I am putting in for a draw hunt on Noxubee Refuge for a duck hunt. I've never hunted ducks and don't know anything. What will I need to get on a cheap budget and how should I prepare myself? Anything will help.

Will you be hunting by yourself or with other people?
If you'll be hunting with other people do they have any gear?

There's a lot of advice, but here's some to get you started...

-A 20ga shotgun will work, but use a 12ga if you can. Use 3" shells if your gun is marked to shoot them.

-If shooting ducks close, over decoys (20-35yds), a cylinder or imp. cyliner choke should work. If you're going to have longer shots, a modified choke is the way to go.

-Use non-toxic shot (steel, or other non-lead pellet). Shot size #2 or #3 should work fine.

-Use a face mask or camo make-up. You'd be surprised how "bright" someone's face can be in a blind. Ducks can see this easily, and may flare away from your blind.

-A well trained retrieving dog is a very, very nice thing to have when duck hunting.

-Make sure you know what you're shooting at, avoid exceeding your bag limit or your waterfowling may end quickly and expensively. (Check the legal shooting hours for your area).

-It's hard to make a Shoveler (aka Spoonie) taste good. Don't bother with Mergansers, unless you want one to taxidermy.

-Last but not least, check the website of Ducks Unlimitred and Delta Waterfowl for more info and recipes. A well cooked game meal(s) is an excellent end to a hunt.

Joe pretty well covered it all.

Ron