It’s hitting right in the heart of the duck hunting season across much of the lower half of the nation and not everyone will board their boat for big water. For many of us, we will be finding those pinpoint spots where ducks are coming and going among the timber and fields near our homes. To make the most of our limited days in a blind (or huddled on a brushy shoreline) it helps to learn from the best. 

My History With Duck Hunting

As a teenager, I discovered duck hunting almost by accident. Growing up as more of a deer and small game hunter, it was on a solo jaunt for late season squirrels that I happened upon a millpond deep in the woods. While there, I could hear quite a bit of quacking and feeding chatter through the brush and, easing up to the bank, was amazed at the gathering of mallards littered across the pond.

Flight after flight of ducks soared along a creek feeding the pond. At the time, I didn’t know a thing about calling or decoying. However, it didn’t take long to realize I could set up on a high bank along that creek and pass shoot birds as they whistled by. Visits to that bank over the next couple of years often produced a handful of ducks for our novice wingshooting efforts. 

It was only after meeting an ardent waterfowler in college, that with his help I began attacking the millpond, and others on nearby properties with the thoughtful strategizing really necessary for the game. Gunsmith Kurt Derwort is another waterfowler who has enjoyed years of shooting over large and small bodies of water. He has found ample success on both. In fact, to do small water right, he says, you have to approach it much differently than big water. 

Scout Like a Deer Hunter 

“One of the biggest things about hunting a small body of water is you have to be sure it is where the ducks are going,” says Kurt Derwort, a legendary Virginia gunsmith and avid waterfowler. “You can’t pull them in from a mile away with a lot of loud calling like you might be able to do on big water. The visibility and proximity of the birds typically isn’t there.” 

That means hunters need to scout isolated farm ponds and millponds, swamps, creeks, potholes and other small waterways. These are where ducks will feed during the day and roost in the evening. If you only have one or two spots, this is an easy task. Check them out and if the ducks aren’t using them, make friends with someone who has another spot or 

suck it up and go hit some larger public waterways. Ideally, you want a selection of areas you can hit and check out. Make sure to look both in the morning and the evening, to see when and if ducks are using them. 

Build a Precision Duck Hunting Setup 

Fortunately, small water duck hunting typically doesn’t require much gear. You’ll need waders, a handful of decoys and maybe a kayak depending on the depth of the water. You can do much of the hunting from a bank or wading in shallows. Plus, ducks can be retrieved by hand or a good dog. If not, a kayak works great for retrieving ducks and decoys at the end of the hunt. You still need to consider your setup. 

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“Your shot window is usually very narrow,” says Derwort. To maximize useable space, if the pond or waterway is elongated like in an oval, you want to set up at whichever end puts the wind to your back. This is because ducks prefer landing into the wind. This is the best-case scenario given it will give ducks more air space to drop into your set up and size up where they want to set down.

If you have a stronger crosswind, play the wind more than the configuration of the pond. Additionally, you want to keep the sun at your back, if possible. Because as soon as the sun breaks above the tops of the trees, if you’re looking straight into it, it will be impossible to see your targets as they set. 

Decoy Considerations for Duck Hunting

On small water, a dozen or fewer decoys is often all you will need. 

“I will usually just put out six or eight decoys when hunting ponds,” says Derwort. “You don’t want to overcrowd the water in front of you. You want to give them plenty of room to land.” Set them up in the same fashion as you would a large water spread, meaning you want to leave a nice hole in the center for birds to set down, ideally 25 to 40 yards from where you will be set up. 

Less is More When Calling 

When it comes to calling, keep it to a minimum. 

“Calling on small water is less important. The birds know where they want to go,” Derwort says. “Just do a little calling to set them up and make things look and sound more natural.” 

If birds do look like they are going to pass, go ahead and throw out a hail call. Don’t be shy about giving some feeding calls and quacks, but use a low-volume call that adds to the realism.

A jerk string attached to a duck hunting decoy and given an occasional tug, a motion decoy on a stake or bobbing in the water, or if you’re wading in water not far from the decoys, rocking your leg back and forth to create ripples, will all add to the deception that real ducks are already there. 

Don’t Overshoot When Duck Hunting

Try to keep your shooting to small groups of ducks hitting the water instead of big flights. Consequently, it can serve to educate the birds and keep them from revisiting your hot spot. 

“If you are hunting the spot in the morning, shoot several passes of ducks and then get out,” recommends Derwort. “Don’t hunt the same spot in the afternoon. Let the ducks come in and hang out so they will come back.” 

If there are a series of ponds in proximity, leave one as a sanctuary that is never hunted. When you do this, birds will stay in the area and feed a continuous supply of ducks and geese for you. 

Read more duck hunting stories on iSportsmanUSA.

Image courtesy of Doug Howlett.