We hunted a widgeon mid day roost(they also roosted on this same pond but would leave well before shooting light and come back around 11am-12) every weekend of the season. The same group was there every day of the season and did not leave from hunting. At the same time this was the first time anyone has ever hunted this pond.
You, My friend are a pros pro. From the way you present yourself on video, to the amount of information you possess, to your obvious knowledge of Videography. The waterfowl community is lucky to have you making content Keep it rolling! my friend!
We leave the duck roost alone for ducks almost exclusively. But your insights on geese, where, I believe you explained that a major goose feeding spot is similar to hunting the goose roost. We are adjusting and learning every season and appreciate the thoughts!👍
I very seldom hunt in the afternoons…generally I am a morning hunter, with scouting mid day and in the afternoon. I do this because my Flyway, the Atlantic Flyway, just doesn’t produce that often. If I do decide to hunt afternoon, it would very late in the season. Hunting a roost, yes I have when I was young. I just don’t do it anymore.
I have a private little slough that at any given day will hold 100+ wood ducks. Two years ago I took some buddies and shot it out two different times. Killed a lot of wood ducks twice. The next year. I sat up in the flyway to it a few hundred yards. Shot 4 or 5 wood ducks a day and some big ducks too. Would you rather kill a few limits. Or would you rather consistently have a wood duck round? For me I enjoyed a little consistency.
@@wilesdukedubose4431 I never hunted alone... I believe it’s 2-3 a person. Usually 4 or 5 of us. I’ve never been over. Get checked too often where I hunt.
Great information... I have had the opportunity to hunt roosts but Joel described precisely my experience... jump them off before daylight and very little action thru the day. A few days later it's the same experience. I found some fringe places to hunt and had nice action and yet didn't disrupt the habits... God Bless
I loved the description of seen hundreds of birds getting up in the morning because I get the same feeling. Where I hunt it’s all public land so it is pretty bad in the mornings when there are a lot of ducks because they roost everywhere it seems. I try to avoid the big group areas but get as close as I can without scaring them off the roost. Another great video to learn from as I didn’t know about scaring geese off the roost being a bad idea.
I'm a school teacher, so I've got the time but obviously not the money to hunt private land but once or twice a season. But lets be honest, on public land, I'll jump the roost anytime.
With so much huntable land being Public up here in northern VT. You have to go where the birds are or someone else will. We have a few main refuges by Canada and then the middle of the state where they flock by the thousands and then feed somewhere else by day but we're definitely a lake state vs a roost pond type state. The honkers have a more defined roost but its almost always on the lake. They'll get into cycles of grass and water until it gets too cold and we cut corn and then it's on!
Great discussion Joel! I only have one roost spot that I'll hunt but it's a beaver dammed creek that doesn't get any pressure. It's about a 3 mile cross country hike in. I only hunt it a couple times a year but it's the only spot I've hunted where I'll jump them up and consistently get birds as they come back in. I also received my first pair of high n dry waders and can't wait to put them to the test this season!!
First off love the content on this channel. I hunt South Dakota and in the SE part of the state you almost always hunt the roost because most of the birds feed all night and come back to the roost right at day break. But a have a couple times a year you go in a small pot hole and most of the birds are back before legal shooting time and you get one round of shooting in and it’s over. Then you go North South Dakota and you almost always hunt dry fields in the morning or evening, and you are crazy if you hunt the roost! Crazy how different the birds act in the same state just a 100 miles apart.
Do you think wood ducks can be conditioned to be kicked off (not shot at just walked in on) a roost pond and start coming back in the mornings if food is present on the pond
It’s hard to find roosts where I’m at we’ve got the massive TVA lakes and ducks don’t all roost in one spot like in other areas you might have a few in this spot and a few in this spot it’s real sporadic I’ve got a theory that the ducks in my area roost in the middle of the river/lake and raft up. Joel you’re right about how ducks are changing I remember years ago in the early 90’s ducks would respond to calls and we could work them. Now it’s like there’s a fine line on calling and every flock is different heck every species is different Mallards and Gadwalls in my area love being called to and will respond but go to my spot in Southern Illinois they won’t at all its like it flares them. I remember 20-25 years ago I don’t ever remember ducks being as active at night like they are now feeding in flooded fields at night then hanging out on the sanctuaries during the day. I think ducks have learned how to pattern us hunters during the season. I’d like to see a study done on how many ducks are killed the first few weeks of the season and see if it falls off due to nocturnal feeding I’d be surprised what it would show. Ducks have changed drastically in the last 20 years in my opinion it’s like they are starting to figure stuff out but that’s just my opinion.
