Overlooked Waterfowling in Montana might be a better post heading here!

Over the last two days I have experienced the BEST waterfowling I have ever done! Let me say though that I have not had the time over the last 35 years to do much waterfowl Hunting. A day here and a day there - maybe one or two days a year. When I was young though I really got after the Ducks. From age 12 through 20 I probably Hunted them 20 days a year in western and eastern Washington.

Now that I am retired I am intent on doing more Duck and Goose Hunting!

Well my first Duck Hunt of this season came 2 days ago - Wednesday January 7th. My friend Ben and I met here in SW Montana at noon and headed for a flowing stream that had not frozen over.

We had 12 Mallard decoys and one remote operated Robo-Duck decoy! At 1:00 PM we were set up in the snow with all white camo on. My friend Ben was shooting his wonderful Browning O/U in 12 gauge with 3" chambers. I had my 30+ year old Remington 870 VR in 12 gauge but it only has 2 3/4" chambers and a modified choke. I was using Remington Magnum ammo with #3 steel shot. The birds were travelling in the wind all afternoon for us. Most flocks that came by were in the 8 to 10 bird size! Just perfect for an amateur like me. Our decoys were placed in the open water and we set up downwind and the birds came in over us.

We only shot at the Mallard Drakes and let the Goldeneyes, Widgeon and Mergansers and some Teal alone. The limit is 7 Mallard Drakes here or 2 Mallard Hens! So we took the time to identify the sex of the birds and carefully picked the Drakes out. This often meant that one shot was all per flight I could make. No problem.

We ended up with our limits! 14 Mallard drakes in 2 1/2 hours! What an amazing, exciting, rewarding, wonderful day! At one point I took my friend Bens Yellow Lab on a retrieve that went over 1/2 mile! The Drake we had shot at (a loner) had took the two loads of steel shot at 35 yards and simply flew off after crumpling initially! We marked its landing spot and I went directly to it. I had walked past the bird (now dead) in the yellow grass and snow but Sandy the dog smelled it and doubled back after I had passed it.

Other highlights of the afternoon were Antelope and Deer within 1/2 mile of our set up. I saw a Moose on my drive home in the willows.

This open flow runs for a couple miles and several Golden and Bald Eagles worked the length of the open water and scared up Ducks that were feeding along it! What an amazing sight it was to see the Eagles swoop into the Duck flocks as they jumped up! The Eagles did not seem to like Robo-Duck as long as his wings were rotating and did not come near when he was turned on!

Then yesterday we met for a quickie early morning Hunt in the same place - same set up! In 3 hours we harvested 7 Mallard Drakes. Just about enough to keep me in Ducks for the winter. We have until the 15th January (end of season) to maybe do one more Hunt. I am excited about it!

I do have to get a new shotgun for modern waterfowling though. I have never used anything but Remington 870's in my adult life so I may stick with them. I need to decide barrel length and chamber length. I know I will at least go with the 3" magnum chambers but I am a little recoil shy and may stay away from the 3 1/2" magnums.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

What an under used resoruce the waterfowling in Montana is!

I never heard any one but us fire a shot either day!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Enjoyed reading your enthusiastic waterfowling experience! I too have enjoyed some waterfowl excitment this week. Flighting wigeon on a salt water estuary, just as the light fades. I had 6 or 7 packs of a dozen or so flight over.
Great thing was I had sat out for an hour as the tide came in waiting for a mallard. Saw a couple but not in shot. Not much moving but some curlew; about to call it a day but chose to move a couple of hundred yards nearer to where the curlew were crossing. Sat for 5 mins. and suddenly I spot duck coming out the gloaming...A very exiting 30 mins. and my spaniel has gathered my 6 first ever wigeon!
Wonderful wildfowling Devon style!!

Trans-pond: Thanks for the posting of your Hunt there in Devon! I have heard the location Devonshire and want to look you up in my world atlas. Please give me directions to you on the map.
Also do your Hunting regulations require you to use steel shot in your shells or can use use the lead shot. We are required to use steel shot here in the U.S. for waterfowling!
I also just looked up Wigeon in my bird book and they show 2 styles of Wigeon: #1 - Eurasian Wigeon with brown only on the males heads and #2 - American Wigeon with green and white on the males heads. The book says the Eurasian Wigeon is a frequent visitor to the United States but does not breed here only in Eurasia where ever that is (I assume Europe and Asia).
I assume you harvested the Eurasian Wigeon as my book does not relay if the American Wigeon ever gets over to the British Isles.
I hope you get out again soon. It looks like I will get out once more before the end of the season (which is January 15th) and that will be on the 13th.
Good luck if you get out again
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

