Sport and Recreation

Duck hunting is one of the most popular hunting sports in the world. It is as much a social calling as it is a hunt, in fact, representing a whole set of cultural standards and etiquette rules that many people do not even consider. It has a whole culture all its own, from a proper dress code to duck hunting dogs and assistants. The world of duck hunting is ripe with cultural significance, but is also has a dark side and represents a less than desirable aspect of human nature. Regardless of the point of view, there is something to be learned about duck hunting that may shed some light on either side of the ethical quandary.

Duck hunting is mainly a sporting activity around the world now, as commercial duck hunting has since been banned in most of the developed countries. Duck hunting is, in fact, as old as time itself. There are early indications that ducks and geese were somehow hunted during the Ice Age. Cave drawings indicate that duck hunting was a sound practice early on in human existence, giving way to ducks and swans appearing on cave paintings in Ice Age Europe. There is also evidence of duck hunting in Egypt, as a mural on the tomb of Khum-Hotpe displays a man capturing ducks in a stream. Ducks were also likely hunted by early man in the Americas, as early Peruvian art indicates.

With this international history, duck hunting enjoys a popularity that spreads around the world. It is especially popular in North America, where the largest number of localized ducks can be located. Most ducks use the Mississippi River as a migratory guide, so many duck hunts take place along the river to use it as a guide for finding ducks. Arkansas is a major hotbed of duck hunting, with Stuttgart being considered the “duck hunting capital of the world”.

If you plan on hunting goose in the early season you should scout in order to find out which zones the birds prefer to rest in and which areas have the crucial food sources needed before the season begins. If you plan on hunting on water be sure to check which of the surroundings wet waters have water in them and which of these wet areas the geese use for resting.

If you are going to hunt on land don’t forget to check the nearby fields in order to find out what crops are growing in them. You must keep in mind that farmers usually rotate their crops, for example last year corn, this year beans, rice or wheat the next year so it is highly recommended to know in advance which of the fields have the right crops.

If you plan on hunting geese always remember to choose a feeding area as these locations are very populated, remember to ask for permission from the landowner so you won’t have any unpleasant surprises. If unfortunately the feeding area has been already leased to someone else or the owner won’t allow anyone to hunt on his land it is advisable to get the nearest available land. The closer the spot is to the feeding area, the better.

Due to the fact that goose hunting as well as duck hunting is getting more and more popular, it is getting harder and harder to find an available place to hunt ( especially for goose ). If you are aware of a goose feeding area we recommend that you secure hunting rights to it long before the season starts. You might consider helping the owner with some work around the place or by dropping a few birds every time you leave the area in order to obtain exclusive rights.

There is no such thing as a born wild duck caller because it takes lots of practice in order to become an efficient caller. Fortunately, anybody from any location can become a good wild duck caller with the proper training and patience. Calling wild duck is a very important aspect for wild duck hunting because if properly done, it can greatly improve the overall hunting efficiency of the hunter. Of course, in order to become a good wild duck caller, every hunter needs to follow some basic wild duck hunting tips:

•    Purchasing a high quality call – it doesn’t matter how well prepared is the hunter or how skillful he is regarding the procedure of calling wild ducks, without using a good call all the efforts are useless and the wild duck hunting experience won’t be fruitful at all. As far as wild duck calls is concerned the expression : “ you get what you pay for “ is entirely true. A high quality wild duck call will allow the hunter to produce the entire range of sounds that a hen mallard produces. These calls will also allow the hunter to make these sounds time after time and also year after year that is why experienced hunter recommend future wild duck hunters not to get cheap when it comes down to purchasing a call.