Duck Calling, Decoys or Location?

Duck Calling, Decoys or Location? | Duck Hunting Tips

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Күн бұрын

Which is more important... Duck Calling, Decoys or Location. This is the question that's been debated for years. Find out Joel's take, and discover some duck hunting tips and tricks to make you a better hunter.
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Joel Strickland (@mrproducersir) is a lifelong waterfowler, duck hunting guide and producer/director in the film and television industry.
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Пікірлер: 105

@Goosemaster1810 4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely LOCATION. Matter of fact I went out to my mailbox an one of your surviving duck season hoodies was LOCATED there.Great Quality. God Bless an keep em coming.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, glad you like it! I appreciate it.

@cadinkessler7427 4 жыл бұрын

Location for sure!

@jims4229 2 жыл бұрын

I honestly think location, camo, decoys, calling. Two years ago I noticed large groups of Mallards, Widgeon, and Gadwalls hanging out in shallow water along a rock ledge. One afternoon I walked out to it (took 30 minutes) and saw snails everywhere. It's hard to drag decoys out to so now when I finish hunting and I'm short a few for for a limit, I just go out there and hunker down. I almost always jump ducks I just let em go. Unless it's an easy shot. They'll ALWAYS be back within 15 minutes. No decoys, no calling, nothing. I just sit out there and have lunch. I killed four Mallard Drakes in one pass last year. It's hard to get out there, but definitely worth the hike. I've NEVER seen another hunter out there either as you can't get a boat in there and decoys are troublesome as well.

@jimkeithley7910 4 жыл бұрын

All go hand in hand!! Thanks for the great video.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@kylebuzzard9920 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your insight. A lot of people need to listen to this. Its so important for people to recognize there is never a one size fits all to hunting in general and where you are conditions/style is completely different. Putting in the time and effort and practice (scouting and calling etc.) will make you a better hunter.

@hankandrews9051 4 жыл бұрын

Another great video! Thank you so much for doing these, we all appreciate them!

@jaminparker929 4 жыл бұрын

I have only been waterfowl hinying for 5 years now, so its so good to get the knowledge of experienced hunters. Thanks so much. Oh ya, my wife and I are planning to cook the kabobs this weekend.

@johnbarton3292 4 жыл бұрын

I've been duck hunting for 32 years,and I've couldn't have said it any better then you just did.everything you mentioned is the key, for the sport of waterfowling!great job!and very important content.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks John I appreciate it!

@sauve12 Жыл бұрын

Loving your content man. Keep up the great work!

@rickd3506 Жыл бұрын

Location, Location, Location!! 😊

@ericweber7707 4 жыл бұрын

Yes keep making videos! I watch every video you post on KZfaq. I always seem to learn something new.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

You got it!

@Swygard 4 жыл бұрын

Thoughtful and right on target.

@jackbriggs5436 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Joel, just found your channel and love what I’ve seen so far. Keep em’ coming brother! Great video.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you found the channel! Thanks for the comment! Have a great rest of your week.

@miquaelbrunet3610 3 жыл бұрын

Great video and I completely agree! I've always tried to find the best location first and foremost as my primary concern then I hide as best I can. The other skills and equipment definitely come into play as needed and you can definetly make an ok location produce with some work and technique. I've hunted lots of spots like your story where we carry in a pair of wood ducks and a mallard hen to a hole but I've also had to try and pull ducks over with 10 doz because there's a sanctuary and I can't hunt where they want to be. Every situation is different but concealment never stops being a priority.

@Drblood6721 4 жыл бұрын

Can't wait to have these coming twice a week. Learning all I can!!

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

@jaimelobeira1732 Жыл бұрын

Great videos, awesome content. Great info. Keep doping them.

@jwrees57 4 жыл бұрын

You hit the nail on the head four times. This past season around here with all the high water and lack of natural vegetation concealment was key which meant hauling in your own.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

It's a pain, but sometimes it has to be done!

@DuckalopeOutdoors 4 жыл бұрын

I subbed and also I feel ya on having time... that’s what’s gets me.. but we are watching and love the content! We do how to’s and reviews and also some hunting. Just got it rollin so editing kinda sucks but gettin better I feel. 🤙🏼

@nickb8618 3 жыл бұрын

All three!

@kindredspirittv8598 4 жыл бұрын

Enjoyed this vid very much

@gooseflatwaterfowlers 4 жыл бұрын

Another thing I think important and I think it’s something we as hunters don’t do enough of it concealment. I agree with what was said in the video about being concealed it’s critical. With being concealed I think natural camo is the best using natural vegetation that’s around the spot. Don’t want to be brushing with corn stalks in a timber hole it doesn’t look natural. You want natural looking blinds when you build it build it where you can let vines briars grow on it that’s natural looking. Let the blind kinda brush itself. Think about a big brush pile that’s what it needs to look like and it’s to need to stick out where the sides show needs to look like a pile of brush. Also if there’s a way to get a aerial picture of the blind get it think about ducks look at us from the air and you might be his good in the front and back but stick out from the air

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

All true.