V-G, hi I live on coast near top of the SW peninsula. (Nearest town is Barnstaple 10 miles)
Yes for last 2 years we have to use non lead shot for wildfowl. I use Express steel 70mm 32gram or Eley bismuth through a l/h remington 1100.
This time of year I manage to go wildfowling, roughshooting (pheasant/woodcock) and deerstalking at least once a week.
Good thing about wildfowling is I live about 5 miles from the estuary, so if the weather and tide look good I pack up work an hour early and give it a go.
We don't have quotas and tags etc so we leave it to our own discression as to what we bag. On the whole it works ok. Fingers crossed we don't get further regulated, we have pretty draconian gunlaws by US standards already. Whereabouts in USA are you? What other types of shooting do you do? With a handle like yours I guess it's coyotes and prarie dogs off a bipod?
Best of luck with any future hunting outings.

I went to hevi shot that out preforms lead. Also I shoot bismuth that shoots about like lead. I reload both and they kill way better the steal matter of fact I give up waterfowl hunting because of steel. The dam stuff is like pissing into the wind. A couple of freinds of mine us the hivel stuff they say it works better. Get some Hevi shot and shoot 23/4 shells and you well kill lots of ducks and geese. I have killed lots of big geese with one shot with 1 1/4 3s hevi shot at 50 to 60 yards.

Trans-pond: Good for you being close to your Hunting spot! I am in Dillon, Montana and Hunt both north of town (28 miles) and south of town (up to 50 miles - 60 kilometers? south of town) for waterfowl.
I literally Hunt everything! My first love in Big Game Hunting is for the Mule Deer but I also Hunt Bear, Elk, Antelope, Mountain Goat and have Hunted Moose, Mt. Lion and Wolf in the past with not much success as yet on those last three.
I do Hunt Varmints year round and do relish Prairie Dog Hunting along with Coyotes, Fox, Bobcat (actually classified as a fur bearer not a Varmint here in Montana), Badger, Rock Chucks, Ground Squirrels, 3 species of Rabbits, Skunks, Raccooons, Weasels and several species of flying Varmints!
My favorite Varmint to Hunt though is the Rock Chuck. They are called Ground Hogs in some parts of the U.S.A.
I also have really taken a liking to Hunting our American Turkey over the last 4 years since I got my first one. We have a spring season and a fall season on them - one Turkey per season or two a year. You can only use shotguns on the Turkeys here in Montana during the spring Hunt but you can use Rifles also on them in the fall season. I have taken 5 or 6 Turkeys now!
I am really taking a liking to this waterfowl Hunting and will buy my own decoys and maybe even a Robo-Duck decoy for next season.
That is very interesting your being able to set your own limits over there! I will be darned!
I probably shoot 4 to 10 Grouse and/or Pheasant a year here in Montana. Many of my friends shoot 20 to 40 Grouse a year!
We have Snipe here but I am not sure if there is much of a following for them as they are small and folks might prefer to Hunt the larger birds.
Thanks for the info on your Hunting shotgun and the directions to your area. I will look it up tomorrow.

P-Dog-Shooter: I have printed out your post and will buy some of your suggested ammo ASAP. I have only one spot here to check for ammo close by but will find some for next year for sure! Thanks for the suggestions.

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmitGuy,

I say keep your 2 3/4" 870..even with steel shot! While my 870 is a 3", I cut my teeth on Dad's 2 3/4". He still uses it exclusively and frankly, 2 3/4" is perfectly fine for ducks. I always use 2 3/4" steel loads and always do just fine. I got into the 2 3/4" habit for Dad's "benefit". When we could hunt together, (we no longer live close) if he ran out of shells, he could just shoot mine...and I never got out of the practice.

I don't know how many ducks and geese I have shot over the years with 2 3/4" steel, but I can say it is probably 15:1 to 3" steel.

I have never shot the other non-toxic shots, but have heard that the Hevi-shot is awesome. Too expensive for me and it is rare that I take a shot over 40 yards anymore...just dont have that need anymore. I like 'em in my face and would rather pass on a longer shot. It's just more fun to do it right! Inside 40 yards, steel kills 'em just as good as anything else.

Congrats on the good hunts recently! Those kinds of days are precious! I have had several myself and they are fond memories.