Spring is a long-awaited time for everyone, but hunters experience very special emotions as spring approaches. After all, the next duck hunting season will start very soon! And considering that the duration of this hunt is only 10-15 days, you need to prepare for it in advance in the most careful way so as not to waste a single minute of these precious ten days.
IMPORTANT! During the spring duck hunt, only drakes are allowed to be killed! Flying shooting is prohibited, as shot can hit ducks flying near the drake. You should also not shoot the drake if it is in line or too close to your decoy.
Things and equipment
Always check item by item for the presence of all the little things, as there is a risk of forgetting even the most common items. Here is an approximate list of exactly what you will need; it can be supplemented based on the individual needs of the hunter:
- Equipment - weapons, cartridges, knife, bandoleer. Be sure to check the gun, clean it and correct any problems if any are found. If you have more than one gun, we recommend taking both guns for hunting - if one fails, you will always have a backup option and the hunt will still take place. The purchase of cartridges should not be put off until the last minute, since the store simply may not have the size of shot you need or the brand of cartridges you are accustomed to. Usually shot numbers 3-5 are used for duck, less often 6-7. It is better not to take old cartridges, especially if you have forgotten where and when you purchased them;
Bandolier K-12 closed combination.
for 24 cartridges HS-PO-1 Helios 1,355 for 1 pc. Bandolier K-16/12 20 rounds (251-1) HSN 777 for 1 pc. Bandolier No. 5 Semin 1,610 for 1 piece. Bandoleer K-16/12 20 rounds (251) HSN 777 for 1 piece. Bandolier K-12 24 cartridges. closed (257-4) HSN 777 for 1 piece. Bandolier K-12 24 cartridges. closed (257-3) HSN 777 for 1 piece. Buy a convenient bandolier
- Documents for transport and weapons (ROKh), hunting license, voucher, passport. Be sure to bring a pen or pencil to make notes on the amount of game caught on your travel voucher. Exceeding the norm threatens with an impressive fine, so check this point with specialized organizations in advance;
Case for IZH-27 shotgun on valve HS-CHR-4 Helios 850 for 1 pc.
Case for shotgun MTs-21-12 (disassembled) HS-CHR-1 Helios 905 for 1 pc. Case for shotgun IZH-27 foam rubber HS-CHRP-14 Helios 2,260 for 1 pc. Case for weapons without optics, semi-rigid plastic 125 cm Cho-32 AQUATIC 2,217 for 1 pc. Case 120 without optics King of the forest (leather) natural sheet (8789003180) Holster 4,957 for 1 piece. Rifle case Tiger, optics HSN 1,465 for 1 piece. Case IZH-27 (foam rubber, cordura, artificial leather) (8789003027/171012100) Holster 2,115 for 1 piece. All gun cases in the catalog
- Hut or hideaway. Here the hunter can act at his own discretion - you can purchase a ready-made hide, or you can assemble a hut on the spot from scrap materials and cover it with a mask net;
- Stuffed animals;
Stuffed Mallard duck Kubanplast 270 for 1 piece.
Fake duck (mallard) Sport Plast FLP 02 wings with mechanical drive Sport Plast 3,455 for 1 pc. Stuffed duck foam plastic Mallard duck (Relief) 350 for 1 piece. Stuffed duck foam plastic Mallard drake (Relief) 365 for 1 piece. Stuffed Mallard-Drake, half-body (5799FM) 0003399 /5799FM 890 for 1 pc. Stuffed animal mallard removable head drake High-head drake 62 Breite 840 for 1 pc. Stuffed Mallard Calling Drake with weighted keel (living flocked feather) North Way 531 for 1 pc. Stuffed Mallard resting Duck 499 for 1 piece. Stuffed Mallard Drake with weighted keel (live flocked feather) North Way 531 for 1 pc. Stuffed Mallard Calling duck with weighted keel (live flocked feather) North Way 531 for 1 pc. Choose a stuffed or dummy mallard
- Axe, knife. Choose a suitable hatchet so that it fits comfortably in your hand. The knife in your arsenal should be sharp, but sharpening a tool before hunting is a bad omen, so sharpen the knife in advance or take a small whetstone with you;
Huntsman knife forged st 95x18, wenge, Semin casting 2,715 for 1 pc. Knife “Sterkh-1” 31031 Kizlyar 2,655 for 1 piece. Knife Companion Desert (13166) Morakniv 1,270 for 1 piece. Knife “Santi” AUS8 Kizlyar Supreme 3,035 for 1 pc. Knife Pro S (12242) Morakniv 1,095 for 1 piece.
