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John's Journal... Entry 73, Day 5

Hunting Ducks in High-Pressure Areas

click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Brad Harris, vice president of public relations at Outland Sports, the owners of Lohman and M.A.D. calls, is a hunting expert and a longtime duck hunter. More than 26-million households across the nation watch Outland Sports television show, "Outdoor Traditions with Brad Harris."

Question: Brad, when you're hunting high-pressure areas and several callers are out there trying to work the ducks, what do you do to bring them in and pull them to your blind instead of letting them go to somebody else's blind?
Answer: Duck hunting does get competitive sometimes, especially on public lands where you're competing for the same flight of ducks. There are some things you can do. You can have a decoy spread that looks good and is set right. That's something I'll change throughout the day if I'm working with ducks that have been very pressured. I keep an eye on my spread, changing it around, adding, subtracting, opening or moving, whatever makes it more enticing. Second, I generally will become pretty aggressive with my calling. When I know other people are working the ducks, I try to be the hottest, most-aggressive duck on the marsh. When you're competing with other hunters, that's one of the few times your calling ability helps. If you're making the most and the best duck sounds, then you've probably got a better chance of bringing those ducks in. I may be more aggressive or more demanding on the call, and I try to offer the best and brightest looking decoy spread.

click to enlargeQuestion: Brad, when you change your decoys, what are you doing?
Answer: I'm trying to see what makes the ducks feel comfortable and what appeals to them as far as their wanting to come in and land. Many times you may have too many decoys in an area, which doesn't allow an adequate place for the ducks to land. Because at other times you don't have enough decoys, the spread is just not tripping their trigger. It's not a big enough party for them to come to. Other times, a subtle shift in the wind can close down the pocket you had set up for the ducks to land in. Movement is something else to consider. There may not be enough movement in your spread, and if you can create more movement versus the guy in the next blind over, you may be more successful. Constantly look for ways to make your spread look more natural and appealing to the birds in the air.

click to enlargeQuestion: How do you create more movement in your spread?
Answer: A lot of times, creating more movement in your spread is simply a matter of using some type of mechanical device to make a decoy a swimming duck or a feeding duck. Our company makes some Feather Flex decoys that vibrate and ripple the water. I try to put enough of them in my spread to create movement. Other times, we will take a flat piece of iron, tie a string to it and shove it into the mud in the middle of the spread. It's flexible enough that it will wave back and forth. We can pull the string from the blind, and it will slap the water and create a tremendous amount of waves. You also can create movement by kicking the water with your feet. Look for ways to make movement look natural.

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Brad Harris On Duck Hunting ...

Day 1 -General Duck-Hunting Information
Day 2 -Acrylic vs. Wood Duck Calls
Day 3 -When to Use Different Types of Duck Calls
Day 4 -Reading the Ducks
Day 5 -Hunting Ducks in High-Pressure Areas

John's Journal