** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Need a new duck hunting spot? Open a map. See those blue lines? They're rivers.
Gallery
1 of 1
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.
1 of 1
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.
1 of 1
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.
1 of 1
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.
A response plan in Texas, for implementation if the New World Screwworm parasite crosses the border, was unveiled by U.S. officials late last year and some ranchers are not on board with all the requirements.
If you slog through just one frustrating morning of hunting off the “X,” you’ll learn the biggest spreads and best calling this time of year won’t do a thing to pull ducks toward you.
For 2025 Mossberg's 940 Pro Waterfowl is continuing on with an optic-ready receiver cut to accept direct mounting of micro-dot optics (RMSc-pattern), while also becoming available fully finished in Realtree's Legacy pattern.
ScentLok has introduced the upgraded BE:1 Revenant Jacket and Bib, designed to be a trusted companion through the last minute, of the last day of the season.