The United States is blessed with a wealth of public lands, and productive waterfowl hunting opportunities can be found on many of them, from rivers, lakes, and estuaries to intensively managed state and federal properties. However, as anyone who has hunted a popular wildlife management area or national wildlife refuge on opening day can attest, access and success don’t always go hand in hand.
While digital scouting tools and social media have improved hunters’ abilities to locate and access promising hunting areas, boots-on-the-ground scouting and no small amount of time and effort are often required to consistently bag birds. The following advice, shared by savvy hunters in different parts of the country, will help you make the most of public hunting opportunities in your area this fall.
Hunt the Best Habitat
California has some of the most intensively managed public hunting areas in the country, and state and federal lands in the Central Valley boast some of the highest bird-per-hunter averages in the nation. But like anywhere, habitat quality on these properties varies from year to year, depending on weather and water conditions. Consequently, knowing how to evaluate habitat conditions before the season opens can help you focus your hunting efforts in the areas that are likely to hold the most birds.
John Veon, a PhD candidate in ecology at the University of California, Davis, moved to the Golden State from Texarkana, Arkansas, four years ago. He welcomed California’s abundance of public hunting opportunities but admits that he was overwhelmed by the complexity of regulations on some state and federal areas. “I grew up parking on the side of the highway and walking into the White River bottoms,” Veon explains. “Out here, there are several different levels of access allowed on public hunting areas. Some areas require a reservation or draw, other areas allow open access, and some offer a combination of both. I really had to study the regulations to figure where and when I could hunt. In the process, I learned a lot more about how these areas are managed, including what is planted or what gets flooded and when. It’s great information for every hunter to know.”
As an ecology graduate student, Veon had a particular interest in the vegetation that was growing in public hunting areas. “There are properties that allow access for scouting before the hunting season,” Veon says. “I talk to area managers and just walk around the units looking for potential feed. I look for smartweed, water grass, and any other seed-producing plants that I know ducks like. When the weather gets colder and conditions change, it’s good to know which areas or blinds have the food resources ducks will be looking for. It gives you an extra bit of information that might improve your hunting success.”
Watch and Wait
Those seeking good public hunting opportunities should look no farther than the Upper Midwest, where hunters have access to an array of habitats, from wild-rice marshes and beaver ponds to broad rivers and the vast waters of the Great Lakes. Billy Tackonis lives near Michigan’s Harsens Island at St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area. While this intensively managed marsh complex attracts plenty of waterfowl, it also draws large numbers of hunters. Rather than fighting the crowds, Tackonis has learned through experience to use hunting pressure to his advantage.
“Obviously, this is all based on the conditions and time of year, but I’m mainly an afternoon hunter,” Tackonis says. “That’s when I have found the most success as the ducks move in and out of the area. I prefer to set up early enough to catch that first midday flight as other hunters are leaving the property or as other afternoon hunters are moving into their hunting areas. I can almost guarantee you’ll pick up a few birds if you’re in there and set up at the right time.”
Tackonis also hunts the marshes and bays surrounding the wildlife area, where waterfowl often disperse to avoid hunting pressure. “I’ll sit at the boat ramp in my truck, wearing my waders and drinking coffee, and I’ll watch other hunters leaving at 9 or 10 a.m.,” he says. “By this time, I’m already seeing where the ducks are going and where I want to be. I’m just waiting out the other hunters for my chance to go in and get my spot.”
Plan Ahead
Hunting public land in your own backyard can be difficult enough, but traveling to do so in other states brings a whole new set of challenges. Darryl Moore, who hunts with the 24.7 hunt crew, has been chasing ducks on public land in his native Arkansas for 15 years. Recently, Moore has been traveling more frequently to other states to find ducks, but he uses the same general tactics wherever he goes.
“I don’t care if we are going to Arkansas, New York, or the Pacific Northwest; I go into it the same way,” Moore says. “I’ve always been a river hunter, so I’m loading up my boat. I’ve got a Havoc with a Gator-Tail mud motor, and throughout the country, that alone gets me access. Some states differ on river access, and you have to know the rules, but the rivers are where I start.”
