wfdavis50
Six Pointer
I'm not looking for a place to go just looking to see if I could get some tips and would it be worth to get the duck stamp
Looking to go for the first time.
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do you have places to go? That's the biggest challenge in NC,,,,after that it's fairly easy
so many variables to that question that I can't answer for you,,,,,
it's worth it to me,,,whether I kill a duck or not,,,,,,,,
Duck is pretty high in the store, I mean if you are just going to eat you may want to "weigh" out the odds.
Downeast
Twelve Pointer
Duck hunting can be addicting. For a newbie I would suggest that you hang out in the bad part of town and become a crack head. It's a lot cheaper in the long run. If your not ready for that and if you have access to a chest freezer, remove all of the food, get naked, lay down in it with your gun (unloaded of course) and get someone to come by every 30 minutes or so and splash some ice water over you. That should give you a taste of what real duck hunting is all about. 
Oh, if you want to know what duck tastes like, buy some beef liver (the older the better), wrap in bacon, and grill. If you are on a budget and can't afford old liver then find someone who owns a dog and get some dog poop (firm preferred), wrap in bacon and grill. Even though they deny it, my duck hunting buddies grilled some last year that I swear tasted like...
Now you are ready to become a true "waterfowler". You'll love it!
Oh, if you want to know what duck tastes like, buy some beef liver (the older the better), wrap in bacon, and grill. If you are on a budget and can't afford old liver then find someone who owns a dog and get some dog poop (firm preferred), wrap in bacon and grill. Even though they deny it, my duck hunting buddies grilled some last year that I swear tasted like...
Now you are ready to become a true "waterfowler". You'll love it!
darkthirty
Old Mossy Horns
Lol at duck tasting like liver. Sounds like your buddies don’t know how to cook. Overcooked? Yes, similar to liver. Cooked right, taste like med rare beef.
Downeast
Twelve Pointer
They must be eating Coot!
CountryRN
Twelve Pointer
Greeb! Chicken of the sea.
Sigma40
Eight Pointer
For years I have talked to guys that duck hunt. It never ceases to amaze me, the conversation quickly makes a hard left to something else. Most of the time the conversation goes as follows... Look at these ducks I killed, Nice, when did you go?, the other day, I forget, where did you go?, spot I know about, oh ok, local?, well its north of Mexico and south of Canada if that is what you're asking, I'd like to try it sometime, No you don't, it is addicting and a burden on me and my family. Then it takes a turn to something else.
For years I have talked to guys that duck hunt. It never ceases to amaze me, the conversation quickly makes a hard left to something else. Most of the time the conversation goes as follows... Look at these ducks I killed, Nice, when did you go?, the other day, I forget, where did you go?, spot I know about, oh ok, local?, well its north of Mexico and south of Canada if that is what you're asking, I'd like to try it sometime, No you don't, it is addicting and a burden on me and my family. Then it takes a turn to something else.
sounds about right,,,,,,,,,,
kilerhamilton
Old Mossy Horns
Pay 200$ and go on a guided trip at the coast.
A few of those a year and a permit hunt or so and I have tickled my fancy.
I own
Waders
Gun
A shell bag
And some warm clothes.
That's all you need.
Don't let it eat your life.[emoji28]
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A few of those a year and a permit hunt or so and I have tickled my fancy.
I own
Waders
Gun
A shell bag
And some warm clothes.
That's all you need.
Don't let it eat your life.[emoji28]
Sent from my ASUS_A006 using Tapatalk
coop917
Button Buck
Waders, warm clothes, an auto loader, and a blind bag got me started. Swan was my very first hunting trip and after that I got hooked on waterfowling. I live in WNC and driving east is a general pain so I’m hoping to find some resident geese around here after the first to keep me happy until November.
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wfdavis50
Six Pointer
I don't have a place to go, no boat, and no dog.
A collapsible rod/reel combo with the new braid in a fairly heavy # test, a couple cheap topwater crank baits in a hard plastic case and you have a poor man's dog. I made many a retrieve for myself when I first started out duck hunting with that setup other than the newfangled braid wasn't out and I lost many a lure to snags and grass also. I would raid the bargain rack at K-Mart for whatever was cheap.
The no boat and dog doesn't necessarily mean that you are handicapped terribly, just means you have to look.
deja vu all over again! That is exactly how I "retrieved" many a mallard and gadwall while hunting the lakes of Western Washington back when I was stationed at Ft Lewis (1989-1995),,,,,,,oh man the work!
loven it!
if that's the case, then as mentioned upstream of this thread - best bet is to hire a guide for a day or three,,,,,,,but don't think about "borrowing" his/her areas afterwards,,,,,,,
I wore the river and surrounding creeks and potholes out to I got my drivers license. Then it was every farmer's pond that would allow me access in the community. If we had beavers around back then that had the places backed up that we do now must likely I would have turned into a juvenile delinquent. The hunting opportunities would have just been too great. LOL
adkarcher
Six Pointer
As another newb, what ammo and shot do you recommend? For Canada geese and ducks. At this point, I am looking at a guide service later this year.
Thanks.
Thanks.
kilerhamilton
Old Mossy Horns
2s and bbs are hard to beat. Pattern your gun.
If you buy heavy shot you can get away with 4s
Only takes one to the melon.
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If you buy heavy shot you can get away with 4s
Only takes one to the melon.
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coop917
Button Buck
I use BB on goose and swan and #2 on duck. All in 3” I tried some 3.5” BB out last year and it was unpleasant
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adkarcher
Six Pointer
grim reaper
Ten Pointer
If I'm hunting tighter areas such as small swamps I prefer to shoot #4 steel. Bigger water and I like 2's. My gun likes em both. If they're in effective range #4 steel will put a hurting on em...just remember if you switch around some, make sure you're shooting the same FPS so you don't have to adjust your lead(point of aim)
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old dog
Spike
For me, the best way to approach experienced hunters about advice seems to be asking about habits, habitats and technical advice. Most will gladly help with that. As far as specific locations, most tend to be pretty closemouthed, and I can't blame them. As a new hunter (started last year) I think I have spent as much time scouting as hunting. A good friend or mentor might put you on to something, but in general I feel you need to pay dues with the literal legwork. A friend's father took my son for waterfowl two times last year (a duck and a goose). This season will be my first go waterfowl. We'll be using a canoe to try some spots I have scouted. I like to think "you'll never know until you go".
adkarcher
Six Pointer
Oh yeah, I would never expect someone to tell me their spots. I would imagine they are hard to come by. I know we have shown guys rabbit hunting and deer spots over the years and they end up hunting the hell out of them so that they become worthless....
Make sure you have a sportsman's license so you don't get busted for fishing without a license.
lolJONOV
Old Mossy Horns
Don't buy the cheap stuff. For inland NC, I buy 3 or 4 shot. If I had a diver hunt down east I might buy 2 shot.
Kent Fasteel is known to be a good value for the money. Personally, I'm not as big a fan of Kent as some others are.
I really like Federal Black Cloud, and I don't care that it has Duck Commander on it. It works well for me, ducks that I shoot with it seem to die. Hevi-Steel and Hevi-Metal products are also good, but can get pricey. But, if your spending all that money on a guide, why on earth would you get so tight as to save $10-$15 on a box of shells?
wfdavis50
Six Pointer
I was not thinking about a guide. I'm looking at public lands and try to learn on my own.
wfdavis50
Six Pointer
The one question I do have is do you need a duck stamp to goose hunt
grim reaper
Ten Pointer
Yes, it's called a "migratory waterfowl stamp",,,,people just call it a duck stamp