- Decoy ducks and accessories for them - boots, carabiners, cords, always food;
- Clothes - thoroughly insulate yourself; the beginning of spring is a treacherous time when you can easily become hypothermic. Follow the rule of three layers - thermal underwear, a fleece suit and warm outer clothing, a hat, warm gun gloves (you can simply cut off two fingers from ordinary fleece ones). It’s a good idea to take a spare T-shirt and socks with you so that you can change into your clothes after arriving at your destination. It happens that it takes a long time to get to the intended hunting location and you have to travel on foot, and having sweated after such a forced march, a person will instantly freeze in the hole. Therefore, it is better to have a supply of linen;
- Shoes - we put woolen socks on our feet, and on top - insulated wading boots, waders;
- A bag for hunted game, a game bag;
Jagdtash (915) HSN 1,507 per 1 piece.
-55%
Hunter's tablet Jaeger (IV) (817-4) HSN 7,576 3,409.20 for 1 piece. Jagdtash No. 2 (959-1) HSN 1,806 for 1 piece.
Choose a game bag for duck hunting
- Products in terms of the number of hunting participants and the time planned to spend outside the home. Take products that require minimal effort to prepare. Be sure to take water;
- A standard first aid kit, which you can supplement with your own medications if you need to take them regularly;
- Money, phone.
Preparing the decoy
Before the start of the hunting season, around the end of February, the duck's diet should be reduced. so that she can get rid of the fat accumulated over the winter. If this fails, then the already short hunt will be unsuccessful, since the duck will attract the drake sluggishly and reluctantly.
Pendant Game (219) HSN 310 for 1 piece. Hanging system (218) HSN 1,250 per 1 piece. Pendant Game (IV) (219-4) HSN 336 for 1 piece. Pendant Game (VIP) (2019) HSN 420 for 1 piece. Pendant Game (I) (219-1) HSN 347 for 1 pc. Pendant Game (III) (219-3) HSN 326 for 1 piece. Toroca quick-release (200100033) Holster 419 for 1 pc.
All torki and ducklings in the catalog
With the beginning of spring, you need to start accustoming the duck to water. If it is not possible to take her to an open reservoir, then at least provide her with a trough or a small children's pool. Thanks to being in the water, the duck will begin to groom itself, lubricating its feathers with fat from the coccygeal gland. This will allow her to stay in the water for a long time without the risk of hypothermia and without getting wet.
The next stage of preparing the duck is to accustom it to the boot. This is a leather strap that is attached to the mallard's foot so that it does not swim away during the hunt. You can make a boot yourself - for this you will need a nylon or any other strong cord about 2 mm thick, always dark in color. Attach two leather cuffs to one end of the cord, which you will put on the duck’s feet, and attach a weight to the other end. It should be such as to prevent the duck from swimming away, but also not to pull it to the bottom.
Often hunters first put cuffs on the duck’s legs so that it gets used to it gradually, and then attach the weight to them with carabiners.
If you put a boot on a duck for the first time immediately before a hunt, then the whole process will go down the drain, since the duck, experiencing discomfort and anxiety, will try to free itself and there will be no talk of attracting a drake. But you can accustom a bird to cuffs in a couple of weeks. She will get used to it and stop paying attention to her.
Drake hunting methods
Since flying hunting in the spring is prohibited due to the likelihood of shooting a female, drake shooting is carried out using a decoy duck or stuffed animal.
