The Duck Hunting Blind

Vintage Duck Calls

John — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:04:45 +0000

When it comes to duck hunting, one thing is clear: the sport has been around for quite some time. And implicit in that is some items that were used during the olden days plying their craft. Vintage duck calls are a good example of that phenomenon. Born out of the need to bag more birds, duck calls were crafted to bring ducks close within gun range. As is the case with many items that are really old, many have been lost and the ones that are available often are not in very good condition. The year of manufacture and condition are usually two ways to ensure that you are getting a quality duck call that is worth the time purchasing.

Now, for these vintage calls we aren't talking about the Rich N Tone Daisy Cutter (although perhaps the prototypes would be worth something). Let's take a look at what sort of vintage duck calls are out there:

Iverson Vintage Duck Calls

VINTAGE IVERSON SPRIG WHISTLE ROSEWOOD DUCK CALL IN BOX
US $144.00

VINTAGE IVERSON WIDGEON WHISTLE DUCK CALL DISPLAY BOX
US $75.00

While still in production, Iverson duck calls was started in the 1940's by E.V. Iverson. Born in the prairie pothole region of North Dakota, Iverson would go on to craft some of the best calls ever made. Iverson is known for making all of his calls by hand and using the best of treated hard woods such as Rosewood, briar and teak as well as the fairly common cocobolo.

P.S. Olt Vintage Duck Calls

LOHMAN OLT AD DUCK GOOSE SQUIRREL CROW CALL
US $9.99

VINTAGE PS OLT REGULAR DUCK CALL MODEL NO D 2 IN BOX
US $36.01

VINTAGE PS OLT PEKIN ILLINOIS 66 DUCK CALL BRAND NEW
US $20.99

VINTAGE PS OLT PEKIN ILLINOIS 66 DUCK CALL
US $19.99

P S Olt Wooden Super Raspy 91 Duck Call Great Shape
US $7.06

VERY EARLY OLT D 2 DUCK CALL KEY HOLE PAT APPLIED FOR
US $46.99

It seems that P.S. Olt calls are some of the most sought after and known of the vintage duck calls out there. Olt calls are made of hard plastic and certainly don't have the romantic look and feel of other vintage duck calls, but man do they work. Hunters still pay a premium for an old school Olt call, and for very good reason. These calls simply sound like a duck.

Herters Vintage Duck Calls

VINTAGE HERTERS METAL REED DUCK CALL EXCELLENT SOUND
US $18.06

When it comes to old school duck hunting gear one of the most prominent names that jumps out is Herters. Long known for their superior Herters duck decoys, the company also manufactured many duck calls that are still available today if you know where to look. Buying vintage duck calls has become easier with the advent of Ebay.

Charles Perdew Vintage Duck Calls

VINTAGE CHARLES PERDEW STYLE CARVED WALNUT DUCK CALL
US $69.99

When it comes to vintage duck calls I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Charles Perdew calls. Born in the river region of Illinois, Perdew hand carved duck calls and decoys and is well known for his attention to detail.

FA Allen Vintage Duck Calls

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FA Allen is considered the pioneer of the modern duck call, and given the fact that he passed away at the beginning of the 20th century his calls can be hard to come by. Credited with inventing the barrel and straight tone board that had a curved reed, Allen is recognized as being one of the first people to ever commercially sell duck calls.

Ken Martin Vintage Duck Calls

KEN MARTIN GOOSE CALL RARE CHERRY MINT HUNTING DUCK
US $100.00

VINTAGE KEN MARTIN HORSE SHOE LAKE GOOSE CALL NEWIN BOX
US $119.99

VINTAGE GOOSE CALL KEN MARTIN LEMONT ILL NICE LOOK
US $36.99

Living out of Olive Branch, Illinois, Ken Martin is known as one of the grandfathers of duck calls. Between those and his goose calls he is extremely well known as a quality artisan. Martin's calls are well known for their walnut wood as well as his distinctive stamp on the call.

As can be seen, there are a lot of great vintage duck calls to choose from and given what you want you can find a great one to match your collection.

