Preparing for your season

Waterfowl season is just around the corner, is it not? Whether or not you will be hunting for Canada Geese or Teal in september, or just waiting a little bit longer for the regular duck season to roll around, there are things that need to be done to make things go smoother for that opening day. I have taken ten of the most important things that you should do before the season (in no specific order) and posted them here to give you an idea of what can be done to give you an easier time. These 10 items are my personal opinions, and you can rank them how you want, or substitute them with what you want.

1. Make sure your decoys have line and weights attached. I can't tell you how many times in the past I have been setting out decoys, to find out a few of them have no line or weights. Since you will have your decoys out, go ahead and check the line that you already have tied to your decoys, and make sure there isn't anything wrong with it, such as dry-rotting or breaking.

2. Test your waders. DO THIS NOW WHILE IT IS WARM. DO NOT WAIT. I can't stress to you enough how much you will hate finding a hole in your waders as soon as you step into the icy waters on opening morning. Check your waders now, while the water is warm. If you do have a hole, there are wader repair kits that you can buy. What we have done in the past is use "shoe goo". Its basically a shoe repair glue that you can put over the whole and fix the problem until you are able to finance a new set of waders. But if your one of those people who will wait until the last day, I have heard that you can take a shotgun shell (make sure its been shot) and melt it over the whole. That will give a temporary fix.

3. Stock up on stuff. Need shells? Decoys? Calls? Now is the time to get those things. Ordering online during duck season is hard, it will take the company a little while longer to get things shipped. Order stuff now, during the off season, and make life easier on companies.

4. Check in on the duck blind. If you hunt a pit blind, make sure there isn't any water thats trapped in there from rains....pump it out. Brush up your blinds, fix up the place a little bit.

5. If needed, repaint your decoys. If they are looking a little worn out from last season, or from sitting useless all summer, look into some decoy painting kits to keep your spread looking alive.

6. SCOUT. This should actually probably be at the top. Scouting is the key to a succesful hunt. If you are not where the ducks want to be, then you are going to have a rough time. Depending on where you live, start your scouting about a month ahead of time. For some people, now would be an excellent time to start. Others have a couple more months to begin.

7. Get the dog in shape. Honestly this should have been going on all summer. Starting now will remind your dog of what to do in hunting situations, but if there hasn't been any work all summer, than your dog may not be up to the challenges it was last season. (Don't feel bad, I havn't done much at all with mine.)

8. Go ahead and check up on your contacts. If you have permission to hunt private property, check in on the landowner. Make sure it is still okay to hunt their land, and offer to give them any help that they may need around their land.

9. Practice your calling. NOW is the time to begin practicing...not when your in the blind. If you don't know how to call, buy yourself a tape and learn. An even better way would be to go out to a park or other area where there may be birds that you are trying to imitate, and listen to how they communicate with each other. There is no greater teacher than the duck itself.

10. Check up on the new rules and regulations for the upcoming season. I believe most states regs. come out in August, so they should be out soon. Check the rules, make sure your not doing anything wrong. Its better to know what to do now, than to know what you should have done then.

--Alex

ATTENTION GOOSE HUNTERS: The diver destroyers, although it may sound like a duck only organization, is in need of a goose hunter to share some hunts, tricks, and tips with the waterfowling community. If any of you out there have great experience with Canadas, Snows, or Specks, please send an email to us diverdestroyers@hotmail.com and let us know if you would be interested in helping familiarize those of us who aren't so hot in the goose section. Thanks!!