SPREADING THE DUCK HUNTING JOY

FROM FIELD...

When ducks are flaring from your spread, don’t hesitate to make changes. A simple adjustment can mean the difference between a great day or a dismal one. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

LET THE DECOYS DO THE WORK

A WATERFOWLER’S GUIDE TO ADJUSTING YOUR SPREAD FOR BETTER RESULTS

By Scott Haugen

Duck season is here, and if you really want to see how effective your decoy spread is, don’t shoot at every incoming bird. Easy, right?

Late last season, one of the flooded fields I hunt was saturated with wigeon. Scouting led me to estimate at least 3,000 wigeon were using the pond and grazing on the fresh green grass around it each day. Included in the count were four Eurasian wigeon – three beautiful drakes and an appealing hen.

On a morning when the wind was finally right – I could prop up my little homemade panel blind with a rising sun at my back – I headed out with one of my dogs. I vowed not to shoot until noon, unless a Euro drake came in. At 11:55 a.m I couldn’t take it anymore and fired my first volley, dropping two drake wigeons as they backpedalled into the decoys.

By the time I pulled the trigger that morning, over 700 ducks – mostly wigeon with a mix of greenwinged teal and pintails – had landed in the decoys. I quit counting at 700 and shot shortly thereafter. I didn’t see a single Euro drake until late in the afternoon when one circled wide but didn’t come into range.

But what I learned on that morning was eye-opening. I started with 12 floating wigeon decoys and a dozen silhouettes placed in a few inches of water near my blind.

The floaters were in a U shape and I figured the ducks would land in the middle of it. They didn’t. In fact, they banked and landed on the points and outside edges of the U.

... TO FIRE

Tiffany Haugen uses gochujang, a Korean chili paste, to add flavor to game birds and create a delicious dish. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND ADD THE FLAVOR

By Tiffany Haugen

Most upland game birds have a mild flavor profile. Unlike waterfowl, their level of gaminess is not usually affected by what they are eating. Instead of worrying about neutralizing the wildness of upland game birds, many cooks look to amp up the flavor a notch.

If you’re a flavor junkie, one ingredient that is a must-have pantry item is gochujang. This fermented Korean red chili paste isn’t overly spicy, but it’s full of umami savoriness. Gochujang can be found in the Asian section of many grocery stores and can be used in marinades, sauces, stews and stir-fries. ¾ to 1 pound boneless game bird meat (breasts, thighs, legs) 2 tablespoons gochujang 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon rice vinegar ½ inch grated fresh ginger ¼ cup chopped green onion or chives 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil Corn or flour tortillas Lemon or lime wedge for garnish Top with desired salad greens or herbs

Clean game birds and remove meat from bones. Cut meat into small strips. In a small bowl mix gochujang, soy sauce, orange juice, sesame seeds, jalapeños, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and green onions or chives until thoroughly combined. Add meat to gochujang mixture and stir until meat is coated. Refrigerate and marinate two to eight hours. Let meat sit at room temperature 20 minutes before pan frying.

Heat olive or coconut oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add all meat and marinade to the pan. Pan fry eight to 10 minutes stirring constantly. Serve on a tortilla with desired toppings.

UPLAND BIRD FIELD CARE TIP

Even though upland birds are flavored mildly compared to waterfowl, be sure to take proper care of them in the field, especially on warm days. Doing so will optimize their quality and overall flavor.

Be sure to draw the birds and get them cooling as quickly as possible. When butchering, make sure to remove all feathers and bloodshot and clean all wound channel.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen's best selling book, Cooking Game Birds, visit scotthaugen.com for this and other titles.

So I opened up the U and created two parallel lines of decoys: five in one line near the narrow end of the pond, plus seven in the outer, wider line.

I couldn’t keep the ducks out of the gap in the center. They loved the open pathway and 15 yards from my blind a couple hundred landed smack in the middle of it.

Then the wind shifted and birds circled wide to the east. After I set out four dozen more Big Al’s silhouette wigeon decoys, instantly the ducks started landing in the pockets. In fact, every pocket I created with the silhouettes had ducks land in them – both on land and in the water –including some dandy drake pintails.

I left that afternoon having learned a lot about adjusting decoys based on wind changes and duck behavior, things I wouldn’t have learned had I been quick to pull the trigger. I went home with a limit of drake wigeon; all had green heads.

Two days later a buddy and I were back out there, and the morning started off just as the hunt prior. The only difference: my friend couldn’t take it. In less than 20 minutes he had a limit. Then he had to sit and wait for me; that’s when he learned to watch ducks really work a spread.

ON ANOTHER HUNT LAST season my

81-year-old dad and I agreed not to shoot unless ducks were backpedaling into the decoys. Early on we had multiple ducks landing on the outside edge of our spread, which was about 40 yards away.

It was further than we wanted to shoot, as the birds simply weren’t coming in tight to the spread. Dad suggested we take down our windpowered spinning decoys – three of them, to be exact. We did and opened up a couple landing lanes in the middle of the spread. In less than two hours we had our limits, firing a total of 18 shots; every bird dropped in the decoys.

During a solo hunt last season, I’d patterned ducks landing on the west end of a pond. Before daylight I was set up, but no birds came in. Instead, they landed in the middle of the narrow pond, in a place I could wade to. So, I relocated my decoys and one-man blind. Birds kept coming, but now they landed on the eastern edge of the pond. I moved again.

By this time the sun was in my eyes and ducks were flaring, so I moved the blind across the pond. I rearranged my dozen floater decoys to the west of me and spaced them widely for ducks to land amongst. Then I took my half-dozen life-size mallard decoys, put them tight to my blind on shore and put four dozen Big Al’s silhouettes in a tight line to the east of me along the shore. The scene of feeding and roosting ducks did the trick, and soon I had a stud sprig, two greenheads and a mix of wigeon to show for it.

Given the public land pressure, the author and his buddies chose a big spread of mixed decoys on this particular morning. They were rewarded with loads of ducks pouring in. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

If you want to see how well your decoy spread performs, let birds work them before pulling the trigger. Echo the dog happily will return your prize. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

IF YOU REALLY WANT to see how

effective your decoys are, refrain from pulling the trigger at the start of the hunt. Watch closely how approaching ducks respond to your spread. If they don’t work and land exactly where you want them to or prematurely flare, change something. Don’t wait. Once you notice birds hesitating, make an immediate adjustment.

What you’ll learn is that numbers, sizes, shapes, styles – even colors and species of decoys – can impact the outcome. As my dad says, “Decoys are meant to shoot ducks over,” not as they pass by or swing wide. For me, that’s the joy of duck hunting: watching birds work a strategically situated decoy spread. CS

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a waterfowl hunter of 47 years and a full-time writer for the past 21 years. Learn more at scotthaugen. com and follow him on Instagram.

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