Where's the duck hunters???

[Bprater]

There are lots and lots of threads about deer hunting but I see nothing for the duck hunters. Do we have any duck hunters around here?

[LngRngShtr]

Yep,.. I may be hunting a few days this season work/finances keep me from doing it every day ..

either blind hop or hunt public lands...

John

[Bprater]

Yep,.. I may be hunting a few days this season work/finances keep me from doing it every day ..

either blind hop or hunt public lands...

John

You should get in on the blind drawings. We go to old Hickory every year. Last year was a mess because most of the blinds were destroyed in the flood but most years ive drawn, we have had to do very minimal work. There has been a year or two we havent even had to brush. Just waited for opening day.

[DaveS]

I love duck hunting, but I stopped because TWRA closes most WMA's to all hunting except duck and on certain days you can't hunt on some WMA's. Since I buy my WMA permits as do duck hunters....I do not support such programs in Tennessee. It's hard to beat a good duck hunt though.....or rabbit....or squirel....or deer.......I just love hunting. I do no not duck hunt tennessee any more.

[Bprater]

I love duck hunting, but I stopped because TWRA closes most WMA's to all hunting except duck and on certain days you can't hunt on some WMA's. Since I buy my WMA permits as do duck hunters....I do not support such programs in Tennessee. It's hard to beat a good duck hunt though.....or rabbit....or squirel....or deer.......I just love hunting. I do no not duck hunt tennessee any more.

The only hunting I do for the most part is duck hunt so this doesnt bother me but I can see your point. I havent deer hunted since I was 16 years old and I only went a handful of times. Once I started chasing ducks I was hooked and never deer hunted again. I have started getting the itch to go again though. I may have the opportunity to go this year so I might give it another shot.

[DaveS]

I know most of the duck "anti aircraft" gunners around here have stoves, bathrooms, beds ect, ect in their blinds....that seems crazy to me! I guess that's the way it's "done" now-a-days". I remember the days when you poked a few cane stalks in the ground, one shot per duck....hit your point limit for the day....and it was off you go! Last year, I seen 5 guys (i think they were guys) in a blind. I was canoeing and one itty bitty little duck flew over. Those hunters came up out of the blind and I bet 8, 9 shots were fired before that dang duck fell. It probably was so full of steel shot you couldn't eat it! I may again someday try my hand at duck hunting, I love it, but we'll see. I have friends that get me to get into the blind draw with them, but I never hunt them "quackers".....

[Bprater]

Ive done alot of hunting kneeling in the water with cover from grass and trees. The anti aircraft gunners are usually shooting at birds that are half a mile high so they have to put as much steel in the air as possible to get the bird down. You see this all too often when hunting public land. Shooting at birds that are not actually working your hole but your neighbors. That'll make a guy pretty mad. I do actually cook in the blind. I have a small camp stove I take with me along with my thermos and ill cook some eggs and sausage. This is because im hunting in Middle Tn. I miss the days in West Tn where you didnt have time to worry about cooking breakfast or didnt realize you were hungry because there was so much action and just grab breakfast when you leave the blind at 9am. Here you have to have something to pass the time until lunch when you finally leave.

[Wingshooter]

I do actually cook in the blind. I have a small camp stove I take with me along with my thermos and ill cook some eggs and sausage.

Mmmm... me too. I have a small single-burner stove that cooks up some yummy bacon and eggs before the sun comes up. I love duck hunting. I just wish there were more ducks in East TN. I usually shift my focus from deer to ducks after Christmas.

[Bprater]

Never hunted in Eat TN but as few as there are in Middle TN, I can only imagine east.

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/55890/accuweathercom-winter-20112012...

Forecast for this winter. Maybe this will help all of us out that are a little too far from the Mississippi River.

[Wingshooter]

Yeah, that cold weather might send some ducks our way.

My biggest problem with duck hunting is I usually wait until the last minute every year to start practicing my calls. I need to be on them right now, so I don't sound like a "wounded duck" when the season rolls around.

[Bprater]

Yeah, ive never claimed to be the best caller in the world. I usually keep my calls in the truck with me around the time we go to the drawing in August and ill do a little quacking while im driving to and from work or where ever I may go.

[LngRngShtr]

blind hunting is OK with me but I prefer solo hunts on public land the last season or 2..went woodie hunting early last season and with 6 hunters in a blind who can tell who shot what ?

waders,kayak dozen decoys with a "pee duck" blind bag and a thermos the way my Uncles taught me (less the "pee duck" ) back when we used lead shot..

some of it is just being where they want to fly to sometimes I do some call work and see if I can get them to come in,I enjoy the challenge

Later in the season Goose hunting is always fun to work a group..

John

[Sidewinder]

Ive done alot of hunting kneeling in the water with cover from grass and trees. The anti aircraft gunners are usually shooting at birds that are half a mile high so they have to put as much steel in the air as possible to get the bird down. You see this all too often when hunting public land. Shooting at birds that are not actually working your hole but your neighbors. That'll make a guy pretty mad. I do actually cook in the blind. I have a small camp stove I take with me along with my thermos and ill cook some eggs and sausage. This is because im hunting in Middle Tn. I miss the days in West Tn where you didnt have time to worry about cooking breakfast or didnt realize you were hungry because there was so much action and just grab breakfast when you leave the blind at 9am. Here you have to have something to pass the time until lunch when you finally leave.

Where did you hunt in West TN? That was my old stomping ground years ago. I used to do a lot of quail and rabbit hunting over there. I sort of ranged from Shelby Forrest on up toward Fort Pillow. It was a working prison in those days! lots of good memories about hunting in West Tennessee.

[DaveS]

I loved hunting for teal and wood ducks.....ahhhh.....the good ol' days!

[Bprater]

Where did you hunt in West TN? That was my old stomping ground years ago. I used to do a lot of quail and rabbit hunting over there. I sort of ranged from Shelby Forrest on up toward Fort Pillow. It was a working prison in those days! lots of good memories about hunting in West Tennessee.

I grew up in Jackson and hunted around there. There was some public land called "State field" off of highway 412 that we hunted on occasion and I hunted in Halls alot but I havent hunted around there in 10+ years. Wish I did because Mid Tn just doent have the ducks like West tn.