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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.
Aram von Benedikt and his son took part in one of the oldest American traditions there is: muzzleloading for deer with a traditional smokepole. Read on for more about their adventure.
For 50 years the Mississippi State University (MSU) Deer Lab—a partnership between the university’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC) and MSU Extension Service in Starkville, Miss.—has delivered nationally recognized research on deer biology, habitat management and land stewardship.
Sitting on your couch in an eggnog stupor, wrapping paper still draped off every chair in sight? Still procrastinating getting up, cleaning, up or any sort of behavior that could be remotely described as productive? Here's something to keep you further occupied in your sedentary state. Read on, to check out our Top 5 #SundayGundays of 2025, as selected by you, our audience.
Homemade jerky is a staple with a lot of hunters. Deer, antelope, moose and elk all make excellent jerky. Surprisingly, geese do too. In fact, most any game animal will make palatable jerky. Here's how to make it with nothing but a woodstove, a knife and maybe some shears.
Your whitetail hunting location may be as expansive as a national forest or as small as an uncle’s 40-acre woodlot. In either scenario, whitetails have a knack for slipping by just out of shooting range. Whether using a firearm or archery equipment, you do have options to lure whitetails closer. Consider setting a trap this season for your best opportunity at an ethical, in-your-face shot.