The Flyways

Why did I decide to entitle this blog Flyway Waterfowl? The blog is named after the four flyways that make up the migratory routes of the waterfowl living in North America. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners in our neighboring countries manage migratory birds based on these routes.  Seasons, bag limits, and many other regulations are developed and implemented differently in each flyway.  Besides the regulatory differences, each flyway offers unique opportunities for hunting in different environments and for different species.  This is why the blog is entitled as such.  I have lived in and hunted in three out of the four and will soon be living in the fourth.  Over the years I have come to experience how no matter what, where, or how we hunt ducks, we all share the same level of passion, or obsession.

Atlantic Flyway

Late season on Lake Ontario.

The Atlantic Flyway encompasses the areas from eastern Canada and the eastern United States as far west as New York, and as far south as Florida.  The flyway offers some of the oldest traditions of duck hunting in the United States.  I spent my time duck hunting the Atlantic Flyway in New York.  My friends and I spent most of our time hunting the bays and tidal marsh areas of eastern Lake Ontario.  A highlight of the Atlantic Flyway is the abundance of Black Ducks. I shot my first Black Duck in New York, beautiful birds with iridescent colors.  Here is a list of great places to hunt along the Atlantic flyway.

Mississippi Flyway

The Mississippi Flyway stretches from Ohio down to Alabama and west to the states that border the Mississippi River.  This is where I grew up hunting.  We chased ducks all over the state of Wisconsin from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.  You can check out some stories about our hunts on the Mississippi River here.  One of these spots is listed in the Ducks Unlimited write up about the Mississippi Flyway.  There are wonderful opportunities for public land hunters along the Mississippi with its many estuaries and lakes.  The famous Arkansas timber is located along this flight path, home to the world capital of duck hunting, Stuggart, AR.  See this list for public land opportunities. 

Central Flyway

North Dakota, a mainstay in the Central Flyway.

Just to the west of the Mississippi Flyway lies the Central Flyway.  The Central Flyway consists of the Dakotas to Texas and west to the Rocky Mountains. The Central Flyway is home to the “duck factory”, or the prairie pothole region.  This is where the majority of the ducks in North America breed.  Our family has taken many trips out to North Dakota to chase ducks across the Great Plains on these potholes.  North Dakota was an incredible experience, but the Central Flyway has many more opportunities up and down the flyway. 

Pacific Flyway

West of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean lies the Pacific Flyway.  For the majority of my life this has been a forgotten flyway that has not received much attention, but since the rise of social media, the Pacific Flyway has intrigued me and many others.  I am excited to move out to Washington and experience is for myself.  The Pacific Flyway offers the longest season and the most liberal bag limits.  I will be checking out the list from DU here.

 

What is your favorite flyway to hunt in?

How to Choose Your First Duck Hunting Shotgun

How to Choose Your First Duck Hunting Shotgun

The shotgun has proven to be the most successful firearm for harvesting waterfowl.  Since the early days of duck hunters with punt guns to today’s semi-automatic options, shotguns continue to be the duck hunter’s go to.  Part of becoming a duck hunter is purchasing or receiving your first duck hunting shotgun.  For those of us lucky enough to have fathers who were or are as passionate at chasing waterfowl as us, we received our first shotguns from them.  Others who find duck hunting later in life have decisions to make on what gun to use.  The criteria behind which shotgun to choose include budget, capabilities (style), and feel.

Browning A5

After taking hunter safety when I was ten years old, my father gave me my first shotgun.  We found a used Remington 1100 semi-automatic shotgun.  I th

ought it was so cool to have a semi-auto for my first gun. Dad had a Remington 870 pump action that I could have used, but he knew how much I would cherish having my own. For those that know my father he likes to wheel and deal, trading in guns, boats, or whatever he has for the next thing.  Because of that, I didn’t have my Remington 1100 for very long.  Over the course of the next few years I would go through a Stoger over and under and a Benelli Super Nova before settling in on our family’s chosen shotgun of choice.  My father has always had an affection for the Browning A5, which was the first semi-automatic shotgun to hit the market.  At this point we own multiples of each gauge of Browning A5’s that have been offered.

As I stated earlier, there are some criteria for those that are in the position to purchase their own shotguns.  Later in life when I had the budget to afford my own and because I had the desire to shoot a larger shell, I went shopping for new shotguns. I of course had to stick to our family brand of Browning.  They have always felt best to me and my father.  I wanted a shotgun that would be rugged enough to handle hunting out of my skiff and the beating that takes.  This meant that I was looking for ones coated in Dura-Touch to protect the shotgun.  I also wanted my new shotgun to shoot 3 ½ inch shells because I wanted to put as much shot on target as possible.  I had seen too many Bluebills take a hit and not go down.  In the end I chose the Browning Maxus because of the gas operation. Shooting 3 ½ shells out of the new Browning A5 did not sound like the fun I was looking to have.  The A5 is a recoil operated action which doesn’t provide the same level of kick reduction as a gas operated shotgun.

