Whether you were prepared for it or not, we’re back in the thick of duck season. I’m sure that every duck hunter with a pulse was counting down the days until they could get back into the blind, but watching the calendar isn’t the only thing to be focused on come duck season. Duck hunting is organized chaos at its finest, between the decoys, scouting, blind prep, etc. there can be a lot to stay on top of to make sure you’re ready for weekends spent in the duck blind. In case you are a little behind on some of your prep for duck season, here are a few tips, tricks, and gear choices to help get you dialed in.
1. Calling
If you weren’t keeping up with calling practice in the off-season, there’s no better time than now to fine-tune your cadence. One of my favorite ways to get in tune is to call with a buddy and work out a cadence and rhythm that sounds natural. Rather than throwing a wall of sound at birds as they set eyes on your spread, learn to play off of one another. Most people call this “follow the leader”, where one caller leads a cadence and the other caller follows along with a slight delay to emulate the sound of live birds on a feed. For example, let’s say you start with a feeder call; the other caller would then follow with a feeder. As the leader, you’d hit a greeting call, the follower keeps a feeder chuckle going, and then hits a greeting call, and so on. It helps to space out your cadence with a tactic like this so you’re not hitting notes and calling right on top of each other, and it sounds incredibly realistic.
2. Have The Right Layers
Having the right apparel can make or break a hunt. Whether you’re packing a mile into a public spot or taking the jet boat to your secret honey hole, it helps to have the right layers for the right time of year. At this time of year, the mornings are cool but can warm up considerably by 9 or 10 am. The last few seasons I’ve used the Aves Drifter Jacket and Drifter Pant, and they’re without a doubt some of my favorite early-mid season pieces. Both the jacket and pants are great medium-weight pieces that keep you warm as temps dip in the morning, but don’t have you scrambling to shed layers as the day warms up. For its warmth and wind-cutting ability, the Drifter Jacket has a great form factor. If I do need to shed a layer hiking in or out of a spot, it packs down really well and is easy to toss in a blind bag or pack. In addition to the core Drifter series, I typically wear the Stratum Hoodie as my base layer, and if the temperatures call for it, I throw on the Drifter Vest or Midway Pullover as an added base layer on cold mornings.
As far as pants go, I haven’t found a better pair of waterfowl hunting pants than the Drifter series. They’re the perfect weight pants to carry you through until it’s time to throw on the Bering Bibs in late season. Additionally, they have built-in zippered side vents to cool you down for long walks carrying gear, and they have Kevlar-reinforced fabric on the knee and rear that actually holds up season after season. Another feature that I don’t see on many other waterfowl hunting pants is the built-in side zippers and Velcro gusset, which make getting in and out of boots a breeze. I see this on many bibs, but hardly any other pants on the market. Last but not least, a huge plus for me about the Aves lineup is that a majority of their gear comes in both camo and solid options. I love my camo when I really need it, but having solid color options makes these an even more versatile pant option.
3. Gear Prep
For most hunters, “prepping” for a duck hunt means doing everything the night before and staying up much too late with your buddies. Whether it’s opening day or the middle of November, there’s always a dead headlamp, a missing Lucky Duck wing, or a glove that just up and vanishes once you get in the blind. When it comes to gear, I always try to build out a hunting truck kit for the season. This will contain all the odds and ends I could need out on a hunt or back at the truck. There are several ways to configure it. Still, in general, I usually pack items such as trash bags, a multi-tool, extra choke tubes, Allen keys, wipes/toilet paper, batteries, zip-lock bags, a portable charger, a first aid kit, additional headlamps, extra layers, hand warmers, etc. Kits like this are easy to put together, keep in your truck, and the best part about it is that this gear is probably something you already have. Regardless of how you decide to pack it all together, having a go-to hunting truck kit is an essential piece of gear for me, no matter where I’m hunting.
4. Scouting
Scouting is hands down one of the most important deciding factors in your hunt. If your scouts are bad, odds are your hunts are going to be bad, too. Before the snow starts falling and ice begins to lock up water, take the time to hit the scouting hard. Right now is one of the best times to explore new areas, find new pockets of water that might be holding ducks, and key in on what birds are eating. Use a tool like OnX’s crop layers to figure out what crops are around and pay attention to when farmers are pulling crops off and what’s been cut already.
As closely as you pay attention to what food they’re hitting now, keep a careful eye on the weather forecast. A drastic drop in temperature or sudden snowfall can flip the switch and have birds putting on the feed bag in high-calorie crop fields, like cut corn, in an instant. That being said, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven by early cut corn fields, on a 55-degree day, that don’t hold a single bird. Just because there’s “good” food around doesn’t mean they’ll always be in it, especially early in the season.
Final Thoughts
The early season can be a bit chaotic. A mix of knocking the rust off your shooting, gear checks, and relearning all the small details that make a hunt go right. But that’s what makes this time of year so rewarding. From fine-tuning your calling and layering system to keeping your gear squared away and your scouting sharp, these early weeks are where good habits are built and future limits are made. Each morning brings a little more chill in the air, and with it, the promise of fresh birds riding the next cold front south. So stay focused, keep working, and dialing everything in for those cold months ahead.