Hunting with a decoy duck
Duck for replanting can be purchased at a hunting farm or raised yourself. The decoy game is usually a specially prepared domestic duck or its hybrid with a wild drake. The main advantage of the bird is its voice, with which it attracts its fellows. If the duck does not work well, then a decoy is used - a hunting whistle that imitates the quack of a female. The decoy duck is planted at a distance of 15-20 meters from the shelter. To prevent the bird from flying away or swimming far, a rope is tied to its leg, the other end of which is secured to a peg stuck into the bottom of the reservoir.
The rod should rotate, allowing the female to swim freely
The quality of a decoy duck is one of the main conditions for successful hunting. Since the hunt for drakes often lasts the whole day, it is advisable to have several decoys for their periodic change. It is advisable to prepare for hunting in the dark, since in the twilight the male becomes bolder and more willing to respond to the call of the female. If the duck has done a good job of luring a drake that has landed not far from it, you need to immediately shoot at it before it manages to swim very close to the decoy, otherwise you may accidentally hit your duck. In addition, while in the water, the drake can notice the hunter and fly away. By sunrise, the males usually find a mate, and the active years of the ducks end.
Hunting using a decoy
Since not everyone has the opportunity to raise poultry, most hunters prefer to use a stuffed duck instead of a live duck. To make stuffed animals for the spring hunt for drakes, different materials are used: – Rubber. Birds made of rubber are more life-like and float well on the water. The disadvantage of these products is the color of the duck, which is difficult to correctly convey on rubber. - Plastic. Plastic products are more difficult to transport because they cannot be crushed. They are very light and do not always naturally float on the water. – Wooden stuffed animals are made mainly at home. Despite their heavy weight, they do not differ in appearance from rubber or plastic.
The most optimal number of stuffed animals for hunting is 10-15, located 1-1.5 meters from each other. It is advisable that some of the stuffed animals be painted like a drake. The greatest success is achieved by combining a decoy duck with stuffed animals. In this case, the stuffed animals are planted first, and only then the duck. It is best to hunt in cloudy weather, as on these days birds avoid long flights. Poor visibility prevents game from perceiving dangerous sounds made while the hunter is moving. To shoot at a drake, it is recommended to use a weapon whose combat is sharp and compact. The shot caliber can vary between 4-6 numbers.
Thus, spring drake hunting is not particularly difficult. The main thing is to choose the right place and a good decoy.
Previous post Small English Greyhound Whippet
Next entry Hunting carbine Elk – 4: simple and reliable
Roasting
A large part of hunting success depends on how well the duck is prepared for a new environment. If she finds herself in an unusual environment, she will hide and try not to attract attention to herself, but we need just the opposite. Breeding is to give the duck the opportunity to get used to open water, for this it is enough to go to an open body of water several times and let the bird get used to it, on average it takes 30-40 minutes, but if your duck already has experience as a decoy, then you can limit yourself to a couple of trips. It all depends on the character and initial preparation of the mallard; each bird is individual.
Choosing a time and place to hunt
First you need to find the place where the game is based. Ducks usually choose overflowing ponds, lakes, and small overgrown swamps. Here you need to find an open place on the water where it will be convenient to place a decoy duck or stuffed animals so that they are visible to both flying drakes and the hunter from the hide. There should be no thickets of bushes, reeds or other vegetation nearby that a duck could catch on with its boot.
The hut or hide is installed at a distance of 20-25 meters from the site where game is expected to appear. It is necessary to install the shelter in advance, before the summer of duck flocks.
Choose a clear day for hunting; in cloudy weather, the drake can circle all day and never land on the water. The best time is early morning or evening, when the first stars begin to appear. During these hours, birds are much more active than during the day.
Duck hunting in spring: rules, terms, tips and methods.
Despite the short duration, the spring hunting season is popular among hunters.