@cfoutdoors243 4 жыл бұрын

Great vid. I totally agree with hunters not hiding well enough. I usually try to find the x but not always possible. Backup plan is their flight patterns coming or going. I agree with using a combination of the 3 but letting the birds tell you if they want calling or not. Also moving decoys around a bit when the birds shy away. I like to read the birds to see what they like.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

cf outdoors good advice!

@jonathanhill5380 4 жыл бұрын

LOCATION , LOCATION , LOCATION !!!!! If you aren’t where they want to be the world champion callers can’t make them come in. If you’re where they wanna be you don’t need calling or decoys #ChangeMyMind

@jeremyfree2fish586 7 ай бұрын

I goose hunt mostly with very few ducks in the fields I hint and am not good at calling but often get my limit if I'm where they want to be even in the field I'm in ive experimented and set up 4.5 dozen decoy spread between roost and where they wanted to be in the field maybe 300yd away from where they were the dY before they flew right over me every flock and all the singles but it seems like if you are where they want to be you can't mess it up

@johnhubbert7294 3 жыл бұрын

You could be the best caller in the world and have 100 decoys out but if your not in the right location then your just going bird watching all day

@aimkhan83 4 жыл бұрын

To me: time, concealment and location! Specially late season when birds are used to calling, decoys and just wanna get out of the area before cold weather come in.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

So true!

@codyhodge5266 2 жыл бұрын

I hunt in mid Michigan and duck hunting is quite difficult. The largest amounts of ducks are near refuges with many other hunters. When I hunt in locations without a large concentration of hunters there typically isn’t a lot of ducks either. I RARELY hunt with more than 1 dozen decoys (puddle duck hunting). I’ve put more decoys out, less decoys, more calling, less calling it’s just always a grind and I’ve never noticed anything that makes a huge difference. In Michigan I think it is mostly based on location to have any success.

@davidlotti5407 3 жыл бұрын

1 Be where they want. To Be 2 Decoy placement 3 Don’t over Call 4 Call timing watch how they respond

@geoffgoyette444 3 жыл бұрын

So I'm going to agree with ya that the formula for success always changes. This has been what is most successful for me: I would put my priorities in this order, with calling and concealment flip flopped after first light: Location, well timed calls, concealment, and then dekes. When I say well timed calls, I will ALWAYS answer a hens greeting call while shes on the water with one of my own. I can't count how many times that has resulted in a dead mallard or two, even when I don't have any dekes out. 90 percent of the time when you call them off the water like that, they won't even bother circling. On the topic of dekes, when the pressure is really on, I sometimes dont use any. Most of the time I use less than six, because thats all you really need to be visible if you set them right, and almost everybody around here throws out at least 2 dozen mallard dekes and a couple spinners. Gotta be different when you arent on a main flyway if you want to work birds when the going gets tough.

@josephcioni5293 3 жыл бұрын

location, calling, decoys, My calling is world class when I am sitting on the X. They don't even look at me when I am not.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 3 жыл бұрын

I know what you’re talking about!

@jeremybreeden77 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks again for another great video! It's preferably location but for public land hunters like myself that's not always possible. I hunt a lot of traffic birds where I scout them on private land and then try to get in between those areas. What's your best strategy for trying to hunt birds traveling between two spots you don't have access to?

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

I like to find a spot where I’ve at least seen birds use before (even if that isn’t recently) and set up there. If legal in your area, you may consider using a larger spread with multiple mojos on remotes.

@brandoncorley1514 4 жыл бұрын

Help on finding/scouting for ducks for weekend warriors

@darryldelernojr.7198 3 жыл бұрын

Location, a good looking decoy spread and calling is last. Most people hurt themselves with bad calling.

@mikeries8549 3 жыл бұрын

Most important thing is ducks. Go to the walk-ins at fishhook on the wrong day. It won't matter how good you are when there are only 16 ducks in the whole world and they've all been shot at for 3 weeks.

