Ian F.
09-04-2007, 10:22 AM
So let’s review from the last instalment, getting started.
Being successful at waterfowling, means you must be a good wingshot, and the only way to become a good wingshot is to practice, practice and practice some more!
And the answer to who was Shang Wheeler and why should you give a damn?
Shang (Charles E. Wheeler) was one of the bet carvers to ever make decoys, and this is what he is known most for. He was a member of the “Stratford school” of carvers and brought the tradition forward and refined it. He also did his part to continue the school and the tradition, this strong desire to not let what he learned die is one of the reasons you should give a damn. Shang and a few others are the fathers of modern decoys, and as such every time we hunt over blocks, be it hand carved or mass produced we owe to him in the same vein we owe to Elvis for rock and roll.
Yet another reason we should give a damn about him was that he never sold a decoy! Many times he would gift a rig to someone in need of one. I’ve gifted lots in hunting, but I do sell decoys and know of no one who carves at a reasonable level that has not sold at least one bird. Lastly he was selfless, Shang became a senator in Connecticut for the sole reason to get legislation passed to protect Long Island Sound, and the fish and fowl that lived there! He was a conservation pioneer, a gentleman hunter and world class carver, he has indirectly touched anyone who takes up fowling, and that’s why you should give a damn!
http://guyetteandschmidt.com/archives/2001/a04.jpg
Scouting…
I am never not scouting! NEVER! I ride the skytrain to work everyday, I watch out the window as we go by the Fraser to see what birds are around, what numbers, what plumage level. Can I hunt in downtown New West? No, but I still gain valuable information.
The first thing to learn about scouting is it’s constant, never ending and the more you look, the better you see, and the better you see the more you learn, and the more you learn the better you get!
You need to learn about ducks!
You need to know where ducks live
You need to know where ducks feed
You need to know where ducks rest
And,
You need to start on the pathway to understanding the “why” part to each of those questions!
The single most important thing in waterfowling is simple, but many over look or ignore it.
Find out where the ducks want to be, Hunt there!
If you are where the ducks want to be all else matters little, you could kill your count with no decoys, in fluorescent orange with a birthday party of 5 year olds if you are where the ducks want to be!
So how do we find this magical spot? Read on!
I’ll say this here; quite clearly, I will not be telling anyone a spot to hunt, PERIOD! I work too hard to find my spots to just give them away, I have lost spots and permissions over the years and it really hurts and sucks! So call me a crank, but once you put the work in you will understand.
I will teach you to find you own spots, because I believe in teaching to fish, over giving. If you want a little insight into me and why I’m doing this, take a look (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/(http://partridgecreek.ca/Partridge%20Creek/The%20Partridgecreek%20Philosophy.html))
This would be as good of place as any to talk about Duck Hunting Etiquette.
If someone takes you to one of their spots, public, private of otherwise, it is their spot and you should not talk about it nor return without another invite, permission or understanding from the spots owner. This is a grey area, especially for the eager beginner, but you will soon understand.
Don’t hunt too close to another!
To qualify, if no one is there, and there is no active blind, first come first served!
If there is an active blind (fresh veg, new sign, and fresh shell cases) give them 250 yards min, 400 even better, or best find a spot to yourself!
The law in BC says 100m from buildings, dykes, parks and preserves don’t forget this!
If you end up in a confrontation over who hunts here today, why not hunt together?
Take out what you took in! Empty shells cases belong in the garbage, not the marsh along with wrappers, cigarette butts and empty cans.
More later as it comes up
Birds use different areas for different reasons, and sometimes do all they have to do in one spot. We can break these areas down as follows, Feeding, Resting, and Traveling. Birds feeding may only use a spot for a few hours, or may hole up there for weeks. Food on land means the birds will need a drink, and so on.
So let’s start with generalities that apply to all three areas. First off, you can eliminate huge areas from your scouting if you find out where is and is not legal to hunt birds in your area. Take out all the closed areas, all the built up areas, and all the areas you can’t shoot safely and the grid gets smaller. Now take out all the areas you can’t access for whatever reason and the grid gets smaller again. We are now left with a search area, but need to know what to look for!
Start off looking for ducky spots, and I will talk only of puddlers and geese here, I will write a separate section on divers and sea ducks. Ducky areas usually have water and vegetation and are shallow enough that the birds can feed.
http://www.digitalfrog.com/resources/archives/marsh.jpg
There must be cover from predators, and it must be big enough for what those birds want. Often you’ll find a small hole and it may hold a few birds, but if you choose to hunt it, it could be a one bang hunt as it doesn’t hold numbers of birds, so for now look for areas that are at least ½ a football field in size.
Keep in mind that a lot of scouting can be done from your house, looking over maps and finding spots to go check out. Unless you have a ton of time on your hands you want to maximize your time in the field and be looking where it’s worth looking.
While I’m thinking of it, if you are reading this, then you are “net savvy” spend time surfing, read everything you can on duck hunting, ducks, wetlands you name it. The wealth of info is mind blowing. Information is power, and this power is your shortcut to good wingshooting.
So we’ve found some ducky areas, looked at them through the trucks window, but are they worth hunting or not? To some degree only time will tell. You see at this time of year (late summer), we only have local birds and not migrants, so the true indicator of a spot, being ducks present, may be hard right now to confirm. Don’t count out a spot until you’ve checked it out in season, and a few different times. A place void today could be covered in birds come November.
The next step is to get out and check it out! A boat is best, but use what you have. You are looking for signs birds have been there, or would like to visit. These signs include feathers, rooted up vegetation, or vegetation holding feed!
http://ucreserve.ucsc.edu/YoungerLagoon/photos/plants/bulrush.jpg
See those little buds at the ends? That would be duck food!
