Ron Stressing say that if you put in the work, the ducks will come to you.

Scott Ford had called me after seeing a cold front was coming down, so we headed to one of his favorite diver duck lakes in central Wisconsin. Scott is one of the best waterfowl hunters I know, so when he says birds are coming down, I drop what I am doing and head his way!

I asked Scott about hunting big water for diver ducks, as most of my experience has been with small bodies of water and the more common puddlers like mallards, woodies, teal and shovelers. Scott was kind enough to share some of his knowledge, most earned the hard way out on the water.

Scouting

Scouting out the areas ducks are using is critical, no matter what species of ducks you are hunting. If chasing early teal in a shallow back bay, or canvasbacks out near cattail islands, you need to pinpoint the best spots. The Wisconsin DNR has statistics showing that hunters who scout for their ducks harvest more birds. Part of scouting big water is finding lakes that hold the food sources the birds need. Wild rice, clam beds, wild celery and smart weed are food sources that should be found in a migration stop over a lake.

Watch the weather and ‘hunt the front’

Big-water hunting of divers is driven not only by the time of the year and the birds migrating instincts, but also by the weather. A strong northeast or northwest wind and overcast skies bring birds down and help keep them low. Those old-time prints showing duck hunters on shallow, white-capped water with lead gray skies are about right. Be sure to exercise caution and hunt safely. It seems like every year we sadly lose a few duck hunters in storms, so please be careful.

Decoys

Make your decoy set look realistic. Birds don’t continuously bump into each other while feeding on a lake or marsh, so don’t let your decoys touch. Leave space between them. Don’t let lines or weeds hang from your decoys and keep your decoys clean. Numbers matter. Large numbers of diver decoys can draw in more birds, but watch what the birds are doing when scouting. Are they coming into live birds that are only in groups of 5 to 12 or are they landing into the larger groups of birds on the water? Base your decoy sets off of what you observe, and the birds want.

I asked Scott about his favorite sets. “In the peak of the migration, I typically run 10 to 12 dozen decoys to match the large number of birds that are migrating at the same time. Keep the wind at your back or work a crosswind, but leave space in your decoys for birds to land. With the wind at my back, I prefer a horseshoe, running puddlers in a group in front of the boat, leaving pockets in them for puddle ducks to land. I run large groups of bluebills to one side of my boat in a line and cans in another. This tends to lead birds into my shoot zone like a runway. If I’m working a crosswind, I typically run a J. My divers make up the top and hook of the J; puddle ducks are in between the hook and top. I’ll add motion; spinning wing decoys can really draw birds in on a sunny day, but they do not always work. If birds are flaring over your spinner, turn it off or pull it from the spread.”

The day we hunted saw several large flocks of ducks pass by, but only a few looked at the decoys. We had one group locked onto our spread when gunfire from a group nearby flared them. Scott called a single hen ringbill into the decoys and I dropped it with one shot. Scott’s dog Dahlia made a classic retrieve. On a trip to the same lake last year, we harvested seven ducks, including my first ever redhead, and a wall hanger canvasback drake that Scott shot.

Other considerations

Safety first. Scott’s boat was made for big water. I would not have taken my 12-foot cartop boat out to where we hunted. No duck is worth drowning or death by hypothermia. I suggest wearing waders or rain pants, as well as heavy rubber gloves while bringing in the decoys. A 6-foot boat hook or decoy retrieving stick also works wonders when bringing in 8 to 10 dozen decoys.

As for ammunition, I suggest 3-inch magnum loads of #2 or #3 steel. Don’t be afraid to use follow-up shots on birds that are not dead on arrival when hitting the water. Wounded diver ducks can dive and never resurface. Ammunition is probably the cheapest part of a hunt, so don’t risk losing a wounded duck for the price of a shell.

For more tips on how to bring home your limit this hunting season, check out the fall issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.