Mainely Outdoors: Great weather for ducks

How often have you crossed paths with somebody on a wet, gloomy day to have them offer the old adage “It’s great weather for ducks”? So far this October that could be said about two or three days each and every week. While the regular rain has been a bane for regional farmers attempting to complete the potato harvest, it’s been a boon to local duck hunters.
The last couple of autumns, streams have been so low that float hunting for waterfowl proved difficult on many waterways and impossible on some. For the rest of October and throughout November, however, the gunning should be great. An excellent spring hatching season throughout Canadian wetlands and here in Maine produced an above average number of ducks and geese. Higher than average water conditions and waterfowl numbers bode well for Aroostook sportsmen.
Setting out a couple of dozen decoys in a harvested grain field where ducks have been feeding can be productive but the action is short lived. Shooting opportunities occur only when birds fly in from nearby streams and ponds to feed just at first light and an hour or so before dusk. The wing-shooting can be fast and furious when flocks arrive for an hour or so.
Putting floating decoys out on small ponds or wide, slow-moving river stretches provides Crown of Maine waterfowlers a second option. At mid-morning and late afternoon after the ducks have been our feeding they return to rest and digest. The birds bask in the sun, sit on rocks to preen and splash around in the fresh water. Since the ducks return from the fields a few at a time, many shots at small groups that pass close to inspect the decoys can be enjoyed.
A third duck gunning tactic that often reaps feathered rewards is jump shooting, plus it’s a fairly simple and quick technique. Select a small farm pond or shallow pool on a secluded stream or river, use available trees and brush to conceal you approach, then jump up and shoot. There are a few caveats: it’s illegal to shoot from a paved highway, keep a safe, legal distance from buildings, wear lots of camo, especially over face and hands, and pre-scout to know where the ducks like to be.
My personal favorite style of duck hunting, and the main reason I’m excited about the rain raising stream levels, is sneak and peek float shooting. At this time of year black ducks, mallards, ringneck ducks and a few wood ducks abound on the Aroostook River, Prestile Stream and Meduxnekeag River. Float hunting can be productive at any time of day and sometimes a few geese may be spotted as well.
Although it’s possible to do a one-man float, for fun and practicality two in the boat is better. Use a 12-14-foot Jon boat or a 16-to 20-foot canoe. I use a 19-foot Grumman square stern aluminum canoe with a shoe keel for shallow running. The shooter sits in the bow, shotgun at the ready, alert for ducks ahead on the water. In the stern a second man carefully and quietly maneuvers the boat, paddling along the shoreline, hugging corners to sneak within range of birds feeding or just floating and relaxing.
When one or more ducks flush within range and the shooter downs a bird or two, the canoe helps with retrieves and then the sportsmen change positions and continue to paddle and hunt downstream. Carefully select your launch and take out sites to enjoy a two hour float or an entire morning or afternoon depending on time constraints.
For my money there’s no more satisfying and nature-oriented method of duck hunting than silently floating a stream on a crisp fall morning with colorful trees lining the shoreline. Fast shooting, autumn colors, fast flying ducks and a buddy to witness any outstanding shot — go buy your ducks stamps and get out there.