Winter Waterfowl: Keys To Success

Winter Waterfowl: Keys To Success

By Ryan Eder

Hunting waterfowl during the winter is a true test of a hunter’s grit. Certainly we face challenges throughout the entire season, but the later weeks in the Midwest waterfowl season present some of the most challenging, yet favorable conditions to a successful duck or goose hunt. With that being said, the later weeks of the season can be the most difficult. I’d like to examine the harsh winter conditions and how they impact our success as waterfowl hunters for the better, or worse.

Conditions and Bird Behavior
The most obvious difference between our early September and October days and the late winter portion of the season is the weather. Elements such as temperature, wind, fog, snow and ice all impact the behavior and habits of the birds. Understanding the impact these factors have can help you scout more effectively, as well as strategize on where you hunt and how you setup your blind and decoy spread. This goes back to the common theme of trusting your scouting and using the bird behavior to dictate your tactics. It is also important to understand the timing at this point in the season, and what it really means for the birds. By the time November and December come around, birds are educated. They have begun to look for blinds, irregularities in the spread, listening to your calling and so on. With pressure and experience come hardier birds that are tougher to hunt successfully. Not only are you facing much tougher elements due to winter weather, but your opponent is wiser.

No matter when we hunt, understanding bird behavior will always serve us best. Knowing that geese are less vocal later in the season, especially in pressured areas can go a long way. When calling, stay away from something that sounds like a competition routine and stick to basic sounds. The same can be applied to ducks. Winds are the strongest during the winter season, which hinders our ability to project sound as well as a bird’s ability to hear it. If you are hunting migrating birds then lots of calling can help draw attention to your spread. In other cases, less is more (fields that are being routinely used to feed for example). Essentially, calling is one of those things that experience will dictate. Reading the birds is the key, from sounds to body language. Let their behavior dictate how you call. For a novice, less is always more. Over-calling seldom helps your results in a favorable way. It is a common mistake to over-call, but if you have birds locked up and committing to your spread, they are doing what you want them to do! No reason to disrupt that with excessive calling if they are already working for you.
You may also notice, especially with geese, that activity can begin later in the morning. It is not uncommon to see birds start moving after 9 a.m. because they wait to leave the roost. Birds want to make sure fields are not going to be frozen. This means that corn fields can be tougher for the birds to feed in due to freeze, so watch the green fields (blue grass, alfalfa, hay, winter wheat, etc.). The birds will stage in green, and wait for corn to be accessible.

We already know that birds land into the wind. This becomes more and more relevant during winter hunting because of how severe the winds can be. Ducks and geese try to find water after they feed, and with strong winds they tend to land aggressively and quickly. Hunting the shore is a great tactic because the shores tend to calm the waters down from strong winds, and that is exactly what birds are looking for during this time. If you have access to a river, this will likely be a hot spot for ducks and geese as ponds and lakes begin to freeze! If you are not near a river, look for an inland body of water that stays partially open during the freeze. Lakes hold temperature longer than smaller bodies of water, and the wind helps keep them open.

Decoys
Keep your decoys clean! Wash them weekly, and keep mud off of them for the most natural look. I prefer flocked heads, and try to maintain the flocking to maintain realism. It is also critical to use decoy placement to your advantage. Later in the season, the temperature is much colder. This will cause birds to group closer together when in the field. This needs to be reflected in your spread. Along those same lines, do not set a spread that does not reflect the same number of birds that you are seeing while scouting. If you are seeing two or three dozen geese, then setup accordingly. Birds will group closer together, but that does not mean that the spread needs to get bigger. Remember; these birds are educated. If large spreads often resulted in hunting pressure (getting shot at), then you might be better off using a smaller spread.

Again, use your scouting to drive this decision. To attract high flying geese (migrators), a large spread can work in your favor. If you are hunting a dry corn or wheat field that birds have been feeding in, then they are already comfortable there and confident in the food availability. In that case, a large spread is not a must. The most important thing to understand is that at this point in the year, the birds are after one thing: Security. After security, they want food, so incorporate a few feeder decoys in your spread. Food becomes harder to secure during the winter portion of the hunting season, and this impacts bird behavior greatly. If you are hunting a field that is the known food source, that is the “x” and you may experience the shoot of a lifetime.

It is important to understand that birds begin to compete for food during this stage of the season. Earlier in the year, when food is plentiful, that is not the case. This will impact the way new birds will enter a field. Your spread will convey a group (or groups) of birds feeding in a field. New birds will likely try to land over the top of the feeding group in order to have food available. Earlier in the year, the urgency is not there and they may land short of the group. Keep this in mind when setting your spread.

Concealment, while always critical, becomes even more important because birds have learned to look for blinds that stand out. Having clean and realistic looking decoys is an asset. Use them to disguise your blinds by setting them around your boxes, the idea being that it may take some attention away from the blinds and help conceal them.
I still maintain that location will always serve you better than decoys. Scouting rarely fails, no matter what time of the season we are hunting!

Take care of your dog
For those of you that run a dog during the waterfowl season, keep in mind that the cold, ice and wind bring an element of safety and concern to the hunt. These dogs are durable, but once they are wet and exposed to cold strong wind that can be dangerous. Try to keep your dog protected from the wind (place in the blind, dog blind, etc.), and typically a vest is a great idea to shield them as well. When applicable, in a boat for example, we will let the dog spend some of the downtime near the propane heater to help warm them up and dry them off. Have a towel or two handy to wipe them down after they exit the water.

I have also had the misfortune (a few times now) where my dog makes a nice retrieve, but ends up stepping on something in the water and cutting their paws. It is not a bad idea to have some kind of first aid supplies in your shell bag. Basic items, such as a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, medicated ointment, gauze and self-adhering bandages will go a long way. Keeping a wound clean and dry as possible is critical in the field until you can get home for veterinary attention.

I purposely covered several small items to keep in mind when hunting later in the season. Winter poses many challenges for a waterfowl hunter, but also presents perfect conditions to have success in the field. Understanding what to look for and how these conditions affect bird behavior will be the difference maker. As always, scout your areas. Learn from what you are seeing, and translate that information into your setups. Be prepared for cold, wind and harsh conditions (for both you and your dog) and most importantly fill your freezer! Happy hunting!