# Night feeding



## born to hunt (Mar 13, 2002)

Different topic- (not about how many ducks everyone is seeing and how to keep quiet about it and not about NR's...)

I hear about birds that actually feed in the fields at night. Now I don't know a lot about duck eyesight, but can they see feed in fields at night? What would be the incentive to feed at night versus the daytime? Could you sneak up on them at night? WOndering if anyone has ever seen this..


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

I've heard so many times over the years that the ducks must be feeding at night....I'm sure it happens some when the pressure during the day gets intense but I've never had a problem with shooting all I need in the early morning or the late evening.

I remember about 10 years ago arriving at a field for goose hunting and having a bunch of birds leave the field, 1 hour before legal shooting time, and having the majority of our party say they must have fed at night so why should we even set up....well as those 3 guys were drinking coffee and lazily walking back to the decoys the rest of us had flock after flock of mallards drop into our dekes...you never know.

About sneaking up on them at night, that might not be a good idea as the wardens kind of frown on hunting ducks after nightfall.


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## born to hunt (Mar 13, 2002)

I think the night sneak would be cool just to see how close you can get. I 've done that an a slough full before, if you don't mind getting wet it is fun. Besides, I am not that good at "sound shots" anyway!


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Just out or curiousity....How many beers did you have to drink to think it would be a good idea to walk around in a slough during the night?

You might be messing with someone elses hunt by doing that. I would be wondering why the mess of mallards I saw the night before wasn't visiting the field that I spent a lot of time scouting the evening before.


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## born to hunt (Mar 13, 2002)

No beers. The slough was during the day, after we shot ducks in the morning. The land on which I did this was private, and therefore not an issue. Case in point, it took 2 hours to with face-in-the-mud-lo crawling to get there. It was one of those things that I just wanted to see if I could do. What the hell else is there to do during the middle of the day out here...besides drink beers..

:beer:

I would in no way try to jeopardize someone else's hunt. I've had that happen to me before and it sucks.


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

i have a friend in south dakota that came onto a big flock of mallards that were eating in a corn field at about 1 in the morning. if it wasnt ilegal he said he might have been able to flock shoot a limit. he of course didnt do that but it is true. with a clear sky and a full moon they were feeding at night. i have also experienced better hunting when there is no moon. so im willing to bet there is a lot of activity hidden in the darkeness that we arnt usually aware of.


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## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

Not directly applicable to ducks, but its obvious that some waterfowl do have nocturnal sight. Birds such as snow geese and specks migrate at night quite commonly and I have heard that the Pacific Black Brant _only_ migrates at night.

Based on that, I would say that it is quite possible for some species to leave and then return w/in the confines of a night's darkness. Couple that with a bright moon, and I would say it's definitely possible.

Hmm....bigfoots with phosphorescent cheek patches and spinners with phosphorescent wings!


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## born to hunt (Mar 13, 2002)

I know coots migrate at night....As far as I know they walk versus fly. I've never seen an organized flock of coots migrating.

How about tracer ammo with your phosphorescent decoys?


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

Hmm....bigfoots with phosphorescent cheek patches and spinners with phosphorescent wings!

:lol:


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## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Le French-Le Kiss WEWE HAHA!! dd:

Gotta love it, that puts you in my book as a HARDCORE WATERFOWLER Dboy!! :thumb:

But, and I mean but, do not let us catch you in the blind and feathers flyin'!! :wink:

If you want to mount that trophy honker please wait for a private moment!!


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

:rollin: :rollin: :rollin:

Good stuff 4Curl!


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## Ryan_Todd (Apr 11, 2004)

i have seen a few times where geese will feed at night during a full moon right before they migrate.


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