Browning Maxus

My budget allowed me to look at duck hunting shotguns in the $1500 plus range, I wanted the capability to shoot 3 ½ inch shells through a semi-automatic shotgun, and I knew I wanted to shoot a Browning because of tradition and feel.  For any new duck hunter, these are the three criteria I would look through when out purchasing your first shotgun.  It doesn’t have to be a $2000 purchase, the Remington 870 is still a classic, dependable shotgun for well under $1000, but if you have the budget, get what you want, what fits, and what will handle what you want it to.  In the end your duck hunting shotgun is an investment that will hopefully last long enough to be a family heirloom.

What do you shoot?  

Duck Hunting Boats

The nation’s rivers, lakes, and backwaters provide public land duck hunters incredible experiences.  In many cases, in order for duck hunters to reach the remote locations that ducks and geese call home, they must turn to various types of watercraft.  

Duck hunting boats have a strong tradition and the amount of options available are numerous.  Our family has owned and hunted out of most of them over the course of the years to include canoes, skiffs, kayaks, flat-bottom boats, and even a V-hull boat. Each has a purpose, positives, and negatives.

1756 Alumacraft with a 50HP Mercury outboard

One of the many reasons my father spent most of his time chasing ducks and geese instead of deer, as most Wisconsinites do is because duck hunting afforded him the opportunity to take his two boys with him on hunts.  Duck hunting has a unique social aspect that sets it apart from other forms of hunting.  Because he was always bringing myself and my brother on hunts, when we were younger we always hunted out of a boat.  This also helped because many of the hunting locations in Wisconsin offer deeper water access. We have had so many different flat bottom boats that I cannot even give an accurate count, but they were pretty similar in length and size of motor.  Our most current is a 1756 Alumacraft, similar to the one pictured here.  We ran 50 HP Mercury outboard on the back for years, but recently switched to a Pro-Drive shallow water outboard to handle the challenges of the Mississippi River more effectively.  Flat-bottom boats provide the hunter with the all-around package.  These boats provide the hunter with enough room to pack in a good number of decoys, gear, and friends, as well as with a motor such as the Pro-Drive, virtually no spot is unreachable.

Carsten's Pintail 14ft duck hunting skiff (left)

For those looking for something less involved or are interested in keeping a smaller footprint, canoes, skiffs, and kayaks are the answer.  When I went to college and moved to New York for the military, I brought my 14ft Carsten’s duck skiff with me.  The Pintail model offered me just enough room for a dozen decoys, my gear, and my dog. Most of my hunting in recent years has been out of that skiff.  The obvious benefit to something like this is the accessibility.  I was able to handle it myself, carry it in the bed of my truck, and paddle into very secluded areas.  Of course, this maneuverability came at a cost.  Most of my decoys had to stay home, it took me a long time to paddle in (many EARLY mornings to get to my spots), and my friends had to have their own canoe or kayak to come with.  Either way, skiffs offer hunters a great starting point to really experience duck hunting in its purest form.

Duck hunting boats come in many shapes and sizes. Choosing a duck boat will depend on where the hunter wants to spend most of his or her time hunting and what their budget looks like.  Hunting out of a boat can be a really cool and unique experience.  It was how I learned how to hunt ducks and will always be my favorite way to chase them down the flyway.

What is your favorite way to hunt ducks and what kind of boat do you use? 

A Duck Hunter's Best Friend

The utilization of canines to assist hunters in the pursuit of wild game has a strong history.  This is especially true for those of us chasing waterfowl.  In the United States, the most commonly used dog for duck and goose hunting is the Labrador Retriever.  According to this article from Wildfowl Magazine, labs gained their popularity quickly with waterfowl hunters after World War II when more American’s had the time and money to pursue hobbies such as hunting.  The Labrador Retriever has proved itself time and again as the best hunting and family dog combination available.

My family has always had a dog around.  When I was younger we had a dog named Max, a black Labrador Retriever.  I remember him being a burley character that was a bit rugged. Max lived outside in a large kennel and dog house that my father had built for him in our back yard.  I used to come home from school as a kid, open the back gate to the yard, and Max would come running full speed and tackle me, licking my face as we fell to the ground.  After Max we got a dog from a friend, so don’t judge on the name, but our next dog was another black Lab named Brandy’s Baby Bear II.  Baby Bear was a great family dog.  She laid in front of the sink and allowed my younger brother to stand on her to fill up a glass of water.  Baby Bear was a solid field dog as well.

Sammy

After we had to put Baby Bear down we found a yellow Lab.  Sammy was a character.  She was very difficult to hunt over.  She was an extremely smart dog but was not as interested in what we had to say.  She always wanted to explore the marsh, swamp, or woods and wasn’t in the mood to sit still and wait for ducks.  The next dog my father found for our family has proved to be the most stubborn, bull-headed lab we have ever worked with. Decoy is a female chocolate Lab that we have had for about eight years now.  Kind of like Sammy, Decoy’s favorite activities include up-rooting full-size trees and carrying them around the yard.

