COASTAL DUCK-HUNTING STRATEGIES More than 35 years of duck hunting the coastal flats of the Laguna Madre’ and Baffin Bay have been a blessing for me. Texas coastal duck hunting is as good as it gets here in my backyard. By Capt. Joey Farah
36
C
oastal duck hunting is much different than freshwater hunts and demand different strategies. The advantage and joy of hunting the salt flats is that here we have a melting pot of varied species all sharing the prime wintering grounds for the entire season. Most freshwater hunts are catching waterfowl that are in migration passing south, or moving to and from food, water and roost. Most inland duck hunts are on small ponds and marshes. Limited mobility and privet land are all obstacles in finding the birds and staying with them. Deep water sets make retrieving downed birds difficult and many freshwater ponds are only good for a few hours at first and last light. Our strategies revolve around the same three important daily actions of the ducks, but hunters can see the movements of birds for miles across the open water. Having the knowledge of what the birds are doing is the key to consistent successful hunts and full limits. Our area stretches for more than 60 miles and encompasses miles of ultra-shallow expanses of sea grass. This is the wintering grounds for hundreds of thousands of ducks from the entire Central Flyway. The diverse sea grasses combine with small shellfish, mud worms
and even small fish to attract waterfowl from the entire continent. Ducks don’t necessarily eat the tops of the grass, they mostly pull up the grass and eat the roots. Some types of sea grasses are eaten and are the “sweet” grasses that grow in the real honey holes. Late-season flocks will stay after much of the shallow grass is eaten and turn their diet toward the small clams and mollusks in the mud out in deeper water. I often see hunters putting out decoys over sandy bottom areas with little success; ducks are going to be where there is something to eat. Locate daytime areas of mass gatherings, these are your primary feeding areas. Many times they are open areas far away from any duck blinds and hard to hunt. Look for flights of ducks to lift off and head toward water sources mid-day. Follow and track them with the use of aerial maps looking for fresh water sources. Watch for the last flights of birds especially on windy ugly afternoons to settle in roosting areas at last light. When you have found all three of their needs in life, hunters can position themselves in their flight path and second guess their movements. Puddle ducks are designed to feed in shallow water by tipping over and dipping