Field Notes
Lean on online gauges, avoid hunting headaches
Some forethought in monitoring predicted wind strength and direction, combined with a close eye on water level gauges can serve duck hunters well. […]
Articles by Darren Digby
Ducks
Don’t shut the door on opening duck day
Duck hunting season is almost upon us here in Louisiana. Weed out common hunting mistakes so you’ll be ready when it opens again. […]
Deer Hunting
An 8-legged threat to hunters
It’s no surprise that spiders are a common culprit for hunters’ annual ailments in the field, some even resulting in hospital visits. […]
Outdoor Updates
Mississippi Flyway flooding wrecks crop production
A winter and spring that was a boon for waterfowl habitat has turned out to be a bane for farmers, as flooded fields continue to hamper planting efforts. […]
News Breaker
Top tactics for public waterfowling success
With so many quality options for chasing waterfowl on the Bayou State’s public land, most hunters usually find a few birds for the pot. […]
Teal
Scouting for teal
As some early-migrating blue-winged teal are already arriving in the Bayou State, hunters are gearing up to chase the feathered rockets from Cameron to Caernarvon and Monroe to Morgan City. […]
Ducks
Late-season duck calling tips
As many manufacturing processes trend toward computerized, assembly-line production techniques, there are still some things best done the old-fashioned way — like Faulk’s Game Calls.
News Breaker
DIY duck blind dog stand
When constructing and preparing land-based duck blinds in the marsh, we go to great lengths to ensure the hide is both comfortable and functional. But adding a retrieving dog to the mix brings additional considerations and challenges. The dog must be integrated into the hunt, but in a safe way that also hides him from circling birds.
Ducks
Top 5 tactics for early season success
Landing zones – Though creating defined landing zones is often a favorite decoy pattern for hunters, it only takes observing a raft of puddle ducks one time to realize they will plop down just about anywhere — regardless of an available zone. Focus on replicating a relaxed group of loafing and feeding ducks at your favorite hole, and the birds should present plenty of shooting opportunities.
Ducks
DIY decoy rigging
Today’s waterfowl decoys come in innumerable shapes, sizes and species applicable to various hunting situations.
News Breaker
Blind brushing tips for opening day
With the Louisiana waterfowl seasons kicking off this month, duck and goose hunters across the state will be heading out to scout and brush blinds.
Contents
Prepping for early season success
As if finally locating long lost friends, they arrived just as we’d envisioned. The five-pack of gadwall redefined the term ‘fully committed’ from the time they hit the far edge of the pond, and dropped into our spread without hesitation. As the guns let loose, no stragglers escaped to rat us out to the masses yet to come.
Contents
Public prospects — Top 5 WMAs for duck hunting
Backlit faintly by the early morning glow, they came as we’d hoped. Silhouettes — large and deliberate, and small and acrobatic — bombarded our spread.
We were able to pick up our jaws from the marsh mud just in time to catch that telltale sound as a few feathered bodies splashed down amongst their plastic counterparts.
Sidebars
6 shooting tips for better gun handling in the duck blind
• Keep your gun at the ready, with the butt on the side you shoot from and the barrel pointed in a safe direction.
Contents
The mechanic — Expert shooting tips to improve wing shooting
We’ve all been there: Birds glide in over the decoys ever so gracefully, shots erupt from the hidden hunters but nothing falls.
News Breaker
Taxidermist provides tips for quality duck mounts
Your trusty retriever returns with a monster “chocolate head” — a beautiful pintail, complete with its namesake tail feather dragging the ground.