The only spot I hunt currently that is a for sure roost at times is a pond on my father-in-laws old dairy farm. I will hunt it once or twice a year trying to get a few wood ducks (so far not too successful lol). My lease field does get used a roost off and on during the season, as I'm sure many of the fields around us are too. The pattern you are seeing in Arkansas is pretty similar what I'm seeing in Central Louisiana too.
I love to jump ducks out of creeks or small potholes when lake hunting is slow. I would fall over if I ever saw a thousand ducks in one spot…it just doesn’t happen where I live. Interesting topic ! Thanks for posting !
The moist soil habitat in West Texas is ridiculous. Mallards and Pintails just live there until we bump them out. They literally eat and sleep there and they don’t leave some of those units unless they get hunted.
Great content! Just started calling a couple years ago, have a feeder chuckle, quacks and an okay greeting down, I’d love to see a break down on calling with another person, or even a better caller in the blind with you. How to chime in and add to their calling, thanks!
I’d say no. I hunt in northwestern oregon mainly and I think it’s good to hunt them when when they come in to feed. We’re very far north in the pacific flyway and ducks have no problem getting out of the area id you spook them from the roost. Way better to be conservative. I’d rather get 3 or 4 ducks for 10 hunts than limit for 2 or 3.
I just got burned by it this morning. Regardless, I viewed it as more of a recon mission. They all dipped out at or before first light. A few trickled back but not in enough numbers to warrant hunting. Debating on whether it's worth trying an afternoon/evening hunt or leaving it be. The problem is they don't really congregate in a certain area. There is a decent hole 900yds off the roost where you could run traffic but unsure if that's worthwhile?
No it’s not good for us to roost hunt but it can be good to find flyways of wood ducks going to a roost during legal time. They are usually low flying and habitual. But it’s totally pass shooting. It can be done in fields.
We never hunt the roost. Regardless of ducks or geese. We hunt the feed or mid day rest areas. Our mid day resting spot are almost never where they night roost
What if I’m several hundred yds across from a roost for geese… it’s in direct sight of the roost but on an island going into a cove. The roost is across the bay in a flat with tall grass.
Just depends if you are disturbing them. If they blow outta there when you shoot or when you’re going to your spot, it may be a bad idea to hunt there. Also, are you trying to decoy those birds in to your hunting spot? If so, are they all coming in at the same time, or a few at a time? You don’t want giant groups coming to you... it can be as bad as scaring them off the roost.
@@SurvivingDuckSeason I’ve caught them returning to their roost, but got them to work into our decoys and they came in aboht groups of 10-15 at a time. I’d say there was roughly 45-55 geese that roosted there and they didn’t come all at once. The other geese that didn’t meet my shell, went to their roosts and continued to return. I just don’t want to over do that spot and possibly ruin it.
Joel, Shooting the Roost? How about gangbanging flocks? Shooting these days, seems to be a big party. Guys (especially on the social media platforms) want to desperately show the world, how they will put 6 to 20 "shooters" in a blind and when the ducks show, they all bang away. Roost, loafing or feed, the ducks don't get a break. I've been hunting 40 years. I'm befuddled and a bit confused as to why this style of hunting is taking place. I am more successful with solo hunts or with 1 or 2 good hunters. Seems to reason that with less hunters in the blind, the less chance of being seen by the ducks. Also, the less shooting means less advertisement to the ducks and other hunters, who might hear. To add, if ducks don't bust ya, they'll get in closer and set on the decoys vs. fly bys or spooky birds. 15-25 yds shots are more effective than 50 -70 yds shots that cripple and educate the ducks. As for the legal aspect, the LEO will and should be writing tickets to those who can't identify what they are shooting, who is shooting what and who's birds are who's. I see many hunters confused on who shot what birds and who gets the birds that are shot. Then they pile all the birds up and the party continues, until enough birds collected to make a party limit. Not realizing the "Johnny 12 gauge" has spent a box a shells, but has only hit 2 birds and "Bobby 12 gauge" has knocked down a dozen during the hunt. By comparison, it's illegal for "daddy" or "uncle Joe" to shoot ducks for "Junior", during a youth hunt. Don't be surprised when "the Man" shows up at the blind and ask, "Who shot what?" He's been quietly watching from the bush or from the computer screen. With characters like the "Duck Commandos" yucking it up, bragging about long shots and filling bags with party hunts consisting of brothers, sons, cousins and in-laws, it's no wonder the "Johnny 12 gauge" thinks it's ok to go "kill 'em all!" As an "influencer" yourself, please put out a video describing the difference between "hunting" vs. "shooting".
