Australian Waterfowler- April Edition

April 2014 | Issue 3
Inside This Issue
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Well the Victorian Duck Opening was full of mixed reports right
around the state. With birds moving, and increased pressure in
the way of cars and boats looking around, they were bound to
move to a degree. Reports out of Gippsland and the South West of
the state seemed most promising. The North East and North West
of the state were disappointing, with Woolshed Swamp losing
the majority of its ducks in the week leading to opening. I shot
Woolshed Swamp with family and close friends the same as I always
have. After all, opening is a tradition, and one we should enjoy
and cherish. I ended the weekend with three ducks, two pinkear
and a grey teal, but it was still great to be away and enjoying what
this sport is all about, and that’s not just about pulling the trigger.
Justin and Jacob did the same, though in Gippsland, and enjoyed
full bags, and that is the mystery that keeps us all in this game.
Now is the time to get on with the real hunting, and things should
hopefully improve day by day towards the end of the season.
Amazingly, it seems there was still a minority of people who could
not abide by the rules and regulations, and were booked for
shooting early and other various offences. What else is of concern
is the alleged reports of freckled duck being shot. We all need to
acknowledge that the poor behaviour of a handful of individuals
can sadly reflect on all of us. In percentage terms, the 33
infringement notices handed out to hunters reflect approximately
0.1% of the total game licenses on issue. So where you can, try
your best to incorrect the wrongs and call DEPI on 136 186 if you
see this negative behaviour.
Regional Wrap Up
Technique Talk
Feature Story
Monthly Destination
In The blind Bag
Hunt & Cook
Readers Article
Snap Shots Competition
Classifieds
am a firm believer that the ducks have not totally left “en masse”
as they did in 2012. There are still ducks in patches and good
hunting to be had for those who are willing to burn some fuel
and do the hard yards scouting. The swamp closures announced
on the Wednesday before opening are still in place, but it pays to
keep your eyes and ears open in case they are re-opened. This
process usually takes some two weeks from when it is decided
that the protected species are no longer present.
Special Note: We have now experienced a good drop of rain right
across Victoria, with some parts (predominantly the North East)
receiving upwards of 100mm in a week. We have been unfortunate
not to get out and have a look just yet, but this bodes well for the
duck season in Victoria for the rest of the season, and hopefully
encourages some more birds back into our southern states.
Yours in Australian Waterfowling,
Sav Mangion
So where are the ducks?!?!?! That seems to be the $64,000
question for the past few weeks. Looking at the March Rainfall
Map produced by the BOM below, it’s quite easy to see that there
has been significantly more rainfall in New South Wales and
Queensland than we have had in Victoria and South Australia.
As a general guide, rainfall to the west of Rockhampton in
Queensland will head inland, but rainfall east of there will usually
flow back to the sea. No doubt the northern states’ rain would
have had an impact on our local population of waterfowl, but I
The Rainfall predicted for late
March/early April.
South West
A magical sunrise over one of the South-Westís notoriously open lakes
The South West is still shooting pretty consistently, and the fresh
water it received at the start of April have started to fire things up
a bit. While the main lakes are still receiving some pressure it is time
to start looking for the fresh water, the birds will be flocking to these
areas due to the abundance of food and lack of hunting pressure.
Toolondo Reservoir would have to be the pick of the locations,
it needs a few shooters to keep the birds moving but it has been
shooting well over the weekends with most species being taken off
the lake. Lake Mudeduke has been shooting well for mountain duck
when you can get a windy day and find a sheltered edge. Reedy Lake
in Geelong is still hit and miss however there have been some reports
of the odd bag being taken so if you see a windy day it is still worth a
crack especially during the week!
North East
Reedy Lake has some of the best bird
Angus
on hisit way
back
in with
numbers
has had
in years!
Blackies through
the timber
- it doesn’t
get much better.
Well what a difference a week makes! The north east is alive with waterfowl
and plenty of dry swamps now have water. It hasn’t taken long for the
birds to cotton onto the fresh water and the grey teal are now present in
great numbers. Most swamps in the region are now full or holding some
water at the very least. It is time to change your focus from the open water
of lake cooper, greens lake and the Hume Weir and chase the fresh water.
