By Josiah Donaldson
For some reason, wood duck hunts involve a lot of smoke. Let me explain: the smell of wood stove smoke when I leave in the morning under the stars, navigating through the dense fog at 6 a.m., smoke rising off gun barrels, and warm coffee vapors rising from a cup on the ride back. Welcome to the most beautiful season of the year! Follow these tips for better fall colors.
Believe in Ghosts: Hunters often say that wood ducks enjoy places that look a bit “spooky.” Find a soupy haze on the water, duckweed, dead snags with root balls sticking up, moss everywhere, and tons of overhanging trees. If you’ve found this, you’ve found their element—now go find the exact spot where they want to be.
Why do they like one hole better than another? Your guess is as good as mine. Oh, and enjoy your haunted boat ride or hike in the dark. Otters, herons, raccoons, deer, owls, and more will be glad to stare at you and vanish as you visit this “underworld” that few others see. Eyes will glow, bushes will shake, owls will hoot, coyotes will howl, and water may splash, but you’re not scared, right?
Forest Ducks: They’re called “wood ducks” and “woodies” for a reason. While other puddle ducks are happy to circle an open swamp 45 times, wood ducks live in tight quarters. They think nothing of spiraling down into an impenetrable hole in your favorite creek or backwater. Keep this in mind when scouting. Woodies are also busy. They don’t have time for detours. That’s why it’s important to be exactly where they want to be on gameday. And if you happen to find some overhanging oaks, that’s a bonus. A friend once harvested a passing drake woodie that sluggishly flew too close. We later found his craw was absolutely crammed with 19 willow oak acorns.
The fall colors of a day of wood ducks. Photo by Josiah Donaldson
Get Moving: Although they are secretive creatures, wood ducks actually make a racket on the water. They vocalize with zips and squeals and often dive, feed, and chase each other in circles. This makes a lot of disturbance and noise. I’ve had them swim into my decoy spread from the splashing sound of a battery-operated decoy and even my own calling. My theory is that the early morning fog coming off the water limits visibility, so the ripples from a jerk rig, or the flashing of a spinning wing decoy, give them a target to land on from the air.
Be ready though! They can literally plop down right on top of you. I once had a wood duck flutter through the canopy and land in front of me while wading to retrieve another duck. My ripples are what fooled him. And don’t worry about being surprised by these pigeon-sized ninjas, because it will happen. If you hear a “splash and skid” sound behind you, get ready for a shot when they realize the jig is up.
Enjoy the Show: I hope these tips motivate you to get out and enjoy the fall colors! Venture into a world unseen by most people and watch the show. With a little bit of luck (and if you play your cards right), it’s possible to harvest a limit of wood ducks by 7:30 a.m. Next, sit back and enjoy the sunlight filtering through the trees and the changing of seasons. Get back home and savor some of the finest eating ducks, too. If you’re a hard-core duck hunter with a big boat and dozens of decoys, the chances are that while you and all the other hunters are squawking at some bread-eating mallards in the distance, the nearby woodies are piling into a beaver hole back in the brush—and having one heck of a party without you! All you have to do is go find them.
