Up the creek

Do you ever decoy ducks on a large river? It looks as if you typically shoot on little creeks.

Tom says: I do occasionally shoot larger rivers, but this is dependent on the conditions. We have a good-sized river that runs through a selection of our marshes that can be productive. I particularly like to shoot it at low water on a morning flight as it can be the best area to ambush ducks heading out to rest. I typically set up on the smaller creeks when it comes to tide flighting for a few reasons.

First, it is far safer to shoot on a narrower creek than being on the edge of a large expanse of water with strong currents. The dogs have plenty of points to get out of the water and on to dry land in creeks, which is far better for them. Second, the creeks are often where the ducks wish to shelter. Last, the creeks often offer better concealment areas and help funnel the birds in towards the decoys. I have set up on the river’s edge before and struggled to get birds to commit to the decoys as they know it is far safer to land outside the spread.

Peter says: I do not possess a retrieving dog that I can send out, so when a winged bird starts walking off, I simply shoot it again on the ground. I find this disrupts the flightline much less than running out to despatch the bird by hand.

Ducks are more likely to shelter up a creek than on the open river