Always annoys me when people hunt the roost, we don’t have a lot of water in Kansas so we field hunt everything and the birds roost on any water there is, so when people shoot it up we can lose all the bird in an entire area
my dilemma is that the estuaries i want to hunt are surrounded by fields that is private land but the water itself is crown land, it may be a roost im not sure but i seen tons of ducks and geese in the fields and water. is it a dick move to setup in the sand bars with a kayak and decoys and shoot ducks coming in to the dekes?
Do you hunt the roost?
In the right circumstances yes
I’ve shot the roost several times over the years and a lotta time they just land on the other side but we have water everywhere up here 🇨🇦
Only super late season in Arkansas in heavy cover with pair bonding going on in the middle of the day. And very rarely.
Public land? Yes private no
Every day. The wma I hunt is so near the roost that you're shooting ducks coming to roost during the day. They feed at night!
We hunted a widgeon mid day roost(they also roosted on this same pond but would leave well before shooting light and come back around 11am-12) every weekend of the season. The same group was there every day of the season and did not leave from hunting. At the same time this was the first time anyone has ever hunted this pond.
You, My friend are a pros pro. From the way you present yourself on video, to the amount of information you possess, to your obvious knowledge of Videography. The waterfowl community is lucky to have you making content Keep it rolling! my friend!
Coming from the trail-blazer.... I’m honored by your compliment! Thank you 👍🏻💪🏻👊🏻
Thanks for the thoughtful take. So nice to hear tempered info
We leave the duck roost alone for ducks almost exclusively. But your insights on geese, where, I believe you explained that a major goose feeding spot is similar to hunting the goose roost. We are adjusting and learning every season and appreciate the thoughts!👍
Mr. Strickland, Producer Man. You are one of a kind. :-) Thanks, Andy
I very seldom hunt in the afternoons…generally I am a morning hunter, with scouting mid day and in the afternoon. I do this because my Flyway, the Atlantic Flyway, just doesn’t produce that often. If I do decide to hunt afternoon, it would very late in the season. Hunting a roost, yes I have when I was young. I just don’t do it anymore.
I have a private little slough that at any given day will hold 100+ wood ducks. Two years ago I took some buddies and shot it out two different times. Killed a lot of wood ducks twice. The next year. I sat up in the flyway to it a few hundred yards. Shot 4 or 5 wood ducks a day and some big ducks too. Would you rather kill a few limits. Or would you rather consistently have a wood duck round? For me I enjoyed a little consistency.
What's the daily bag limit of woodies for one person?
@@wilesdukedubose4431 I never hunted alone... I believe it’s 2-3 a person. Usually 4 or 5 of us. I’ve never been over. Get checked too often where I hunt.
@@tylersGBO good answer.
Great information... I have had the opportunity to hunt roosts but Joel described precisely my experience... jump them off before daylight and very little action thru the day. A few days later it's the same experience. I found some fringe places to hunt and had nice action and yet didn't disrupt the habits... God Bless
I loved the description of seen hundreds of birds getting up in the morning because I get the same feeling. Where I hunt it’s all public land so it is pretty bad in the mornings when there are a lot of ducks because they roost everywhere it seems. I try to avoid the big group areas but get as close as I can without scaring them off the roost. Another great video to learn from as I didn’t know about scaring geese off the roost being a bad idea.
Great, thanks for watching!
I'm a school teacher, so I've got the time but obviously not the money to hunt private land but once or twice a season. But lets be honest, on public land, I'll jump the roost anytime.
On public, if you dont shoot the roost someone else will...
Yep, it’s pretty much impossible to protect a roost that is open to public hunting.
With so much huntable land being Public up here in northern VT. You have to go where the birds are or someone else will. We have a few main refuges by Canada and then the middle of the state where they flock by the thousands and then feed somewhere else by day but we're definitely a lake state vs a roost pond type state.
The honkers have a more defined roost but its almost always on the lake. They'll get into cycles of grass and water until it gets too cold and we cut corn and then it's on!