@mylesboggs7723 4 жыл бұрын

Duck- location Goose- decoys

@gooseflatwaterfowlers 4 жыл бұрын

I think all three work hand in hand with each other. However I think it’s location is the top of the list with the others flip flopping depending on the spot. Ancestral holes ducks have been going there since the beginning of time and those locations it’s more about being in the right location but if the ancestral hole has a food source on it the ducks have no reason to leave and I think that’s a big thing in holding ducks. Think about flooded crop fields it’s also location but they are there for one reason and that is to feed. A spot that is a traffic area you’re in the general location where ducks want to be and you have to work them in with decoys and calling. Those spots decoys and calling are just as important as location. In my opinion all of this goes back to scouting to be successful I think you’ve got to scout more than you hunt whether it’s with glassing spots using game cameras and drones or just driving and looking at spots that hold ducks historically. A tactic I’ve used is driving around the refuge in my area and if there’s bunch of ducks there it’s always a good indicator of the number of ducks in my area and usually reflects on the numbers of ducks on my holes.

@phillipbonifield897 4 жыл бұрын

Location is most important in my opinion due to the fact that if your not close to the fly way or an area the birds aren’t working you won’t get many in the decoys

@augustuslaws6008 4 жыл бұрын

Location is the most important in regards to being on a “x” spot or field or when in trafficking ducks and geese. If you can get on em or get underneath them you have a chance at killing them. Having decoys gives confidence and the ability to work them in. My hunts usually very anywhere from 3-6 dozen mallards sometimes I go up to 12-15 dozen with motion decoys. I use PRIMARILY mallards since that’s what I target out here in California. Sometimes I need just .5 to 2 dozen in a small spot or late season. As for calls I use a mix of cutdown and j frame calls to bring em in. Other then that I work on being under birds, concealing my blind very well and being hidden and running a spread that varies depending on the season. Sometimes my big spread works otherwise I like small spreads.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing you experiences.

@pastp3805 4 жыл бұрын

Location, location location !!! Thanks for you input on a hide with low cover...to move where you can hide and catch the birds moving to and from that location is a good strategy if you can’t figure out the pattern. Is there something you look for that can put you in a good cut off spot?

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

I look for a spot that is under their normal flight path that has a good hiding spot for hunters. Typically edges or points of cover are great spots. Ducks tend to navigate over these types of places.

@pastp3805 4 жыл бұрын

I made the mistake of moving to a point that had tall trees...the hide was awesome but the ducks flew over too high and never gave me a look at all and I’m decent with a duck call.

@richiecaelwarts7873 4 жыл бұрын

I DO ALOT OF BACK WATER HUNTING WALK INS WHERE NOBODY WANT TO WALK HAND FULL OF DECOYS I NOTICE WHEN BIRDS LAND AROUND ME WHEN OTHER BIRDS WORK IN THE BIRDS ON THE GROUND DONT CALL TO THEM. SO I DONT TRY TO CALL MUCH A LITTLE FEEDING CHUCKEL SEEMS TO WORK,

@HacheChugz 2 жыл бұрын

I’d say location. I’ve had hunts where I had zero decoys and the ducks dive bombed in just because they wanted to be there. Cock-a-doodle BANG

@jeremymatlock2049 4 жыл бұрын

I saw you hunt a place in washington ..i would love to go but cant find the name of the outfitter? Can you help me out

@chased7839 4 жыл бұрын

Could you please do a review on ammo you use

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Yes!

@chased7839 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome!

@mattbugg4568 3 жыл бұрын

Its the decoys, there's always ducks around if your on the flyaway. The only way to get them is good decoy spreads for several years. Its the same birds each year. There migratory species. If you do the same thing till it works every time it will work until you die. I have a hard time finding the same decoys 20 years later. Although I seem to find a new group of sky busters each year. Haha j/k not really! But yeah its decoys and decoy placement.

@mattbugg4568 3 жыл бұрын

It works the same way fishing. I always tell guys if they are fishing with me and want to try something different than what I'm doing there not fishing for the same fish.

@thomasjohnson3793 3 жыл бұрын

From the Great Northwest public Duck Blind I believe location is a big part of duck hunting you could be a couple of miles off a fly away and not see a single duck no matter how you quack or how you hide you are still a vegetarian until that first duck gets on the lanyard so see no duck eat no duck

@DaddyDuck365 4 жыл бұрын

Location.....location.....location....can’t tell you how many ducks I have shot without decoys or calls....kicking water....but there are days when you need all three....

@Fergusonturd 4 жыл бұрын

Just like real estate.....location, location, location.

@kylelewis7786 4 жыл бұрын

Location

@hnchmen34 Жыл бұрын

I've harvested ducks without having any decoys... I believe location is the most important factor... Decoys CAN help, but they can also shy ducks/geese away... I've also hunted WITH decoys, but never called once... so, it COULD have been a case of that my spread looked appealing to them, AND that just so happens where they wanted to be at that time... Concealment ALSO plays a huge factor...