Dowdles swamp has been shooting well since it filled however with so
much low lying water on private land the birds are seeking shelter and can
be hard to get to. Bundalong and Black Swamp are holding good water
and are holding good numbers of birds. Black Swamp at Wunghnu is also
shooting well however being small it is only really good for one morning.
another Reedy Lake Black Duck
North West
While the North West did not receive the same amount of water as the
North East it did receive some kickbacks from the heavy rain further east
with reports of birds moving through the area in search of fresh water. If
you were lucky enough to be hunting on a day the birds where present
there was some good hunting to be had. Boort has never quite recovered
after the opening and there is no word on Hirds getting opened and it
now looks most likely that it will remain closed for the rest of the season.
Their have been some nice bags of blackies and woodies taken off both
the Gunbower and the Little Murray. Lake Elizabeth is still holding a good
number of birds and has been shooting well over the last couple of weeks.
If you look hard enough there is some good shooting to be had however
it is worth traveling further east in search of birds.
Grey Teal have turned up in large numbers on
the fresh water in the North East
Teal have been the predominate species in the North-West
2
Gippsland
Well the Gippsland opening was very hit and miss, and the rest of the season has
basically been the same ever since. However the recent rainfall could see things start
to pick up. There have been some reports of a good number of birds taken from the
Heart Morass when there is some nasty weather about. Lake Wellington still has quite
a few blackies present but you will have to work hard to fill your bag. The Straights are
quite poor compared to this time last year with just the resident Chestnut Teal present.
Morley’s Swamp has proved to be the best location but due to its low water level it can
be hard to access however it is worth the hard work. Gippsland is still a waiting game,
while things are not looking so good at the present they can change very quickly so it
always pays to keep one ear to the ground!
South Australia
One of the Large Mobs of Grey Teal on
Lake George
The Results of the 2014 Gippsland openning,
South Australia is still shooting the same as it was during the 2014 opening with their still being good numbers of Black Duck and Grey
Teal present in the Lower Lakes region. The only thing limiting hunters obtaining their bag is the lack of other hunters around to keep
the birds moving. So make sure you pick your days and if it’s windy get out on the water as soon as possible! Tolderol Game reserve has
been the pick of locations with hunters getting into the smaller holes and finding some great hunting with birds that have not seen a lot
of pressure. There have also been some good reports of hunters chasing birds on the private storage dams around Lake Alexandrina. As
things are starting to pick up in Victoria. South Australia can often be forgot about as a hunting location, but it pays to keep up to date
with the latest info, as the season draws to an end, that is when SA really starts to fire.
Advertise Here
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to advertise in this space
3
Technique Talk- Using Motorised Decoys
Leading on from the theme in March regarding the J Pattern decoy
spread, this month, I wish to discuss another powerful tool in the
decoying waterfowler’s arsenal. Australia is so far behind the
times and technological advances of our American waterfowling
counterparts and what this month’s technique talk will focus on is
the rather new (to Australian Duck Hunting) Spinning Wing decoys.
In the states, spinning wing decoys come with mixed review. They
are banned in some states due to their “deadliness”, and there are
schools of thought that blame decreasing stocks of birds on the use
of spinning wing decoys at the start of their migration. This is not
to say that the arrival of a spinning wing decoy is a silver bullet to
filling bags and working hard for good hunting. You see, a spinning
wing decoy is meant to simulate the motion of a mallard coming in
to land. If you have ever watched American waterfowling DVD’s, you
will notice that the Mallard tends to “flutter” to its landing position
more than glide, and as such, the flashing white wings also catch
the eye of other ducks and hunters. Similarly, in good light, you
will often notice a blackie landing off in the distance, especially if
against a dark background, by the tell-tale white flashes. The arrival
of the spinning wing decoy is essentially a tool which allows hunters
to mimic this view to passing birds, assuring them that the decoy
spread is an attractive place to land.
