Public land duck suggestions

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midwesthunter

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Northern IN
Just starting to look for some options for public land duck hunts outside of the midwest. Me and my group would like to try are chances at some different species. We went to Arkansas this year but everything was frozen we could hunt, and they have some weird rules depending on the body of water. Example, boats can't be on the water before a certain time or have to be off by a certain time. I'm used to being set up a couple hours before sunrise and not coming off till after dark if need be.

Is there a state anyone would recommend we start looking at?
 
AR has those rules because people will spend the night in the hole, maybe even camp there for days. Guides were especially bad about paying some to sit on the hole, and still do I suspect although I have not hunted there in years.
HD
 
Coastal NC can be solid depending on the time. plenty of public water. You can apply for permits in state owned impoundments, and hunt open water other days if you made the trip. there are funny rules in some counties about setting up within certain distances from private blinds. An artifact of rich land owners and legislatures who like to hunt occasionally.
 
I would suggest the columbia river basin(pretty much from the E. border of OR to the Dalles.) Also the Southern quarter of Idaho along the snake river. For the most part on the Columbia you will need a boat, Idaho is a little more friendly on walk in duck hunting. You have Montana also along the Yellowstone river or ND along the Missouri river plus all the reservoirs in both ND and SD. I have pretty much hunted all of the above at some point in my 34 years of existence. Good luck,
Matt
 
Freeezeout Lake, MT. Well worth to see literally millions of birds. Hundreds of thousands of snows will stop over here. Tens of thousands of swans. Put in for the swan draw, one of just 6 states you can actually hunt them. If you get tired of waterfowl, there is upland surrounding it. All public.
 
406LIFE said:
Freeezeout Lake, MT. Well worth to see literally millions of birds. Hundreds of thousands of snows will stop over here. Tens of thousands of swans. Put in for the swan draw, one of just 6 states you can actually hunt them. If you get tired of waterfowl, there is upland surrounding it. All public.
Click to expand...

Not cool...Maybe share this in a PM but not on the open forum where every Joe can google this.
 
midwesthunter said:
Just starting to look for some options for public land duck hunts outside of the midwest. Me and my group would like to try are chances at some different species. We went to Arkansas this year but everything was frozen we could hunt, and they have some weird rules depending on the body of water. Example, boats can't be on the water before a certain time or have to be off by a certain time. I'm used to being set up a couple hours before sunrise and not coming off till after dark if need be.
Click to expand...

Just because an area has specific rules like daily draws, strict rules about hunting hours doesn't detract from hunt quality in my experience, rather it often improves it until you get into pretty sparsely populated states where it just isn't necessary. Every place is going to have different equipment, rules and means of being successful while waterfowl hunting. Traveling to hunt will quickly break you of that concept of "but that's how we always did it at home."

I think you have to first consider what types of hunts you want to do. Is it flood timber, flooded corn, prairie potholes, coastal marshes, western rivers, field hunts that you want to do? Do you want to hunt with a boat you already have or try something completely different? Are you just looking for consistent limits, a certain species or a certain condition?
 
I strongly suggest heading west. Western ND and eastern MT would be where I would look. If field hunting is your thing I would avoid SD, as there is pretty decent competition for good fields. Same can be said for eastern ND. Western ND and eastern MT have more opportunity and less competition regardless of whether you are interested in fields or water.


406LIFE said:
Freeezeout Lake, MT. Well worth to see literally millions of birds. Hundreds of thousands of snows will stop over here. Tens of thousands of swans. Put in for the swan draw, one of just 6 states you can actually hunt them. If you get tired of waterfowl, there is upland surrounding it. All public.
Click to expand...

Its actually seven (MT, UT, NV, ND, SD, NC, VA).
 
I think you have to first consider what types of hunts you want to do. Is it flood timber, flooded corn, prairie potholes, coastal marshes, western rivers, field hunts that you want to do? Do you want to hunt with a boat you already have or try something completely different? Are you just looking for consistent limits, a certain species or a certain condition?
Click to expand...

This is exactly where I would start. Answer these questions then plan according to budget.
 
Mthuntr said:
Not cool...Maybe share this in a PM but not on the open forum where every Joe can google this.
Click to expand...

This is not even close to a secret. Freezeout is routinely listed as a bucketlist place for waterfowlers. Every year there are TV shows made about it. This is the same as saying, go the the Kaibab, hunt big deer.
 
icebreaker12 said:
Western ND and eastern MT have more opportunity and less competition regardless of whether you are interested in fields or water.
Click to expand...

Hunting in this region can be good, but keep in mind that it also experienced extreme drought last year (the driest year on record). Waterfowl hunting was fair to poor in a good chunk of the NE corner of MT and NW corner of ND, and so far this winter's precipitation isn't providing any cause for optimism. I would strongly suggest you check on weather, water and bird numbers before planning a trip if you choose a spot in this area. Alternatively, you may also consider looking a little farther east than the border areas. Wetland conditions and bird numbers looked significantly better as I headed eastward a couple counties in ND.
 
Freezeout is a zoo. I avoid it. Ive hunted many states and Ive rarely seen more sky busting idiots than I see there every time ive been. In VA or NC with a boat u can access some pretty sweet scoter hunting on the salt in addition to swans etc....I wouldn't say its easy to get on fields in eastern MT and if your not on fields ur pretty limited on good waterfowl hunting on water. Personally, I'd recommend u go to Saskatchewan. Late Sept is prime. Every species in the central flyway goes through there from teal and divers to specks, snows and honkers.
 
Last edited:
406LIFE said:
This is not even close to a secret. Freezeout is routinely listed as a bucketlist place for waterfowlers. Every year there are TV shows made about it.
Click to expand...

So basically you added nothing to the obvious. Well done.
 
NE montana, between the Rez and the ND line. HOLY COW were there a lot of birds and just a really cool place to poke around in.
 
Prefer to bank hunt if possible but we do have a boat set up. Field hunting would be third on the list. Thanks for all the input so far.
 
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