Great discussion Joel! I only have one roost spot that I'll hunt but it's a beaver dammed creek that doesn't get any pressure. It's about a 3 mile cross country hike in. I only hunt it a couple times a year but it's the only spot I've hunted where I'll jump them up and consistently get birds as they come back in. I also received my first pair of high n dry waders and can't wait to put them to the test this season!!
A three mile hike makes for a long and tiring day I’m sure!
First off love the content on this channel.
I hunt South Dakota and in the SE part of the state you almost always hunt the roost because most of the birds feed all night and come back to the roost right at day break.
But a have a couple times a year you go in a small pot hole and most of the birds are back before legal shooting time and you get one round of shooting in and it’s over.
Then you go North South Dakota and you almost always hunt dry fields in the morning or evening, and you are crazy if you hunt the roost!
Crazy how different the birds act in the same state just a 100 miles apart.
Thanks, Nick! Yep, it is very interesting how the birds can completely change their patterns just a few hours down the road..
Do you think wood ducks can be conditioned to be kicked off (not shot at just walked in on) a roost pond and start coming back in the mornings if food is present on the pond
It’s hard to find roosts where I’m at we’ve got the massive TVA lakes and ducks don’t all roost in one spot like in other areas you might have a few in this spot and a few in this spot it’s real sporadic I’ve got a theory that the ducks in my area roost in the middle of the river/lake and raft up. Joel you’re right about how ducks are changing I remember years ago in the early 90’s ducks would respond to calls and we could work them. Now it’s like there’s a fine line on calling and every flock is different heck every species is different Mallards and Gadwalls in my area love being called to and will respond but go to my spot in Southern Illinois they won’t at all its like it flares them. I remember 20-25 years ago I don’t ever remember ducks being as active at night like they are now feeding in flooded fields at night then hanging out on the sanctuaries during the day. I think ducks have learned how to pattern us hunters during the season. I’d like to see a study done on how many ducks are killed the first few weeks of the season and see if it falls off due to nocturnal feeding I’d be surprised what it would show. Ducks have changed drastically in the last 20 years in my opinion it’s like they are starting to figure stuff out but that’s just my opinion.
I agree hahaha you could throw out a 6 pack of basic ducks and smoke them. and now you have to have a lot of motion to get the big ducks to come in.
@@nickheumiller5529 I remember years ago just breaking ducks who were sky high and getting them in the hole nowadays very rarely does that happen
I agree... they have got it figured out. I have more I’ll share on the topic in a future video.
The only spot I hunt currently that is a for sure roost at times is a pond on my father-in-laws old dairy farm. I will hunt it once or twice a year trying to get a few wood ducks (so far not too successful lol). My lease field does get used a roost off and on during the season, as I'm sure many of the fields around us are too. The pattern you are seeing in Arkansas is pretty similar what I'm seeing in Central Louisiana too.
Also 30 days to teal season in Kansas!
I love to jump ducks out of creeks or small potholes when lake hunting is slow. I would fall over if I ever saw a thousand ducks in one spot…it just doesn’t happen where I live. Interesting topic ! Thanks for posting !
Another faction is how often do you see birds there, not just once, but over years.
It’s not illegal so absolutely I hunt roosts.
The moist soil habitat in West Texas is ridiculous. Mallards and Pintails just live there until we bump them out. They literally eat and sleep there and they don’t leave some of those units unless they get hunted.
Great content! Just started calling a couple years ago, have a feeder chuckle, quacks and an okay greeting down, I’d love to see a break down on calling with another person, or even a better caller in the blind with you. How to chime in and add to their calling, thanks!
It’s on my list!
Last 3-4 days of the season I give the roosts hell.
I’d say no. I hunt in northwestern oregon mainly and I think it’s good to hunt them when when they come in to feed. We’re very far north in the pacific flyway and ducks have no problem getting out of the area id you spook them from the roost. Way better to be conservative. I’d rather get 3 or 4 ducks for 10 hunts than limit for 2 or 3.
Interesting subject Joel.
I just got burned by it this morning. Regardless, I viewed it as more of a recon mission. They all dipped out at or before first light. A few trickled back but not in enough numbers to warrant hunting. Debating on whether it's worth trying an afternoon/evening hunt or leaving it be. The problem is they don't really congregate in a certain area. There is a decent hole 900yds off the roost where you could run traffic but unsure if that's worthwhile?