In Australia though, we have a variety of species which we can hunt,
and not all will give the same tell-tale flashes of white when landing.
As a guide, I’ve found the spinning wing decoy most effective on
Black Duck, Hardhead and Shoveler. I wouldn’t say it deters other
species, but it doesn’t seem to have as much of an effect on the likes
of teal, pinkear, wood duck, or mountain duck. It pays to keep this in
mind when deciding whether to use the spinning wing or not.
The spinning wing decoy is always in the boat or decoy tub. It
accompanies us everywhere, but we don’t always use it. As a general
rule, we will always start hunting without the spinning wing, and
then adapt to what is happening on the day. If the ducks aren’t
committing properly, we will implement the spinner and see if it
changes things. Sometimes it doesn’t quite hit the mark, but other
times, it is the difference between half a bag and a really memorable
hunt. I find the best aspect of the spinner is that it can attract the
ducks attention from a long way out, especially when your decoys
are not highly visible due to it being overcast, or in an area of dense
cover. The age old mantra still applies, you have to adapt according
to what the birds are doing.
The main question people have about spinners is where to put
them in relation to the decoy spread. When it’s working properly,
ducks will try to land as close to the spinner as possible. As such,
my personal preference is to place the spinner closer to the hide, in
the thick of the decoy spread. It is important too, that the spinner
doesn’t hinder the hunter’s ability to take a clear shot at decoying
birds. For this reason, I like to place it to the left or right of the hide.
This allows approaching birds to still be taken in the kill zone, while
keeping the spinner safe from wayward pellets.
See the photo below which shows a typical J Pattern decoy spread,
with a spinning wing decoy in position. On this day, the wind was
blowing from right to left.
Spinning wing decoys are an awesome advancement in Australian
waterfowling technology, and we review the Mojo Brand’s offering
in the “In The Blind Bag” review on page 8.
This photo demonstrates where to place your spinners in
regards to your blind location. The cricle is the spinner, star
is the landing zone and the arrow indicates the blinds. The
spinner is placed at the end of the landing zone to ensure it
does not “block” the birds entry into the deocoys
4
Thinking Outside
The Square
Success in duck hunting, or consistent bags, arguably lies in the
hunter’s ability to adapt. A couple of years ago, we experienced a mass
exodus of ducks from many parts of the state. As that was happening,
a large rain event occurred in the north east of Victoria. While it held
true that the ducks had left for the large part, it was through some
scouting and thought “outside the square” that led to a successful
hunt in what was proving to be a difficult start to the season.
As always, I like to keep my ear to the ground and hear what is
happening around the state – waterfowl wise – right throughout the
year. I also am a firm believer in the saying that you should “believe
half of what you see and none of what you hear”. While this might
sound contradictory, ultimately it means I take things with a grain
of salt, and then do my own homework to verify what is actually
happening. And so, that year, I had heard that the ducks were still in
good numbers in some areas, and a trip was planned to go and see
for myself.
The car was organised in haste, with the bare essential camping gear
thrown in, as well as a variety of hard body decoys, a wind-powered
spinning wing, layout blind and a heap of silhouette decoys thrown in
for good measure. When going in blind, I always prefer to take more
than I think I could need, I believe its always better to have something
and not need it, than not have something and require it, especially
when you can be up to 4 hours from home.
The plan was to leave at a respectable time of 4am and drive to the
north east. This would put me there at around 7am, right on time
to observe what was happening and if there were any ducks around.
I wasn’t necessarily phased about hunting the morning, but more
about finding where the birds were and setting up accordingly. As it
turns out, there were a plethora of wetlands and state game reserves
in the area holding some water, and even more incredibly, a lot of
surface water in the local paddocks. There were birds spread evenly
amongst every swamp and wetland, and the paddocks were holding
their fair share as well, but given the pressure the birds were facing
already, I thought it better to get out into the lesser hunted areas, and
have a go on the paddocks. My thought was, that in the morning,
hunting in the surrounding areas would put the birds up, and they
would be looking for safe refuge elsewhere. So I did some driving,
and found what I thought to be the best looking patch of surface
water. This was only the first step. The major thing that could bring
an end to my plans was the farmer refusing to give me permission to
hunt his land, so I then set about finding the farmer. After a brief chat,
he agreed to let me hunt there. I explained that I would be setting up
that day, but not hunting until the morning, and he appreciated me
letting him know my plans.
