# Scouting tips?



## hole in the wall (Aug 20, 2008)

I'm a first time NR poster, but I've been reading NoDak site with great interest for a few years--I figure it's high time I get registered. That being said, I'd like to get some positive feedback on exactly "how to scout". I've read all the sticky's and have done a search... and they are all very helpful. I put on 750 miles scouting in 5 days hunting west of D.L last year. We did OK, but maybe I was missing something or some tactic commonly used for scouting, but never really mentioned as a specific method. I've read the sticky about divers, however, we would like to field hunt and not mess with water too much if only to retreive birds.

What exactly do you look for when you are scouting? Birds in the air? Birds in the fields? Birds on water? Are there specific times of the day? We found a few bodies of water that held a lot of birds, but we assumed this was the roost and kept our distance. We watched the areas at dawn and dusk. When they took off, we could never keep up, or darkness fell too fast.

I'm not sure if this post seems stupid or not -- I just think maybe I'm missing something. I'm a 30 year duck hunter and I'm still learning every season. Any tips you can give are appreciated.


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## shooteminthelips (Jun 13, 2007)

When scouting it is very important to know two things. Where they are roosting and where they are feeding? You camped out and waited for the birds to fly out which was a great move. However you said you lost them, when they were flying off the roost. We usually follow them and if you loose them simply pull over in the same flight lane for about a half hour and if the birds were headed to the mother load, then there will be another flock of birds shortly after.

When you find a field it is important to find out how you are going to hide? Then watch the geese if they are walking fast the food in the field is almost gone and they might not all come back. If they are going slow there is lots of food to be had and the birds will more then likely be back.

But getting hidden is the main thing. The longer you sit and watch the birds behavior at night the better chance you will have to be successful!


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

Best times to scout generally are the first and last hour of daylight or so. I usually base my scouting around some main roosts and then just drive around until I see something - it's not too complicated, just keep moving and keep your eyes open - sometimes you find something, often you do not. A lot of times I will pull over and glass (decent binocs are a must) the horizon for birds and if I spot some I will follow them. Also, if you are scouting for ducks in the morning around a roost, just pull over and listen to see if they are going nuts on the water (if you can't see them obviously)...if they are, then you know they probably haven't gone out to feed yet. Don't be afraid to track just a couple birds, I can't count how many times a pair of ducks has led me to a couple thousand of them. I would say putting on 700 miles in 5 days would be about average if not below average depending on the time of year.


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

All very good info so far, I would second having a good pair of binos. A lot of times I will watch the first flock off the roost from the highest point around and just track them with binos to get a good line on where they are going. You may even be able to see them drop into a field depending on how far they are flying from the roost. Sometimes when you are driving it is hard to keep track of them. Then I will reposition in there flight path or where I thought the first flock went down. Then it is easy to follow the next flock a shorter distance to the field. Mallards seem to circle a field about a hundred times before they drop in so it usually isn't to hard to find the end location. I try to pin point where the main feed is happening and set up at the top end of it the next morning.


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## fungalsnowgoose (Sep 11, 2004)

keep your eyes on the field not the middle of the road. I can't tell you how many people stare straight ahead while scouting.


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

huntinND said:


> All very good info so far, I would second having a good pair of binos. A lot of times I will watch the first flock off the roost from the highest point around and just track them with binos to get a good line on where they are going. You may even be able to see them drop into a field depending on how far they are flying from the roost. Sometimes when you are driving it is hard to keep track of them. Then I will reposition in there flight path or where I thought the first flock went down. Then it is easy to follow the next flock a shorter distance to the field. Mallards seem to circle a field about a hundred times before they drop in so it usually isn't to hard to find the end location. I try to pin point where the main feed is happening and set up at the top end of it the next morning.


i spend 7 days out there every year. my first nite is spent doing this. i get on the tallest field withing a general flightpath thats proved worthy over the years and watch....zero in and usually have a field pinpointed that nite.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

If I am hunting a new area scouting for me has gone a little toward High Tech.

If I pick out a new area I go to Google Earth and try to find water once that is located I will scout the ponds to find which one is a roost pond/lake and concentrate on watching flights in and out of that body of water. Scouting this way is not fool proof as I have had cases where water was shown on the image and was dry when I got there. It is an interesting way to find waterfowl.

