Outside Iowa®
With Thomas Allen
(August 23rd, 2010)
I know I say this a lot, but I can’t over emphasize the importance of preliminary preparation, for any sport! We participate because we want to succeed. This only happens by having a sound understanding of habits, techniques, and not wasting time on improperly maintained gear. If you didn’t store all your waterfowl accessories in a clean and organized fashion at the end of last season, then you are in good company! Very few of us do.
Now is the time to begin tackling that list, which could have been partially avoided if I wasn’t so lazy at the end of the previous season. By investing the time and effort now before the evening prior to the season’s first outing; you can start tossing decoys with confidence knowing everything is ready to go with the arrival of legal shooting light.
Start with the decoys. Pull out all the duck and goose decoys and spread them across the yard by type. Get a count and verify that it matches what you packed away last fall, fill a bucket up with a little soap, and turn the hose on. Yes, I am suggesting you clean your decoys. Decoys are used to provide an optical illusion and lure for approaching fowl of all types. You do not want a single doubt in their mind that the birds they are investigating are 100% real.
Ducks and geese alike are clean animals; therefore it is essential to scrub all the mud and grime from each decoy. Double check the anchor chords and replace any if necessary, nothing is more frustrating than looking for a deke that popped free and floated to who-knows-where. Additionally, locate the batteries for your Robo-Duck(s) and make sure they are charged up and ready to go.
If you spend substantial amounts of time on the marsh each fall then your waders take quite a bit of abuse. It is quite possible to acquire a hole or two, which can prove to be quite uncomfortable and inconvenient once the weather turns cold and the birds are moving in by the thousands. Put them on and double check where any leaks might be, and mark them with chalk. There are wader repair kits you can purchase, but for rubber waders, a simple bicycle inter-tube patch kit will work wonders!
If your boat doubles as your blind or you employ the use of layout blinds for field hunting, your success all season long depends on how well you are concealed. Also keep in mind that what you choose to use as camouflage additives, (i.e. grasses, etc.) might change as the season progresses. 2010 is the year that all boater registration needs to be renewed. If you haven’t done so yet, get that updated before you head out or a ticket might be an unnecessary added expense.
Finally, I have found this to be the single most overlooked step in this whole mess. Make sure you have purchased your current waterfowl hunting license and stamp. I can’t count the times where buddies have called and canceled their participation the morning of because they forgot to buy their licenses. They are available now, go get them!
Early season waterfowl’n is a tremendous time to get kids involved. There are usually plenty of birds and the weather is typically quite comfortable making it an enjoyable and memorable experience. Clean your gun, shoot a few rounds, and start scouting now. Success on opening day depends on it!
Feel free to contact me with any questions!
(Thomas Allen is a professional outdoor writer, photographer, videographer, and outdoor talk radio show host; for more information visit www.outdoorpursuitsradio.com. If you have questions or comments feel free to email Thomas at tha481@gmail.com)
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