Advice to Get Started Duck Hunting

Howdy,

I am currently a college student at Texas A&M and was born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. I recently went on my first duck hunt off of the Brazos river(didn't get anything) and became very interested in the sport. Could anyone give me advice on how to get started? (calls, decoys, good places to hunt in East Texas/College Station, etc.) I have a boat I can possibly use and a good Remington 1100 12 gauge. I am going to use the off season to practice calling and to obtain decoys for next year. Being a member of the Corps of Cadets and Aggie Band, I won't have a ton of time early in the season to devote to hunting, but I intend on hunting the latter part of November, most of December, and early January.

I will appreciate any advice!

Thanks,

P.T.

If you can afford it go on a guided hunt. You will learn a lot by watching them. If you can't or don't want to do that then you'll just have to figure a lot out by trial and error. In my experience duck calling has been by far the most difficult to learn compared to goose, turkey and varmint calling.

A few tips that I could give as someone fairly new to the sport as well would be:

1. Use common sense and be courteous to other hunters.
2. Scout because location is the most important thing.
3. Hide and be still because ducks are not like dove. If they see you they hit the road.
4. Hunt with the wind coming from behind you. Ducks land into the wind.
5. Start off with a dozen or so good decoys then add as you go.
6. IMO the Echo diamond wood is the best starter call for the money. It's a double reed and once you figure out what it means to "use your diaphragm" it's a pretty easy call to blow. After you get confident with that get a good single reed.
7. Don't ask anyone on this forum about any good spots or about any particular area in general because you will get absolutely no help.

Thanks for the info.

Do yourself a favor and take up drugs instead of duck hunting. It's cheaper and less consuming.

If you still insist on duck hunting, my advice is to find some friends or aquaintences to get involved with. That will shorten the learning curve and initial investment substantially.

TAMU has an incredible ducks unlimited chapter. Try to get involved with them, and that may open up a lot of doors. Even if it doesn't, it is likely to still be fun.

A warning though, just like many groups you have to filter through the tools and "know it alls." There are a lot of them in the duck hunting world. However, there are still some good people that duck hunt too.

Good luck.

I second this. I'm fairly new to duck hunting and I wish I would have gotten involved with DU when I was a A&M (class of 2010). But the flip side is that it isn't rocket science. Get out and scout, when you find some birds beat the crowd out there and hunt it.

Don't buy a mallard call unless that is what you plan to predominantly hunt. Even then, don't take it with you. Get a whistle and master it while practicing with your mallard call in your truck. Calling is one of the least important aspects of being successful, however bad calling is probably responsible for the majority of bad hunts. Goodluck

I respectfully disagree. You can call a variety of different species of ducks with a mallard call. You'll never learn how to call ducks if you never try. While it is not as important as location and concealment it is part of the fun. I like calling at ducks and it's very cool when you actually know that your calling is what brought a duck into your spread. I say once you've learned a good quack then by all means have at it. It's not always about shooting limits. The sounds of whistling wings and watching ducks drop in are more fun to me than the actual harvest. Calling is just one more thing that I love about hunting ducks.

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I agree with Brady Buck...it's true a lot of people overemphasize calling at times but it should not be written off as not important. As someone who grew up hunting in the Mississippi flyway, proper calling and proper placement of decoys is critical. The only time I can see calling and decoys not being as important is when you are pond hunting where you mostly get passing shots. I see a lot of that in TX. Go hunt in flooded timber or a grain field and you are assured a different experience.

And yes, whistles are good for a variety of species, but a mallard hen call will bring in quite a few species other than mallards.

To the OP, your best bet is to find some people with experience and tag along a season or two. IF you don't know anyone, go on several guided hunts.

my brother is at A&M and could definitely help you out.....shoot me a pm and I can get you guys hooked up.....he needs a good buddy with a boat!

Use the boat to your advantage! Plenty of experienced duck hunters who'd glady show you the ropes if you have a boat!

Solid advice

As a new duck hunter I'd also add learn as much as you can about the ducks themselves so you can be sure you know what you are shooting at.

You have to make some quick decision and need to avoid breaking the law. In my limited experience I've already had blue heron come right in seconds after I've shot and ducks land on the water while I'm standing in the middle of it making a retrieve - things happen fast and a shoot first attitude can get you in a pickle fast if you get too exited. Get the TXPWD & DU apps on your phone and take as many online duck ID quizzes as you can if you don't know the ducks already.

If I'm not sure I don't shoot...