Building Duck Blinds

John — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:45:18 +0000

When it comes to duck hunting perhaps the most important thing to get right is concealment. Of course being in the right place at the right time pretty much trumps everything, you will be hard pressed to bag your limit if you aren't hidden well. You can set out the best spread of duck decoys known to man and be a magician with your multiple duck calls and it won't matter if you are seen by passing ducks. This article is meant to help when it comes time to building duck blinds.

The first thing to consider is your location. If you are setting up a blind in the middle of an agricultural field such as a picked corn field you are likely best served to go with a portable blind that is also low profile. Layout blinds really shine in these situations. If you are out and about in the water, you are going to be hard pressed to get any good use out of that coffin blind. Your best bet is to find one of the many great duck boat blinds available. Or you could always build your own duck boat blind and go from there.

Let's assume you are going to be hunting ducks in a standard locale which would be a place surrounded by water (think slough, river, lake, etc). If we assume that you will be hunting a place that has access to land, things become a bit easier to conceal. If you are hunting land you are usually only worried about concealing yourself and hunting partners (not to mention your duck hunting gear and your favorite duck hunting hound). This is a lot easier than hiding a 16 foot flat bottomed jon boat. The thing to remember with concealment are a couple of key truths:
1. smaller areas are easier to hide
2. utilizing shadows is imperative to staying hidden

With a ground blind your best bet is to find some stakes to put into the ground (you can find them along the shore or bring them with). From here you can either go with a small mesh netting to start your blind or simply move to the most important step, which is utilizing native vegetation to hide yourself. Sticks, branches, weeds, cattails, and the like are what we are talking here. Remember to play close attention to what surrounding features give you shadows to help hide as well as what the surrounding area looks like in terms of vegetation. Use both to keep yourself hidden.

Now, if you are out in your favorite duck boat things get a bit more difficult. You will almost assuredly need to have a blind that moves with your boat and conceals as best as possible. Overhead cover is imperative to keeping those prying waterfowl eyes away. Remember that smaller is nearly always better in terms of concealment. While it may be more comfortable to have a huge blind, the ducks will be much more likely to ferret out your location and reduce your odds of bagging them. Great additions to any boat blind are the fast grass available from many manufacturers these days. It is a great artificial copycat of late season cattails and has served many duck hunters well over the recent past. When you are building your duck blind remember that you want one that goes up and comes down quickly. This is imperative for when you are going from the blind to go and retrieve downed birds.

If you study carefully you will notice that a common theme emerges for duck blinds, they all are trying their best to mimic their surroundings. It is easy to overlook when out in the field. Make sure you take these into consideration when you are building your duck blind this fall.

Diver Duck Hunting

John — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:30:01 +0000

When it comes to duck hunting perhaps there is no greater thrill than that of a flock of divers blazing across the blocks as you try to keep up with their feverish pace. It isn't easy shooting, that is for sure, what with the strong winds, wavy waters and quick flight that diver duck hunting normally entails. That doesn't mean that you should be distraught and skip it entirely. There are scores of duck hunters that live for this exact hunting style and long for the strong northwest winds that accompany divers on their migration south.

When we talk about diver duck hunting we are talking about hunting a very specific species of ducks that have very specific ways in which they relate to water, food and the like. For this reason it is important that we take these into consideration when we decide what sort of a duck decoy spread we want to place out and where we would like to set up our duck blinds. Diving ducks have their feet set very far back on their bodies which enable them to dive to impressive depths in search of food. It is this exact same feature that makes it so hard for them to start flying from sitting on the water. While a puddle duck will simply spring off the water and into flight, a diving duck needs to get a long start, almost running on the water in order to gain altitude. This is one of the many reasons that they are often seen out in the open water, which allows them to get out and about without much trouble.