Driving back through the farmers paddocks, I was quietly confident of
a great hunt in the morning, and this was made even more apparent
when some 500 ducks, mainly grey teal and blackies, raised off the
edge. This splash was not big, it was only some 100 metres long and
50 metres wide, so I was not surprised when the ducks disappeared
and went elsewhere after I approached. I was fortunate that there was
some scrub in this little splash to provide me cover, so the layout blind
would not be required. Given the size of the waterhole, I settled on 30
full body decoys, the spinner and about 40 silhouettes on the dry land
behind me. The water was just deep enough for the decoys to float
in some places, and in others they had to lay somewhat on their side,
but I was happy with the spread and decided it a good time to grab
some lunch, and perhaps hunt the afternoon in another location.
5
Taking off, I let the farmer know over the UHF that I was departing,
and would be back in the morning. I drove to Dowdle Swamp, just
south of Yarrawonga, had some lunch (it was 3pm at this stage) and
decided to go out for a quick afternoon hunt. It turned out to be a
handy little hunt, and I ended it with 3 blackies and 4 teal. In close
hunting through dense timber is something I really enjoy, and this
added to the enjoyment of the hunt. I rolled out the swag early and
retired for the night, getting more and more excited for the morning.
I tossed and turned a couple of times throughout the night and heard
the calls of wood duck, blackies and teal, and this added even more to
the excitement that seems to grip us all like little schoolboys.
I awoke early, packed the swag and headed to the farmers property.
I got in there early enough so that when the headlights would
spook the birds, there might be ample time for them to come back.
I was settled in to my position well before legal time, and enjoyed
the sounds that early mornings in duck season bring, the cackle of
the plovers, magpies singing, and ultimately, the whistling wings of
black duck overhead. As light came, I could make out pairs and small
groups of ducks flying within my vicinity.
Just a part of the mob that was observed while scouting the location
Legal time approached and I closed the gun, and gripped the trusty The beauty of decoying, I will always maintain, is commanding the
caller in hand. With my eyes sharp, I spotted a pair of blackies wing- birds to your location, and effecting clean kills. All 5 birds had barely
ing towards the splash, I gave a single quack, to get their interest, and moved a feather after the initial shot.
followed with a feeding call. The pair responded instantaneously,
It was only two minutes before I single blacky was seen, some 100
with a slight flutter of wings before cupping them to glide in. They
metres away, flying right to left. A rather loud greeting call was given
veered to my right before swinging to land in the decoy spread. At
and it locked its wings in that characteristic manner, and began its
20 metres, with their vitals exposed, it was an easy double that I took
descent into the decoy spread. At 25 metres, with it coming straight
and a great start to the morning. I didn’t even have time to stand
on, I fired and missed, shooting above target. It deviated quickly to
up to retrieve the birds when the infamous call of wood duck let me
the right and I swung through the bird, dropping it cleanly. The bag
know that they were approaching. Getting back into cover, I didn’t
was filled with another 4 grey teal throughout the next 30 minutes.
even bother calling as the 15 birds were already committed to the
The teal were all following the same path, coming from elsewhere,
decoys. They confused me when half dropped early into the spread.
over the tree line, down to just above the ground, and into the dePanicking, I singled out a male that was right over the landing zone
coys. My shooting skills abandoned me and it took 7 shells to finish
and fired, missing clean on my first shot. He banked and started
the next four birds.
moving upwards, I followed him through and gave him a dose of 32
gram 3’s and he crumpled back to earth in a puff of feathers. Surveying the area, it was clear that no more birds were in the vicinity,
As I was packing up, more birds continued to fly into the paddock, it
so with three dead ducks, I ventured out to do the short retrieves.
