How does this look as potential site for ducks/geese?

[albravo2]

I floated a thread a few weeks ago asking about whether or not people thought Squamish would be a decent place to hunt ducks/geese but I didn't get any responses.

It might have been a dumb question or it might not have shown enough initiative on my part.

In case it was the latter, I went out to a place that looks 'ducky' to me and took some photos. Does this look like a reasonable place to set out some decoys and sit and freeze our butts off? I have a mojo mallard and am thinking to buy a few more floaters.

The Squamish estuary was apparently a good place for ducks and geese before it became a no hunting zone. Given that, I assume there must be some duck/goose traffic down the Squamish Valley and down Howe Sound.

I have seen a couple flocks up high over Squamish in the past few days. I thought they were ducks, but in case it isn't obvious from everything preceding, I'm new to waterfowling.

NovemberBravo will post pics immediately following this post

[NovemberBravo]

[Ian F.]

You'll get some mallards there, but this to me looks like merganser habitat. Look for grassy back areas and especially look for birds and feathers

[Foxton Gundogs]

yep I don't see a lot of reasons to hold dabblers may get some passers by tho

[albravo2]

Ok, on to my next dumb question then. Do some areas hold dabblers on an extended basis and other areas just get them as they migrate? I was up in the Chilcotin a couple weekends ago and went to a puddle/lake there. Over a hundred dabblers, divers and geese on the south side of the lake. Was that stopover traffic on a migration or are they more resident?

Backing up a step, I'm not a fan of the sequential dumb questions. I did try some internet research before posting here but found plenty of detailed waterfowling advice but no good high-level overview. If anyone can point me in the right direction I'm happy to do the research so my questions can be a bit more informed. Even a good book title would be helpful. Thanks!

[Andrewh]

Elaho hey...

Did you see any ducks? The areas you want to hunt in two weeks should have some ducks there already.

Like it was mentioned, you will get a few passers but not a lot of consistent action.

[Firstblood]

yeah, its water so a few ducks might stop by, decoys would help but if ducks dont want to be there they wont give you a second look. go out and just sit there at first legal light and see what shows up. the migration is pretty much full swing right now.

[Qwa-honn]

If the water is moving quick enough looks to be good cold time place. Freeze up in other areas and the ducks and such could flock in there.

[Kudu]

Standing in the parking lot of Tim Hortons in Squamish a couple of weekends ago, a flock of geese flew right overhead at about 50 foot, follow them from roost to feed and you will be half way there...

[Ian F.]

Waterfowl,go to water to rest, preen and get security or to feed. Dabblers need a food source, veggies (seeds, some grasses, some "weeds") or critters (invertebrates, some times minnows and sometimes fish eggs or carcasses). The food source need to be accessible, so that means 6-18" deep, and usually it means the water is pretty still. Along those lines birds rest where they are either hidden some in a quiet area or out in the middle of calmer water.

typically if you find birds in a spot, they will always use that spot.

beat thing to do is watch "in town" for when you know some birds are around (migrators) and the go drive and walk and see where they are! This is best first thing in the day as they'll be on the move to feed. If you happen to be a moose hunter, think where moose like to hang out, ducks are very similar.

ian