It is a good idea to know what we refer to when we are talking about diving ducks. If we turn to Wikipedia we see the following as a list of species within the diving duck family(among others):

Canvasback
Great Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Redhead
Ring Neck Duck

I would add a few to this list and include bufflehead, goldeneye, and the ruddy duck. Of course there are the great list of sea ducks as well which include such beautiful birds as the spectacled eider and harlequin, but for this article I'll assume we mean freshwater waterfowl. As can be seen the list is still pretty diverse. That doesn't mean that your tactics need to be crazy diverse, however.

Where to place your duck blind while out diver duck hunting

When it comes to divers you should almost always target the center of the lake. You want to be as far out in the middle of the lake as you can possibly be. For this reason a common location that people target for their duck blinds are long points and reed islands. This of course assumes you can hunt in a layout boat, where you quite literally are in the middle of the water. If on a point try to be as far out on that point as is possible. Divers often make a beeline for the very tip when they make their approaches.

What duck decoy spread should I use when targeting divers?

When targeting diver ducks the classic "J" pattern is a staple. It is for great reason, the spread flat out works. If you have a chance I would start here with your spread. Test other patterns as you get more savvy. The key thing to remember with the "J" pattern is that you want the lion's share of your decoys (think 75% or so) to be in a large group at the bottom of the "J". The long line that is the tail of the "J" you want to be sporadically spaced out for a long ways to increase visibility and give them a line to fly down. Putting your furthest decoy out 75 to 100 yards is not unheard of for divers (you would be remiss from doing this targeting puddlers, however).

So pack up your canvasback decoys and head out to your favorite large body of water. Hunting diving ducks is fun and addicting. If you doubt me, find an old codger that still gets up way too early in the morning to chase them and look at the glee in his eyes as he recounts the tales of great diver hunts from years gone by. And you don't even need your duck calls to have a successful hunt! I would suggest bringing a fair amount of duck decoys, however!

Ebay Duck Decoys

John — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:41:33 +0000

When it comes to buying anything online you would be remiss in not checking out to see what is available on Ebay. It seems that pretty much everything can be found there. This is no different and if you search for Ebay duck decoys you will find that there is a wide variety of styles, brands and prices waiting for you. Below is a quick snapshot of what is there right now:

New Struttin Mallard by Ure a Duck Decoys
US $55.30

LOT 3 DUCK GOOSE DECOYS EDGE BY EXPEDITE REDHEAD AS IS
US $24.50

Mallard Wind Duck 3D Wind Duck by Ure a Duck Decoys
US $53.01

4 Goose Bands 1038 868 728 768 duckcallsdecoys
US $.99

Avery duck decoys
US $4.25

Flambeau Duck Decoys Set 4
US $7.99

LOT OF 16 AVERY GREENHEAD GEAR MALLARD DUCK DECOYS NR
US $29.99

Miniature Mini Hand Carved Unpainted Wood Duck Decoys
US $4.99

CARVING DECORATIVE DUCK DECOYS PB FULL SIZE TEMPLATES
US $.99

As can be seen this runs the full gamut from great brands like Greenhead Gear, Herters, Flambeau, Carry Lite, G&H among others. This of course is only talking about working decoys, not the collectible duck decoys that are also very popular to collectors and hunters alike. You can find a wide array of those available on Ebay as well. And let's not forget the different species available. Heck, when it comes to varieties I have seen just about any type of duck out there available on Ebay for sale from puddle ducks like gadwall, mallard, teal, and pintails to diving ducks like buffleheads, canvasbacks, redheads, bluebills and ring necks to sea ducks like eiders, scoters and the like. The beauty of Ebay is the diverse variety of things available.

Oh, and don't forget the key reason many people go to Ebay. The price. Often these are die hard duck hunting fiends that supplement their love of shopping for duck hunting equipment by selling the great deals that they find when they are shopping Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops and the like during their end of the year clearance sales.

Setting Duck Decoys

John — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:58:06 +0000

In the duck hunting world perhaps nothing is argued about more than setting duck decoys. When it comes to duck hunting it is rarely the case that your duck decoy spread has no impact on your success in the field. Getting ducks to relate to your spread in such a way that allows them to naturally go to places that afford high quality shots is an artform and at the exact same time imperative to put more birds in the bag. This post is aimed at trying to get the decoys in your spread to get that up and close action that every waterfowl hunter lives for.

