3 Big Mistakes To Avoid As A First-Time Duck Hunter
For the avid sportsman, every type of hunting brings about new challenges and the chance at a new adventure. Most people who enjoy hunting will not stop at only one type of game, and there is a good chance that you will find yourself considering a duck hunting excursion at some point. Duck hunting offers an insanely unique approach compared to some forms of hunting, especially if you have never hunted any type of waterfowl. The only thing is, duck hunting also poses new challenges that create a lot of room for some big mistakes. Here is a look at a few of the biggest mistakes you should avoid as a first-time duck hunter.
Never assume just camo is all you need.
Waterfowl hunting is different than hunting animals on the ground in one big way: your prey can see you from overhead when they are in flight. This automatically puts you at a disadvantage, and just camo alone is probably not going to be enough to keep you invisible in the field. It is for this reason that most waterfowl hunters use gilly suits, blinds, and all kinds of other measures to conceal themselves during a hunt.
Never skip the decoys during a hunt.
Decoys in other types of hunting are often treated like they are not all that important, and most of the time, they are not. After all, prey on the ground will get a pretty good visual of the decoy and be able to tell up front that they are not seeing the real deal. With duck hunting, however, decoys serve a valuable purpose; they keep the duck focused on the decoy instead of you. You see, from above decoys can look highly realistic, and the ducks will likely not get close enough to be able to tell that the decoy is not an actual duck.
Never skip the scouting before the hunt.
Ducks are not as easy to track as other creatures because of the fact that flight is a big part of their means of travel. Therefore, you will need to nail down their flight patterns throughout the day to figure out where would be the best place to hunt them. You can't just spot a flock of ducks and assume that's where they will be for the next little while. Before the planned hunt, take your time, do your homework, and figure out where the ducks spend most of their time.