When duck hunters think of the Pacific Flyway, Washington state is one of the top locations that comes to mind. With liberal bag limits on ducks, including a 7-mallard bag limit, it’s a dream destination for many hunters and a perfect place to kick off our Maxing Out the Maxus series. In this new series, we’re putting one of our all-time favorite shotgun platforms, the Maxus II, through the paces in real-world hunting scenarios and conditions across the country. For our first installment of this series, we’re headed to Western Washington to chase ducks in one of the most productive states in the Pacific Flyway.
Inside The Maxus
Built as an evolution of Browning’s classic semi-auto platform, the Maxus II pairs precision engineering with proven field performance. At its heart is Browning’s Power Drive Gas System, which cycles a wide range of loads smoothly while minimizing recoil, and the Lightning Trigger, which delivers incredibly fast trigger lock speeds for quick and smooth follow-up shots. In addition to its fast, reliable operating system, an important feature of the Maxus platform is the durable coating technology across the barrel, receiver, and chamber. This helps combat and dramatically decrease corrosion/rust after a long day in the field. These are just a few of the key features that have given the Maxus II the title of ‘work horse’ in duck blinds across the country and why it’s remained high on waterfowlers shotgun lists season after season.
Maxus II
Key Specs & Features: Maxus II
- Gauge: 12 ga (3 ½ “ chamber)
- Barrel Length: 28”
- Cycle System: Gas
- Weight: 7lbs 2oz
- Choke System: Invector-Plus
- Screw-on magazine cap
- Large bolt release
- Comes with cast & drop shims + stock spacers
Ducks & High Water
Across most of the country, green-heads reign supreme. But out in the PNW, American Widgeon are at the top of the hit list. Chasing these energetic and noisy ducks through western Washington’s sheet-water and mud-filled fields is exactly the reason this is stop number one for this series. Western Washington is a destination we’ve hunted in the past and one of my personal favorite locations to hunt when rounding out my duck season. However, this year, things have changed in the Evergreen State.
On top of seemingly absent winter weather conditions across much of the country, hunters in western Washington have had to worry about more than just warm weather. In early December, historic-level flooding battered the western side of the state. Multiple atmospheric rivers brought rainfall that shattered precipitation records, leading to catastrophic flooding. In many areas, rivers pushed past their banks by miles, leaving roads, buildings, and duck habitat under feet of water. While ducks and water go hand in hand, too much water can be a real problem. Especially when it requires flippers and a snorkel to get to your duck blind.
In true duck hunter fashion, though, it didn’t take long for us to devise a plan on how to chase birds in unideal conditions. Since much of the sheet-water we had hoped to hunt was now properly flooded, we shifted to scouting & hunting newly flooded areas on both public and private ground. The biggest challenge in hunting a flood like this is the sheer volume of water. In many areas, entire corn fields were underwater, and finding shallower water that had available food resources for dabbling ducks like Widgeon and Mallards became key.
The first few days of hunting were spent chasing birds on public ground where flooding was limited and agricultural food resources, like corn, were present and available to ducks. In true PNW fashion, these hunts were characterized by non-stop rain, whipping winds, and plenty of mud to go around. In Washington, many of the public hunting units feature permanent above-ground blinds for hunters to utilize, and constant rainfall had turned the floor or “foot area” of these blinds into an absolute mud bath. Regardless of these conditions, we had no problem picking away at Mallards and Widgeon as they cascaded down, against the wind, and into the decoys. If you’ve never hunted in an area with a large population of Widgeon, it should be high on your bucket list of hunts to do. These energetic puddle ducks decoy incredibly well to a whistle call and a pull-string decoy.
On hunts like this, the rubberized forearm and grip of the Maxus II really come in handy. Even in dry conditions, I prefer having rubberized elements on my guns, especially when they’re synthetic stocks. But in conditions like what you’ll find in the Pacific Northwest, it’s an incredibly useful feature. If you are planning on venturing out to the PNW to hunt anytime soon, just be ready to be wet and muddy. Regardless of how waterproof your gear is or how careful you are, it’s going to happen. This fact is one of the many reasons the Maxus II is the perfect companion for any PNW hunter. Unlike your “waterproof” wading jacket that’ll get completely soaked, the barrel and receiver coatings on the Maxus II are incredibly resistant to moisture (and saltwater corrosion). Even with all the saturation and muck that ends up on your gear hunting out here, the Maxus II’s gas system never seems to fail. When it comes down to getting the job done, the Maxus was made to perform in conditions like this.
The Timber Hole
As our trip to the Evergreen State began to draw to an end, we happened to stumble upon a feed unlike anything we’ve seen while hunting out west. A flooded timberline. Not only that, but a flooded timberline paralleled by a pasture of green grass. And you better believe there were ducks in it. While this wasn’t a true timber hole, it’s about as close as you’ll ever get this far north-west. For the most part, the ducks here were mainly Mallards, but there were a few Widgeon mixed in and feeding on the grass side of the hole. After securing permission the evening before, it was time to load up the jet sled, throw a few shells in the Maxus, and see how a Washington timber hole was going to pan out.
Originally, we had planned to hide a panel somewhere along the bankside, but after the first few chaotic moments of legal shooting light, we quickly stashed the panel and tucked ourselves up against the trees. With little wind that morning and a light rain to kick things off, the word “chaotic” is the nicest way to describe how shooting light started. Ducks were dropping down through the trees, coming in from the left and right of the decoy spread, straight in front of us, just all over. There was no rhyme or reason for how these birds were getting into this hole, but they wanted in nonetheless.
Whistling at Widgeon as they swing overhead through the timber doesn’t feel like it should be a real thing, but when the flood waters hit the Evergreen State, I guess anything is possible. As the morning rolled on, the flight slowed and became almost exclusively Mallards—mainly singles and pairs. Although we had originally come to Washington in the hopes of chasing Widgeon through the sheet-water muck, working Mallards in a flooded timberline was hard to complain about. The only thing we were missing were some tree hooks for the Maxus II’s.
PNW Approved
If you’re a duck hunter in the Pacific Northwest, the Maxus II is worth looking into. When it comes down to it, a good shotgun should inherently have a few traits. It should be accurate and dependable. What makes a truly great shotgun, however, is its ability to go beyond just being dependable. When peak performance in adverse conditions becomes the “make or break” moment on a hunt, you need to be able to trust that the gun in your hand can get pushed to the max and get the job done without compromise.
Out in the Pacific Northwest, that means an action that can cycle quickly, again and again, regardless of how hard the rain is falling or how muddy your hunt gets. In the face of all these conditions, the Maxus II exceeded my expectations for how well a gas gun could perform in these conditions. On many of our shoots, high winds made for tough shooting and even tougher follow-up shots. With the Maxus in hand, it was more than achievable to put accurate shots on target in fast-paced scenarios, all the while being completely soaked in constant rain and plaster-like mud. If you’re a duck hunter looking for a firearm that can run-and-gun alongside you while also taking a beating in conditions like that, the Maxus II should be high on your list.