was a sight to be seen, and gave me great confidence that the padAll three birds were in great condition, and I assumed were residents
dock would continue to shoot well, in the short term at least. More
Angus
the way back to the
blind with a grey teal.
that were making the most of the fresh water
lyingon
around.
to the point, I was extremely proud to be walking out of a farmers
Back in the hide, and it had gone a little quiet on my little splash, paddock, with a mixed bag of ducks, in an area where swamps, wetbut I was waiting for the ducks to arrive from other swamps. I had lands and SGR’s were everywhere. Thinking outside the square can
heard some shots in the distance only earlier, and was hopeful that provide some great hunting and opportunity, and it’s all the more
the action might increase. In no time, I spotted a small mob of 8 rewarding when it pays off.
grey teal approaching from over the tree line ahead, they rose only to
cross the tree line and then dropped down, making it difficult to see
exactly where they were. Again, I was on the caller immediately, imitating that hen chuckle we all know so well, when I was greeted by
the sight of all 8 teal cupped and with their feet out, over the landing
zone. I picked out a bird off the edge of the main group and dropped
him quickly, as the remaining birds flared, I took another single teal.
While the birds where never observed in
the same size mobs, they filtered back in
pairswatch
and .small mobs all morning
Jacob waiting patiently, with Angus keeping
Millie on her way back in with
another Lake George Mountain
Duck
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Monthly Destination- Dowdles Swamp
A beautiful sunset over Lake Kanagulk
With heavy rainfall that the North East received at the
start of April, it is only fitting for this edition’s Monthly
Destination to focus on a wetland that has filled up due to
the rainfall event. Dowdle Swamp, or Doodles as it is more
affectionately known by to the locals due to the average
depth of the water being (you can guess at what height) is
located approximately 8km south East of Yarrawonga. It’s
a large, heavily timbered freshwater swamp that is around
291 hectares in size. It is an awesome place to hunt with
some of the best snap shooting you will find in the North
East.
Dowdle shoots best when there are a few shooters around to keep
the birds moving instead of seeking shelter in the heavily timbered
areas. The best way to hunt it is find a decent size hole or opening in
the trees which enables you to have a clear sight path to take a shot.
This is usually around a large old dead Red gum as the large old tree
keeps a lot of the sapling from growing, creating the perfect hole for
ducks to filter through. There is also some great shooting to be had
on the edges of the swamp in the early morning however this is really
fast paced action as the timbered edges are quite thick and you are
shooting through small holes in the trees. In terms of decoys 2 dozen
is plenty if you find a big enough hole and a spinner will help grab the
ducks attention as they wing through the trees.
Constant duck calling can be essential in a swamp like Dowdle where
the birds will find it hard to see the decoys and you will find it hard
to see the birds until the last minute. The calling does not need to be
of high volume, soft subtle quacks or teal chuckles is enough to get
the birds attention as the sounds echo easily through the swamp. If
you keep calling you will be surprised how often birds will appear out
Low Profile Blinds Work Best!
of nowhere and just drop into the decoy spread without you even
having time to raise the gun.
The main species of duck that you will encounter on this swamp is
grey teal, and they can be present in large numbers in the first few
weeks of the swamp having filled up. They provide some awesome
hunting with mobs winging through the trees at a rapid pace. There
are also good numbers of black duck and wood duck available for the
taking, however I have shot every species of duck except pink ear on
this swamp and when the water is fresh you just never know what
may turn up! Access to the swamp is good with a perimeter track
running the entire length of the swamp, however it can get boggy
at times. There is no side better than the other as they are all very
similar, full of live timber! But just head out and find the biggest hole
you can and that will be your best bet. The swamp does cop quite a
bit of pressure over the weekends so it usually only shoots well on
the Saturday and the Sunday can be rather quiet. It is one of the best
looking swamps to hunt in Victoria so if nothing else you will enjoy
the scenery!
