Greensboro area

FowlmooD13

Button Buck
Recently relocated to the Greensboro area. From what I have seen and heard this is not a duck hot bed. With that being said I have seen a few "ducky" looking areas. If the birds are in town, I assume. . Not looking for honey holes or anything like that. Just looking for some help or maybe a new hunting partner. Have decoys, kayak, calls, etc.
Thanks in advance
 

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Might be worth looking into Belews Lake just north west of Greensboro. Also High Rock to your south. Further north is the Caswell gameland, no big water on it but it might have a beaver pond or two. I’m not entirely sure though I’m not familiar with that gameland. I do very little waterfowl hunting, wish I could offer better advise. I’m sure some others with knowledge here will respond.
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I've never duck hunted on belews but have never seen many ducks when out there for other reasons.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
I used to be a animal control officer for guilford county. That was back when I duck hunted a lot. I knew were all the little swamps and pockets were in Greensboro . Id go eat lunch and basically bird watch. I literally saw every kind of duck on the flyway in the little swamps and subdivision ponds from tamey mallards to hundreds of canvasbacks on a 2 acre pond, even saw a black scoter.
Used to be a Hams restaurant sitting on a small lake in town with houses around it. That lake always had a pile of ducks on it. Everything from pintails and wigeon to cans and redheads. That was years ago and can’t remember the name but it was fun to just watch’em.
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I used to be a animal control officer for guilford county. That was back when I duck hunted a lot. I knew were all the little swamps and pockets were in Greensboro . Id go eat lunch and basically bird watch. I literally saw every kind of duck on the flyway in the little swamps and subdivision ponds from tamey mallards to hundreds of canvasbacks on a 2 acre pond, even saw a black scoter.
Used to be a Hams restaurant sitting on a small lake in town with houses around it. That lake always had a pile of ducks on it. Everything from pintails and wigeon to cans and redheads. That was years ago and can’t remember the name but it was fun to just watch’em.
Yeah Greensboro is loaded up with duck and geese. No hunting allowed. The lake you are talking about is at Elm and Pisgah Church.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
There are ducks in the area, access is the issue. Beavers have made habitat that has helped for waterfowl in that area in the past 20 years but the majority of it is on private land.

There are ducks on the lakes mentioned but hordes of people also. That isn't to say you can't rub elbows and be successful but you better have the right mindset.
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
You relocated to the WRONG area and wrong state for duck hunting. We used to have some decent hunting in this area, but now it is a joke. We used to kill piles of birds year in and year out.....but now every year it's more hunters and less ducks. I've spent 3-4 days on the water from sun up to sun set on multiple lakes in the Piedmont fishing in the last month and have seen 6 total migratory birds. If you get access to private land that is tye way to go but even then don't expect much. Your best bet is to save your money and go on an out state trip every year if possible if you want to have a real duck hunt. If you want to see a complete circus for some laughs go to high Rock on a Saturday morning. Belews Creek is a pretty body of water but it is a duck desert(like every body of water in the Piedmont). Good luck. Sorry there isn't anything nice to add here. Just reality.
 

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I’ve got buddies that hunt the piedmont lakes every year and their fair share of ducks. I read about the “circus” on here and run ins with the junior duck commanders but my buddies that hunt these lakes say it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be online. Yeah they say it gets hunted but he says he can never recall a hunt ruined.
 

FowlmooD13

Button Buck
Thanks for the replies.
My job did not offer a "duck hotbed" area when the relocation was presented, but I will take what I can get. I am always up for a productive trip out of state, would just like to find something local to fill the void. I will check into the above mentioned lakes to see what I can find. I will be trying to draw a swan permit next year. Good luck to all this year. If anyone ever needs a partner hit me up.
 

Hydemarsh

Six Pointer
I often see the reports of "go on a trip out of state". The truth is North Carolina usually kills twice as many ducks as any other state on the Atlantic flyway. An observation of mine is that there is no "guarantee" in the US. In our hemisphere Canada and Mexico are the only places that are "for sure". You also have to be with the right outfitter anywhere (or trusted friend).
 

Duckmauler dhc

Old Mossy Horns
I often see the reports of "go on a trip out of state". The truth is North Carolina usually kills twice as many ducks as any other state on the Atlantic flyway. An observation of mine is that there is no "guarantee" in the US. In our hemisphere Canada and Mexico are the only places that are "for sure". You also have to be with the right outfitter anywhere (or trusted friend).

I agree with having to he with the right outfitter but you're crazy if you think we kill twice as many birds as any other state in the flyway. I've seen first hand the amount of birds killed in Maryland and Florida. We don't hold either of those states alike.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
Those are estimates, there is no way on God's green earth that NC killed more than Mississippi and some of the other states in the real flyways. Absolutely no way. Especially not any time during the last 3 years.

Just because they kill a lot of ducks here, doesn't mean the hunting is great. First, the most harvested duck here is the wood duck, by 2.5X the next bird...over 140K wood ducks last year or 2016 is a LOT.

You don't have to have great hunting to have the numbers. The state is big geographically. Roughly 32,000 active duck hunters...It amounts to 10-15 birds per hunter. A couple ok mornings in the woodduck swamp where you get your two woodies and maybe a bonus Mallard/Gadwall/whatever, a lottery/guided hunt, and you're about there. Which sounds like many duck hunters when you think about it.

California shoots more ducks than any state on the Pacific, rivaling Arkansas, but I'm not going to take a trip there to hunt.
 

redbow

Ten Pointer
I used to be a animal control officer for guilford county. That was back when I duck hunted a lot. I knew were all the little swamps and pockets were in Greensboro . Id go eat lunch and basically bird watch. I literally saw every kind of duck on the flyway in the little swamps and subdivision ponds from tamey mallards to hundreds of canvasbacks on a 2 acre pond, even saw a black scoter.
Used to be a Hams restaurant sitting on a small lake in town with houses around it. That lake always had a pile of ducks on it. Everything from pintails and wigeon to cans and redheads. That was years ago and can’t remember the name but it was fun to just watch’em.
The lake is Buffalo lake. It used to be owned by Cone Mills but was recently purchased by a couple of guys. It has always held alot of ducks but it is smack in the middle of town with houses on one side and busy Cone BLVD on the other. Back in the day you could hunt on the city lakes. Alot of birds were killed too. But those days are long gone.
 
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