Great video Joel! I’ve hunted them in the past but now I try to avoid them if I can. What are your thoughts on hunting geese on a mid day loaf?
Mid day loaf is fine. Same thing, don't over hunt it if you want to keep the birds in your area. But unlike a roost, a loaf pond can be hunted
Thanks, Thomas. Mid-day loaf, no problem... it can be a great strategy!
No it’s not good for us to roost hunt but it can be good to find flyways of wood ducks going to a roost during legal time. They are usually low flying and habitual. But it’s totally pass shooting. It can be done in fields.
you are awesome
Your good!!
I am from Ontario and we NEVER hunt the roost because we have a early season and we don't want to push them out faster than normal.
Where about in Ontario are you? Also from Ontario just north of Belleville
We never hunt the roost. Regardless of ducks or geese. We hunt the feed or mid day rest areas. Our mid day resting spot are almost never where they night roost
Around here the roost will be the refuge and cant be hunted if it freezes late season they may move to the river where its game on
What if I’m several hundred yds across from a roost for geese… it’s in direct sight of the roost but on an island going into a cove. The roost is across the bay in a flat with tall grass.
Just depends if you are disturbing them. If they blow outta there when you shoot or when you’re going to your spot, it may be a bad idea to hunt there. Also, are you trying to decoy those birds in to your hunting spot? If so, are they all coming in at the same time, or a few at a time? You don’t want giant groups coming to you... it can be as bad as scaring them off the roost.
@@SurvivingDuckSeason I’ve caught them returning to their roost, but got them to work into our decoys and they came in aboht groups of 10-15 at a time. I’d say there was roughly 45-55 geese that roosted there and they didn’t come all at once. The other geese that didn’t meet my shell, went to their roosts and continued to return. I just don’t want to over do that spot and possibly ruin it.
The only time I hunt the roost is on closing day😂
Joel,
Shooting the Roost?
How about gangbanging flocks?
Shooting these days, seems to be a big party. Guys (especially on the social media platforms) want to desperately show the world, how they will put 6 to 20 "shooters" in a blind and when the ducks show, they all bang away.
Roost, loafing or feed, the ducks don't get a break.
I've been hunting 40 years. I'm befuddled and a bit confused as to why this style of hunting is taking place.
I am more successful with solo hunts or with 1 or 2 good hunters. Seems to reason that with less hunters in the blind, the less chance of being seen by the ducks. Also, the less shooting means less advertisement to the ducks and other hunters, who might hear.
To add, if ducks don't bust ya, they'll get in closer and set on the decoys vs. fly bys or spooky birds. 15-25 yds shots are more effective than 50 -70 yds shots that cripple and educate the ducks.
As for the legal aspect, the LEO will and should be writing tickets to those who can't identify what they are shooting, who is shooting what and who's birds are who's. I see many hunters confused on who shot what birds and who gets the birds that are shot. Then they pile all the birds up and the party continues, until enough birds collected to make a party limit. Not realizing the "Johnny 12 gauge" has spent a box a shells, but has only hit 2 birds and "Bobby 12 gauge" has knocked down a dozen during the hunt. By comparison, it's illegal for "daddy" or "uncle Joe" to shoot ducks for "Junior", during a youth hunt.
Don't be surprised when "the Man" shows up at the blind and ask, "Who shot what?" He's been quietly watching from the bush or from the computer screen.
With characters like the "Duck Commandos" yucking it up, bragging about long shots and filling bags with party hunts consisting of brothers, sons, cousins and in-laws, it's no wonder the "Johnny 12 gauge" thinks it's ok to go "kill 'em all!"
As an "influencer" yourself, please put out a video describing the difference between "hunting" vs. "shooting".
Always annoys me when people hunt the roost, we don’t have a lot of water in Kansas so we field hunt everything and the birds roost on any water there is, so when people shoot it up we can lose all the bird in an entire area
What do you suggest us public land waterfowl hunters do? On public ground we call it the X.
@@elliottsnider4340 Public land is anything goes, if you don’t hunt it someone else will, there’s no preserving the roost if it’s public
my dilemma is that the estuaries i want to hunt are surrounded by fields that is private land but the water itself is crown land, it may be a roost im not sure but i seen tons of ducks and geese in the fields and water. is it a dick move to setup in the sand bars with a kayak and decoys and shoot ducks coming in to the dekes?