quote:
As a third year duck hunter, only this year have I started having any regular success with getting ducks to come into the decoys. I still shoot probably half of my ducks when they're flying overhead or making a close pass instead of waiting for them to come into the dekes. (When I don't take these shots, they often don't come in). Let me reiterate that I rarely take a shot past 30 yds unless it is a follow up shot on a wounded duck. Do you guys not take these passing shots? Do you take shots at wood ducks fly-bys? Forgive my inexperience. I do agree that the most beautiful shots I have taken are on ducks just frozen in mid air trying to land in the decoys. I just don't get those shots too often.

Gorilla

In my very early years, it took me some time also to decoy ducks with some regularity. It is a learning process....how to set up the dekes, when to call, when not to call, etc.

Don't get me wrong. The ducks don't always decoy...in fact, I may only get 2 or 3 out of 10 groups to decoy. But at least I did not sky bust at them so that the next day I may have a chance at them. Sky busting only teaches the ducks to stay high or be very wary.

I always try to decoy the ducks initially. After several minutes of circling and passes and it looks like it is not going to happen, I may take a shot IF IT IS A GOOD PASS. So 30 - 35 yard shots are fine for this. If I lose the group, then we live to fight another day.

I am talking about the ridiculous sky busting shots. Those that are made at passing ducks at 50 yards or higher without any effort to decoy. You would not believe the sky bust shots I have witnessed. Even if they hit a bird, it will be a cripple and mostly likely not be recovered. And the sky busting shots in the distance seems to ALWAYS occur when I am trying to work a group. Of course, the ducks will flare and fly off.

So eliminating skybusting helps you and other hunters have better success to decoy the ducks throughout the season and reduces lost cripples which I hate.

Patience is a virtue. That is being lost on our society. There is no pressure to bring back a limit of birds with every hunt. There is no shame in being skunked. I would much rather have less hunts with the thrill of shooting at decoying ducks. There is no thrill in sky busting.