Introducing Ducks

[countrylad2 2]

Hi all

 

I'm looking for as much information and guidance as possible, I am looking at introducing ducks to a small shoot of ours next season, we are looking at putting down around 60 duck between a couple good size ponds my main questions are do people push ducks straight from the pond as I have been told this is not the way to do it. If this is the case do people use a crop where they draw the ducks to and flight them from their? as you can probably tell we have never put ducks down before and are very new to the idea, the only time I have shot ducks is when they have been flushed straight off of a pond. also if anyone knows where I can purchase mallard eggs and how much I should be looking at spending and information possible would be more that appreciated.

 

many thanks

Tom

[burnie69 376]

6 week old mallard growers are around £3.50 depends were you get them from alot easier them messing with eggs when you only need a small amount. I've found there best off been fed away from the water . I feed 400 up to a wood with the pheasants. I release them straight on the water at 6 weeks.feed them once aday . They come weeks before the pheasants but everytime I go to feed I whistle them. Ducks are greedy they soon get to know that the whistle is feed time. When the pheasants get pulled up to the wood they come up . Make a bloody mess and the pheasants Do take a little time to get use to them but there ok with it. Same ducks left fed on the water arn't the best shooting. Trial and error with them. Don't stop trying different things.

[jok 3,244]

I had 5 flight ponds on the shoot. 450 mallard released more or less equally. All were fed away from the ponds and in most cases used barley from bags in adjoining fields. However. And I have said this many times on here. I had a friendship with a local greengrocer and subsequently with a local supermarket who both supplied me with goodly amounts of out of date bananas. The ducks went crazy for the things. The more rotten the better. Again fed away from the ponds. They, as already mentioned, soon learned the whistle. I' lol admit that at the early part of the season the shooting was anything but sporting, but towards the middle and latter parts they came into their own. The guns were eager for a go and it's a great way to end a day. Good luck with your endeavours.

[countrylad2 2]

thank you for the information much appreciated

[Belgianhunter 2]

I'm looking to put some duck down on a pond. I would feed them away from the pond, like mentioned. But how/when do you shoot them? Do you feed them somewhere else, and then put the guns in between the feeding place and the pond? And will they circel around the pond, or just bugger off?

[jok 3,244]

I guess the pond is not that big and therefore the number of guns is a deciding factor. Thing is with duck shooting, it's either early or late which means that the light is poor. What you don't want is each gun having a go at the same bird. The birds will always drop into the pond against the wind but normally will circle a few times to make sure they are safe to return to their roost. Another thing is night vision. You will hear all the talk of needing a bright moonlit night to shoot but in reality that is wrong. Cloud is definitely required to see incoming duck. As regards feeding, always feed away from the roost. Clearly I'm on about reared birds. Wild birds need to be fed in the shallows and I use barley. You can ascertain who's visiting by the clearance rate of the feed.

[Belgianhunter 2]

Thank you Jok for your reaction! I was actually looking to make it more like a drive. I was thinking to put down 100 duck. I was wondering if the duck would fly back from the feeding site, in small groups or would they all take off in one big group. I'm really interested in how everyone else does it.

[jok 3,244]

Well to answer your question about having a drive. First time that may well happen and if the guns are on the ball then you will fill the bag. However, as the birds get aroused by gunfire you will find them circling high and for quite a few laps. To be fair, who wants to get shot? You no longer have a drive. You will have sporadic shooting at best and if I'm any judge, guns taking high shots. 100 birds will be decimated in no time. How many guns? ( Maybe.

[Belgianhunter 2]

The last couple of years I just inviteded a couple of friends for an evening flight, but i was looking for something different. That's why i was thinking to make a drive out of it. But like you said, if i could only shoot them once, at has no point putting in the hours.

I normally ask 4-5 guns.

[jok 3,244]

There is no joy in shooting huge amounts of immature birds. Mallard will just zero in on the home pond and you might as well club them to death. At the end of the day we are SPORTSMEN and WOMEN and should treat our quarry with the utmost respect. Your guests would appreciate seeing some really high duck and getting a few in the bag rather than a trailer full. In my opinion.

[Belgianhunter 2]

No of course, I don't want to shoot huge amounts. But i would like a good return on sporting birds. Like everyone else does, i suppose.

If i would to feed them at the pond, but keep them pretty wild. And try to fly them a couple of times before the season.

could this be a possibility?

[jok 3,244]

Well youv'e gone from 60 to 100 birds. Even that's a leap with (presumably) one pond. 4/5 guns all eager to fill the pot. I guess you will walk the birds off daily from now till September which means a lot of work. You will definitely see the change in the birds. They will come in in an abstract manner which makes the guns need to think a bit more. The shooting will again alter with the change in the weather. High winds and rain, low cloud, the birds change completely. Far more interesting than a drive.jok.