Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
I’m sure at one point or another, all of us have heard some sort of saying or belief held by our fellow waterfowlers that just seemed like gospel truth to killing ducks and geese (at the time). Things like “hunting the morning of a full moon is pointless”, or “geese won’t land with duck decoys”. While some of these old bits of advice are tried and true, some are just plain nonsense. Some of these bits of advice might have even kept people from being successful in the field or marsh. Here are 5 waterfowling fallacies that need to be deconstructed, and will hopefully help some of you out there that are still struggling with these old schools of thought.
1. Sunny days are best for duck hunting because it impairs the bird’s sight
This idea seemed to be a popular train of thought not too long ago. Hunting videos seemed to show the biggest names in waterfowling light up at the idea of a bright skied-day, making it seem like that was the make or break ticket to having a good hunt. Now, more recently, hunters have taken a turn to being more drawn to cloudy, stormier weather to get the birds moving into the decoys. It seems like any time we go out hunting on bright, sunny, bluebird days, the birds always seem to pick us apart. Even on the “X”, they tend to give a few more passes than usual. I’m not sure if it does have any effect on the bird’s actual ability to see less, but I do know it makes the hunting quite a bit harder. On bright blue sky days, the birds seem to be flying as high as the 747 jumbo-jets, and when they do decide to come and take a look at you, they’ve had so much time to swing down and check things out, it’s hard to get them to finish. So if you can, save yourself the vacation days on those warm, sunny mornings. It’s more about the temperature, wind, and pressure in your area. Focus more on those factors and less on only hunting the sunny days. Sunny vs. Cloudy must go because people have had many good hunts on cloudy days just as they have clear sunshine, especially if there is no wind.
2. Silhouettes are a thing of the past. They don’t work anymore.
If you haven’t noticed, silhouettes are back, and they’re doing damage (in a good way). It seems like everyone is switching over to silos for a myriad of reasons. More decoys, less weight, and less cost. You really can’t beat carrying in and setting up 12 dozen decoys with the ease of a dozen silhouettes under each arm as you go. But, there are still some that hold true to the idea that you just have to have a spread of full bodies. You have to have the 20-foot fully enclosed trailer with all your pro-staff stickers on it, carrying in all your decoys. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s hard to deny the fact that silos are just as effective. Geese have monocular vision, which means their depth perception is extremely limited. In other words, they see everything as silhouettes. So before you go bashing the new idea of adding silos to the spread, go buy some and try them out, you might just end up leaving your enclosed trailer behind.
3. The first flock of the day usually is a sign of how the rest of the hunt will go
I will admit, this one can be true. However, for every time it’s true, there are twice as many times it’s completely wrong. Just because that first flock of the day didn’t cup up, and dive right into the spread, doesn’t mean that your hunt is over. If I lived by this rule, I couldn’t tell you how many hunts I would have just packed up and headed home after the first flock went soaring overhead to a different part of the county. Remember, there are always adjustments to be made. Just because the first flock didn’t do it doesn’t mean the second or third won’t. Sometimes you just have to remember that certain birds just don’t want where you’re at. That’s part of the game. Now after the 4th, 5th, 6th flock that goes by, then it’s time to mix something up. But until then, be patient- they’ll come.
4. You have to put the decoys into a “U” shape, “J hook” or another shape for a landing zone
The logic behind this idea is sound, and I get it. In fact, I still follow it (roughly), as do most goose and duck hunters. But let’s be honest, how many times have you seen a flock of live ducks and geese sitting in a U or X or J or whatever letter of the alphabet? I’ve never seen it, and neither have you. Usually, they’re spread all over the place, with little pockets of openings here and there. If you’ve ever just watched ducks and geese, you know that even the biggest of honkers can maneuver themselves into some pretty tight spots. So the need to create huge, open-gapped landing zones, isn’t really needed. A lot of people nowadays will just spread their decoys out, making sure there’s enough room here and there for the birds to feel comfortable landing. Not to mention it adds a different look to your spread (a benefit when the late-season comes around). After every duck or goose in the valley has seen all these different landing zone patterns, having an unorthodox spread, with enough room between decoys for them to land will give you the advantage you need to kill those last few birds for your limit.
5. Divers and puddlers won’t land together
This is another belief held by tried and true waterfowlers that just seems to be irrational. Ducks will land where they know it’s safe, and if they see other ducks there, it’s clearly safe (or so they think). The reason divers and puddlers don’t often land together is that you usually find them on separate bodies of water. However, if you’re hunting a body of water where they can be found together, like rivers, small reservoirs, or lakeshores, you can do just as good of a job getting either bird to decoy of either species. That’s why in places like the Great Salt Lake, they use black cut-out silhouettes for anything from teal to canvasbacks. On Reelfoot Lake, they use painted 2-liter bottles. The decoys don’t matter, the area is what matters.
At the end of the day, there’s plenty of other misconceptions about certain waterfowl hunting tactics. Whether it’s from calling to set up a proper hide. All that matters is that you learn to adapt, change, and get better as you go. That’s what makes this sport so fun. No two hunts are exactly the same. Each hunt is a new experience, with new birds to try to fool. It’s your job to figure out which old fables you need to get rid of, and help yourself get those birds into your decoy spread, and onto your grill.