A Nice bag of grey teal taken from
Dowdles Swamp
7
Motorised Decoys- Mojo Spinners
Following on from this months “Technique Talk” this edition of In
The Blind Bag will focus on the Mojo Outdoors variety of motorised
decoys of “spinners” as they are more commonly referred to. Spinners
are quite new to the Australian Market however of the last couple of
seasons the Mojo Spinners have proven the most popular amongst
waterfowlers and this is for good reason. There are a number of models
available here in Australia the first being the standard Mojo Mallard,
Baby Mojo, Mojo Floater and the Mojo Teal. All of these products have
differences yet they all work on the same premise that white flash
created by the movement of the motorised wings will attract ducks
into your decoy spread.
The Mojo Mallard is the biggest out of all the spinners on offer,
however in this case bigger is not always better. While they still work
well they do not attract ducks any better than the smaller Baby Mojo.
They take up more space in the boat and as such we prefer the smaller
Baby Mojo’s as two babies are about the same size as the standard. The
new Baby Mojo twin packs now come with remotes and rechargeable
6 volt batteries. The great thing about the remote is that you can turn
it on and off when required and this is not just beneficial in conserving
the batteries. If you find the birds are flaring off the spinner when they
pass the decoys, you can quickly turn it off and with a couple more
calls you can swing them back around and with the spinner now off
they will now hopefully commit to your spread.
While there are other brands available, Mojo
Outdoors are the leaders in motorised decoys!
The Mojo Floaters are another great product and they allow you to
hunt any depth of water without restrictions. While the baby mojo’s
work well, they come with a 3 foot pole which can be restrictive when
hunting depths over this height. While it is easy enough to extend
the pole a Mojo Floater is a much simpler option. Once again they
come equipped with a rechargeable 6 volt battery however they do
not come with a factory installed remote. Even with the spinner left
on there is enough power to get around 4 hunts out of one battery
so there is no issue with the spinner running out of power on a hunt,
unless you forget to charge it! The other Mojo Product available is the
Mojo Teal however don’t let the name fool you as they will not attract
teal into your spread anymore that what a standard or Baby Mojo
will do. While the teal are small and compact you are really better off
going for the baby mojo, they are still a great size, come with a 6 volt
battery and remote and will serve a better purpose than the teal.
Finally I must end by stating that while spinners are a new and exciting
edition to the Aussie waterfowlers arsenal, they will not work on every
occasion so it is important to experiment with or without them, but
on the days that you just can’t quite get the ducks to commit, spinners
can sometimes make the difference!
Baby Mojo twin packs are the best
value for money
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this space
8
Sponsored By
Moist Braised Rabbit With Soft Polenta
Ingredients:
•
2 rabbits ,cut into serving size pieces
•
Salt and fresh ground black pepper as
needed
•
1/4 cup olive oil
•
1 onion, diced
•
2 celery sticks, diced
•
4 cloves garlic, chopped
•
2 carrots diced
•
1 cup white wine
•
1 cup plain flour
•
3 cups stock (chicken)
•
1 tsp fresh rosemary
•
1 tsp fresh thyme
•
1/2 tsp fresh oregano
•
1/2 tsp fresh sage
•
1 cup fresh or tinned tomato diced.
Method.
Season rabbit pieces generously with salt and fresh
ground black pepper. In a large pan, heat the olive
oil over medium-high flame. When the oil is hot,
dust the rabbit with flour and brown well on all sides
(in batches, if necessary). Reserve browned rabbit,
and add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic, and 1 tsp
salt. Reduce the heat to medium, and sauté for 2-3
minutes.
Add the wine and stock and stir to scrape any
browned bits from the bottom. Boil wine mixture for
2 minutes; then add the tomato, rosemary, thyme,
sage and oregano. Add the rabbit back in, and stir
to combine. Turn off the heat, cover tightly, transfer
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preheated oven, 200 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or
until the rabbit is fork tender. Taste the broth for salt
and pepper, and adjust. Allow to rest covered for 20
minutes before serving.
Serve the rabbit topped with the remaining braising
liquid and vegetables.
