Do You Have A Top 5 List?

When hunting public land it's not uncommon to find a spotlight sitting in the spot you shot ducks just yesterday. But now what?

Here's how to make sure you still shoot a limit of ducks.

One of the keys to successful waterfowl hunting, especially when you're hunting public land, is to give yourself multiple chances to succeed. One of the best ways to ensure consistent success throughout the year is to always have a minimum of three different locations identified to hunt and we recommend choosing five different locations whenever you take the field.

By identifying where you will hunt in advance you give yourself the advantage of clearly taking into account all of the factors that will be important to your success. You'll be able to calmly think about where the best spots to hunt that day will be and you can then list your choices from 1 to 5. This is especially important when you take the field in the dark. Then when you get to your destination and someone is in your top spot, you won't go into a panic and make a poor location choice. Instead, you'll be able to confidently choose a secondary spot based upon your preplanning.

This preplanning technique has paid huge dividends for us. In the past I was faced with a situation where a major front was moving into the area on Monday. When I arrived at the parking lot almost 20 other groups of hunters were already present. Since I had my top 5 list I knew that there was no need to panic. I didn't get spots number 1-3 but I did get spot number 4. Instead of fumbling around in the dark I was able to get my boat in position, set up my decoy spread, and enjoy a great sunrise and an early limit of ducks.