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One of the first things you’ll find out about waterfowl hunting is that it’s not as easy as you think. There are a few key factors that can affect your hunt as outlined here:

Location – This is obviously key, if the waterfowl you are looking for aren’t at your closest site don’t waste your time. They are not going to magically appear because you show up with a shot gun in your arms.   This is an easy fix and is part of the fun of hunting, find and explore an area that the game you are looking for habitats.  Test out a predator call or various hunting game calls to determine what works best for you.  In this way when you go out on the hunt you already know where to go and how to proceed.

Decoys – This is part of your pre hunt research too. Use at least three different types of decoys, but the majority should be of the type your actually hunting for and for best results try using at least one motorized decoy in your spread.

Decoy Spreads – Again research is the answer.  Use a decoy spread that is natural, one that you observed when scouting out your site. A tried and true spread is the U shape decoy which leaves room for incoming fowl to land in the middle of your spread. This gives the ducks a sense of security and will bring them into shooting range.  With the use of a predator call you should be able to entice your game to enter your decoy spread.  Continue to check the outer edges of your spread because you don’t want them to get out of shotgun range.

Keep Under Cover – Continue to use your hunting game call as naturally as possible and keep under cover with as little movement as possible.  Keep yourself camouflaged and out of sight at all times.  If you don’t have a blind make sure your silhouette is obscured by a tree, brush or some natural element.

Hunting waterfowl is a constant learning experience.  Keep at it and enjoy nature at its finest.

Hunting turkey requires preparation, knowledge of your game and persistence.  Turkeys are cunning and elusive so the use of hunting game calls and decoys are a great advantage.  Here are a few tips to get you started on the right track:

Know where and when to use decoys. They work bests when placed close to clearings and in areas that offer cover, not in an open field or in an overly obstructed path. To entice the curiosity of your prey, choose places that provide ample cover or closed off areas.

The next question is how many decoys and the type of decoys you should you use?  The rule of thumb is the more dense the woods, the more decoys you should use. Remember all you want to do is to get a turkey’s attention and draw him within shotgun range.  When choosing decoys stick to the ones that have a realistic look and feel to them, like the ones that have feathers that sway and move naturally.  Motion decoys definitely work better than still decoys. However, refrain from using ones that move too much because they may scare the turkeys away instead of attracting them.

Decoy placement is next: you need to ensure that the decoys are placed more than 15 yards but not more than 35 yards away from your prey. You need the birds to see your decoys clearly, but you also have to make sure that they come in close enough for a clean shot.

Do your research and try these tactics, you’ll have more fun and in time will be successful, just keep at it.

    Turkeys are smart. They have keen eyes and sharp eyes. Nature, therefore, has equipped them well with the ability to survive in the wild let alone get out of a hunter’s way, that’s easy for them.  For these reasons, hunting turkey is more challenging than hunting any other bird or animal for most hunters.

You need a lot of skill, practice and patience to catch a turkey. If you are new to the game, the following tips will be of great help to you. Here is what many successful hunters do:

-   Using hunting game calls or a predator call will attract turkeys to your location. Mimicking a turkey is an art and not everybody can do it. You need to practice a lot before you can master this art. To be very effective, you have to use different types of calls. Usually, hunters begin with one type of call. If this does not fetch any result, they try another type of call till they have succeeded in attracting a turkey. To be more effective there are great products on the market which accurately provides a number of turkey calls.

- Location, location as they say, finding a suitable location is the key to a great turkey-hunting experience. A good location is, therefore, of paramount importance. Your chosen location should not only hide you well from the birds, but also enable you to watch all their movements.  Finding an ideal location to grab a gobbler means that you should study the habits of the birds well in advance. The time you spend doing this will be worth your while. A hunter is sure to grab a gobbler if he or she has located a spot that the birds are sure to pass during a particular hour.

-   Take cover, turkeys are very smart at spotting hunters. Therefore, to become a successful turkey hunter, you should learn to camouflage yourself well. Camouflage your entire body; however, take care not to wear a color that matches the head of a turkey.

-   A decoy has helped many a hunter to bring down a turkey. Using a decoy, however, is tricky business. Many hunters have actually accidentally shot a decoy. The new motion decoys have been very successful in enticing turkeys to your location.

Turkey hunting requires more skill than you might imagine. Stories of hunters who have tried turkey hunting for several seasons with no success are common. However, there is a way to achieve success at turkey hunting. Use good hunting tactics; use simple hunting tips, stick with it and you are sure to grab a gobbler or two.

