Hunting Forum

That is a good sized swamp. As long as the ducks are using it on a daily basis you don't need many decoys, only enough to let them see where you are and get them interested to land near the "others". I have gone into an area that size several times and used only maybe a dozen decoys and killed birds. The problem with wood ducks, if you aren't in a close enough area to where they want to be they will go where they want and not even look at the decoys. I've had them go just out of range past the decoys and do their thing without coming any closer to my spread.

Scouting is the most valuable thing you can do. Month before season opens are they using the swamp? Week before where about are they using the swamp? Day before are they still using the same spot? You can do that from the cover of the timber far enough back not to bother them.

As for species of decoy to use, I would pick up a half dozen woodies if you can afford it. Be sure to set at least those and maybe a few teal and mallards.

The hole thing of mallards not landing with teal is a bunch of bull. later in the season you will see a lot of green wing teal flying with the mallards, and they land together.

IMO woodies are a lot more fun shooting. They really can show how good your shooting skills are. Don't get me wrong I like shooting mallards too, but woodies are a lot of fun.

Thanks for the info, I have not been in that area during season. I will scout it out to see waht they are doing. Do ducks normally land around the same area if not disturbed?

Yes they will. You may not get many chances at the locals, the ones around all summer, they know where other rest and food areas are besides the one. If they like it they will be there a lot.Those are the birds you are scouting for. I don't know how far you are off the main river but if it is a good flyway you may be able to get ducks in there all season. Early in the season you shouldn't need a mojo. Later in the season, if they fly over but not giving much of a look, a mojo may not be too bad of an idea.

One more thing, when you place your decoys always give them a "pocket" to land in. Set a few decoys to your left a few to your right and leave an opening in front of you for them to land in. try to sit with the wind at your back decoys in front of you. Ducks and geese like to land with the wind in their face. A smallish area like that shouldn't be to difficult to do.

Woodies will fly before legal shooting light, you will hear them before you see them. I love the sound of the whistling wings and their calls, almost sounds like a peep. They will splash in and hopefully sit until shooting hours, jump and shoot when that time comes. Teal will do the same thing. Just don't count on the teal being around for to long. They fly as soon as the weather starts getting cold, but new ones will keeping coming through.

P.S. Welcome to the boards hope you find a lot of help and some humor on here.

I hope so also, The only problem with hunting the swamps, on warmer days, is the gators. The area will be about 500 yds from the river and I have seen alligators on the river. I don't know if they go that far back in the swamp and it is to far to drag a canoe. That is why I will probably hunt it later in the season. The information you have provided is very useful and I appreciate the feed back. I have been a life member for about 11 years now and this is the first time I have posted. I normally deer hunt but am getting away from it to pursue dove, ducks and geese, with turkey in the spring. It drives the wife nuts.

Well you have come to the right place for some information. Everyone on here is very knowledgeable and very willing to help with anything you may have questions on. Hope to see you around the forums.

Gators will slip away from noise you make....make enuff they don't think you are a nutria....besides, you gotta gun! Fugg the gators!
If it is primarily a Woodie hole, just toss out 3 or 4 Woodie decoys
JMT is right on Teal and Mallard decoys.....BS that one flares the other....used them together for longer than you likely been alive!

HeII, in early Teal season , we have more mallard decoys out than teal!

I was thinking about hunting when the leaves start to drop to see them coming in better. I will take your advice and keep an eye for gators. I guess the first thimg I need to do is get in there and see how deep the water is. Is it better to hunt from the bank or stand by a big tree in the water?

Depends on how far out the water is from the best concealment of the trees and or how much vegetation is in the water and how tall that is. The bottom has a lot to do with it too, swamps tend to have a soft bottom and it sucks when you get sucked in to it and can't move very fast.

Or move at all without a bud grabbing your hand and pulling!

mountain, you're in for a lot of fun then with duck hunting.
Since you have teal decoys, you might want to try the early teal season, usually in mid- Sept. here in TX.
It's about the most fun I have duck hunting, they come in early morning and fast, it will help you with shooting woodies
later, only don't shoot woodies during the teal season because they are around then too.
I agree with the other guys here about the mallards and teal flaring each other, they actually fly together sometimes
and love to huddle together in ponds and such.
Your mallard decoys work well with teal but I've found the teal decoys set out in a group kinda off to the side, the teal will buzz
the mallard dekes but tend to want to light into the teal dekes, naturally.
Have fun!

The fun thing about Teal is they often keep coming back after you have shot a flock once or twice! We ususally hold the dawg and wait see....
My dawg brought back a super GW after we got buzzed and no one but me got a shot off...he's mounted on my wall.....since they were buds and kept telling me what a great shot, I 'fessed up and said I was trying to kill the one in front of him....

If you're looking to hunt multiple species in the same hunt use multiple species in your spread. I hunt the refuges out here in CA and we get many species including woodies, GWT, and mallards. My favorite setup is the J pattern. I'll put a pocket of 6 GWT upwind and start the leg of my J with a mojo heading downwind. Then I'll throw down 2 pair of pintails and then 8 pair of mallards to complete the leg. I'll take the other 2 pair of mallards that I have and place them near cover paired up by themselves. Throw in a confidence decoy, set up to where you have your best shot opportunity at the GWT part of your spread, and you're all set. Every type of duck that flies at my favorite refuge lands in that spread. They'll at least come check it out close enough for a shot.

I appreciate the information, I am going to try and get out for the early season Teal 8 sept. but I have to get the water pump in my boat motor fixed first. I am going to get a couple mojo decoys at Bass Pro this weekend looking at a Mallard, teal or a wood duck mojo. Again, thanks for the information.

For the most part, I don't think ducks care what kind of ducks they see when they land. I know people who teal hunt with nothing but mallard decoys. As long as they see "ducks" on the water, they'll feel safe enough to come in for closer inspection.

Been thinking bout a Mojo teal myself....that sucker is FAST!!!

Went dove hunting last weekend with a couple friends instead of teal hunting and teal came in around 0830 buzzing our mojo doves. I guess they will come in to anything. We are going to the same place this weekend (this time with steel shot) and try to drop a few. (no, we will not bring lead)

Went dove hunting last weekend with a couple friends instead of teal hunting and teal came in around 0830 buzzing our mojo doves. I guess they will come in to anything. We are going to the same place this weekend (this time with steel shot) and try to drop a few. (no, we will not bring lead)

Soooo....you got a dead teal report????

Heck no, drove an hour out left the lead at home and not even one teal on the horizon. Hunt was a bust for me and my group but there were dove all over the field.