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A Better Bitter End |
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Experts chime in on how to make your last waterfowl hunts of the season…your best |
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By Jay Anglin |
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MUSKEGON, Mich. (December 16, 2024) – Nor’easter, Alberta clipper, polar vortex, bombogenesis, squall line, lake effect snow…these are a few of the waterfowl hunter’s favorite things. When late fall’s first frigid Arctic airmass pushes southward, waterfowl hunters switch gears into winter mode. Quite often, this scenario amounts to a drastic weather change that regularly catches a lot of hunters off guard, but they’re exactly the conditions for an epic hunt. The big freeze can be dangerous, however, when ill-prepared hunters are caught off guard and go forth without proper clothing or regard for safety. The Armistice Day Storm of 1940 is the most tragic example of what can occur when more than 50 duck hunters around the Midwest perished during an incredibly rapid weather change. What draws waterfowl hunters to such calamitous conditions? It’s simple math really. Besides driving migrations and sending a big pushes of ducks south where anxious hunters await “new” birds, cold conditions also force waterfowl to search for high calorie food sources and potentially seek diminishing open water as ice rapidly forms on wetlands and lakes. Crummy conditions, including precipitation and gale force winds, also make it a lot easier for hunters to finish birds in “the pocket” as waterfowl search for the source of the call and eventually see the decoys. With all the less than ideal human variables such as windchill and hypothermia a real possibility, a lot of veteran hunters and guides know some of the best hunts of the year are sure to happen. Consequently, over the years, these hunters have honed their craft, because let’s face it, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to shoot some of the smartest ducks and geese of the season. |
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Photo by the author |
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“During the later part of the season, and the further south you go, you’ve got to be realistic about your tactics,” said Hardcore Waterfowl Pacific Flyway Manager, Scott Roduner. “These birds have seen every spread, heard every hail call, and picked hunters out in every blind setup there is, so you’ve got to learn to set yourself apart. It takes a lot of footwork and some trial and error to find the little tricks that’ll work in your area.” “As waterfowl seasons wind down in many areas across the country, late season ducks and geese can be a lot of fun,” said Hardcore Waterfowl pro Andy Shamp of central Pennsylvania. “Watch for cold fronts and warm-ups. Ducks and geese will feed heavily on corn or soy beans before a cold front, but generally speaking, after the cold front hits, their movements tend to slow down until temperatures rise again. Once you locate their food source or water day loaf, watch that area a few days to get their pattern down, and then hunt it.” Scouting is critical, and once you’ve settled on a spot, among other key components to success is the “hide”. Concealment and attention to detail is required like no other time during the season. Fields are often plowed and lacking any stubble, cover is stripped of leaves and sparse due to being ravaged by wind. It can be very difficult to hide blinds. |
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Photo by Jeremy Michael |
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Snow can be a huge advantage as it’s much easier to wear “whites” and conceal within a stark white background, or use snow covers on blinds. Do your best to look natural. Create one silhouette that resembles a land feature by keeping blinds close together, as opposed to multiple bumps sticking up. Grassing and brushing blinds often works well even on bare dirt, as waterfowl are used to seeing grass patches near swales and drain tile heads, lanes, and field edges. Sometimes you have to get creative, so don’t rule out anything. For example, myself and a buddy once sat in lawn chairs in the bed of an abandoned pickup truck at the edge of a field. We had to wear blue outer layers to blend in with what was left of the truck’s paint. It worked perfectly. Another important aspect of late-season waterfowl hunting is how to set your decoy spread, and Roduner and Shamp both focus on making their spreads look different than other hunters in the area. “Can I make my spread bigger or smaller? Am I using the wrong type of motion – too much, not enough? Ducks may key in on motion – sometimes it’s spinning wings and other times it’s a simply jerk cord. Also, am I better off running traffic with a big spread, or finding an “X” – these are the kind of things I ask myself,” he explained. |
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Photo by the author |