When using hunting game calls and decoys for hunting turkey there are several things that should be kept in mind. Before going out turkey hunting with a decoy, local regulations need to be checked. Not every state allows decoys and therefore it may be illegal to use them.  Also, always remember safety first.  Never carry a decoy that is not covered. Even the smallest distance walked with an uncovered decoy bears a risk of being shot accidentally. When setting up decoys, it is important to make sure that from where you will be posted there is approximately 100 yards of sight available. The decoy needs to be placed somewhere around 25 yards from your position. Additionally, it’s also important to always make sure that no one else is staking out your turkey decoy and that no one else is close to the position of the decoy. Should somebody is even remotely close, you need to make your presence known for the safety of all parties involved..

Even though turkeys are sometimes seen in a flock, to attract them it is not necessary to set up a whole flock of birds. Generally one to three birds are plenty to attract another turkey.  Turkeys aren’t like geese, so therefore a good choice for a decoy arrangement would be two hens and a single Jake. Using a hunting game call and a motion decoy seems to do the trick.  The best way to place the Jake is facing towards you, so when the turkey comes in, to face the Jake, the wild turkey will show its back to you giving you a better shot as well as giving you time for any last minute adjustments that might be necessary.

Remember have a good time, know the local laws and “safety first”.

   Building a decoy spread combines imagination and experimentation.  It is one of the most enjoyable aspects of waterfowl hunting.  First things first, a hunter needs to decide what decoys and hunting game calls to be used.  The easiest way to decide this is to do your homework and go scouting.  Putting in the “windshield time” and doing your scouting is invaluable, not just to help you find birds, but also to help you study their behavior and see how they interact with each other in their habitat.  This can be as simple as sitting for an hour or two at sunrise or sunset to watch birds in the area that you will be hunting in.

In most duck spreads, mallards are going to be the predominant species.  A mallard decoy will lure in almost any waterfowl and will never cause harm to a spread.  However, mingling in other species, such as pintails or black ducks, will add more realism to your decoy spread by giving it more color.  Add in other species to your spread as they exist naturally as well as using proper hunting game calls.  When hunting divers, the decoy decision is relatively easy.  Put out what is most natural in your hunting area, specifically targeting the species you plan to harvest.  Often times a larger diver duck spread has greater pulling power as divers like to congregate in large groups on open waters.  If puddle ducks are common in the area, then set a few mallard decoys off to the side of your diver rig.  

Adding motion to your decoy spread is a must.  Anything from the original jerk strings to the new mechanical wing spinning decoys will help add movement on an unnaturally still day.  Agitated water and moving decoys will give your spread the natural look of a feeding frenzy that can pull in even the most wary duck, when the conditions are right.  Quiver magnets, jerk strings, and a “Mojo” style decoy are all a part of a good decoy spread on a calm winter day. 

Ultimately, you want to build a decoy spread that puts the odds in your favor therefore do your homework and make the spread realistic and your time and effort will be rewarded.

Using hunting game calls and decoys are great tools for bringing in game and in this case waterfowl. Ducks are attracted to natural movement on the water, and nothing is more natural than a duck making some ripples while it swims. How do you get this natural movement in your spread? Rig some of your decoys with a jerk string. With one tug of the line you can add realistic motion that brings in the ducks. All you need is some decoy line, an anchor, a bungee cord, and snap swivels.

Use decoy line or a dark-colored braided nylon cord. How much line you will need depends on the distance of your blind to your decoy spread. A good starting length is 100 feet—you can always tie on more line.

Your jerk string must be securely anchored to the bottom or you may end up pulling your decoys right into your blind. You can use a small boat anchor, a coffee can filled with concrete, or any heavy object that you think will do the job. Another anchoring method in shallow water is to sink a metal rod into the bottom of the marsh.

Attach one end of the bungee cord to the anchor and attach the other end to the decoy line. The bungee cord stretches when you pull the line and retracts to bring the decoys back to their original position, creating movement and ripples.

Estimate how close your blind is to the first decoy in your spread. That’s where you want to attach the first snap swivel on the jerk string. Space the other swivels at intervals of your choice. Usually hunters space them three to 10 feet apart. Attach the swivels to the keel on each decoy, which helps keep the line from getting twisted and tangled.

When setting up new rigging it’s always a good idea to test it before you actually use it in the wild. A visit to your local pond is a must and remember just a few jerks are needed, don’t overdo a good thing. .

