Overview
One thing that
surprises me and at the same time scares me is the very small number of
St.
Olaf college students who waterfowl hunt in Rice County.
I personally have tried to get out at least
3 times a week during the hunting season, and 5 days has not been
uncommon. I believe the lack of
education is the number one reason why there is not as many St. Olaf
waterfowl
hunters as there should be. Students
simply don’t know.
This
guide was created to make life easier. It
has been designed to answer all the
questions that a St. Olaf College student would have if they wanted to
go waterfowl
hunting in Rice County.
Where to Go
There are plenty of spots that a St.
Olaf student can go waterfowl hunting that are only 30 mins away or
less (leaves plenty of time to get back before class).
Checklist
Must haves…
- Firearm Safety
Certificate (if your birthday is after January 1st, 1980 you
must
have one)
- Firearm
(preferably 12 gauge)
- Shells ( 2’s or
4’s, use 2’s on windy or when longer shots are taken, 2’s are larger)
- Licenses - small
game, federal and state duck stamps (can be bought at gas stations)
- Transportation (larger
vehicle is better – holds more equipment)
- Decoys (a dozen
mallard decoys will do)
- Waders /
hipboots/ warm clothing
Maybes…
- Boat
(you won’t
be limited by the depth of the lake / wetland)
- Spinning
wing
decoy (always nice to have)
- Calls (don’t
really need them, but they’re a lot of fun and noise)
Calls
- Hail
Although ducks do not make this sound, it is used to get the attention
of ducks that are far away.
- Greeting
After you have gotten the attention of the ducks and they have started
flying towards you, this call is used. It is saying, Hello!
Blow the call in 3,5, and 7 cadence quacks.
- Quack
The quack, which the hen mallard makes, can be effectively used when
the ducks are in close range. There should be a long pause
between each quack. Quacks too close together is a danger call in
duck language.
- Feeding
/ Chatter
Some hunters argue about the feeding call. Some say that ducks
never make this sound only while flying while other hunters swear that
ducks also make this sound while feeding in the water. I used
this call sparingly, only to make my decoys seem more realistic.
- Comeback
This call is used when the ducks have showed interest in your decoys
and calls, flared, and turned in the opposite diretion of you.
Using this call might lure the ducks to swing back around and land in
your decoy spread.
Schedule
of
events for a duck hunt on October 16th, 2004
Night before
- Check
the
weather channel (www.weather.com)
- Check
the DNR
lake finder for lake depth and vegetation type
- Pack
a breakfast
/ lunch
- SET
YOUR ALARM
- Go
to bed early
Morning
5:30 – wake up
5:35 – call public
safety to get your gun out of the locker
5:45 – leave campus
6:15 – arrive to
lake
6:45 – finish setting
up decoys, get comfortable
7:00 – shooting hours
begin
7:30 – Sunrise
9:00 – have a
snack
3:30
– arrive back on campus and tell stories
Nedcv
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