This is easily explained - over the long winter period, a true professional manages to work up a good appetite. In the spring, you need to know and follow a simple rule - only drake hunting is allowed. A hunter must be able to distinguish a drake from a duck. The drake has brightly colored feathers and a wider neck. Unlike quacking ducks, drakes primarily hiss. The best time for spring hunting is considered to be early morning and sunset hours. During the day the bird is active, does not sit still much, and pairs are formed. On cloudy days, the hunt is delayed, and the drakes are distracted by the females. Before the start of the hunt, you need to equip a shelter and climb into it. Decide on a hunting method: using stuffed animals or using a decoy duck. For an effective hunt, you need a decoy that imitates the voice of a duck and calls the drake to land.
During the hunting period, boat traffic on the reservoir is prohibited. The boat can only be used as a shelter
Setting up a shelter
The ability to properly camouflage a hide is one of the conditions for a successful hunt. The duck has excellent eyesight and developed intelligence, so carefully camouflage the duck with materials that are typical for this particular area so as not to arouse suspicion. Any contrasting spot on the hide can scare away the bird. You can cover it with a camouflage net, into which you can weave landscape elements - for example, dry grass, weeds, reeds. You can also dig a small dugout and cover it with dry wood. Here it is more convenient for anyone, the main thing is high-quality camouflage. When installing, leave holes for viewing ducks and aiming. Also, a comfortable chair will not hurt you, since you will have to sit for a long time.
Features of hunting
You need to land the decoy duck before dawn and have time to hide in a hut so that the birds do not notice the hunter. You can place several stuffed animals in front of the decoy. imitating a feeding flock. You can also help the duck start working by using a decoy that imitates the cry of a mallard.
The duck attracts the drake with a sharp, short quack. Having heard such a call, the drake will try to sit on the water, and this is the most opportune moment to shoot, this will minimize the risk of shot hitting your decoy.
During the hunt, you cannot leave the shelter, because if they notice you, the ducks will consider the place dangerous and may ignore it. You can pick up killed game after the hunt, since the birds do not pay any attention to it.
Methods of spring hunting according to new rules
Here are the methods of spring hunting, taking into account amendments made by the governor of the Leningrad region in 2021. Capercaillie (males) ->on the lek from the approach; Black grouse (males) -> on the lek from cover; Woodcocks -> on evening draft; Drakes of ducks -> from the shelter with a decoy duck and (or) animals and (or) decoy ; Geese and geese -> from the shelter with stuffed animals and (or) profiles and (or) semolina geese and (or) decoy ;
Spring hunting is carried out exclusively for male capercaillie on a lek from the approach, on lekking male grouse from a shelter, on woodcock on an evening draft, on drake ducks from a shelter with a decoy duck and (or) stuffed animals and (or) decoy, on geese and geese from a shelter with stuffed animals and (or) profiles and (or) semolina geese and (or) decoy, for scoters (humpbacked and common).
clause 49 of Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation dated July 24, 2020 N 477
Small tricks of duck hunting
In order for the duck to work more actively during the hunt, the following methods can be used:
- A few days before the hunt, separate the duck from the drake. In the spring, birds' instincts become more acute, therefore, finding themselves on free water, the duck will more actively call for the drake;
- Also, many hunters take a domestic drake with them on a hunt and place it in such a way that the duck does not see it, but only hears it. She will try to attract his attention as much as possible, since the duck will not have the opportunity to get to him;
- You can also take two decoys and place them so that they do not see each other. Hearing the quack of her friend, the second duck will begin to shout over her, thereby attracting all the drakes in the area. There is no need to plant ducks nearby, as they can chatter and forget about work and the drakes.
Spring hunting season
You can hunt waterfowl strictly during a certain period. If no bans are introduced, then a certain population of birds will be on the verge of extinction. Based on these considerations, in the spring 10 days are allotted for shooting.
Each region has the right to independently determine the spring season, but its duration is unchanged for all subjects of the Russian Federation. The allotted 10 days must fall between March 1 and June 16.
The assignment of the period in the region is usually not affected by anything. As a rule, the opening day of the season coincides with a convenient day or memorable date. For example, the opening falls on the 1st Saturday of April. The exact dates can always be found on specialized websites; they are already known in advance for each calendar year and almost always remain constant for each region.
