I am going to finally invest in scouting. I have very limited time to even hunt, but feel like to really be successful, and to really learn the birds, I must scout. I have one wildlife preserve somewhat close. I also have a large lake close as well. How do you recommend starting? I am mainly interested in decoying dabbling birds, mainly mallard, teal, etc. How do you start? Do you start at a preserve, or try to find a roost? If so how to best locate a roost? What kind of structure, attractions do you look for on a map/satellite to start pinning down a roost? Or do you try to find a fly way near some water and see where they go in the morning to feed, loaf, etc? The closest large lake is off a river system, with creeks. You can only hunt from the water, no public land around the lake, or rivers/creeks. I live near lake Palestine. Just FYI. Not looking to cyber scout just trying to learn the art. I have zero experience, and no mentors so I am just trying to learn what I can. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I like to scout in the afternoon, drive all the way around the lake, when you kick up the birds, that is where you want to set up the next morning. Not that complicated really. After years of hunting, you know the spots where you expect to see them. When you know the spots, what I like to do is when approaching the spot, look for them to lift up, this can happen when you are a thousand yards away, and if you are not watching, you miss seeing where they lift up. If you just see the sky full of ducks, you know you missed it. What is really nice is when you see them lift up from a long ways away, and you immediately turn the other direction, and normally, which is what happens to me last week, you watch them circle the spot and land right back into the spot, then you know it is going to be on the next morning.

When you say “drive” I assume you are talking about a boat. I only have a kayak, paddle powered!

Yeah, that is correct. So, pick your spots to scout. You are not looking for a roost, you are looking where they feed. They roost at night, many times in the middle of the lake. Look on google earth for flooded areas. Try to use the kayak to your advantage, maybe pick spot to launch that other boats cant. And get to spots other boats cant. And most of all, be careful in the kayak, we don't want to read about you in the news paper.

Don't overcomplicate it. You're really just looking for where the birds are at. Simple as that

Just go, you’ll figure it out

Some random thoughts beyond the usual you might read about online.

Look for places you can access by kayak that the big boats can't go which often are places ducks like to be as well. Finding places walk in hunters can't access too also for reduced hunting pressure.

Since your in a kayak. Look for the locations most of the walk in hunters are using. Avoid hunting those heavy pressure locations too unless your just using them to launch and go somewhere else.

Another Kayak tip. Find bendy creeks you can scull. When things get tough on the big water, you might find some good wood duck jumping as you round those bends especially if you got a good pecan or acorn drop going on. It has saved the day for me many times over the years on a couple lakes.

There is a WMA not too far to drive near you that has drawn duck hunts. Because it's within driving range of home, try some standby hunts. Kayak will make for a good sled for decoys in those shallow cells. Make friends and network while there to help each other learn what cells are doing well. For sure go scout it after season, pick up a map, and look it over to be familiar for next year.

And again, network. I mostly hunt private now, but when I was hitting public waterfowl 3 or 4 days a week all season, I would build a circle of trusty hunting friends who hunted the same areas to equally share some current information with. But at the same time, never give up to others information a friend or any hunter for that matter who has exclusively shared with you. There is a finessed etiquette to how this works.

Forget the roost thing. If you find a roost and can successfully hunt it, the ducks will stop roosting there. A true roost the ducks normally blow out before legal shooting time. Ducks using our lakes are often just roosting in open water as they are only passing through. Your not going to be able to follow ducks from a roost to see where they are going like you can sometimes with geese. Because it was the end of season anyway, I once set up on a roost I knew about that was hidden in some woods across the red. I had hundreds if not thousands of ducks of all kinds swimming around me in the dark. It listened to flapping and wooshes and watched flashes of wings off the water for over an hour before legal. It was impressive with wave after wave of ducks leaving. At legal there was not a duck on the water or in the air and none came back before the noon close.

I have often drove around a lake before season if I have not done so in a few years. But not in a boat. To scout for walk in and kayak access points. Even for a lake I have hunted for many years as things always change so I can remove ones I no longer can use and add new ones I might have missed. I will mark every doable access on a map and or take notes for the coming season. I'll go back and scout the new ones if needed to see if they look ducky.

Like John Paul said, just go and you will figure it out. Look for ducks. Look at what the ducks are doing, how many etc. Hunt where the birds want to be. It short time you will understand why the ducks were there and apply that knowledge to scouting other locations outside of season. You will eventually find places you can consistently hunt and usually do well in any year provided it has the right lake level, wind speed, or direction, etc. etc. for that spot.

" What is really nice is when you see them lift up from a long ways away, and you immediately turn the other direction, and normally, which is what happens to me last week, you watch them circle the spot and land right back into the spot, then you know it is going to be on the next morning."


This is getting to be an issue nowadays. You, me, John, Dicky and Harry are getting them up. By the time Mohunter gets them up them birds are gone!

I found a nice wad of birds Wednesday, actually 3 areas. I stayed back out using glass and I think is the best approach. But what I couldn't see was the real x...which was about 150 yards further back. We watched a couple hundred birds go right over us Friday morning from where we set up. If I had ran in closer in the boat I would have seen them but then probably screw the area up, especially this time of year. I know what I should have done but not gonna say as I don't want to give ideas away.

To the OP, if and when you graduate to a mud boat (which has changed duck hunting more than anything imo) remember these motors are our own worst enemy

If you are in an area where birds are limited or if the weather is stale try to find a pocket of birds sitting tight.

If you are in an area with a lot of waterfowl and can’t find the X or can’t access the X, figure out the flight line and get under them with a lot of decoys and a lot of motion. I do this a lot when there is a hard wind or a high sun… preferably both. There are places I hunt regularly that don’t have a duck on it but I am between refuge and food. I get hid really well, get the decoys in an area they can move easily, set out a mojo, and wait. More often than not I have a good shoot. Just might take longer than being on the X.