Never hunted before though I have access to some farm ponds that occasionally have some ducks. Please recommend on basic equip and learning products.

Also, anything else for small farm pond hunting? A good Lab is not economically feasible though a bird landing in water will probably blow to one side.

First you' ll need a few decoys.........you can pick up a doz for under $30 these days... you' ll need a good call, Primos Wench is a good one and don' t cost too much.......full head to toe camo, a shotgun w/steelshot...........

Ducks always land into the wind........so setup that way. Put your decoys in two bunches, leaving a hole in between then for the ducks to land in.

Thanks!

If you got more time, are the decoys supposed to face any particular direction and how do you keep them from blowing around?

Also, any recommendations on tapes or videos on calling?

Again, thanks.

You don' t have to keep your decoys facing into the wind. As for information videos or tapes, some calls you can buy come with a tape of cd for demonstrating techniques and sounds. If your going to buy a new gun i recomend buying a 870 express. They are a very good shotgun, i know many people who own them (including me) and i have never heard of any1 complaining about andthing such as jaming or anything. One of my friends has had one for about 7 years and never had a problem with it. Hope i helped you out, good luck!!!

I agree with 247 on the 870. I have been shooting 870' s since about 1952 and they are as reliable as any gun you will ever own. As for tapes do yourself a favor and get the video " The Art of Commanding Ducks" by Phil Robertson, do what it says on that video and you will become aduck hunter. Your decoys will not drift as that is what the decoy anchors are for. Just make sure that you have more than enough decoy cord to reach the bottom on the ponds you are going to hunt. You will need a pair of hip boots or waders to put the decoys out also.

if you have access to a canoe or boat of some sort it would help ya a bit, you can put out the dekes with it and pick em up as well as any downed birds, if you do have a boat i would recommend leaving it where it will be when hunting for at least a week so the ducks get used to seeing it there.
oh and yeah the 870 is a great gun shot one for years and never had a prob with it, check your local pawn shops too , sometimes you can find a great deal on a good shotgun.

I agree with drgildy completely on the video " The art of commanding ducks" , I have most of the duckmen tapes but this one is the most informative. If the ponds are not too deep, a robo duck,mallard machine, or some jerk ducks might be helpful. I use all three but my favorite is the robo duck, if the ducks are not shying from it as they tend to do later in the season(make sure it is faced into the wind). As far as learning to call goes, a tape or cd might help you ,but if you know someone that calls and could help you, that would probably be better. Just remember what works today to get them in,might not work tomorrow, wind direction is a big factor.

One tip when hunting small ponds, is to take along a rod & reel with a heavy top water plug. Can come in handy to help retrieve downed ducks.

All the previous suggestions are going to help you out. You are already getting some good advice... and I guess I can' t help but to throw in a bit of my own advice.

A good caller produces birds, a mediocre caller flare' s them. And the only solution is to practice. And practice. And practice.

For small ponds, I really like to keep my spreads small, call soft and let the motion decoy pull them in. Wait to shoot until they are completely in rage. Long shots are bad anywhere, but spooking/educating the ducks frequenting a small pond will dry up your hunting opportunity.

Good Luck!

By far, the best information for the $ spent is a book called " Successful Duck Hunting" by M.D. Johnson. You can contact hi direct at [email protected] .

Tell him that Doc sent ya and he will sign the book for ya too