Bob


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

2 votes for google earth... plus can show some short cut on how to make your scouting trips shorter and more efficient...

one drawback I see is not knowing how be the water is going to be... and like said before, water has dried up a bit... so if they look like a decent setup, they might be half that by now...


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

Bob Kellam said:


> If I am hunting a new area scouting for me has gone a little toward High Tech.
> 
> If I pick out a new area I go to Google Earth and try to find water once that is located I will scout the ponds to find which one is a roost pond/lake and concentrate on watching flights in and out of that body of water. Scouting this way is not fool proof as I have had cases where water was shown on the image and was dry when I got there. It is an interesting way to find waterfowl.
> 
> Bob


hehe, i do same thing. i have laptop in truck with google earth runnin...its amazing how many small towns in ND have some kind of wireless running.


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## hole in the wall (Aug 20, 2008)

Excellent! These tips are exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Keep 'em coming! Much obliged! :bowdown:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/ducktips.php


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## just ducky (Apr 27, 2005)

What ya really need to do is put a gps tracking device on Shiawassee Kid... :lol: Guarantee the dude will have 'em located for limit hunts within a couple days. I was fortunate enough to be invited along on an outstanding afternoon shoot last year...unbelievable! Still dreaming about the mallard that I couldn't hit as it tried to damn near land on my head. :******:



shiawassee_kid said:


> Bob Kellam said:
> 
> 
> > If I am hunting a new area scouting for me has gone a little toward High Tech.
> ...


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## Gilwlsn (Aug 22, 2008)

What does anyone think the average distance a duck will fly to feed is?


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## slough (Oct 12, 2003)

Ducks, based on my experiences, usually don't go much more than a mile if they can help it. Often if you find the roost and have a good lookout point you can just glass them all the way from their roost to their feed. I think the farthest I've tracked ducks to a feed is about 4 or 5 miles. I'm sure it depends on the terrain and how many "feedable" fields are around and some guys will probably say they often track them a long ways, but in my experience they usually don't go far. Geese seem to often be another story...


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## niener (Jan 7, 2008)

We usually have two to three trucks scouting in the evenings for hot fields. Generally we all go different directions and try and cover as much ground as possible. We also put on a lot of miles scouting, coming to North Dakota from Iowa is 860 miles one way which close to 1800 round trip and we have had years where we put 3000 miles on a vehicle in one 7 day hunting trip. That was before gas reached record highs, this year we may just have one truck scout, and or talk to the locals about where they are seeing the birds, the residents are some of your best scouts and usually very friendly and helpful.


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

slough said:


> Ducks, based on my experiences, usually don't go much more than a mile if they can help it. Often if you find the roost and have a good lookout point you can just glass them all the way from their roost to their feed. I think the farthest I've tracked ducks to a feed is about 4 or 5 miles. I'm sure it depends on the terrain and how many "feedable" fields are around and some guys will probably say they often track them a long ways, but in my experience they usually don't go far. Geese seem to often be another story...


Very good point, but is that when there is water everywhere and the birds merely have to fly out of the sloughs and cattails and drop into the fields. When its dry like it is now you will see birds going alot farther to feed that usual. I know eastern ND has had more precip than out here, but talkin with a few over there, the pothole numbers are down there as well.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Honestly, as far as when to scout? I have scouted at all times of the day. Mornings, drive looking for feeds, 10-12 they will be going back to roost, so follow them to roosts, mid day, drive looking for roosts. 3-5 drive looking for birds in the air, water, and fields. Later then that they will be in the fields, then right at dark you can once again find roosts.

It doesn't matter when you are scouting.... Souting is ment to understand the birds. It is just like bowhunting, the more time you put in figuring them out the better your sucess will be!

Good luck!


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## WingedShooter7 (Oct 28, 2005)

If you know where the birds are roosting, you can watch them go out to feed, and then try to obtain permission for the field.

Really IMO you just gotta get out there and drive around, you can't find geese sitting on the couch. I burned up a tank on Thursday and one today, was it worth it? Yes, I found 3 seperate roost ponds that about 50 geese are using in each.


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