Waterfowl & Duck Hunting Archives - Page 28 of 44

86ee5538-bc4d-4b6b-84b8-3c4bf28a7020

November 6, 2026

Know your limits, regs, times

Every year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts aerial surveys to estimate the breeding population of waterfowl across Canada and the northern United States. […]

Holman Byrd’s scaup (left) and canvasback decoys were made from cedar and tupelo; he also uses cork, which he says is indestructible.

Indestructible decoys? Make your own

Mike Marsh

Diving ducks come into the decoys flying extremely low, often barely above the surface of the water. When using large decoy spreads, low-flying waterfowl like scaup and canvasback can draw fire from hunters that riddles decoys with shot. […]

Beaver ponds usually have enough natural vegetation that building a makeshift blind is not difficult.

A quick construction project

Pete Rogers

Building a good blind in a beaver pond is a matter of using what the beavers have provided. […]

A good retriever can make a duck hunt on the New River even more enjoyable.

Bumpers boost canine confidence

Mike Marsh

One of the most enjoyable aspects of hunting ducks on big, open waters like the New River is watching a trained retriever making a long, difficult retrieve. […]

Chris House of Wilmington shot this drake ruddy duck or “butterball” on a New River diver hunt.

Fill out a bag limit with oddballs, butterballs

Mike Marsh

While most of the ducks on the New River are lesser scaup, other oddball ducks can help fill out a daily bag limit of six that can only include two scaup. […]

The Yentzen

North Carolina Sportsman

Sure-Shot pioneered the duck call market with their patented double reed design. […]

A brace of lesser scaup, aka bluebills, is a distinct possibility for hunters heading to the New River.

Go take a dive! Big, open-water hunts for diving ducks is what North Carolina’s ‘coastal’ New River is famous for

Mike Marsh

North Carolina’s New River of the east is a wide, salty estuary, quite a contrast to the winding, freshwater New River of the state’s northwestern corner. […]

The draw to hunting smaller bodies of water is the variety of ducks that can be encountered.

‘Less is more’ duck hunting – With the right approach, beaver ponds can make for great duck hunting across South Carolina

Pete Rogers

The morning mist lifted off the still water as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Soft ripples revealed a beaver returning to his lodge. […]

A bill in Congress proposes raising the price of the federal waterfowl stamp from $15 to $25.

Bill introduced in Senate would raise duck stamp price to $25

Craig Holt

A U.S. Senate bill was placed in the hopper Dec. 19 that would boost the cost for a federal waterfowl stamp from $15 to $25. […]

Carlton Tompkins of Capt. Froggy's Guide Service said aggressive calling is usually not required when hunting diving ducks or sea ducks on the Pamlico Sound.

Tone down your calling for diving ducks, Pamlico Sound guide says

Dan Kibler

Waterfowl hunters who have cut their teeth hunting swamps and small bodies of water for puddle ducks shouldn’t expect to have the same success on big-water, diving ducks without changing calling techniques, according to Carlton Tompkins of Capt. Froggy’s Guide Service. […]