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Need a new duck hunting spot? Open a map. See those blue lines? They're rivers.
Gallery
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Late-Season Freeze
Find a pocket of open water and you’re in business. Sean Hammock of Big Sean's Outfitting, who hunts and guides the St. Joseph River in northern Indiana, widens the hole until the ice will support 50 to 100 rester and sleeper goose decoys. Ducks will also work the spread.
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Small Rivers and Big Creeks
You can still achieve good visibility with a small spread if you add a little motion. Tim Herald, host of "The Zone TV" on the Sportsman Channel, places his spread at the edge of a riffle and adds two spinning-wing decoys.
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Early- and Mid-Season
Before the freeze, visibility is key. Even if Field Hudnall, Avery pro staffer and founder of Field Proven Calls, is duck hunting, his favorite spread (see sidebar, above) consists of 90 to 120 floating and full-body geese plus a dozen ducks.
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Deep-Water Divers
Captain Bob Wetherald, pro staffer for Benelli and Final Approach, uses two gang-rigged lines of bluebill decoys to form his V-shaped spread. The “V” points toward the current. A sandbar is an ideal location.
This week on #SundayGunday, were discussing a new classic hunting rifle, the RL Bolt-Action from Spandau. Chambered in the classic and dependable .308 Winchester, the first thing you’ll notice is that this rig looks a lot like a wood stocked Remington 700, and that’s because that’s basically what it is. Learn more about it in this exclusive video.
Curious how to get started in small game hunting? Red on as Tim Hovey reflects on how small-game hunting shaped his development as a hunter, taught him patience, stalking, shooting and fieldcraft. He describes hunting rabbits, squirrels, hares, and marmots in Idaho, highlighting the challenges unique to both rimfire and shotgun. He also recounts introducing his daughters to hunting, and encourages experienced hunters to revisit their small-game roots.
Here is the information I gleaned from an interview I conducted with a whitetail biologist to answer my whitetail question of the year. That question is: Why are we seeing so many new fawns in August and September?
On Sept. 4 President Donald J. Trump issued “Supporting America’s Ranchers,” an executive order that addresses a variety of concerns in the domestic meat supply. Section 3, “Helping Ranchers Combat Predation” includes at least one directive of interest to hunters. It addresses the decades-old controversy over wolves and the Endangered Species Act status that too often hamstrings management.
The Leupold VX-Freedom Straight Wall 3-9x40—making life easier for hunters since the day it was introduced. Learn more about it here in Phil Massaro's in depth review.
Crystal clear optics that function as advertised are critical whether you are trying to bag the buck of a lifetime, or burn a groundhog that is wreaking havoc on your garden. For the latter, enter the Vortex Diamondback Rimfire!