David R. Vaught

There are so many possibilities and rigging your decoys should provide you years of service with little or no frustration.  Time should be spent hunting not untangling decoy lines. 

Over the years I have experienced a wild variety of waterfowl clothing.  Starting with those old cotton waffled long johns you can buy at the farm and home store.  Not sure those ever kept me warm or dry. 

Dakota Decoys are a product of the Midwest and Missouri River Valley.  Bill Willroth, the owner of Dakota Decoys and an avid hunter and media personality orchestrates their design and development.  His show The Grind is a great way to learn and enjoy waterfowl hunting. 

I work with youth and competitive sport shooting and often get the opportunity to hunt with them during the waterfowl season. In my state, we have a youth waterfowl opener that is a week ahead of the annual opening day. My good friend Scott offered that he had a young hunter, so we began to prepare for that first hunt. 

practice of patterning a shotgun.  This article provides some great advice for every shotgun enthusiast that wants to be a good competitive shooter. 

You likely have read about every possible scenario for waterfowl and specifically duck decoy spreads.  The J-hook or “J” spread, the “U” spread, the “L” spread, and finally the “X” spread.  Add to this the “C” spread or total chaos spread and that should about cover the possibilities.  I have used them all and what I have learned over the years is if the ducks want in, they will come in, regardless of the wind direction, exposed hunters, poor sets, or movement. 

Recently at a Midwest waterfowl show, I saw the new Lucky Duck 4 Slot Motion Backpack and I was amazed at the attention it drew.  Hardly a single person walked by without handling, exploring, commenting, and eventually buying one of three versions. 

Concealment is the key to duck hunting. This is especially true when they get wary and have been dodging shot for a few months. My first introduction to the layout boat idea was many years ago and I still use them today. In my younger days though, money was a little tighter so two other friends and I decided to make three boats one summer in my garage.

I love to gain opportunities to duck hunt. Accessing public lands is where it starts, but like most, more places to hunt are better.