# Duck advise Jacksonville



## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

I need some general advice on duck hunting. I am in Jacksonville FL and have been hunting deer and hog for 5 years and do pretty good at that.

This is my first official duck season. I have scouted a ton by motor boat, kayak, car, bike, google maps...

Spent entire pay checks on gear; waders, decoys, mojo, camo, shells, paint, guns, blinds..

I hunted 7 mornings at the Guana wma and have 0 ducks to show for it. 

I have been going by kayak and paddling with all my gear and it is a tight fit.

When scouting what should I look for?

I have been looking for spots in the intercoastal waterways (SaltWater) but there is no fresh water vegetation.

DO puddle ducks (teal, wood duck) eat any salt water plants? Or am I wasting my time in the marsh and salt water areas?

Thanks


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

When scouting, you are looking for ducks.

This sounds like a smart assed answer and it is, but no matter how good the water looks, if the ducks aren't there, they just aren't there.  Good areas will have ducks moving around in the morning and afternoon.  

Once you are out there, don't be scared to move if you see something better or to reset your dekes if the wind shifts.  Lots of guys depend their decoys and calls pull the ducks in, so they put out so many decoys that they can't relocate while concurrently forcing any interested ducks to land out of range and then bray all day at ducks in the next time zone.  In the marsh, you have to find where the ducks want to be anyway and then just use your decoys to show them where to park. This requires that you know how to set your decoys in relation to the wind, shore contour and blind. This is explained in multiple books and articles. My dad is horrid duck caller, but he sets a great decoy spread and was very successful. If the wind changes a bit, the birds will start to flare. He'll cuss and then go out and move 3-4 decoys and the birds will start to come in again.

I've always hunted brackish water and I've killed my share of ducks.  You do want there to be freshwater flowing if you are after puddle ducks, but salt water moving back and forth with the tide doesn't shut down the show.

Florida starts that early? Dang. I saw some big ducks in Maryland during teal season the weekend before last, but most of the ones I saw were either released, non-migratory mallards on a reserve north of the public marsh I hunt or black ducks, which I now know are basically equivalent to a mottled duck and don't migrate.  There has been no real weather up north to push them south so there may just not be many ducks down there yet.  Opening day of the first split is this Saturday and I am hoping for better luck than I had during teal season.  I know from last season that this marsh holds birds, so I just have to wait for them to get here.

Just keep scouting.  You'll find them.  Good luck.

Nate


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Question: how did you hunt Guana 7 times?



> I have been looking for spots in the intercoastal waterways (SaltWater) but there is no fresh water vegetation.


I sure hope not. Freshwater vegatation should not grow in saltwater or there is something really wrong.



> DO puddle ducks (teal, wood duck) eat any salt water plants?


Not really. The puddle ducks go to saltwater to rest and the saltwater kills the little bugs that live in the down of the ducks.



> Or am I wasting my time in the marsh and salt water areas?


You are wasting time if you are at home watching tv. There are ducks there, but the type of duck you are describing (puddle ducks) are only visitors. If you are in that area then you need to hunt ducks that live in saltwater (diver ducks).

There is a lot of good hunting in Jax and you need to scope it out. You are in the right vicinity.

If you bought mallard decoys you need to take them back as they rarely migrate this far in any huntable populations. There are some that are strays and yes you can shoot them but you will not find enough to put out a spread and have them come in. Greenheads are a bonus duck here not a staple.

Duck calls, if you are blowing a mallard call don't expect to call in many ducks as most of the ducks are not mallards and divers don't respond too well to calling, they will respond well to a good decoy spread.

If you want to shoot puddle ducks you need to move away from the salt and find freshwater. Look for the little round green weed seed floating on the surface. Then find where the ducks are feeding and mark it. That is where they want to be and will come back until you start blasting and then they will find a new location that is safe. Find an opening in the weeds about an acre in size and I am sure you will find ducks.

Duck hunting is not any different than any other hunting - just a different species.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Panama, that is good advise from Ducknut.

I suspect you need to take a road trip and get out of the Jacksonville area.  I know your post was back in Oct., but now is the time to scout for ducks since it's cold up north and the majority of ducks that will come to Florida will be here now.  That way, it will be easier to spot where they are since the numbers will be hard to miss.

My favorite duck hunting is Wood ducks, but are one of the most hardest ducks to hunt in Florida (aside from teal).  They are usually found in and around creeks in very wooded areas (hence the name), away from dense populations of people.  They seem to follow the same flight path every morning and every evening.  So investing the time to do nothing but look up from those creeks and small rivers that wind thru the woods.  Once you find those paths, you can almost mark them if you can't remember them and then stage up there during season. They whistle and you can hear their wings flap for just a split second before they fly over.  So if your shotgun is not pointed straight up, you will miss the split second they zip overhead the creek.

Try going inland and look for those wooded creeks and small wooded tributaries that feed the St Johns.

I went cobia fishing (fly Fishing) in Tampa Bay a few mornings back and seen maybe 15k of birds in floats of 200-300 birds, just off shore (maybe a 1/4 mile out on the flats).  So you know when they are down in these numbers, they will fill up the choice spots where to find them during season.  The more birds now, the better the spots are during season.

Down here in mid Florida, if I'm lake hunting, I like looking for coots.  coots are good watch dogs for ducks and I will use coot decoys with other decoys since it's a signal that all is ok to land in a safe area.

One thing I would also do is look for whistling black bellied tree ducks since they are dumb and will go to the duck hangouts.  Shoot them and they will circle back around to look for their downed buddies.  They are non-native to Florida and tend to breed year round.  We are getting over run with them in west central Florida and you can shoot them in your back yard with a pellet gun if it's legal.   ;D

We have more mattle ducks (Florida mallards) than greenheads down this way. But not too many around saltwater. Ringers and blue bills are the 1st to show up in the salt.

You might have to make a road trip and get away from the Jacksonville area to find good ducks.  Okefenokee, John Bethea, Oceola, Deep Creek, Bayard, Six Mile creek....etc.

Also, look at some of the dedicated duck bulletin boards for other outside help.  Join Ducks Unlimited and go to their club meetings.   There you will find some very knowledgeable ole duck hunters that would be willing to share with young bucks like you who are trying to learn all he can about a sport they love so much.  You will see that those guys are a wealth of local knowledge.  So the membership fees are well worth the savings you will have trying to find those choice places on your own.  Plus, they might let you join them on some of their hunts, which is the best learning of all.   

So get out there and scout NOW, when the birds are everywhere and join DU!


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Panama - did you find some?

Backwater - I saw one raft yesterday of 1-2k ducks. I would bet there are a 1/2 million on the bay right now.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Hey Duck Nut, I didn't know you were in Brandon.  You should see the skiff I'm doing that is a skinny water skiff/ duck boat with gun boxes.  I'll post pics when I'm done in late spring.  Anyways, the area I saw the rafts were between Apollo Beach and Little Manatee.  We think there was about 15k birds out there in just that short shot. And the Howard Franklin was covered up in birds the other day. That would be funny if someone shot birds from under that bridge. I could just see it in the news.... "Man arrested for shooting ducks from under the Howard Franklin bridge and the dropping ducks causing traffic accidents on the bridge!" ;D

Hey Panama, invest some time into learning about the "Stick Marsh" south of you.  There are more variety of ducks there than anywhere else in the State.  That's a road trip worth doing!


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

I kind of figured it out. Lots of paddling as my local area doesn't let motors over 10 hp and. My boat had a 40.

Took a long time but I got some


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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)




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## Panamakid (Oct 30, 2009)

Panamakid said:


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