Waterfowl Hunting

Waterfowl hunting brings to your table some of the most succulent meat on earth. Geese and ducks are the most common birds bagged during waterfowl hunting. One type of waterfowl is so beautiful that hunters for centuries have refrained from shooting them, namely the graceful swan.

Waterfowl hunting mainly takes place near lakes, rivers, creeks, swamps and marshes, which make up the wetlands habitat required for protection and propagation of the waterfowl species.

The scenery within these bird sanctuaries become a great experience while waterfowl hunting, especially when the hunter is accompanied by his best friend, a good retriever.

Waterfowl hunting must be planned around the migratory needs of these birds. Ducks and geese migrate north during the summer and south during the winter months. When ponds and lakes freeze over in North America the waterfowl are unable to find enough unfrozen water and food to sustain them, thus they fly elsewhere. This migration from one state to another, can happen overnight as the birds become aware that a freezing storm is about to solidify their water supply, making survival impossible in that particular area. When waterfowl is the object of your hunt, make certain you are constantly aware of the weather predictions in the area you have selected. The Internet provides migratory maps updated on a daily basis.

Waterfowl have web feet to help them paddle while floating on water and to keep them from bogging down into soft marshy ground. A goose is a term that covers numerous wild or domesticated web-footed swimming birds of the family of Anatidae. Most geese are larger than ducks, having longer necks and legs. The female is known as a gander. After the kill, dip the goose into a bucket of scalding water to loosen the feathers before plucking. Pull the feathers from the bird until all feathers are gone. Notice that the goose flesh is rough. Goose flesh is a term used by humans to describe rough flesh “goose bumps” induced by cold or fear on their own bodies. This tidbit of information is just another thing of interest in this type of hunting to make it a little more interesting as you bring this to mind while tromping along the banks of a river carrying your gun and talking with your dog.

Speaking of guns, are you aware that a short session in a Shooting School can improve your waterfowl hunting pleasure, by dramatically increasing the birds you bag with your shotgun? Again, the Internet is the place to find a local shooting school for you to choose from. The Internet can also identify, showing color pictures of all 34 different types of ducks and geese along with the two types of swan mentioned above. You can also find duck and geese calling devices, along with diagrams of how to set up duck decoys for maximum results on the Internet, as well.

The word duck means any one of numerous wild or domesticated web-footed swimming birds. Both the male and female have broad, flat bills, short legs and a depressed body frame. The male duck is called a drake. After killing the bird, if cleaned properly and iced down and kept cool before you cook it, a nice fat duck or goose can become a succulent dish to dream about. Plan your dream hunt now, enjoying the planning as well as the actual hunt. Have fun!