Maine has three waterfowl regions, each with specific hunting dates for ducks and geese, plus sea duck hunting.
It’s been a prolific year for several species of ducks. The smaller, less hardy ducks, such as teal and wood ducks, widgeon and gadwall will head farther south when frost becomes a regular morning event in the Crown of Maine. They stayed later the last two years because it was warm.
But full-colored mallards, big red-leg black ducks, some pintail and a few diving ducks will hang around Aroostook as long as there are ice-free waterways.
The most common method of hunting ducks is setting out a flock of floating decoys on a local waterway where large numbers of birds visit to rest and feed. It’s best to avoid hunting roost ponds where ducks spend each night, but fortunately Maine abounds with other waterway options.
A number of duck hunters prefer to set up a decoy spread and lay out blinds in cut grain, corn or potato fields near a waterway where the waterfowl regularly roost or rest. When the birds fly out to feed, they may spot the decoys and opt to join or at least fly over to check things out.
For waterfowlers who don’t own a retrieving dog or don’t want to spend the time and effort of transporting a boat, field gunning is a simpler option.
Jump shooting is another style of duck hunting that’s great for short, exciting outings. Scouting allows hunters to pinpoint specific sections of regional rivers and brooks where ducks regularly visit to rest in shallow water runs.
Brush-shrouded potholes, reed-edged farm ponds and shallow marshes are other favorite R & R locations for ducks during late mornings and afternoons.
The basic technique is that from one to three hunters in full camouflage clothing park away from the waterway, then slowly sneak within shooting distance using any and all available cover. The last few yards are a crawl. Then everyone pops up and hopefully gets a couple of shots each as the ducks flush.
At least a third of the time the wary and alert ducks take wing before hunters get within range.
I’ve saved my personal favorite method of hunting ducks for last: sneak and peek floating a canoe along a stream to glide within shotgun range is the most interactive way to shoot waterfowl in my opinion. It’s a two-person endeavor. The shooter sits in the bow of a stable canoe with shotgun ready while the stern man quietly paddles the boat, hugging the shoreline to drift close to ducks. Bogans, backwaters and calm eddies on corners are very attractive to ducks during the day.
Stealthiness is crucial to success and an experienced canoe navigator can guide progress downstream by using a wide paddle as a rudder. Minimal motion by each passenger and very little water disturbance by boat or paddle will allow the hunters to get within shotgun range.
Ducks randomly flying low along the river’s course offer exciting passing shots.
The gunning rule in my boat dictates that the two hunters switch places after a bird is downed or after the shooter misses on three chances. Usually lots of ducks flush, but it’s difficult to shoot them from a moving boat.
I use a 19-foot camo-painted Grumman square stern aluminum canoe, which provides a very stable shooting platform, has a shallow draft due to a shoe keel and is lightweight for easy maneuvering. Fall water levels can be low so a boat needs to float quietly rather than be dragged noisily over shallow runs.
Don’t forget that a federal and state duck stamp will be needed, steel or nontoxic shot shells are required by law and even if most of the water is shallow, wear a personal floatation device.
It’s hard to swing a paddle without hitting a duck on most regional waterways right now. But use a shotgun for better range and get out there now before the migration south begins.
