Open water

Tom Sykes explains how he shoots his inland flood when the water level starts rising

Iam very fortunate that the Boss of the estate has generously allowed me to shoot a flooded field on his land at the top end of the shoot for a number of seasons. A flooded field may look like a waste of valuable grazing to the untrained eye; however, I see the opportunity it presents for the opportunistic duck hunter.

Autumn leisure

One of the best times to shoot the field is early October. There seems to be a good number of ducks in the area by this point and the weather should have cooled off enough to allow me to shoot in peace without the pesky mozzies. The early season has another advantage as the water level is typically lower, making the flood more manageable to shoot. The smaller the area, the tighter the landing zone for the ducks and the greater chance I have of getting them in range. The reeds and rushes naturally surround the water when it is low, providing some much-needed cover to add to my concealment.

Shooting the flood when it is like that is all well and good, but this particular patch of ground is in Cumbria, which sees its fair share of rain in the winter months. I know a lot of people can give up when wet areas become unwieldy, but this can often be when the flood sustains the highest duck numbers during the season. The trick is to find a way to shoot it productively at the inevitable time when the water can be a few hundred yards long and a couple hundred yards wide and well over chest wader depth at its deepest.

Feeding

One method to concentrate the birds into an area is to feed them on a regular basis where you want them to be. Unfortunately, the water level fluctuates too much over a few days, making this near impossible unless you want the feed on the banking or too deep in the water for the ducks to reach. The birds seem happy to gather in large numbers to

rest up, feed on the aquatic invertebrates or, in the wigeon’s case, simply graze the grass along the edges. I have to rely on fieldcraft, calling, decoys and the weather to help tempt the birds in range.

Decoys

One of the main draws are the decoys. They work incredibly well in a number of situations but must be deployed correctly. When we get to the large flood, it is all about the numbers. I will use a lot of decoys in this situation to ensure that the spread is highly visible to any passing duck. I typically drag out most of my collection, which contains a variety of species. Some decoys show up better than others. I will use mallard, wigeon and pintail decoys as the main pattern and bulk that out with teal decoys. I typically use single weights on the decoys to stop them drifting and will often clip decoys to decoys to save on the amount of weights required for the job.

“The typical mallard call works with most species”

I don’t follow a particular pattern but typically aim to make the spread look natural with a good hole to help guide the ducks in. I achieve this by splitting the pattern in two with a good gap in the middle. I will also put the decoys relatively close together, as I believe it makes them easier to spot at distance. I determine how much space I want between the banking and the decoys relative to the wind direction. If the wind is from my back, I will keep the decoys close in to pull the ducks as close as possible. If the wind is blowing into my face as I look out over the water, I will set the decoys a good way out. This provides plenty of room for the ducks to feel happy landing between my shooting position and the decoys.

An ace up my sleeve is my collection of wind-powered rotary winged decoys, which add a lifelike movement to the decoy spread. I will set them right out in the water on raised poles to help pull the circling birds’ attention straight to the decoy spread. The white flash can be seen from a great distance and has helped increase the bag, especially on nice breezy nights when they work perfectly.

Calling

I always carry my calls during the season. I find that they can really help boost the bag, especially when mastered. Calling works well on the flood; it is another means to bring the decoys to the passing ducks’ attention and something that they will be expecting to hear on their final approach to land. The typical mallard call works with most species and in most scenarios; however, the wigeon whistle and drake and hen teal calls work well too.

Fieldcraft

You need to understand the environment and quarry to become a master at fieldcraft. I typically set up on the east side of the flood. This is purely because the sun sets in the west and that will give me the best chance of seeing my target right up until the last sliver of natural light is extinguished. Having read the birds’ movements, looked for signs and watched the general behaviour from a distance, I know roughly the best place to set up shop in terms of duck “hot spots”.

Concealment is key. The grass field is rather featureless, providing minimal cover. By mid-season, the ducks typically rock up at the last moment. This allows me to use the darkness as my ally to keep my location hidden. I don’t like to build a hide, but simply wear appropriate natural colours, keep movement to a minimum and keep far enough away from the water to prevent my location being silhouetted against the flood.

The pick-up

As the action is often thick and fast, I will normally leave the picking-up until the end of the flight. I will always have Goose and Hugo with me to help, and I will often pick birds myself when gathering the decoys. To avoid losing birds, I will cripple stop birds on the water if they aren’t fully despatched by the initial shot. This is good practice, where safe, as divers can be difficult to pick, and we owe it to our quarry to despatch it as swiftly as possible. A head torch and a lamp are valuable assets, illuminating the area to make gathering everything together a whole lot easier.

If you get a chance to shoot a large flood, give it a go. It can be exciting stuff and a great skill to master. We just need the weather to turn a little wetter and we will be out chasing ducks inland for the pot. Happy quacking!