Moore uses onX, Google Earth, state agency websites, and word of mouth to scout well before ever hitching up the boat. “We may look for a bend in the river that has several agricultural fields nearby, and we zero in on that area because we know birds are going to hit the water at some point during the day,” Moore explains. “Once we find an area like that, we look for boat ramps and other access points that we can use. All of this can be found using onX or other online sources.”
Once Moore arrives at a hunting destination, he scouts in person to locate ducks. “When we get to a location, we start looking for those feeds, which are typically on private ground, and we wait to see when and where those birds are going to water. It’s a simple approach,” Moore says. “We’ve hunted ducks on rivers, lakes, and ponds—wherever they go to public water. You can pick a state on the map, anywhere in the country, and I’ll bring my boat, two dozen decoys, my dog, maybe a Mojo, and a couple of friends, and we will kill ducks.”
See the Big Picture
Hunting on public land is a tradition for many hunters, and it’s particularly ingrained in the waterfowling culture of Arkansas. Dr. Jerad Henson, project manager for DU’s ecosystems services and sustainability, has hunted public land in the Natural State for nearly 30 years. Being a waterfowl scientist as well as an avid waterfowler, Henson has a unique perspective on hunting public land.
“My biggest advice for public-land hunters is to understand the landscape as a whole,” Henson says. “Waterfowl managers like to use the term ‘waterfowl complex’ on a regular basis, and that means all the different habitats that ducks use in a general area. That may consist of private rice fields, waterfowl rest areas, federal lands, and everything in between. Understanding when and where ducks use these different habitats will give you an idea of how to get under them on public ground.”
Henson advises hunters to identify where ducks are feeding, roosting, and loafing, and then pinpoint flight paths on public ground where you can possibly intercept the birds as they move from one habitat to the next. “I like to remind hunters to be aware of their presence on the landscape,” Henson says. “You’re not an observer in these habitats; you’re an active participant in how ducks may react, and you should also be aware of the impact you’re having on other hunters. Running boats all afternoon and jumping ducks in the woods is a bad thing for ducks using the property. Grab binoculars, walk in, e-scout as much as possible, but try not to disturb the birds.”
Henson says everyone benefits when hunters minimize disturbance of ducks before morning hunts. “If you beat me to a hole, I’ll accept that and move on,” Henson says. “But if you’re running around in the woods scaring birds in the mornings and afternoons, that impacts all hunters in the area, and it’s unnecessary.”
Keep It Safe
South Louisiana offers an abundance of public-hunting opportunities, yet some of the best spots require specialized equipment and know-how. Delta National Wildlife Refuge and Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area are south of Venice, Louisiana, which is literally at the end of the road. A 10- to 15- mile boat ride down the Mississippi River is the only access. And once you’re there, the shallow ponds that ducks prefer present another level of access challenges. Nevertheless, there are ways to do it and do it successfully. The hunters who frequent these waterfowl havens understand the dangers and put an emphasis on safety, and while this example is specific to Louisiana, these safety tips come into play for anyone hunting big public waterways.
Captain Corey Gradwohl, owner and operator of Hook & Reel Charters, hunts Pass-a-Loutre regularly and breaks down the preparation that’s necessary for a public-land hunt of this magnitude. “We are going down there because of the clouds of pintails and wigeon and other ducks,” Gradwohl says. “Sometimes we are hunting on sandbars, looking at the open gulf. Other times we are hunting the ponds, so you have to be prepared for everything.”
Gradwohl explains that hunters should not only be aware of weather conditions, currents, and tides, which can change quickly, but also the massive oceangoing cargo vessels that traverse those waters. “The Mississippi River can get nasty with fog, heavy current, and boat traffic,” he says. “For safety reasons, we typically take two boats—a tender carrying pirogues and decoys as well as a mud boat for access once we get there. Of course, a life jacket should be worn at all times, and I always tell folks to be sure to have a good VHF radio because cell service is pretty much nonexistent.”
Gradwohl adds that the best approach is for hunters to have their routes mapped out on a GPS beforehand, and he never runs the river in the dark. Hanging around the boat ramp until first light isn’t a setback; it is necessary.
“You just have to approach this with a safety-first mind-set,” he says. “Have A, B, and C plans because you might get down there and someone will be in your spot. It’s still public hunting. But the extra effort and precautions make it worthwhile when you are picking bull sprigs out of huge flocks of pintails.”
