# IF DUCKS ARE IN BIG WATER.........?



## BOTS44 (Sep 4, 2006)

WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY? WATCH WERE THEY HIT THE FIELDS? IM NOT REALLY A FAN OF HUNTING BIG WATER BUT IF I DO WHAT IS A GOOD STRATEGY? THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE REPLIES


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## Dunk221999 (Sep 11, 2002)

Hunt them in the fields... Its better for everyone!

Watch the night before where they go out to feed, and set up in the same spot the next am. Use goose decoys for your set up.. You can mix in a few mallards if you want, but they looooovee goose decoys.

I always like to find some cover to hid in, rather than just put a layout blind in the middle of a stubble field and try to conceal it. Seem to have just as good of luck.

Any more questions pm me!

Good Luck


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Be a man and put on the waders and hunt water. It is too easy going driving out to the field and putting your decoys out.

You don't have to hunt exactly where the birds are sitting on the water. You can easily set up down from where they roosted and call them in for a good water hunt.

Hunting the big water also opens your hunt up to shooting multiple species of ducks and not just the field ducks.

Good luck.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Just to be clear... there are 2 different definitions of big water for hunting purposes....

Is it a "big water" big deep glacial lake of is it large area alkali water?

Difference being.... I think most here would agree to go ahead and hunt Devils Lake/Lake Sakawea to your heart's content, but STAY OFF big alkalki water that hold ducks/geese as roosting areas. Your individual hunting of DL will not push the birds south and ruin others' hunts. Your shooting over an alkali slough "that is the only water around" will definitely cause the birds to leave that area.

Hunting a roosting area will harm everyone and drive the birds out of state FAST. If in doubt, and you need to figure out which kind of big water you are hunting, ask yourself if a shotgun firing will cause the birds on the lake to all rise up. If YES then MOVE ON and don't even THINK of pulling a NR no-no by pushing the birds off a roost.

I'm certain that this type of scenario will lead to confrontations this coming fall. There just isn't enough "small water" places that will be holding birds for guys who only know how to hunt in/over "small water" with boats. (note: small water is anything you can see across)

Learn how to hunt by pass shooting between roosting and transition waters or fields, or learn how to field hunt. That is the traditional ND way in the prairie pothole region. Yes there are exceptions, however they only work really well during very wet years. That kind of conditions was few years back and we are now cycling dry. Duck boats/decoys aren't the way to go during dry cycles if you are hunting the prairie waters.

Yikes.

Ryan

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## tclark4140 (Aug 8, 2006)

this post put it in laymen terms for this non resident. it was was i was gathering from all the posts. but it explains it very well. the only thing that confused me was.... should we not use field decoys or should we? but i know all our hunts will be field hunting, as we do not come for confrontations. thanks


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## Mark Hays (Feb 8, 2006)

I enjoy hunting big water from a boat. There is good shooting first thing in the morning and in the later am as birds return.

I have a 2003 17Ft flat bottom Legendcraft with a 25Hp Mud Buddy. With a diamond treadfloor and a large front platform it is comfortable and easy to hunt out of.

Unfortunatley I have to sell it. Asking $6,450 If you want to hit big water PM me.


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## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

Big water would be the way to go,,,example: launch on Devils Lake early and take fishing gear and get walleyes and divers......


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I worked with two died in the wool scaup hunters. Field hunting isn't that good for scaup lol. These guys hand carve their decoys, wouldn't think of hunting with plastic. They load up their hand glassed wood duck boat (feels like it weighs a ton) and drag it through cattails and mud. They like to do it the old way. So water hunting isn't the big no no that some think it is. Get on a 1000 acre wetland and hunt a mile from the roost and you don't run them off. There are traditional wetlands that come to my mind that people have hunted since the turn of the century. An old biologist that was a good friend would drive 100 miles for his one canvasback over water. The old guy is gone now and the world is lesser for it. 
I would like to tell you a funny story about one of these guys. He wouldn't consider a motor. One day on a lake called Big Alkali the wind came up and he had a mile to row. A fellow offered him a tow. He took him up on it and got in the guys boat tying the rope around his waist. Now these two guys were friends, but the guy could help but relate the look on the guys face when a wave swamped his boat and turned his waist from 34 to about 24 inches. He heard a sucking noise and turned around to see the guys eyes wide and grasping both gunnels in a white knuckle clutch.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Bring a good dog and find a peninsula.  Not many diver hunters in these parts.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Plainsman said:


> I worked with two died in the wool scaup hunters. Field hunting isn't that good for scaup lol. These guys hand carve their decoys, wouldn't think of hunting with plastic. They load up their hand glassed wood duck boat (feels like it weighs a ton) and drag it through cattails and mud. They like to do it the old way. So water hunting isn't the big no no that some think it is. Get on a 1000 acre wetland and hunt a mile from the roost and you don't run them off. There are traditional wetlands that come to my mind that people have hunted since the turn of the century. An old biologist that was a good friend would drive 100 miles for his one canvasback over water. The old guy is gone now and the world is lesser for it.
> I would like to tell you a funny story about one of these guys. He wouldn't consider a motor. One day on a lake called Big Alkali the wind came up and he had a mile to row. A fellow offered him a tow. He took him up on it and got in the guys boat tying the rope around his waist. Now these two guys were friends, but the guy could help but relate the look on the guys face when a wave swamped his boat and turned his waist from 34 to about 24 inches. He heard a sucking noise and turned around to see the guys eyes wide and grasping both gunnels in a white knuckle clutch.


Hey Plainsman

I think I know that very biologist you are speaking of... he hunted the traditional way you mention. In fact if it the same guy we share(d) a love for 2 of the very same wetlands/lakes that he hunted the cans/bluebills on... We called it Swan Slough (as did the locals) but now it is known as B**** Lake on maps I believe... he was also an avid hunter of a similar (though smaller) lake nearby called Steinhouse slough.

It's driving me nuts not being able to remember his name, but I think he worked with both Terry Messmer and Forest Lee.... I'm gonna go crazy thinking about his last name....

Can you PM his name?

Anyways.... like I mentioned... there are definitely exceptions to rule of hunting traditional medium sized wetlands that have had a historical use of diver hunting... but the very fact there are a pile of diver ducks on a particular water is indication that it is deep water. Deep water is generally not going to cause the birds to leave the roost, as they often raft out in the middle of that large lake.

Just for the record... I too have a huge passion for open (big) water hunting of divers on some of those same traditional waters. I wish I could get my hands on some of those old block decoys! Some of my happiest hunting memories were with the wind howling in my ears and snow spitting in my face during the first blizzard of the year as we hunted divers on that very same body of water. :beer:

Ryan

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