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Feb 12th, 2024
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 Whats make a good duck hole?
#3583970
09/19/12 12:49 AM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 361
Texas Fight
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 361 |
Duck hunted for a couple years now. I'm a meat hunter so limit isnt really important. Quality hunt and a good dinner is all I search for. Which is good because 98% of my hunting is on lake Palestine area which is average at best. I got a lease in Chandler (off Palestine) last year and it was the same. So obviously it takes more than water. I can't figure out if we need more farm fields around to have more ducks or more food base on the lake, less hunters. I see and hear pics of 40-50 teal shot in one morning. I saw 1 group of about 12 this morning and didn't shoot because Woodies were everywhere and wasn't real confident.
I guess the question is what in your opinion makes one lake better than another? I keep thinking food and opportunity to not be shot at 7 days a week
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Texas Fight]
#3583978
09/19/12 12:51 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,450
Aggieduck
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You're pretty much right on with your last thought. Obviously birds have to be down too.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Aggieduck]
#3584123
09/19/12 01:25 AM
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,277
duckman10
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Dry Creek Outfitters - North Texas Duck, Dove, Turkey and Pig Hunts! Widgeons shall now be known as democrats. Living off the hard work of others.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: duckman10]
#3584181
09/19/12 01:39 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228
Jeff Elder
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228 |
Food source and be on a local flyway. I have holes you can run traffic on 7 days a week, and I have holes that arent on their flyway that I might only hunt once every other week because the ducks have to go out of their way to find it, and then you have to wait till they bring enough of their friends with them to have enough numbers to shoot. Remember puddle ducks can only feed as deep as they can dip. So if your hole has only about 2 or 3 ft of shallow water before it gets deep then your food source is limited and wont take long until its peeled off and the ducks go somewhere else. Ducks will follow draws, creeks, rivers, and even powerlines coming from their roost. Google earth your duck hole and see if you have one.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Jeff Elder]
#3584199
09/19/12 01:42 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,843
ishootspoonies
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I like spoonie, his humor is dryer than my duck lease.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Water Turkey2]
#3584351
09/19/12 02:09 AM
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,594
Featherduster
THF Trophy Hunter
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5,594 |
Be in area with plenty of food. There is a bunch of hunting I do, especially during teal season, where none of my spots will hold birds. Luckily these places are surrounded by rice fields which hold a lot of teal. Situations like these you don't always have to be on the X every time. But most situations and lakes aren't surrounded by fields and food sources. This is where scouting and being in the right spot will give you the edge you need to get birds.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Featherduster]
#3584506
09/19/12 02:57 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,259
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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#1 Creedmoor Fan
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Posts: 19,259 |
Since no one else said it what makes a good duck hole is ducks first and foremost. I used to scout and find awesome looking spots but never killed any ducks out of them. I started just looking where ducks were and started killing some. Not everytime but rarely got skunked.
Then I went private...we either have them or we don't. Dec/Jan last year was stupid but right now we don't have them...just the nature of the beast. One of our holes right now looks awesome but no ducks, the rest of them are dry. No reason to hunt if they ain't there.
My 2 cents...food is a real close 2nd though.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Judd]
#3584531
09/19/12 03:06 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228
Jeff Elder
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228 |
Since no one else said it what makes a good duck hole is ducks first and foremost. I used to scout and find awesome looking spots but never killed any ducks out of them. I started just looking where ducks were and started killing some. Not everytime but rarely got skunked.
Then I went private...we either have them or we don't. Dec/Jan last year was stupid but right now we don't have them...just the nature of the beast. One of our holes right now looks awesome but no ducks, the rest of them are dry. No reason to hunt if they ain't there.
