I have always believed that the best time to go waterfowl hunting is whenever you can. I have never harvested a single bird sitting in my sunroom, drinking coffee. If you don’t go afield, you don’t shoot. It’s as simple as that.

Also note that bird migration and movement can make a huge difference in the success of a hunt. There are times when there aren’t many birds around, and other days when birds are abundant. Timing can make a huge difference in hunting success.

Our hunting cabin is an hour and a half drive west from our residence. Because of this, I am not always in the zone I like to hunt. I depend on occasional reports from area farmers to help me know what is going on.

I had just returned home from a couple of days of futile scouting for geese when I received a call from a farmer friend. He reported that a few geese had started showing up in one of his chopped corn fields. Since he liked to hunt, we arranged to meet in the field the next morning.

The day started poorly with one big flock giving us a look but staying out of gun range. There were not that many birds working the area, but over the next few hours, we had singles and doubles come into the spread. We ended up with some memorable targets.

The birds never came back to that field. We had timed our hunt perfectly.

Duck migration is an interesting phenomenon. Although there always seem to be some birds trickling through the state throughout fall, there are bubbles of heavier migration movement from time to time. These heavier migration movements often coincide with a cold front or change in weather.

Typically, during the duck season, we like to hunt several days in a row. This not only reduces the amount of effort involved in getting gear out and putting it away, but also gives us a better chance of hitting a day when the birds are moving.

I always find it interesting how one day can be so productive and the next day so slow. Although I enjoy every day I get to hunt, some days are certainly better than others.

It doesn’t always take a lot to turn a slow outing into a memorable one. Sometimes, it is a matter of having two or three good flocks barrel into the decoys. However, if you are not in the marsh, it does not happen.

No matter what type of hunting you may do, timing can play an important part in hunting success. If you have the opportunity to get out during perfect hunting situations, that’s great. If not, a tough day of hunting can still be pretty darn good.

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