Being successful at waterfowling, means you must be a good wingshot, and the only way to become a good wingshot is to practice, practice and practice some more!
And the answer to who was Shang Wheeler and why should you give a damn?
Shang (Charles E. Wheeler) was one of the bet carvers to ever make decoys, and this is what he is known most for. He was a member of the “Stratford school” of carvers and brought the tradition forward and refined it. He also did his part to continue the school and the tradition, this strong desire to not let what he learned die is one of the reasons you should give a damn. Shang and a few others are the fathers of modern decoys, and as such every time we hunt over blocks, be it hand carved or mass produced we owe to him in the same vein we owe to Elvis for rock and roll.
Yet another reason we should give a damn about him was that he never sold a decoy! Many times he would gift a rig to someone in need of one. I’ve gifted lots in hunting, but I do sell decoys and know of no one who carves at a reasonable level that has not sold at least one bird. Lastly he was selfless, Shang became a senator in Connecticut for the sole reason to get legislation passed to protect Long Island Sound, and the fish and fowl that lived there! He was a conservation pioneer, a gentleman hunter and world class carver, he has indirectly touched anyone who takes up fowling, and that’s why you should give a damn!
http://guyetteandschmidt.com/archives/2001/a04.jpg
Scouting…
I am never not scouting! NEVER! I ride the skytrain to work everyday, I watch out the window as we go by the Fraser to see what birds are around, what numbers, what plumage level. Can I hunt in downtown New West? No, but I still gain valuable information.
The first thing to learn about scouting is it’s constant, never ending and the more you look, the better you see, and the better you see the more you learn, and the more you learn the better you get!
You need to learn about ducks!
You need to know where ducks live
You need to know where ducks feed
You need to know where ducks rest
And,
You need to start on the pathway to understanding the “why” part to each of those questions!
The single most important thing in waterfowling is simple, but many over look or ignore it.
Find out where the ducks want to be, Hunt there!
If you are where the ducks want to be all else matters little, you could kill your count with no decoys, in fluorescent orange with a birthday party of 5 year olds if you are where the ducks want to be!
So how do we find this magical spot? Read on!
I’ll say this here; quite clearly, I will not be telling anyone a spot to hunt, PERIOD! I work too hard to find my spots to just give them away, I have lost spots and permissions over the years and it really hurts and sucks! So call me a crank, but once you put the work in you will understand.
I will teach you to find you own spots, because I believe in teaching to fish, over giving. If you want a little insight into me and why I’m doing this, take a look (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/(http://partridgecreek.ca/Partridge%20Creek/The%20Partridgecreek%20Philosophy.html))
This would be as good of place as any to talk about Duck Hunting Etiquette.
If someone takes you to one of their spots, public, private of otherwise, it is their spot and you should not talk about it nor return without another invite, permission or understanding from the spots owner. This is a grey area, especially for the eager beginner, but you will soon understand.
Don’t hunt too close to another!
To qualify, if no one is there, and there is no active blind, first come first served!
If there is an active blind (fresh veg, new sign, and fresh shell cases) give them 250 yards min, 400 even better, or best find a spot to yourself!
The law in BC says 100m from buildings, dykes, parks and preserves don’t forget this!
If you end up in a confrontation over who hunts here today, why not hunt together?
Take out what you took in! Empty shells cases belong in the garbage, not the marsh along with wrappers, cigarette butts and empty cans.
More later as it comes up
Birds use different areas for different reasons, and sometimes do all they have to do in one spot. We can break these areas down as follows, Feeding, Resting, and Traveling. Birds feeding may only use a spot for a few hours, or may hole up there for weeks. Food on land means the birds will need a drink, and so on.
So let’s start with generalities that apply to all three areas. First off, you can eliminate huge areas from your scouting if you find out where is and is not legal to hunt birds in your area. Take out all the closed areas, all the built up areas, and all the areas you can’t shoot safely and the grid gets smaller. Now take out all the areas you can’t access for whatever reason and the grid gets smaller again. We are now left with a search area, but need to know what to look for!
Start off looking for ducky spots, and I will talk only of puddlers and geese here, I will write a separate section on divers and sea ducks. Ducky areas usually have water and vegetation and are shallow enough that the birds can feed.
http://www.digitalfrog.com/resources/archives/marsh.jpg
There must be cover from predators, and it must be big enough for what those birds want. Often you’ll find a small hole and it may hold a few birds, but if you choose to hunt it, it could be a one bang hunt as it doesn’t hold numbers of birds, so for now look for areas that are at least ½ a football field in size.
Keep in mind that a lot of scouting can be done from your house, looking over maps and finding spots to go check out. Unless you have a ton of time on your hands you want to maximize your time in the field and be looking where it’s worth looking.
While I’m thinking of it, if you are reading this, then you are “net savvy” spend time surfing, read everything you can on duck hunting, ducks, wetlands you name it. The wealth of info is mind blowing. Information is power, and this power is your shortcut to good wingshooting.
So we’ve found some ducky areas, looked at them through the trucks window, but are they worth hunting or not? To some degree only time will tell. You see at this time of year (late summer), we only have local birds and not migrants, so the true indicator of a spot, being ducks present, may be hard right now to confirm. Don’t count out a spot until you’ve checked it out in season, and a few different times. A place void today could be covered in birds come November.
The next step is to get out and check it out! A boat is best, but use what you have. You are looking for signs birds have been there, or would like to visit. These signs include feathers, rooted up vegetation, or vegetation holding feed!
http://ucreserve.ucsc.edu/YoungerLagoon/photos/plants/bulrush.jpg
See those little buds at the ends? That would be duck food!