The most important thing to remember when setting duck decoys

I see it over and over again and I know I hard on this constantly, but please, please, please people learn to set your farthest decoy within a reasonable range. If you don't you had better have a darn good reason to have them more than 35 yards out. One reason I will accept and seen work to perfection is a diver line that goes out 100 or so yards. Besides that you are going to run into ducks that are landing at the edge of your decoys and lending to horrible shots. I prefer to keep my farthest decoy out 30 or so yards. I'll get them even closer if the wind is strong and I think that the birds will be out of range quickly after the first shot. I have seen ducks for decades stop short of decoy spreads. Accept it as a fact of life out in the duck blind, it is going to happen. Given that, make sure that your decoy spread allows for this phenomenon to occur and still the opportunity to harvest birds at a reasonable range.

What pattern should I use when setting duck decoys?

This is where I think many spend too much time. The actual pattern likely doesn't matter that much other than to accomplish one thing, get the duck to attempt to land in a close distance to your boat or layout blinds. Things to keep in mind, ducks don't like to fly over other ducks. If you have some decoys between yourself and where you want them to land you are sunk. Leave a clear path that allows the ducks to land into the wind and have no decoys in their path. Speaking of wind, if you have any reason to expect a change or the wind is light and variable, leaving multiple options and paths for which the birds can fly is imperative. Don't let a quick wind shift turn your perfect decoy spread into a disaster. Plan ahead and leave a couple of lanes for which the ducks can use to land in your preferred kill zone. A good pattern in this situation is a "plus" sign with four groups of decoys. The plus sign is the landing lanes you set up and the decoys make the lanes.

When it comes to building your water spread remember that the entire reason you are putting the birds out there is to get the ducks to commit and come into good range for a clean kill. Always ensure that your spread exudes confidence and is attractive to passing waterfowl. Keep cognizant the fact that you want shots that are within 30 yards to allow for easier, higher quality shots which will breed more success. If you use these tips, setting duck decoys will become second nature to you and your success in the field will show.

Waders For Duck Hunting

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:14:54 +0000

When it comes to duck hunting some things are expected every time out. Since you are likely to be near the water, expect things to be damp. Plus since you are hunting in the fall it will tend to be on the cooler side of the spectrum. To that end, many waterfowlers look to waders for duck hunting to ensure that they stay warm and dry. Because trust me, if you get wet while out in the duck blind, you are in for a long day in the marsh.
So what should one look for while out in the duck blind when it comes to waders? Comfort has to be near the top of the list. There is not much worse than wearing a set of waders that are bulky and heavy. Trust me, I started with a pair of rubber chest waders when I was young and just starting out my duck hunting career. Being young and stupid, I had no idea what a pain in the rear end these waders were and that there was another way to go about this whole wader thing. I was just happy to be able to wade out and retrieve ducks when they fell and also was able to stay dry when the dog shook all his water on me plus the inevitable spray from the boat as we went to and fro the blind. Being young I was able to be in these waders all day and still be spry in the upcoming mornings. These days that would be a different story. To that end, avoid rubber waders at all costs if possible. I realize they are inexpensive and allow you to get into the game with a lot less cash, but trust me you are going to pay in your comfort big time. The neoprene waders are really a great thing when it comes to comfort. Sure they aren't like being there just wearing standard pants, but they are much more fitted to your body and therefore a pleasure to wear.

As for warmth, I haven't found anything better in that regard than 5mm neoprene waders. Neporene waders come in two standard thicknesses, 3.5mm and 5mm. If you are in a warm weather climate, you might not need the added warmth of the 5mm variety and can go with the 3.5mm garden variety, but I implore you that if you are wont to hunt in an area known for sub 40 degree weather I would seriously steer you towards 5mm neoprene. They have the comfort of neoprene with some great warm tendencies which are much appreciated when the weather heads south and the ducks really start flying.