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Shamp concurred, “When observing the area I plan to hunt I pay close attention to what other hunters are doing – how many decoys they are running, what their decoy set up looks like, and also their calling. I like to set myself apart with the ‘think outside the box theory’ – be different than others and set your decoys as realistic as you can.” Roduner also likes to observe real ducks and geese on local wildlife areas so he can mimic them with his spread as well as calling. “Are ducks being communal and sitting together or are they starting to pair off? If they’re communal, I’ll still run a big decoy spread, but if they’re broken off into pairs and small groups, I’ll downsize my spread and make it as realistic as possible,” Roduner explained. “One of the biggest factors to consider while hunting late season is how birds are responding to the calling. Sometimes the best call is to put your call down! All birds can become call shy!” Roduner said. Besides the meat and potatoes of the actual hunt and dressing for the occasion, here are some other important things to consider when hunting late-season waterfowl. |
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Photo by Jeremy Michael |
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Clothing Wearing the proper clothing is extremely important! Breathable base and mid-layers and an insulated and waterproof shell with premium socks are the foundation of comfort and protection from the elements. Hunters who succumbed to the elements in the past were likely wearing heavy cotton based garments that soak and freeze. Heck, the most battle-worn waterfowlers will even bring a backup jacket and space blankets in a dry bag. Ice If you hunt around ice, pay careful attention to ice thickness, water depth, and if present, current speed. Obviously falling through the ice is never fun, but if you are in deep water or strong current, the risk increases exponentially. This is not just the case with the hunter, but even more so with their canine companions. Avoid any situation that may risk injury or worse. Firearms Frigid temperatures can have a big impact on the way semiautomatic shotguns cycle. This is especially the case with dirty actions or any action that is overoiled. This is a great time to pull the old pump-action or use a double-barrel. If you must use an auto, clean it meticulously and do not overoil the action. Use a lube that works well in subzero temps such as Break Free CLP or Hornady One Shot. Calls Hunting frigid weather with snow and ice is hard on duck and goose calls, which can quickly freeze up if not protected by the elements between calls. Be sure to tuck calls into a jacket pocket. If it’s extremely cold, you can also use a handwarmer to keep calls warm. Some hunters will coat the “guts” of a call with Rain-X, silicon, or something similar, to reduce reed lock-ups. |
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Canines Speaking of dogs, many late-season hunts are just too hard on the pooch, so consider leaving them at home, or in the vehicle and only brought out for difficult retrieves. At the very least use a dog blind and a dog vest to keep their core temperature up, and remember once they’ve made a retrieve in water, a vest can trap a layer of frigid water underneath and actually expedite hypothermia. Also, be sure they are well fed with a high-nutrition food that provides the energy needed to keep their internal furnace burning. The bottom line, if the dog is showing signs of being extremely uncomfortable, it’s time to get them out of the weather and warmed up ASAP. Hard Ground When the ground is frozen it’s very difficult to get full-body stakes to penetrate. While stake punches work okay to break through frosted top-layers, they aren’t very practical for hard-frozen soil. Head to the hardware store and buy a couple of extra-long drill bits that are slightly larger in diameter than your stakes (so stakes won’t freeze into the holes). This can be a game changer to speed up setting the spread, especially when decoys stands aren’t feasible due to wind. Pro tip – be sure to have an extra battery for your cordless drill. Another great trick is to use cornstalk stubble to hold full-bodies. While they may look too regimented in ridiculous straight lines, you can fill the gaps with some decoys to break up the pattern. Breaking Ice Chainsaws, Sawzall’s, sledgehammers, ice spuds…these are all tools used to clear a hole in the ice. Don’t forget a leaf rake to remove smaller chunks, and something longer to push ice sheets under intact ice. Also, extra-long waterproof gloves, like Hardcore’s Finisher Extreme Decoy Glove, are a necessity when dealing with ice. Nothing beats having an ice eater or ice blaster to not only create a hole but keep it open. Some require an AC power source including direct outlet or generator, while others run on DC sources such a deep cycle battery. It’s expensive and laborious, but man do they work. You’d be hard-pressed to find a late-season specialist without some or all of these options readily available in their rigs. |
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Photo by the author |
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ABOUT NEXUS OUTDOORS Nexus Outdoors, headquartered in Muskegon, MI, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of performance, hunting and casual odor-controlling apparel, footwear and equipment under the ScentLok Technologies®, OZ®, Blocker Outdoors®, Whitewater, HARDCORE, and Tree Spider® brands. It also owns American Range Systems, manufacturer and distributor of the world’s strongest and safest bullet traps. Nexus Outdoors is the only company with access to all scent-controlling technologies, including their patented Carbon Alloy™ and Cold Fusion Catalyst™ technologies, which provide superior success in the field. ScentLok and Blocker Outdoors are pioneers in the hunting industry, which many credit with creating a market focused on superior scent control to get closer to big game. |
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