@isaakreid2411 3 жыл бұрын

Definitely location, you don’t NEED decoys or a call if you have the right location

@umami0247 3 жыл бұрын

Don't even have to watch the video. As they say location location location. If the ducks aren't coming to that area you are out of luck. I've seen ducks but a small pond next to a pond we sat up on and not a duck came to the water we were on get we could see them landing on this other pond. They looked the same but the ducks knew something we didn't.we did move and did well but just because you think it looks ducky doesn't mean squat to the ducks.

@shanefranklin9471 4 жыл бұрын

Location is #1. That being said, what is the best location is completely dependant on the wind. In an area that has, let's say 6 holes that can be hunted. I would take the 6th best spot with the wind right over the best spot with the wrong wind every time. If the wind isn't right they aren't gonna do it. Do your homework and know your area and work harder at it than anyone else and you'll be the "LUCKIEST" hunter around.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Right on! Wind is the final determining factor when we choose which blind to hunt.

@teekay1785 4 жыл бұрын

You can improve your success with great decoy setup and at least good calling food etc but without making your own literal refuge you cannot compete with location. This belief also includes the locations you scout well. You can call great or have great decoys but you still won't do near as well as a good location with so so decoys and great calling.

@teekay1785 4 жыл бұрын

correction last two words above should be decent calling . I wish I knew how to edit once posted LOL. I am lucky enough to have had at least decent permanent locations and now am lucky to have a very very good permanent location averaging over 1,000 ducks per year on less than 300 acres for 20 years. You can mess up many more ducks with bad calling or mistimed calling than you can help with very good calling. Reading the birds and at least average calling helps a lot . Reading the birds and excellent calling is a great advantage especially with 2 or 3 excellent callers used to hunting with each other for years . Add having some pretty good shooters to the mix and I would say we have improved the average of our spot 200-300 ducks a year. Pick a place say 1 mile from us that has pretty much the exact same bird population flying over it and excellent decoys and excellent callers and shooters and they kill generally half or less birds than we do per hunter. On a very good year when lots of ducks stay in the area and new ducks coming down every week or so and we both limit out almost every day. For example 2 years ago most clubs in our area that averaged say 700 ducks a year were lucky to kill 150 ducks while we killed 1200 and it wasn't better skill calling or shooting etc it was location. I think the reason we got a few more is we took pity on a lot of our friends and invited them more than usual to our club and thus averaged an extra shooter or 2 per day.

@kentwigington7040 4 жыл бұрын

Location!

@ajmassa5550 4 жыл бұрын

LOCATION!!!!!

@kjmcswag2499 2 жыл бұрын

That's a good first duck hunt. But only 2 ducks for a limit? Was you shooting woodies?

@SurvivingDuckSeason 2 жыл бұрын

That was back in the 1980s.

@maxhumbaugh8403 3 жыл бұрын

Location location location! The ducks are there because something makes them want to be there. Get on the X!

@kelevragvest2127 3 жыл бұрын

Location, Location, Location

@adrianlouviere7650 3 жыл бұрын

Location decoys calling. That order All Inportant

@garygasser6760 4 жыл бұрын

Location and concealment .

@kevinmartin9530 4 жыл бұрын

You need all three but that can change as the sun comes up every single day

@umami0247 3 жыл бұрын

And I did watch the video. And auto correct sucks so no I'm not having a stroke.on my previous post.

@TexasRedneck 3 жыл бұрын

you can edit your comments

@DrakeMiester 4 жыл бұрын

Location,location,location. No matter the make of decoys or calls,if the birds aren't around none of it will make any difference.

@SurvivingDuckSeason 4 жыл бұрын

Right you are.

@brendalynch7151 4 жыл бұрын

Sometimes if you're where the ducks want to be you don't need either of the other two

@Laughinghawg 2 жыл бұрын

There's an order to chasing the duckies. Using your 3 choices: Location, calling, decoys. I've always thought you could hunt in a hot pink jump suit as long as you stay still. And keep those beady eyes under the bill of your hat and that goofy face of yours down! or under a mask :-)

@scottellis8964 2 жыл бұрын

None of it matters if there’s no ducks in the location 🤷🏼‍♂️😂

@SurvivingDuckSeason 2 жыл бұрын

If you don’t have any ducks, I can’t help you lol

@scottellis8964 2 жыл бұрын

@@SurvivingDuckSeason you asked what matters most 🤷🏼‍♂️Location does ! I was referring to your video.. You asked .”what matters most ! Location does !

@SurvivingDuckSeason 2 жыл бұрын

Right on!

@waynehenryhomeprojectsllc3027 3 жыл бұрын

I have a new lab that i want to get closer to, he’s a male, his name is “ HITCH” can i train him like a female dog?

@RetrieverTrainingAlone 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, labs are one of the easiest breed to train.

@teekay1785 4 жыл бұрын

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION a thousand times LOCATION Its not even a legitimate DEBATE !!!!!!