Goes well with soft polenta
Ingredients
1 cup instant polenta
¼ cup parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
1 litre chicken stock
50g unsalted butter
Bring stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Gradually
add polenta in a steady stream and stir constantly
for 3-5 minutes, being careful of mixture as it boils
and splatters, until mixture is thick and creamy. Stir
through parmesan, butter, salt and pepper and serve
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9
READER’S ARTICLE
Decoying Wood Ducks
By Adam Cattach
My family has been hunting ducks for as long as they can all remember. A few years ago my brother and I decided to give it a go at
a favourite family camping spot on the Murray River between Swan Hill and Mildura. The hunting was tough the first few times we
tried but after the Queensland floods in 2011, the southern banks of the Murray River flooded and the creeks that run off the Murray
that had been bone dry for a decade were full of water, full of life and full of ducks. Hunting the southern banks of the Murray River
only means one thing to us, hunting the tough as nails Wood Duck. The standard hunting method of ducks in this area my family
had used for years was to position shooters along the creek banks and use an aluminium boat to motor along the creek pushing the
ducks around. This worked quite well and always presented some great pass shooting opportunities.
Shortly before the 2012 Victorian Duck Season started my brother and I pooled our money together and purchased an array of FUDs
including Wood Ducks. There was never much written on Wood Ducks let alone decoying Wood Ducks so we thought we would
expand on the family hunting method and use what we knew about decoying on the swamps for Teal and Black Duck to try and fool
the cunning Wood Duck.Wood Ducks are as fond of being on land as they are being on the water, which can make them difficult to
hunt. The moment you set up for a shot as they fly along the line of the creek they unexpectedly turn ninety degrees and head into
land never to be seen again.
Anyone that has had the chance to observe Wood Ducks in the wild knows that they like to rest on the river/creek banks in the
shadows of trees or scrub. Generally there isn’t as much wind on the rivers/creeks as there are on the swamp due to natural cover
so the wind isn’t really a consideration when decoying environments like this.The method we use is to position a feeding group of
Wood Duck decoys along the bank from the waters edge about half way up the bank in the shade. We also like to place a few decoys
in the water to add to the effect. We find that Wood Ducks don’t seem to require the traditional landing area that you would normally
employ on the swamps using a V or J Pattern. Any space you can provide for them to land on the bank will be sufficient so bear that
in mind when choosing a location. In terms of decoy numbers anywhere between a dozen to 2 dozen decoys will be sufficient. We
quite often add in a few Black Ducks if we’ve seen them about or even some Mountain Ducks just to very the appearance of the
spread. For added realism make sure you include at least one sentry that sits out as a loner from the rest of the group as there is
always at least one Wood Duck acting as a sentry to warn of any danger that might threaten the flock.
Don’t forget your calling as well. A Wood Duck call is easily achieved using a standard double reed call most of us for our other duck
hunting. Cover is also important but luckily enough the sorts of areas you find Wood Ducks has plenty natural cover such as trees
and scrub to conceal yourself in.The best thing we found about decoying Wood Ducks is that birds in these locations do not feel the
same hunting pressure as what the others do on the Game Reserves and swamps. When Wood Ducks like these have never seen decoys before then they land in them like a moth to a flame.In our experience Wood Ducks are a tough bird and punch well above their
weight so Steel Shot in a size 2 or 3 works best. The last thing to remember when hunting Wood Ducks is to keep quiet and keep your
ears open. Wood Ducks are a noisy bird and if you stay quiet you will always hear them coming well before you see them.
Happy hunting and good luck!
Adam Cattach.
Congratulations to Adam for winning this months “Readers Article”. Adam Wins a $50 Gun Emporium Voucher
gladly donated by our Sponsors at Gun Emporoum.
To enter head to our website for entry conditions, and
send your article to [email protected].
Concealment is often the key
when getting woodies to
decoy
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April
er
Winn
Congratulations to Daniel Rickhuss for the winning picture for the April Snap Shots Competition- With his GSP
doing what it does best!
The Snap Shots Competition
is proudly sponsord by
The monthly Snap Shots competition is open to all readers.
Simply email your picture with a caption to [email protected] and the winning entry will be
announced in the next issue.
The winning photographer will receive a $50 Gun Emporium Voucher.
Each entry is valid only for one month.
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