A final thing to consider is the warmth in the boot of the wader. Your feet are the area that will be most often in the water and therefore this is not a trivial matter. I would suggest going for 1,000 grams of thinsulate in the boots if you again are in a cold weather area. If you get this level of warmth in the boot you will be surprised that your feet and body don't even notice the coldness of the water and air.
When it comes to waders for duck hunting, there are many varieties and choices out on the market today. That is a good thing for duck hunters due to the varying temperature array seen across the spectrum of hunters in addition to the amount of time we all spend in the field.

Cheap Layout Blinds

John — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:06:46 +0000

Having begun my shopping extravaganza that seems to commence every August/September I am amazed at how much more layout blinds cost in brick and mortar stores than online on Ebay. Don't get me wrong, running to the local store with your vehicle can be nice to touch and feel the product as well as get an in person feel for how they work, but if you can save 20-40% off the price by going online, why wouldn't you? And that is just with the name brand products. Let's take a couple of examples of what I am talking about:

Avery Layout Blinds

The Avery Finisher Layout Blind is a very popular layout blind on the market today. It is one of the best selling models for a reason, this is a great, lightweight layout blind. In the stores it will set you back $280. Don't get me wrong, a great blind, but that is a pretty steep price. Not to mention if you have state tax on top of that! Here is one on Amazon for a lot less (click on the picture to see the specifics):

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: Varies based on product options

Amazon Price: View Sale Price

Final Approach Layout Blinds

Or how about the Final Approach Layout Blinds. The X-lander is a great blind and has the great reputation of Final Approach behind it. New in the store you are looking at $250 plus any local taxes. Here is one on Amazon that is far less expensive(again, click on the picture to get the item specifics):

Final Approach Mossy Oak Duck Blind Eliminator Express Blind

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: Varies based on product options

Amazon Price: View Sale Price

Homemade Layout Blinds

And as I mentioned that doesn't even include the great deals for "homemade layout blinds". There are guys that make their own and sell them on the internet. Not the big brand name for sure, but a quality layout blind. Heck a lot of these guys even include warranties and all of the features you will see on the expensive name brand blinds, but at a fraction of the price. These are layout blinds that are delivered to your door for cheap. Here is a great example by Pacific(you know the drill, click on the picture to see the specifics on the laydown blind):

Pacific Outdoors Layout Blind, Farmland Cornbelt

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $179.99

Amazon Price: View Sale Price

So why go to a big box store and buy your layout blind? I'm not sure, you can save a lot of money and have the item delivered directly to your door for far less expensive. Hey, I'm like the next guy and need to touch and feel an item before purchase, but the way I have found to do that best and still save the money is to go to your local sporting goods store that has layout blinds, check out all the models and choose the one that you prefer. From there just note what it is. When you get home go to Ebay and buy the model for a great discount. And I'm not even talking about the used models which are also available there. After a couple of uses your layout blind doesn't have that shiny look and it is just as used as any model that you will find from a seller. If you are willing to forgo the fresh new smell of a new blind you can save a ton of money that way also.

How to build a duck blind

John — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:34:27 +0000

Researching here this week as duck season is fast approaching. Time to start looking for those duck decoys for sale, tune up your favorite duck calls, and of course find time to build a duck blind! Over the years I have relied heavily on my cheap, homemade duck blind. It has treated me very well over the years. That said, it isn't all that applicable outside of the boat (it works ok when put into the ground, but only in specific circumstances).

To that end, I was on a mission to find a way to build a new duck blind. Ideally it could be used both in the boat and on the ground. At this point you are probably laughing at me since I am asking a lot. Well, you would be right. There isn't anything that really go across both spectrums and does both or either well. To that end, it seems that a couple of blind options are needed. First, if you are hunting the fields and will be in amongst the cut corn, soybeans or wheat, layout blinds are far and away your best option. They are comfortable to sit in and provide great concealment with their low profile and camoflague covering. Add in some vegetation that is native to the area you are hunting and you have a great recipe for success. You can obviously build a higher profile blind yourself for much cheaper, but the results are not as impressive. And really, once you have found that perfect spot being hidden is really the most important part of the hunt (besides shooting straight).

