popular places are Imperial Wildlife Area (Wister Unit), San Jacinto W.A, Lake Henshaw, and Barrett Lake.....There's also the Salton Sea which is total freelance. Lots of places to hunt it, but it can be tricky & dangerous.....Scouting before hand, asking lots of questions here on SCH, and reading past threads should send you in the right direction.
ps.....Pendleton also has a waterfowl program most years.
smalls said:
Welcome Smalls,
Those "inherited" mallard decoys aren't wood are they?......If they are, we can do some serious trading...... ;D
Hello my name is Dale I'm a new waterfowl hunter , Have calls ,decoys (30) goose , 56 Avery corn cobb decoys , 3 flyer geese decoys .I live in the Burbank area . Cant find someone to go . My buddys flaked , after all this stuff I purchased , Lets team up for a good hunt . I guess your into it or your not
dhntr48 said:
Welcome Dale to SCH......30 corn cob decoys?......As in like the ones GHG's used to give in their boxes of goose decoys?
Not a lot of honker hunting here in SoCal anymore.....White geese are the goose of choice out at the Salton Sea.
Like I said Im new to the sport . My cousin in BC Canada said he hunted only over goose decoys for years for ducks , and said it brings them in like wild fire. So with his advice I got goose decoys . But he went to the big duck blind in the sky .Rest his soul . I have bought duck stamps for 5 years now , but still have not been in the field. And the corn decoys sounded good. I was scouting and found a area with nothing but mallards in a slew habitat . May get some duck decoys also to round out the spread
d,
In Canada we hunt over mostly dry fields. So honker decoys with a spinner work well for mallard & pintail ducks.....Down here in SoCal, most your duck hunting will be over water.....New mallards decoys can be pretty reasonably priced or just look for some used ones.....If you're hunting a small slough or pond, lots of decoys, especially mallards aren't necessary.....Good calling helps tremendously for mallards.
Invest in a mallard spinner too.....Useful after Dec 1 here in California.
ps.....The one exception where I still use honker decoys in my spread is Henshaw.
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In Canada we hunt over mostly dry fields. So honker decoys with a spinner work well for mallard & pintail ducks.....Down here in SoCal, most your duck hunting will be over water.....New mallards decoys can be pretty reasonably priced or just look for some used ones.....If you're hunting a small slough or pond, lots of decoys, especially mallards aren't necessary.....Good calling helps tremendously for mallards.
Invest in a mallard spinner too.....Useful after Dec 1 here in California.
ps.....The one exception where I still use honker decoys in my spread is Henshaw.
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Fantastic photos ! I Should be asking you for advice, Saw some of your other photos also! Mastering the call sounds like good advice, Didn't know how important it could be ! Cant wait for mine ! What calls do you like. I almost got some mallard spinners , and flappers , they have so much stuff out there and only legal after Dec 1st . I think you may be the go to guy for the right information . I think most of the fun is in the planning and prep
D,
Planning and prep IS half of the fun...... ;D
I really only use 2 calls for ducks....Double-reed mallard & widgeon whistles.....Most my double reeds are DR 85's made by Haydell......The whistle is made by Buck Gardner (many versions of this out there).....Just remember over calling with a mallard call can be as bad, if not worse than no calling.....Especially here in SoCal.....Practice at home or find a park with mallards. Just listen and imitate.
One spinner is normally enough.....Not a big fan of flappers.
Planning and prep IS half of the fun...... ;D
I really only use 2 calls for ducks....Double-reed mallard & widgeon whistles.....Most my double reeds are DR 85's made by Haydell......The whistle is made by Buck Gardner (many versions of this out there).....Just remember over calling with a mallard call can be as bad, if not worse than no calling.....Especially here in SoCal.....Practice at home or find a park with mallards. Just listen and imitate.
One spinner is normally enough.....Not a big fan of flappers.
Well Smalls , sounds like your decoy ready . Didn't mean to jack your thread . You have my Apologies ! Just got excited reading about your inheritance . Are you trying to get out this year ? I'm a green horn ! But I have got duck license's and stamps the last five years year's with out hunting at all ! I seem to be ready for action this year .