  Pass shooting is a technique when a hunter simply shoots at passing ducks. With this hunting technique choosing the right location and staying hidden is very important. Choosing the right location often takes hours of observing the flight patterns of ducks in a given area. One of the best times to pass shoot ducks is opening day of the hunting season because at this point ducks haven’t been spooked and if you’ve done your homework you should able to identify their flight patterns. The trick in pass shooting is to know the area and due to previous scouting expeditions you have a very good idea where the ducks congregate; consequently at this point in the season duck hunting game calls are not needed.

Jump shooting ducks is another effective technique in which a hunting game call is not needed.  What you are doing is sneaking up on a flock of ducks and spooking them into flight. The best locations for jump shooting are medium to small rivers, sloughs, or smaller potholes. Because these locations are most often bordered with taller vegetation and/or trees a hunter can most often sneak up very close to a group of ducks. Staying hidden and moving silently are the keys to stalking ducks within shotgun range. While the sound of crunching leaves underfoot may not cause a group of ducks to take flight, it will alert them to your presence so try to minimize any noise. Jump shooting can mean a lot of walking, but it remains a very effective hunting technique when the ducks are not very active.

  Turkey hunting is an exhilarating sport that takes skill, endurance, a lot of patience plus specialized gear to be able to make each hunting expedition a fruitful experience.

The first thing to invest in without a doubt is camouflage. Turkeys are extremely sensitive animals; in fact these gobblers are kind of wild animals that have the sharpest eyesight. That’s why during hunting, avoid wearing bright colors or any type of clothing that stands out and seems not to belong in the wild.

The turkey predator call is also an essential piece of equipment. Turkey hunting game calls are devices that are used to reproduce natural turkey sounds. These types of sounds can be done through friction made with boxes and slates that are available in the market. Other hunters can also imitate the natural sound themselves through inhaling and exhaling techniques, and by exercising their diaphragm. But note that it is very important to get it right and the best way to do that is to purchase a Turkey Attracter which gives off the proper call. They come with a remote and are well worth the investment because if you don’t get the call right you will end up keeping the turkeys away. The advantage of using a turkey call is that it enables you to entice the turkey to come closer to you rather than you stalking them. Stalking a turkey just does not work.

Apart from luring the turkeys with auditory enticements, decoys are also very effective. Decoy systems are available like a Motion Fantail Jake that lures the bird near the hunter. For example, when a male turkey decoy is set up, it provokes territorial anger from a real male gobbler and he attacks the decoy bringing him in close for the shot. So prepare, do your homework and above all be safe and have fun.

Patiently waiting for curious ducks to enter your hunting area can be disappointing and frustrating for some hunters. The process is long and slow, but if you have the right materials, your next hunt can be victorious. Most hunters gain experience hunting both small and large game; however, duck hunting requires excellent precision and skill to master. It is possible to sit in one spot all day and not attract the attention of any curious ducks in your area. To improve your odds you need to scout out and understand the area you are hunting.  You should be familiar with the various hunting game calls for your location and the decoys that will match the ducks that frequent the area, along with their formation.

After scouting the area, the duck decoys can be placed around your blind to begin the attraction process. Using a Lucky Duck Drake decoy along with your other fauves and a hunting game call will bring in the game. Just be patient, keep your movements at a minimum and be properly camouflaged for the area and your luck will change. Make sure that all areas of your decoy spread is within shotgun range. This will require continual attention as the wind and current will keep you on your toes. Adding decoys and utilizing them properly will make the difference between a bad hunt and a good hunt.

Hunting game calls and decoys divert your prey’s attention, bringing them close enough so you can line up your shot. Using a movable decoy gives you that extra benefit of diversion. Select one that is highly visible and one that resembles your prey. The better models come with a remote, are battery operated and have a number of movements which will help both entice and divert your pray’s attention away from you.

When setting up your decoy spread use a number of diverse decoys, spreading them out in such a way that there are ample holes for your pray to land in.  Make sure that the outer edges of the spread are not out of shooting range.  Keep hidden, well camouflaged and still while on look out. Before deciding on your decoy spread and layout it’s a must to visit the site that you intend on hunting.  Check out the type of game that inhabits the area and the type of formation that they form when on the water.  You want to use a predator call and decoys that are natural to the area.  Using tools that are different or at odds with the environment will not attract game, on the contrary if they feel that something is out of the ordinary there survival instinct will take over leaving you with an empty game bag.