wanting to get into waterfowl hunting this year need advice

Waterfowl hunters can be tight knit groups to get into. If you ever get invited to go on a duck hunt, do NOT miss it. Cancel all other plans and go. You might not get asked again.

Hope you've got a lot of disposable income...

Whee are you going? Look up wmas. Scout hard.

Good decoys are pretty expensive. Like mentioned above try to join a club or go on a few hunts first to get the feel of it.

Also Google and see if there is any public hunting land in your area.

Needs: a beard, an epic beard.

1. Don't ever be late if you're meeting a group to hunt with.
2. Make sure you get to your spot earlier than the set time. Don't ever be late.
3. Under Amror Duck Commander camo from head to toe.
4. Start growing your beard today. Don't wait any longer.
5. Pack blind treats/ snacks on every hunt and have enough for all in the party. Grilled sausage dogs wrapped in celafane, cat head biscuits with hard to find meat already prepared, smoked brisket sandwiches that you prepared the day before, or an egg and chili set up with all condiments and utensils are a few ideas to give you direction here.
6. Don't shoot the ducks on the water if they've landed in your deekes. They will get provide excellent movement for other ducks to your hole.
7. Shoot drakes only, no hens.
8. If you're able to pop a chubby just before shooting time (aka Wader dick), it will be a great morning.

I was going to just make my own decoys, I have all the woodworking and carving tools already.

I have a 20 gauge, that will work right? It's busted a many a rabbits Over the years, I figured it could do fine for ducks.

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What else do I need?

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money.......lot's of money.

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I was going to just make my own decoys, I have all the woodworking and carving tools already.

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damn son you are an old school motherfricker.

It will definitely help to go on a trip or two with others first, but if you be successful the biggest piece of advice I can give you is scout, scout, and scout some more.

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What do I look for when scouting?

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Well, there's two types of scouting: on season and off season. During the off season when I scout I look for areas that are shallow and have food or at least near areas that are shallow and have food. But a big part of what I do during the offseason is look at how I'm going to access the spot and look for signs of other hunters (old shell casings, flagging, old abandoned decoys, etc). If there's a lot of signs of other hunters and it's easy to access I pretty much strike the spot off my list. I'll also cut trails and mark the gps or put up some reflective dots. I use them sparingly tho because I don't want someone else to be able to follow my trail easily. Not to mention the flags look like shite in the woods since no one ever takes the damned things down.

On season scouting is pretty obvious: go out and look for ducks or signs of ducks (feathers & poop). Also if you go somewhere you can see a good ways you can watch for what the ducks in the area are doing.

A lot of places (marsh) aren't very conducive for off season scouting because the ducks can pretty much go anywhere. But it will help you out a lot to spend time out in the marsh to get a feel for water levels and your access capabilities regarding them. Can't hunt a spot you can't get to, and you don't want to find out your spot is too shallow to hunt on opening morning because the tide is out.

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I was going to just make my own decoys, I have all the woodworking and carving tools already.

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Most people in the marsh and ricefields around here use 5-10 dozen decoys if not more. Gonna take you a while to carve that.

But seriously, it all depends on where you'll be hunting. Some small ponds or rivers may only need a dozen decoys. If that's the case, you should spring for a dozen good decoys like Green Head Gear (GHG). LINK

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I have a 20 gauge, that will work right? It's busted a many a rabbits Over the years, I figured it could do fine for ducks.

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Again, depends on where you're hunting. If you're hunting a small pond or river, and fairly close to the decoys, then yes. Further shots may require a 12 gauge. You can buy 12 gauge pumps that shoot 3" and 3 1/2" shells for less than $400.