 

Decoy

Naturally, having been raised with dogs my whole life, it didn’t take long before I found my own Lab. While I was living in New York I went to the Ducks Unlimited banquet in Oswego.  The banquet offered a “pick of the litter” raffle and an eight-week-old puppy was the number one item.  They only offered around 40 tickets and I wasn’t lucky enough to get my hands on one. The table we sat at was a collection of older couples, my friend, and I.  They were very interested of our military service and how much we loved duck hunting.  One of the couples offered to pick the dog and give her to me if they won the “pick of the litter” raffle.

Madison

Sure enough, her number was called and she looked at me and asked if I still wanted a puppy.  I couldn’t say no.  I wrote a check to cover the couple’s dinner and the paintings they wanted.  I now had my first dog at 11PM on a Wednesday night with no kennel, food, or real plan. We brought Madison back home that night and I had a new best friend.  Madison has been a great hunting dog and even better friend and companion over the past five years.  I am excited each and every season to see her work.  I don’t know what duck hunting would be without my dog.

Hunting the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River has its own flyway. From Minnesota to Louisiana, ducks and geese follow the river during their migration.  When the migration is on, hunting on the river is exceptional, especially compared to the rest of the state of Wisconsin.  In order to capitalize on the opportunity, my father, uncles, and a family friend would head to the river for a hunting trip when I was growing up.  Every year sometime between Halloween and Veterans Day, Dad, Uncle Bill, Bob, and Bill’s friend Tom would meet in Buffalo City, Wisconsin.  Buffalo City is located on Wisconsin 35 just north of Winona, Minnesota.  The group stayed at the “famous” Viking Motel in Buffalo City.  I remember hearing stories of the place.  Something to do with carpeted walls, but it got the job done.

I remember it being difficult to get out of school to go along on the trip, but Dad could usually talk the teachers into letting me have a couple days off.  It was only fair because in Wisconsin, most kids get time off for deer season.  I remember how cool it was to finally go on the trip my uncles and father had talked so much about.  I finally go to experience Sand Run and the other spots of family lore. 

Dad sending a message to some high flying Mallards at Sand Run.

Sand Run was the “hot spot” when I was growing up.  Bill and Tom found the spot way back and returned each year.  We would set up across a cut from the refuge and try to convince ducks to drop in our decoys instead.  This spot was where I shot my first Mississippi River mallard and my father shot the first Black Duck I had ever seen.  It is truly amazing that some spots provide luck year after year.

Although the Mississippi River provides some of the best waterfowl hunting in the country, the river can be unforgiving.  Dad shared stories like the Great Armistice Day Storm of 1940 as well as some of their own.  One of our early duck hunting boats was a 16-foot Lowe job boat with a 25-horse power engine.  Dad had to leave the boat out on the river at their spot one night because a storm moved in that caused the river to be too dangerous to cross.  Tom and Bill brought Tom’s 18-foot, center counsel boat to pick him up.  After that trip, we were always very cautious on the river.  The weather, currents, sand bars, and stumps add to the challenge of chasing fowl.

Hunting the Mississippi River is can be extremely rewarding and equally dangerous.  It provides incredible experiences for those pursuing waterfowl.  I am glad that it has been such a big part of my life and provided me with so many great stories and experiences.  If you have any stories to share from hunting the Mississippi River and its flyway, comment below!  I would love to hear them.  Now get quackin’!

The First Hunt

Bird hunting has always been a part of my life.  My father introduced me to waterfowl hunting very early on.  I was around three years old when I went on my first hunt.  Dad took me to “the swamp” as we call it.  It was a small undeveloped portion of Legend Lake.  Legend Lake is located just north of Shawano, Wisconsin on the Menominee Reservation.  Our family has had a cottage on the lake since the 1970s.  Our swamp was just a quick boat ride down the lake from our cottage. The convenience of the spot made it a perfect place to introduce me to the duck hunting lifestyle I would grow to love.

That first hunt was a memorable one for sure.  We had the whole crew at the cottage that weekend including my uncles Bob and Yovan.  This is where I first began to see how incredible waterfowl hunting is for building relationships and the comradery that develops at duck camp.  Duck hunting is not easy and difficult things bring people closer together.  The shared struggle becomes the glue to the relationship.  We struggled together that first hunt.  Obviously, it was a long time ago, so my memory is not perfect, but I sure do remember the rain.  

We got up early and headed to the swamp.  The swamp is off the main lake along a channel.  It is accessible to anyone and isn’t very big so really only one group can hunt the area.  That day (and I think every time we have gone in the last 25 years) we were the only ones out there.  Usually the spot provides some great early season wood duck action.  That day did not turn out that way for us.  As I said earlier, we struggled that day.  I remember it pouring rain the entire time we were out there.  Yovan didn’t bring a rain jacket so I remember him huddled under a large pine tree to try and stay out the rain.  With the weather we were unable to harvest any birds, but looking back on that first hunt, it showed me how little that matters.

I might not have realized it that day or even later on as I grew up chasing ducks and geese, but it is definitely evident now.  Duck hunting is not about killing birds, it is about spending time with those you love. The early mornings, terrible weather, broken boats, sinking decoys, and whatever else we faced, we faced together. We grew together as a family and with friends, enjoying the outdoors.  Every hunt has and will be an adventure.