some guy posted this at the refuge
Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:14 pm
The Saturday of the second to last weekend of duck season I went on the strangest, most incredible duck hunt of my life. We killed a 8 man limit WITHOUT DECOYS AND WITHOUT CALLING!!!! If I tell you how we did it, you wouldn't believe it but here it is...
I was invited on a hunt with some friends of mine. They told me to be prepared for the most unbelievable hunt of my life. I get there Sat. morning about 5:00 and they double me up on a 4-wheeler with someone else. We ride in the dark to a spot and they drop us off with our guns and bags and go hide the 4-wheelers about 200yds off under some camo.
We hunker down in some stands of johnson grass and wait for shooting hrs. As it starts to get a little lighter I scan the water for decoy silhouettes and cant find any. Finally I ask my buddy where the decoys are and he tells me they dont put any out. I ask him in an amazed voice why not and he tells me just wait and see. Also tells me to leave my calls in the bag as we wont be doing any calling.
By this time I am getting nervous cause my mind is screaming "BAITED FIELD!!!" and having visions of us being hauled away in handcuffs. About that time one of the guys wades out into the water and pulls some camo cover off and reveals a 5 ft section of pvc pipe painted flourescent red!!! I tell ya it was sticking out like a sore thumb!!
Now I am looking for the hidden cameras, expecting someone to come out and holler "HA HA!! YOU'VE BEEN PIMPED!!" I ask my friend if this is some kind of joke and he says just watch and see. Sure enough about 1/2 hr after shooting time here comes a bunch of ducks. Do they circle around?? Nope. Do they flare at the sight of this big red pole?? Nope. Here's the unbelievable part. They come straight towards it and lock up and glide to a landing RIGHT AROUND THE PVC PIPE!!!
I am so shocked I forget to shoot and by the time I shoulder my gun its over and there are dead mallards all over the water. Before I can get an explanation my friend points out another bunch headed our way. They lock up about 75 yds out and glide right to the pipe!! This time I get my shots in and knock down 2 grey ducks. In the time it took me to type this, it was all over with an 8 man mix of mallards, greys, widgeon and a few teal. That was when my friend revealed the secret to me.
They set up this pipe about 3/4 of a mile away on the other end of their property and pile on the grain feed. Corn, milo, millet, and lots of soybean. Then they stick a 5ft section of pvc pipe right by it. They let the ducks go on a daily feeding frenzy all during the week. Then the night before the hunt they move the pipe to the other side of their lease and dont put down any feed around it. By this time the ducks have associated the pipe with all that food and go right to it no matter where it is. They set up the feeding areas in a different spot every week and are careful to hunt all the way on the other side from it so as not to be considered hunting over a baited area. They also only make one hunt a week on it to give the ducks time to settle down and associate food with the pipe again.
This has worked for them all season like a charm and it sure made a believer out of me!!!
I was invited on a hunt with some friends of mine. They told me to be prepared for the most unbelievable hunt of my life. I get there Sat. morning about 5:00 and they double me up on a 4-wheeler with someone else. We ride in the dark to a spot and they drop us off with our guns and bags and go hide the 4-wheelers about 200yds off under some camo.
We hunker down in some stands of johnson grass and wait for shooting hrs. As it starts to get a little lighter I scan the water for decoy silhouettes and cant find any. Finally I ask my buddy where the decoys are and he tells me they dont put any out. I ask him in an amazed voice why not and he tells me just wait and see. Also tells me to leave my calls in the bag as we wont be doing any calling.
By this time I am getting nervous cause my mind is screaming "BAITED FIELD!!!" and having visions of us being hauled away in handcuffs. About that time one of the guys wades out into the water and pulls some camo cover off and reveals a 5 ft section of pvc pipe painted flourescent red!!! I tell ya it was sticking out like a sore thumb!!
Now I am looking for the hidden cameras, expecting someone to come out and holler "HA HA!! YOU'VE BEEN PIMPED!!" I ask my friend if this is some kind of joke and he says just watch and see. Sure enough about 1/2 hr after shooting time here comes a bunch of ducks. Do they circle around?? Nope. Do they flare at the sight of this big red pole?? Nope. Here's the unbelievable part. They come straight towards it and lock up and glide to a landing RIGHT AROUND THE PVC PIPE!!!
I am so shocked I forget to shoot and by the time I shoulder my gun its over and there are dead mallards all over the water. Before I can get an explanation my friend points out another bunch headed our way. They lock up about 75 yds out and glide right to the pipe!! This time I get my shots in and knock down 2 grey ducks. In the time it took me to type this, it was all over with an 8 man mix of mallards, greys, widgeon and a few teal. That was when my friend revealed the secret to me.
They set up this pipe about 3/4 of a mile away on the other end of their property and pile on the grain feed. Corn, milo, millet, and lots of soybean. Then they stick a 5ft section of pvc pipe right by it. They let the ducks go on a daily feeding frenzy all during the week. Then the night before the hunt they move the pipe to the other side of their lease and dont put down any feed around it. By this time the ducks have associated the pipe with all that food and go right to it no matter where it is. They set up the feeding areas in a different spot every week and are careful to hunt all the way on the other side from it so as not to be considered hunting over a baited area. They also only make one hunt a week on it to give the ducks time to settle down and associate food with the pipe again.
This has worked for them all season like a charm and it sure made a believer out of me!!!