My 2 cents...food is a real close 2nd though. Goes right back to flyway
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Jeff Elder]
#3584657
09/19/12 03:42 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 610
GreyDuck
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 610 |
No one really knows why ducks do what they do and why they go to one place and avoid others.......even if both have food. I was on a lease for five years (we lost it a couple of years ago  ) We had the best duck hunting ever during the regular season. Mallards, Pintail, Greys and pretty much every other duck. Lots of teal during the regular season. We killed maybe 4 teal during teal season in 5 years. Why? The lease I was on previous to that one was another great lease. If you were on the flyway. It was on a section of land, 640 acres and it was covered in wigeon grass from end to end. The birds flew the same flight path every year. If you were 100 yards off of the flyway, you got to watch as the other hunters pounded the birds (thank God for blind rotations because it became very obvious if you hunted two certain blinds that you were going to have a slow day). Why? Over the years, I have figured out that ducks are creatures of habit. Year after year, season after season. The survivors return to where they wintered following the same flight paths. The young birds followed and engrained the same behaviors. Ducks will always go to where they want to be, not where you would like them to be, food or not.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: GreyDuck]
#3584700
09/19/12 03:54 AM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,928
FowlDreams
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
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No one really knows why ducks do what they do and why they go to one place and avoid others.......even if both have food. I was on a lease for five years (we lost it a couple of years ago ) We had the best duck hunting ever during the regular season. Mallards, Pintail, Greys and pretty much every other duck. Lots of teal during the regular season. We killed maybe 4 teal during teal season in 5 years. Why? The lease I was on previous to that one was another great lease. If you were on the flyway. It was on a section of land, 640 acres and it was covered in wigeon grass from end to end. The birds flew the same flight path every year. If you were 100 yards off of the flyway, you got to watch as the other hunters pounded the birds (thank God for blind rotations because it became very obvious if you hunted two certain blinds that you were going to have a slow day). Why? Over the years, I have figured out that ducks are creatures of habit. Year after year, season after season. The survivors return to where they wintered following the same flight paths. The young birds followed and engrained the same behaviors. Ducks will always go to where they want to be, not where you would like them to be, food or not. right... for the most part... but what about water conditions??? Especially here in TX. That will change your game plan completely! As mentioned though. Those flyways/paths(rivers, ect.) are what the birds will still follow. From there is where they will venture off a bit to find good food/rest/roosting spots.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: FowlDreams]
#3584978
09/19/12 11:03 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,556
ducknbass
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 18,556 |
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: ducknbass]
#3585137
09/19/12 12:52 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 134
0808
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 134 |
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: ducknbass]
#3585202
09/19/12 01:11 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,045
David Maas
THF Trophy Hunter
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X 
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GOA Life Member
TSRA Life Member
NSCA Life Member
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: David Maas]
#3585251
09/19/12 01:25 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 691
Texan1554
Tracker
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Proximity to a roost, good cover, loafing areas, a range of food sources to provide for different species and weather climates.
Flyways are flyways for a reason... they have a flight path where there is consistent sources of what I listed above.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Texan1554]
#3586716
09/19/12 09:56 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,951
lakewaydr50
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,951 |
Its kind of a wierd deal, different things effect where ducks will hang out, a lot of the things already mentioned, changes in local farming habits is a big one as well. We see that a lot back home in Louisiana. My uncle has well over 1000 acres in the western side of the Mississippi flyway in the east central part of Louisiana. He has plenty of habitat for ducks but doesn't get near the numbers you would think. His neighbors about 5 miles east of him get over run with ducks, but there is more farming closer to the river, prolly lots of rice as well.
I've been looking at properties in Louisiana for waterfowl and was told by my uncle and some friends to be careful what I buy because farming has changed the flight paths of the ducks and the bigger numbers run a lot further east than they used to when I lived there 22 years ago. They still cover the entire state pretty well, but if I do my research I can get exposed to more ducks. That means when I really get serious about purchasing I'm going to need to see properties during peak duck season to make the call. I suggest anyone do the same.....
Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: GreyDuck]
#3620087
10/01/12 01:18 AM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,038
Greekangler
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![[Linked Image]](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4327/35919199506_34a02ca8d5_q.jpg) Take a kid Huntin
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Greekangler]
#3620125
10/01/12 01:26 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788
wal1809
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,788 |
I was going to say a #4 pellet at 1300 feet per second.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: wal1809]
#3620137
10/01/12 01:28 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,721
Dave Speer
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
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I was going to say a #4 pellet at 1300 feet per second. 
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Dave Speer]
#3620550
10/01/12 02:46 AM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 849
Boudreaux
Tracker
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Tracker
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Posts: 849 |
Stickin' gills and Stackin' bills
In a world of compromise..... some dont....
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: Boudreaux]
#3620891
10/01/12 08:02 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,045
David Maas
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,045 |
Our lease out at Tuscola went from a BWT heaven to a divers dream in 48hrs. What was once a 1ac tank consistently, filled up Saturday and at pool is over 15ac. We did not see a single duck Sunday morning, went northeast of Abilene and found a 2 man limit.
Water and not too much of it, groceries, cover and big water close by are just a few things and I don't know if anyone truly knows every aspect of a good duck hole.
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: David Maas]
#3620894
10/01/12 08:08 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,489
BOBO the Clown
kind of a big deal
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kind of a big deal
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 60,489 |
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: samsamthemex]
#3621292
10/01/12 01:39 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,561
Cappy_TX
Veteran Tracker
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On or near a known flyway
Surrounded by nearby Ag operations
Shelter on at least one side
Lots of emergent groceries
More than one type of feed
Lots of shallow areas, exposed flats in some
Small islands above the surface is a real plus
Cappy ... At my side for thirteen years, in my heart forever. 
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Re: Whats make a good duck hole?
[Re: wal1809]
#3621654
10/01/12 03:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 29,140
TXHOGSLAYER
THF Celebrity
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Posts: 29,140 |
I was going to say a #4 pellet at 1300 feet per second. Winner! 
LETS GO BRANDON
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