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?