For the boat, a homemade duck blind such as the one I detail here seems to work well. Basically you want to have a barrier from the duck eyes to hide silhouettes and more importantly movement from the blind. To that end, blending in to your surroundings is important. Even better when out in a boat is to stash the boat down the bank from you and wade in the water or stand atop some land and/or cattails to keep the concealment perfect.

What are your thoughts on how to build a duck blind?

Keep Your Feet Dry While Putting On Your Neoprene Waders

John — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:52:29 +0000

I was reading my Pheasants Forever magazine (yes I also am a member of Pheasants Forever as well as Ducks Unlimited)

Carpet Remnants Can Keep Your Feet Dry

the other night and came across a great tip. It was applied to putting on your pheasant hunting boots, but I think it can be applied greatly to duck hunting. I don't know about you, but I don't drive with my waders on. While I am on my way to my hunting spot in the early morning I am wearing my standard duck hunting attire, a pair of Under Armour long johns and on top of those my wading pants (micro fleece pants with an elastic bottom to ensure they don't ride up while out in the duck blind). If it is really cold I will put a heavy pair of sweat pants on top of those. My waders wait until I get to my hunting spot. If I were to put them on in the car I would likely sweat to high heaven and on top of that, while being much more comfortable than waders of decades past, they still are less comfortable than wearing just normal clothing.

Key thing to remember is that the places that we duck hunt are generally wet! Even if you have a nice parking lot to put your waders on it is likely to be damp due to the early dew that comes with the night time temps and humidity. And that doesn't even mention the sand and dirt that accompanies everything. A quick, cheap solution for this is to use a carpet remnant to stand on taking off your normal shoes and putting on your waders. I don't know about you, but the last time I replaced the carpet in my house I was left with a bunch of both the old carpet (assuming you didn't pay the installer to haul it away) as well as the extras of the fancy new carpet you just installed. If you are like me and have extra lying around then you are in for a free foot drying piece of equipment. Don't fret if you don't have extra lying around, ask neighbors if they have any and you will likely be inundated with more carpet than you know what to do with. If that fails, you can always head to a local carpet seller and ask for a carpet remnant. You obviously don't care what the carpet looks like or is made of, so I am sure they will have an extra piece somewhere that they will give you for free.

Once out in the field just grab the remnant from the back of your vehicle slap it on the ground and you are set. Shake it off after you are done and place back in the vehicle to keep it dry and waiting for your next excursion into the duck slough. Trust me there is little worse in this world than wet feet when setting your duck decoys. And at least then you are moving around. Once you are set up and waiting for the ducks to arrive your feet will surely start getting cold. Keep them dry from the get go with a carpet remnant and you are one step closer to that successful hunt.

Wind Duck Decoys

John — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:47:07 +0000

Wind Duck Decoys.... Where do I start. Ok, before I begin just be ready for diatribe here. The things flat out don't work. The wind never seems to blow fast enough for them to truly work as they should, and even when it does it doesn't seem to blow constantly. On top of that, when it it blowing that hard it is about the last time you actually need to have one out in your duck blind. Granted, this is a good way to find a cheap motion duck decoy. The problem of course is that you get what you pay for in this case.

And trust me, I have seen a lot of people try to get them to work. They sand down the place where the wings contact the body to remove all but the smallest amount of friction such that the wings work well. Unfortunately, this still doesn't work. I hope the reason you are considering using a wind duck decoy is because you don't want to spend the money on a battery powered mojo duck decoy or lucky duck decoy. That is a reason that I can relate to. However, if that is your end then you should be looking into the Mojo Dove. The Mojo Dove is a great cheap duck decoy, and it works wonders. The problem being that they use AA batteries that you need to replace every 2nd or 3rd hunt in my experience. Or perhaps the place you are hunting it is illegal to use motorized duck decoys. Another good reason, but instead of going with a Wind Duck Decoy I would go with a simple jerk string duck decoy instead. Cheaper and more effective anyway.

What are your thoughts on the Wind Duck decoys?