A Comprehensive Guide to Duck Scouting (Tips & Tricks From the Experts)
Scouting for ducks is not only exciting but also a necessary element of duck hunting. It’s a recommended practice for every hunter who wants to increase their chances of having a successful hunting season. This is especially true when hunting on public ground that you’re not familiar with.
With most duck hunters either looking for a place to start or to improve their ability to scout for ducks, reading this guide until the very end will be a great idea. This read will go into more detail about understanding the pre-scout process and the steps you need to take to start scouting like a professional duck hunter.
But before we get into the nitty-gritty of duck scouting - let’s first take a look at why duck scouting is such a key component for having a successful hunting season.
The Importance of Duck Scouting
Scouting for ducks prior to hitting the hunting ground is an important part of having a successful hunting session. It involves the process of obtaining key information about the patterns and the behavior of the local duck species before the hunting season begins.
With this information at hand, duck hunters will be able to make much better and more informed decisions around strategy, what tools and equipment to bring, where to place their covers, and more. Some other reasons why duck scouting is important include:
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Identify Existing Habitats
Scouting helps hunters to determine the areas where ducks are most likely to be found. This means they won’t be entering the hunting ground completely blind, giving them a better chance at coming out successful. It also helps them pinpoint areas to avoid where they are not likely to find any waterfowl - saving them a lot of time that they would have otherwise wasted.
Observe Flight Patterns
When scouting, hunters can assess the flight patterns of the local duck population. As any hunting veteran will say, the best hunting strategy is the one that is tailored to the behavior of the waterfowl, and hunters can learn a whole lot about it during the scouting phase.
Assessing the Weather Conditions
Another advantage of scouting is that it allows hunters to get a better idea of the weather conditions that they will most likely be hunting in. Since duck behavior is closely tied to the weather, getting a good grasp of the local weather conditions will allow duck hunters to come more prepared.
That being said, scouting for ducks requires both a financial and time commitment, which some hunters aren’t able to commit to. And that’s okay. Although scouting for ducks prior to the hunting session can help you, it’s not absolutely necessary to have a successful hunting session.
Understanding the Pre-Scouting Process
Before duck hunters head out on their scouting trip, they have to go through an extensive pre-scout process. This is the time when hunters prepare for everything before heading out to the hunting grounds. Some examples include:
● Researching the hunting areas and terrain on Google Maps
● Learning about the local rules and regulations
● Becoming more knowledgeable about the different plants and wildlife in the area
During the pre-scouting phase, this is also the time when each hunter can gather all of the tools and equipment they’ll need for their scouting trips. Some examples of tools and equipment that are most regularly used include binoculars, maps, GPS systems, and camouflage clothing, to name a few.
The last thing that every duck hunter should do during the pre-scouting phase is to check the weather reports. The reason for this is because the weather plays a major role in duck behavior and flight patterns. Some things to look for as far as the weather is concerned include wind speed and direction, temperature, and precipitation.
How to Scout for Ducks (Like a Pro)
Scouting trips can seem daunting for first-timers. After all, heading to the hunting grounds to gather information about the behavior of ducks in the area isn’t easy. So, here are six things to remember when scouting ducks that can increase the chances of coming back with key information about the local duck population.
Research the Hunting Ground Beforehand
As part of the pre-hunting season preparation, one of the top priorities for every hunter should be to learn as much about their hunting ground as possible. This includes learning about:
● Topography and Terrain
● Water Sources
● Vegetation and Plant Life
● Weather Patterns
● Wildlife Behavior and Migration Routes
● Legal Regulations and Season Dates
● Human Activity
● Wildlife Conservation Areas
The more that hunters know about the area that they will be hunting in, the less they’ll wonder where to find ducks on their hunting ground when the hunting season begins. What’s more, is that when you know what to expect, coming up with a strategy and making adjustments on the fly will also be a whole lot easier.
