Attn: Waterfowl fanatics!

[Deleted member 38069]

Spill the beans, let’s hear your tips and techniques you’re going to try this year?
Also, what are the brands you swear by?

As for me, I’m going to try my A-frame blind over water. I’m also considering a new jerk rig! I strictly use Avians and Dakota decoys. I swear by them, much less flairs. I also love hevi-shot’s hevi hammers, I’ve noticed less cripples.

lets hear it, HT!

some duck guys I know:
@jrabq
@nick87
@Runnin_Chupacabra
@teej89
@JShane

 

[Nick87]

Which A-frame? I hunted out of one last year and didnt really love it. I felt totally exposed to overhead ducks couldnt get long or stiff enough brush to hide from ducks circling overhead. Geese however I felt it was good. I'm trying a new jerk rig also. I build my own A-frame style blinds and like them a lot better.

 

[Nick87]

Haven't tried hevi hammers. Hevi metal does best for me. Especially out of a carlsons cremator tube.

 

[Sask hunter]

I’m building an A frame for late season. Last year in the coffin at the end of season I froze my ass off waiting hours for birds to fly

 

[Nick87]

I only hunt layouts if I have no choice anymore.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Which A-frame? I hunted out of one last year and didnt really love it. I felt totally exposed to overhead ducks couldnt get long or stiff enough brush to hide from ducks circling overhead. Geese however I felt it was good. I'm trying a new jerk rig also. I build my own A-frame style blinds and like them a lot better.

I have the Roger’s goosebuster 3 man.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Haven't tried hevi hammers. Hevi metal does best for me. Especially out of a carlsons cremator tube.

I like them because they’re easier on the wallet while still having 15% bismuth. I use the Anaconda choke and like it so far.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I only hunt layouts if I have no choice anymore.

Over water too?

 

[Deleted member 38069]

What’s your thoughts on foam-filled deeks?

 

[jrabq]

My only "trick" is quality over quantity in terms of decoys. Which is good because;

1) Where I hunt quantity doesn't seem to do much for you.

2) I don't have to haul so much crap.

So my maximum spread is usually dozen full bodies with flocked heads, + 4-6 floaters, and one spinner.

Having said that my #1 spot has been in a downhill slide for last 10 or so years so might have to try something new this year.

 

[jrabq]

What’s your thoughts on foam-filled deeks?

They're great for you guys who like to swat ducks in the decoys

 

[Zootownelk]

I tried restle coating some decoys last year. Loved the way they looked, but they were not durable and had large sections chipped off by season end. Might try a new way and see if I have better luck. I also went full texas-rig last year, and that worked well. This year, I want to try some different areas- need to find late season spots once marshes freeze.

 

[Doublecluck]

We run avian x a frames as well as tanglefree panel blinds. They have their place but absolutely situational. Having enough brush on top is absolutely a must unless you got a good wind and the birds are setting before they get over top of you. When we are scouting one of the first decisions is the hide, are we running layouts or a frames. A frames are for sure more comfortable but getting birds to finish can be harder at times. We ran a a frame in a hillside over a warm water cattle slough this year several times and absolutely hammered the greenheads to the point I took out my kicks choke and ran a I/C choke. Shots were like 5-15 yards and the pond was only 30 yards across and they were landing literally on top of us right over the blind. We were completely covered sides and top other than holes to jump up and shoot amd even those we were pulling brush over.

Some of the guys I hunt with are given the “new” things to try out. In fact If you look at the photo on the green and yellow box of hevi metal it was taken on the bighorn by a guy I hunt with a couple times a year. A number of times in the last few years I’ve been in the blind and someone pulls out a box of “x” new wiz bang shells to try out and some are awesome some not so much. Hevi hammers was one of those and they are impressive just like most of the hevi products we have used over the years. If I hunted refuges in the Sac valley still where shots are 30-60 yards they would be in my blind bag. That said here in Montana we shoot birds in the decoys and 3” #3’s in rio blue box or Winchester Xpert is pretty much all I buy. If someone gives me something else than I’ll shoot it and I shot 3 boxes of the hevi hammers at snows this spring and yea some of those shots were out a little there. Guys seem excited about the foam filled, got a dozen in the trailer, we will see in a couple years but I’m skeptical.

 

[Nick87]

Over water too?

Yah I've got permanent A frame style blinds built over pretty much everywhere we hunt water on. Also I've got a couple homemade ones that are really portable if I need to make an adjustment. Not familiar with Rogers blind the one that I tried was a lucky duck.

 

[ida homer]

We're gonna give the A frame a try this year as well. Layouts just not as fun.
Gonna try out some new motorized motion options also.

Quality decoys > quantity, 100%.

Jerk rig the most effective tool out there, in my opinion. Quality motion in a field goose setup
continues to be difficult for us to dial in.

 

[Nick87]

Jerk rig the most effective tool out there, in my opinion. Quality motion in a field goose setup
continues to be difficult for us to dial in.

I agree with all of that.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Yah I've got permanent A frame style blinds built over pretty much everywhere we hunt water on. Also I've got a couple homemade ones that are really portable if I need to make an adjustment. Not familiar with Rogers blind the one that I tried was a lucky duck.

Seems like nice features. I didn’t like the Avian one for $150 more.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

We're gonna give the A frame a try this year as well. Layouts just not as fun.
Gonna try out some new motorized motion options also.

Quality decoys > quantity, 100%.

Jerk rig the most effective tool out there, in my opinion. Quality motion in a field goose setup
continues to be difficult for us to dial in.

I love that mantra! Quality over quantity translates to all my equipment! In my experience, when a product fails is often worse than the extra $$.

 

[rwc101]

I'm going to walk up to beaver ponds and see if there's any ducks in them.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I'm going to walk up to beaver ponds and see if there's any ducks in them.

Fun way to do it. But missing a certain nostalgia, for me!