Waterfowl

Editor’s note: This article is a freelance submission from Ryan O’Neil, an avid hunter from Western, N.Y.  You want an in-your-face, front-and-center, feet-down-beat-down, goose hunt? Follow me. I will break it down from start to finish! 1. Scouting: Location! Location! Location! Scouting is the quintessential piece to the puzzle. I spend about three times more [...]

Britney Starr gives us some bird hunting basics. It’s always good to be reminded of ways to remain safe when you’re out in the field.

Duck hunting is very different depending on where you hunt. In the Northeast, a good day of duck hunting might mean a few shots at a few pairs of Mallards. But down here in Florida, we have several kinds of ducks and the state has created a four day mini-season in September for hunting a small duck called a Teal, which if I researched it correctly, is technically the Blue Winged Teal. The season also includes wood ducks, but we won’t cover them here. Teal travel in flocks, not pairs, and it is not unusual, on a good duck pond, to see dozens in a morning. We went out for the first morning of this year’s mini-season, hosted by our guide Dwayne Powell at Kissimee River Hunt & Fish, and we were able to experience birds flying over our heads in the hundreds. The limit is 6 birds, and several of our party limited out in a short time. Even our 11 year old shooter shot several birds, and we are all eager for the next phase of the season November 17-25. If you haven’t duck hunted, especially in Florida, you are missing a good time and a lot of shooting.