Follow these tips to hunting ducks on public land

It can be a challenge, hunting ducks early in the season on public land.

Hunters compete to call the ducks in, shots in the distance flare birds working your decoys, and the activity on shore often drives ducks to a roosting spot in the middle of the marsh.

But there are ways to overcome those problems. Andy Raedeke, waterfowl biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation and an avid duck hunter himself, offers some advice.

▪ The first step is increasing your odds of getting a place to hunt. At popular conservation areas such as Grand Pass and Bob Brown, crowds show up for daily drawings and many often are turned away. Try areas such as Four Rivers, Schell-Osage and Nodaway instead. Especially during the week, your odds of getting a place to hunt there are much better, Raedeke said.

▪ Set up as far away from other parties as possible. If that takes some long-distance wading or walking on levees, so be it.

▪ Do your scouting. Find out which areas the ducks are using in each pool. When you are assigned a spot, that will give you a head start on where to set up.

▪ Dare to be different. Don’t join the pack mentality. You want to do something to make you stand out to the ducks. If other hunters are using large decoy spreads, try using a small one. If other hunters are calling constantly and aggressively, try a different approach. Try more subtle calls.

▪ Read the ducks’ behavior. See how they are reacting.

▪ Don’t underestimate the importance of being hidden. Ducks can see more than we give them credit for. Staying camouflaged can be a key to drawing the birds within shooting distance.

▪ Don’t “skybust” — that is, shoot at ducks high in the sky and generally out of range. That doesn’t help anybody. It is a long shot at best and often “educates” ducks that the hunting season is on.

▪ Choose your hunting dates. Watch the national weather map. When there are fronts pushing through the northern states, plan a trip to Missouri or Kansas. Flight birds often are easier to fool than ducks that have been around for a while and have been exposed to local hunting.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Follow these tips to hunting ducks on public land."