Set Clear Goals
Another great way to increase the chances of a successful scouting trip is to set clear goals before heading out the door. While hunters should always adjust to what happens when they’re on the hunting ground, having a set of goals to accomplish during the trip is a great way to stay focused and not waste time.
For example, one of the main goals of a scouting trip should be identifying where ducks rest, roost, feed, and loaf. From there, hunters should also figure out where they can set up their blinds to get a good view of the ducks without rousing attention.
Hunters may have different goals depending on the grounds, their experience, and more. However, since the time hunters have scouting is limited, it’s best to set goals so that they can use their time more wisely.
Look for Feeding & Loafing Areas
When on a scouting trip, one of a hunter’s top priorities should be finding the feeding and loafing areas of the local duck population. The reason why these areas are so important is because the ducks are almost always guaranteed to be there. That way, duck hunters can just come, set up camp, and start hunting.
To find the duck’s feeding areas, duck hunters should familiarize themselves with the diet (and what it looks like) of the local duck population. Most ducks tend to feed on aquatic plants, such as pondweed, wild celery, widgeon grass, and various submerged vegetation. They also enjoy invertebrates, grains and seeds, small fish, and decomposed plant matter.
With this information at hand - one can easily see how ducks tend to stick to wet areas for their feeding needs. However, if there are no water bodies around - that’s not a problem for the ducks as they are great at adapting their diet based on the available resources nearby. In such a case, ducks tend to look for agricultural fields, especially those growing grains and seeds like corn, barley, oats, wheat, and rice.
As far as the loafing areas are concerned, ducks tend to prefer open and shallow water as well as areas with tall enough vegetation where they can stay covered.
Analyze the Terrain & Look for Cover
It may be intuitive for some hunters to find the loafing or feeding area and set up their camp at that same spot. However, this may not be the best approach because scouting and hunting aren’t about finding an “X” on the map. Instead, scouting gives hunters the opportunity to learn more about an area and determine the best places to set up camp.
The weather conditions during a scouting trip will likely be different than what hunters experience during the season. This is why it’s best to adjust and change cover spots depending on what the weather dictates and the flight patterns of ducks in the area. And the only way to know where to go depending on the weather conditions is to know the area and what it has to offer.
Use All Resources Available
One of the best ways to learn how to scout ducks is to learn from local duck hunters. Doing so in real life is the best way to go about it - but it’s also the most difficult. The majority of veteran duck hunters like to hang out with other experienced duck hunters and rarely take newbies with them.
In other cases, they may reject your request simply because don’t want to reveal their hunting spots to any other hunters in the area. Still, hang around duck hunting Facebook groups in your area and see if any local duck hunter would be happy to take you on a scouting trip with them.
Another way waterfowl hunters can follow the guidance of other duck hunters is from the comfort of their own homes. With advancements in technology, many duck hunters now actively make videos and write blog posts where they share key tips and tricks on the topic of duck scouting.
For hunters looking for a place where they can follow the scouting and hunting guidance of experienced duck hunters, they can find great resources on Duck Hunting TV on ROKU and Android TV.
Leverage Technology
Unlike decades ago, when duck hunters had to do everything themselves, modern-day duck hunters can take advantage of technology to obtain key information when scouting. Some examples of technology that is widely used by duck hunters during duck scouting sessions include GPS trackers and video/photo cameras.
That way, duck hunters can have eyes in many places at once, making obtaining key information about the local duck behavior and flight patterns much faster and easier. Unlike before, duck hunters no longer need to cover thousands of miles - saving them a substantial amount of time and resources.
Conclusion
When it comes to duck hunting, information is power. And the best way to get that information is to carry out a pre-season duck scouting campaign. The biggest problem beginner duck hunters face isn’t the fact that they need to dedicate time to do the scouting. It’s more to do with the fact that they don’t know where to start and what to look for.
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on the topic and duck hunters that didn’t know where to start now have some more direction. And remember, having a perfect pre-season duck scouting campaign is almost impossible. It all comes with practice, which you can obtain from doing, making mistakes, and learning from them.
