Duck hunting!

[SeanC]

Hey guys,

With Duck hunting just around the corner I'm looking for some advice. Last year I went out solo to Frank lake about 5 times and managed to do alright, but I'm looking for some new places to try out. I know a lot of people recommend fields but I since I don't have access to a land and no hunting buddies I don't bother! What are some good public lakes to give a go preferably not too far from Calgary

Thanks 😃

[SouthWestRanger]

Lots of ducks unlimited land, look for ducks unlimited land with access to good water and close to good fields.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by SouthWestRanger

Lots of ducks unlimited land, look for ducks unlimited land with access to good water and close to good fields.

Not too much around Calgary...

[oilngas]

Curious about "I don't have access to private land". Have you not tried knocking on doors and talking with Landowners? I have lifelong friends that I met that way, and met many very nice folks! Drank a lot of coffee at kitchen tables, talked with folks doing farming work etc. to me those folks have become the best part of any excursion.

[SeanC]

Originally Posted by oilngas

Curious about "I don't have access to private land". Have you not tried knocking on doors and talking with Landowners? I have lifelong friends that I met that way, and met many very nice folks! Drank a lot of coffee at kitchen tables, talked with folks doing farming work etc. to me those folks have become the best part of any excursion.

I've thought about it! My main issue is I don't know where to go and what sort of land to look for if I get granted permission!

[tikka250]

Originally Posted by SeanC

I've thought about it! My main issue is I don't know where to go and what sort of land to look for if I get granted permission!

pretty simple actually. drive around until you see birds then consult your landowner map then talk to said landowner

[calgarychef]

It depends what kind of hunting you like and whether you have some decoys.
I love a canoe and a few decoys, it’s Maybe not as Effective as a field shoot but there’s something about being in the water in the fall. The guys doing the field shooting get their panties in a bunch about this kind of hunting. if you have a few hunters on different sloughs or around a big one you can really move the ducks around, sometimes it makes for a good hunt.

If you can find an area with a few sloughs quite close to each other you can get on the land between them and do some pass shooting as they fly back and forth.
I used to have a hill between some sloughs and the pass shooting on that hill was something else... they’d fly about 6” off the ground to get over the hill.

Or set some Floating decoys up on the edge of a slough, do some calling and whack them as they come in for a landing. Make sure you have a way to retrieve them. I’ve used a calf sled to drag in my gear it’s a lot of work but sure is fun.

[crocker038]

x2. alberta conservation sites and ducks unlimited land. a kayak/canoe or chest waders if it's not deep. a dozen decoys.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by tikka250

pretty simple actually. drive around until you see birds then consult your landowner map then talk to said landowner

Exactly, it just takes some time and effort.

[capncrunch1111]

A buddy and I started to dabble in waterfowl hunting a couple years ago as something to do before the big game hunting season starts. We've been using the 'Alberta Discovery Guide App' to look for different ACA/Ducks Unlimited Sites. That is a good place to start if you're like us and not interested in driving around asking for landowner permission.

http://www.albertadiscoverguide.com/iPhoneApp.cfm

There are a handful of good sites within an hour of Calgary and they are usually good for a morning or after work hunt. During the early season especially we always see lots of ducks and occasionally some geese coming in to the different sites we've hunted at.

Using the Ihunter app we also found a handful of grazing leases north of Calgary that we were able to hunt ducks on as well.

Best of luck.