Cabin Fever Combat: Shake off those winter blues by pre-scouting new hunting locations

Here at Duck Junkies, there is no off season. So why sit and sprout roots in your arm chair or couch after your season ends. Use the winter months to pre-scout some new hunting locations.

This winter over here in New England it's been one of the coldest and snowiest in years. With the cold temperatures, the lakes and ponds locked up early this season. With plenty of SAFE ice around, I like to take advantage of the accessibility of some of the area watersheds that offer hunting opportunities.

Safety is of course my first and foremost concern as it should be yours. As a waterfowl hunter, I always dress for the weather and let someone know where I'll be. If you do plan on trekking over any frozen body of water, be sure that the ice is safe. Stay away from inlets, outlets or moving water where the ice may be thinner. A good topographical map can provide you with this information. Another good reference is an Ice Fisherman. Since they're drilling holes through, they'll know how thick the ice is.

To find a location to scout, for private land I'll refer to topo maps and for public, the State Hunting Guide which usually lists public hunting areas, and the maps for any particular region. Here in Connecticut, the DEP website actually provides topo maps of each public area. You may be surprised to find many locations listed as public access that are overlooked by a majority of hunters due to either remote locations or just not a popular spot. I tend to look for small bodies of water or marshy areas that are within a few miles of a major waterway which waterfowl will tend to migrate down.

Now that you've chosen a location to scout, how are you getting in there? Here in the northern half of the lower 48, deep snow can be an issue. My favorite way is snowshoes. It may be a lot of work breaking a trail but it's well worth the effort and it keeps you in shape. Hunters that have access to snow machines may find that parking the sleds and getting out on a pair of snowshoes will give you a better perspective when scouting the areas. For the hunters down in the more temperate regions of the country that have open water year round, leave the boats with the mud motors and outboards home if you can, put a PFD on and paddle it. You'll be surprised on what details you might miss by just motoring around from spot to spot.

So what do you do when you get there? I like to walk the perimeter of the pond, lake or marsh and look for the areas which might hold waterfowl in the fall months. I'll mark these areas on a map or mark a waypoint on a GPS. I'll also make reference of possible blind locations for your fall setups. Mark your parking and access points on the map also. I like to re-visit these locations again in the spring and late summer and take notes of any nesting activity and bird numbers. Bring some good binoculars and a camera with you too. When I get back home I'll transfer all of my info on to and atlas like Delorme's Atlas and Gazetteer which is available for every state and sold in most book stores.

So why become a couch potato in the winter months? Get out, enjoy the outdoors and SCOUT!!!


By Terry Mahoney- CT Pro-Staff

Off-Season Improvement (also on website)

There is always something you can do to better you season as a duck hunter, and some can be fun for everyone. First make sure you dont forget how to shoulder your gun effectively. As a competative shooter for almost a decade I can safely say that one key to good shotgun shooting is gun placement on the shoulder. It only takes the gun to be a little off center to cause someone to miss. There are local ranges all over the US that have awesome Sporting Clays courses but even if they only have skeet or trap fields you can still have just as much fun and get the practice that will improve your shooting. Sometimes you may need to put a spacer in the stock of your gun to compensate for all of the clothes you may have on in the winter just make sure once it gets cold again to take out those spacers so the gun is not hanging up on clothes and ruining the good shot you worked on all summer.
You can also go scout for places that will be an interesting place to hunt in the winter, but since the ducks probably arent there yet take some fishing poles and run around rivers or lake systems looking for places with vegitation that ducks look for in the winter. It is also a great way to get kids into the outdoors and get them used to an area that they may end up hunting in the not so distant future.
Last I know many people don't have to read this but keep your calls near by. Call, call, call this is one thing that separates the men from the boys you may think you sound great when you pick up your call for the first time in months on opening day, but everyone else in the blind can tell you haven't picked up a call since last season. You can always get a tape from a pro or a cd and on your way to and from work throw it in and practice your calling it will definatly make a huge difference.

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