Roost questions --

[MrGoodtime]

NEVER,EVER shoot a roost.

Unless it someone elses hunting spot

[missed mallards]

i don't hunt roost anyway, i like hunting ducks much more.

Ducks Migrate. what ever duck is on your lease today, will be on someone elses lease very shortly, shoot ducks while you got them

When you shoot a roost they are gone forever. I have seen great brakes become a gar hole. Those ducks will become nocturnal and leave before shooting hours and come back in after shooting hours.

Seriously, listen or read what he poseted! I've messed up some great spots by doing the thing one shouldn't do!

[gobama123]

I have a question, as there seems to be numerous schools of thought on this subject.

Are you talking about shooting "local" Wood Ducks.... or are you Talking about Mallards and other more migratory ducks ?

Yes... you can QUICKLY burn out a wood duck hole and they will NOT come back.

But the roosts that I have shot over the years, that were holding Big ducks are much more forgiving and can be shot once every couple of weeks.

God Bless you

[4dawgma]

Aw hell naw! "@#$%#" albanians teachin duck huntin now. I "@#$%#" give up

[wags]

learned a valuable lesson last year about doing this. We have a small drain that the beavers have damned up in an overgrown field with willows growing down the fence that runs through the middle of the break and some buck brush in the upper end. entire thing is knee deep except for the beaver runs....

anyways, here's my advice:

On overcast days it seems the birds would come in earlier in the afternoon. the brighter and sunnier the later they would come to roost. If the birds aren't disturbed off of the roost they will come back on up in the morning/afternoon to day sit before feeding again in the afternoon. Wait until all of the birds are gone out of there in the morning, then go in and set up mid morning (bring a lunch) Plan to stay all day, because they will come back although it might seem as an eternity has passed before they show up. you will pick up several birds throughout the day just coming back to day sit. As it gets closer to legal shooting time ending it will be pretty intense on an overcast to cloudy day.

Just remember watch the clock, don't forget to keep tabs on what's hangin on the tote. and enjoy an amazing experience!!


oh and IF your going to do it, don't do it regularly. once or twice a season is plenty enough

Good advice. These hunts should be no more than 3 times in a season, and they are....wait for it......LEGENDARY! Try it on a clear day and you'll just make yourself sick watching hundreds of birds rain down on you as you are packing out (experience). Go on a very cloudy or rainy day and goups won't even stop coming in while you're shooting at other groups. I also agree with another post...this works on big duck roosts only, not local ducks. Big ducks are migrating and if you shoot at them one night and come back 3 weeks later, they'll be way south and you'll be shooting at different ducks. My 2 cents.

[Blake Williamson]

I just don't do it..... Hell it's just no fun in it to me. It's great to take a newbie or kid but I like to work ducks and shooting a rooste isn't duck hunting to me. You bring a good dog, a gun or two and leave the decoys and calls at the house. Hell I rather set in a deer stand and hunt a buck then I would like cheat a duck....... But thats just me...

[hillhunter]

There is one hole we hunt in the afternoons, we usually get there and kill what we are gonna kill by about ten min before shooting time is over and thats it. These are mostly big ducks, but get some woodies ever so often. This place will hold 5-600 duck all year long and have never had trouble running them off. We only hunt it on bluebird days and kill most of the ducks between 330 and 430. We tried morning hunting it cause it is planted in corn for feeding, but they just wont come in the am.

[tunica]

used to be a place that was called the cutoff and you could shootducks most any morning then some ppl started hunting in the afternoon...Now all ya have is lots of ppl that complain they aint no ducks... Wonder what happened.

[Dux Be Us]

Burn em bad anytime of the day too often and you'll have problems

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Best piece of advice I've seen on this thread dux. We use to afternoon hunt an area around here for years. Hell my whole life we did it. Never had any problems, it was just a good afternoon spot. Go in at 12 out by 330. Too bad the MDWFP drained it... Called it "mitigation" or sometin' like that...

[Floating_40]

Shoot 'em while they are there has always been my plan.

[Take 'em]

Have some fish ponds that have been out of production for years. They have natural veg in them but wasn't managed well as far as good drawn down dates in previous years so there isn't much food in them. Ducks roost in them like crazy. If I were to plant something (millet, corn, beans ect) in them for next year, would it be worth it to try and get some to come in the morning hours? I understand it will still most likely be a roost place but will this provide me with enough to make birds use it as a morning feeding place?