rfjeff9

Finally, the kids are old enough and have shown a frantic interest in duck hunting (thank you Duck Dynasty). I haven't been in 15 years, but am ramping it up now so that come October, I can do the scouting thing everyone seems to advise. Never done that. Also looking into blinds and boat camouflage. Never done that either. Duck calls? New to me. So much to learn. I can still shoot a gun, though. I gave my daughter a 20ga SS for Christmas and am thinking about that Mossberg .410 pump action for my 9 yo.

It's good to be back!

skiftcky

Jeff, Glad to have you back amongst birds of a feather. I don't think much has changed in 15 years but there are some new products out there. As far as calls go, I have owned zinks, DC's, etc. but by far my best call is a primos wench that I got for 20 bucks. I'm going on my 4th year using the same call. Boating camo and blinds... Cabelas has some boat camo frames. They are a bit pricey but what I would do is just buy the frame and either get the camo from a military surplus or if you have a buddy in the military that can grab you some old camo netting it would work just fine. A little bit of fast grass is nice to touch up your boat blind too.
I do a lot of scouting but mainly it has become more of a hit or miss whether I scout or not. I also use my pre hunt scouting time to build a few hasty blinds in areas I know I want to hunt. This all depends on material at hand in the area you want to hunt.
I mostly use my boat to get from point A to B and do not really hunt out of it.
Anyhow, welcome back to the hunt.

Jaag

Good advice skiftcky...I'm making a return to the sport after about a 20 year lay off. Years ago the flyway moved to the west and the hunting really tanked. My sons started hunting ducks several years and it made me really miss the sport. They hunt North Dakota a lot and I'm really stoked about getting back into the birds and doing it with my sons. We hunt other critters together but few things are as nice as sitting in a blind with friends. After listening to them talk it seems not much has changed when it comes right down to it.
Good luck Jeff, you'll have a blast with your kids.

skiftcky

Jaag,

I think I like being able to get together with good friends and/or family just as much as I like the hunt. Here in Kansas there are very few places that have permanent blinds so we make an event out of building hasty blinds before season that are good enough to hold back the wind and have a bit of fun while hunting. Specially when you get a few army buddies in there and the jokes and trash talking begin. You can't ask for better times.

vindog

Good to have you guys back!! Things I would look to purchase are...
1. Dozen mallard decoys. Probably some good deals right now with the season over. Maybe check websites like cabelas, rogers, and macks prairie wings.
2. Duck call. Really don't need to go drop a hundred bucks on a call. I looked on website forums like duck hunting chat and avery and bought barely used calls for half the price. Real good deals on just about everything on these forums if you just take a look and know what you are looking for. Calls I use are lynch mob, foibles, and gander valley. All the call makers are putting out nice calls IMO.
3. Good camo. Just like everything else, concealment is critical.

For scouting its really not to hard IMO. I go to places early in the morning that I feel should be holding birds and just sit and watch in the truck with the binoculars. Marshes, rivers, ponds, creeks, and flooded woods. I also hunt farm fields too. When I see the ducks and geese flying I just follow them until I see them land in the field. My wife loves this when we are on our way to do some shopping or something, and I see a flock in the distance. It becomes a big detour and she just shakes her head and says I have a problem. Its funny how every time I jump in the truck to go anywhere I'm always keeping an eye in the sky to see if there is flocks on the move.

Good luck and most importantly, enjoy the time with your kids and family.

Reelcranky

Check out www.wingsupply.com they have some calls on sale along with other gear right now. I would buy a cheaper call first to practice on and grab a dozen decoys you will be good to start out. Watch a few DVDs will help out with a lot of info but the best tool for duck hunting is a good dog and they are a lot of fun to train as well good luck!

wingseek

Hunt WHERE THE DUCKS ARE....use good concealment
and HeviShot ammo.........

fzo

good luck with the ducks. happy hunting

CSValor

For calls I would definitely go with a low end double reed, very easy to use and your not going to break the bank. As other mentioned a Primos Wench is a great call to start with or even an Echo double reed, both go for right around $20 bucks. No point in spending top dollar for an acrylic call right off the bat. Good luck next year, welcome back!!

700

You have duck hunted before, you know what you like and dont like...so I will just say this - get ready for more gimmicks and ammo and choke tubes than you can shake a stick at...try not to fall into the ammo game going on...good grief, its terrible..all you need is some good ol winchester drylock - all this other ammo is just gimmicks and marketing crap.

Ps..One of these would not hurt - maybe not 110 pounds like mine...LOL