“It’s by far the best controlled-draw hunt on the West Coast,” Spragens proclaims. One of those new baits is the Hardcore NOI-Z wakebait, a hinged lure that uses a hard-knocking rattle, a rear prop and a feathered treble hook to draw ferocious strikes. Be sure to carry additional means of hiding the boat or building a blind in natural cover. If you really want to get off the grid and leave almost all of the competition behind, you can get innovative and scout out lakes and ponds outside the boundaries of the valley. When searching for public hunting opportunities, the amount of scouting done is usually directly proportional to the number of leads uncovered. Hunters welcome the onset of hard November freezes, which challenge ducks and geese to find extra energy in farm fields and, especially, open water. Havasu NWR offers both goose and duck hunting opportunities, with snow geese and whitefronts in the mix. Duck hunting doesn't get any better. Those are good number for us. What part of Cali are you in? Summer Playbook: Action abounds both on and off the water in the Western New York region. Just over an hour’s drive from Boise and bordering a major reservoir, CJ Strike is a magnet for waterfowl, and nearly the entire area is open to hunting. The main thing is not to get discouraged if you have a slow day. © 2020 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Northern California's #1 Fishing and Hunting Guide Service. These California waterfowl hunting destinations are among the state's top picks for ducks and geese this season. For more information, visit oregonhuntingmap.com/#/map. The areas that are open to hunting offer zero fees and don't have hunter quotas. While it's true these areas don't attract or hold the numbers of birds that valley waterways do, they do offer reliable shooting, particularly during periods of stormy weather. Here's how to get your rig ready for archery deer season. In a competitive calling situation, the loudest, most aggressive caller may fare best on some days, but on others, a subtle or even silent approach can be especially effective. Scouting and homework are key to optimizing the waterfowl hunting opportunities on lakes and ponds around your region. It is illegal to even retrieve downed birds in closed areas. Try to hunt whenever an approaching cold front might push new birds down the flyway. The birds have access to hundreds of miles of resting and loafing spots on the Snake, a perfect setting for hunting by boat in the winter. For more information, visit fws.gov/refuge/billy_frank_jr_nisqually/. Zone A deer hunters heading afield this August can expect to see some of the biggest bucks in years, and thanks to cooler-than … In the minds of many, the Sacramento NWR is California's premier public waterfowl hunting area. At least at the ones that I hunt. These destinations aren’t secrets, and most can be found on the websites of state agencies or the U.S. You also have to realize that places change from year to year because of droughts, floods, or different food conditions. I'll usually set out around three dozen oversize mallard decoys. Fake websites pretending to sell licenses have increased as state DNRs move to online... Field skills: If you want to go long, start training with these tips. Study flight patterns to determine the best times to hunt. From there it's all about trial and error. Outdoor Life may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. One trip we got a total of six mallards, a pintail, a wood duck and a couple geese. I am new to duck hunting in California, so please pardon my ignorance. We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests. With safety always in mind, a deep-draft boat with an outboard may be a better choice for large rivers and lakes where long runs in rough water are the rule. Have one or more spinning-wing decoys available. If you have a couple on hand, you have the option of using them as you see fit. “Guys out there pick a main drainage channel,” Spragens explains. Copyright © 2020 Outdoor Life. If I had to describe the state's hunting and fishing opportunities in a single word, "diversity" would be my first pick. Public Lands in California offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including hunting, fishing and recreational target shooting. Be ready and willing to move with the birds. Finally, if you are lucky enough to draw a premium X Zone tag you can pursue massive mule deer bucks that call the high desert terrain east of the Sierra crest home. Tremendous numbers of mallards and Canada geese winter along the Columbia, and the waterway offers some of the best diver hunting in the flyway. Bill Monroe is an Oregon-based freelance writer who has hunted the Pacific Flyway for three decades. But hold on! Most states have management areas or refuges (state or federal) where waterfowl are concentrated and public hunting is allowed. Vegetation is so low on the delta that hunters often use canal banks for cover or brush up their own blinds, Spragens says. McGowen, Murrell, and Checkett offer the following advice on how to find good public waterfowling spots: Once you have done your reconnaissance and located some good public areas, how do you make the most of the waterfowl hunting potential they offer? This can be especially true when the moon is full. Recent Land And Farm data records approximately 300,000 acres of hunting land for sale in California, which was valued at a … All Rights Reserved. This compilation of public waterfowling destinations provides just a glimpse of the hunting opportunities that are available throughout North America. "You have to keep scouting and moving to stay in the birds. Purchase and learn to use a GPS. During the waterfowl season, hunting pressure is at its height early in the season and then tapers off greatly as the season goes on and hunting in the more popular valley refuges improves. Doing so will allow you to navigate to and from remote sites where birds are working, even in the dark.Plan hunts according to weather changes, both current and anticipated. Figure out what areas allow waterfowl hunting and which don't. More than 260 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge, Humboldt Bay is its own golden gateway for wintering waterfowl, a welcome respite from the rugged coastline and the only major bay between San Francisco and Coos Bay, Oregon. Better still, a big percentage of these birds are mallards and wood ducks. Hiring an airplane and pilot can be costly, but an hour's worth of scouting from a duck's perspective may uncover opportunities that other hunters don't know are there. “Hunt ducks in the morning and brant in the afternoon.”. Both jump-shooting and setting up with decoys are effective in the right places. “Birds come in off the bay,” says Kyle Spragens, waterfowl section manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunters who avoid pressure or work around it enjoy good shooting. Hunters who aren't willing to work for their birds will likely be disappointed with the results. “Most folks use jet boats,” notes Jeff Knetter, upland game and migratory game bird coordinator for the Idaho Fish and Game. “But all of the river in southern Idaho can be drifted. Call state wetland managers or wildlife biologists and ask where you can find good public hunting. Become Internet savvy. On these areas, hunting pressure may be heavy, but hunters who learn to work around it can still enjoy reliable action. Read more. In an average year, more than 7,000 hunters visit the Sac NWR. It’s important to note, however, that most of the Columbia’s islands are on the Washington side of the state line, so be sure you are in compliance with the appropriate state’s license requirements and regulations that apply where you hunt. As these hunters will tell you, "public" can still mean "productive.". Use as many decoys as feasible. "I like to pull my boat into a deadfall on a chosen point. Mallards were dropping in shortly after putting decoys out and didn't stop. Many duck and goose hunters don't have access to private lands, leases, or clubs, so they are relegated to public areas and the vagaries that come with them. "I moved around a lot last year and seemed to be in the birds just about everywhere," related north state waterfowler Todd Strickland. Ron Sinfelt photo. In reality, there is "moving" water duck hunting available all the way from San Francisco Bay up through the upper bays, up farther past the Delta and up the Sacramento River all the way past Red Bluff in the extreme northern end of the Sacramento Valley. In the Sierras, you can climb into alpine country in hopes of tagging a big blacktail/mule deer hybrid. Indeed, it is estimated that upwards of 60 percent of the ducks and geese following the Pacific Flyway in any given year pass through the Central Valley.

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