That’s North Carolina for you. There is a lot of competition. At least you didn’t have anybody come set up within 50 yards of you 10 minutes before shooting light. Two groups did that to me on Saturday. It’s nice to see you and your friends act courteous toward others
Yep we were pretty fortunate to not have anyone crowd in too tight. Sorry to hear that someone was dumb enough to do that to y'all. Hopefully the pressure will subside a little bit by the time late season gets here
good video as always Thomas....i can tell you that here in south east NY it has been one of THE TOUGHEST opening weeks in 30 years of hunting...all local woodies...teal and mallards..warm temps and INSANE level of pressure made for some tough hunting as well....hopefully this major nor'ester were having today and tomorrows 40mph north wind pushes some new birds in for the coming weekend!
Thanks brother! Hate to hear that for y'all but I hope the tides change with the weather moving in! We're gonna be working on our local ducks for the first couple weeks here so it's bound to get pretty tough real fast
It pains me every time we lose one, I'm very much looking forward to getting my own pup in just a few months now hopefully. It seems like the tucked away spots like this typically end up being some of the most difficult to hunt but very enjoyable nonetheless
Good hunt and the breakfast in the am was a plus! I’m going to get back into duck hunting again and your videos are getting me primed up. Last time I duck hunted was in New Mexico on the Rio Grande and Bernardo. Good luck with school.
@@HokeOutdoors It will have to be in Maryland or Virginia. I live in Washington DC so I have to do non-resident to get my hunts done. I’ve joined a club and we lease land on the Eastern Shore wherein we deer hunt. I could do some duck hunting and Canadian Geese hunting there too but the club hasn’t done that in the past. I plan to Turkey hunt this year which I haven’t done since New Mexico too. We did a pig hunt in NC about a year and half ago which was fun and harvested some good meat. Good luck this year with your hunts and I will stay tuned for your videos.
Welcome to nc where it’s pressured like hell, the migration can be odd, the weather makes a lot of spots difficult to get in even with a mud motor, and guys are sky busting 200 yards away when you’re working birds. Makes for a challenge but we do alright most of the time.
@@HokeOutdoors oh yessir I love it here. Challenging at times but I always enjoy it. But really you only get into those birds at the coast when the weathers right killing main land birds is even tougher some years. Last year was hard on me around the house. Had to go to the big water to whack em
Nice video. I had a similar hunting trip last year and it was a miserable one. Lost a few birds and had a few holes in my waders, hard time walking and collecting birds plus almost everyone around us was sky-busting and claiming our birds. Please make some more river hunting videos :)
Thanks Nasser! Sorry to hear that wasn't a fun experience, unfortunately it seems like a few hunts like that come up throughout every season. I'm planning on doing some more river videos if it gets cold here later this winter!
I've never duck hunted but want to get into it. I live on Jordan Lake, though not near any marshy areas. There are some ponds in the woods that I've heard ducks on while deer hunting, curious if that'd be a good place to start.
Good stuff man. Of course if you hunt the East Coast, you know all about the frustration of cripples in swamps, dog or no dog. Gonna snag me a motion duck with the code, gracias 👍
Thanks Jeremy! It's one of the tougher parts about hunting swamps for sure, hopefully a dog will make it easier in the future at least. Hope you enjoy the motion ducks as much as I do!
That hunt looked rough, glad to see you slogged it out though. I can't stand losing birds and I'm in the same boat. Just a little bit better walking conditions so I could catch up or a dog would have saved me 3 this year. Frustrating but happens.
@@HokeOutdoors very nice! You are a great shot.Had a good weekend down here with divers on the River eastern NC! You going out in the morning? Gonna be some great weather for Hunting and Thanksgiving
Relatively new to North Carolina and starting back from square one. No hunting buddies no boat, no dog. Currently live in Wake Forest but willing to travel to find birds. Any general areas in NC that are known to hold ducks?
The coast is always a good option if you can find someone with a boat to go with. Besides that check out your local gamelands and lakes, not much worth traveling across the state for in NC
Hey Hoke, how are you? I am a NC and VA duck hunter myself. I live in the NC area on the east coast. I was wondering if you hunt this area at all? Also I was wondering if you ever bring along subscribers and viewers of your channel? I'm new to duck hunting and always looking for new people to go duck hunting with. Love the sport and always looking for some knowledge that can make my skills better. Thanks Hoke.
Wisconsin is the same way with people on opening weekend set up on top of you i had guys shoot at ducks on my decoys before , we were set up in a small weed patch with decoys front and back of us the guys came in from shore 5 mins before season set up about 50yrds from us and were shooting at us over are decoys . that didnt last long lol .Why did you change the name of your chanel
Man I hate to hear it was that bad for y'all. We definitely don't love the competition in this area but everyone I've run into has been respectful at the very least. I changed the name of the channel because I'm doing more hunting outside of VA these days and I wanted a name that was more personal
Man, Idk how you Americans do it. Having to pick out certain species on the wing. I sure am glad I live in Canada where everything opens at once lol I don't think i would risk hunting if I had to pick out certain species on the wing like that.
@@HokeOutdoors Oh for sure! It is only my second year waterfowling, so I can't compare it to anything. But I have seen tons of birds. Starting to slow down already in the north, I have to travel an hour south to see any real decent birds. I only have 3 Canada's under my belt so far, but lots of missing lol
I do! My goal is to have one for next season or at least be training a pup during the season. Once I graduate college it should be much more feasible for me to get a pup
I've wanted a dog for a long time but college isn't the most conducive environment for training a retriever unfortunately. Like I said at the end of the video, I wouldn't have hunted here without a dog had I known how thick it was around this hole
I'm going to get one as soon as I can. I can't have one at college due to my living situation. Unfortunately we didn't realize how thick it was back in this area till we were hunting
Damn Thomas, watched too many of your videos not understanding why you don’t have a dog (yours or someone else’s) in most of the places you hunt. You know full well your gonna lose a pile of birds because of that. I agree with what’s been said, unethical to hunt those back woods areas knowing you’ll seldom find a cripple. The bad thing about it is you post it for all to see. You produce to many good videos to not incorporate the most important thing in a hunt and that having a good dog to find the birds you don’t out right kill. And don’t give me this BS I’m a college student and don’t have time/$ for it. You make the time…just as much as you spend in producing your videos. I played baseball at a D1 NC college, trained and hunted my first retriever and kept him (covertly) in the suite for almost 2 years! Basic training and he got the job done. Just amazes me to see the number of good RUclipsr duck hunters that produce good content, yet don’t have what I’d consider the most important part of the hunt in retrieving and finding birds that never would be found and brought to hand. I see you’re in the process of getting a dog, I wanna see it in action next season. 👌
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That’s North Carolina for you. There is a lot of competition. At least you didn’t have anybody come set up within 50 yards of you 10 minutes before shooting light. Two groups did that to me on Saturday. It’s nice to see you and your friends act courteous toward others
Yep we were pretty fortunate to not have anyone crowd in too tight. Sorry to hear that someone was dumb enough to do that to y'all. Hopefully the pressure will subside a little bit by the time late season gets here
Nothing better then a public hunt, keep on em boys
Always an adrenaline rush from the time you hit the water till shooting light rolls around! Wouldn't trade the feeling for anything else
good video as always Thomas....i can tell you that here in south east NY it has been one of THE TOUGHEST opening weeks in 30 years of hunting...all local woodies...teal and mallards..warm temps and INSANE level of pressure made for some tough hunting as well....hopefully this major nor'ester were having today and tomorrows 40mph north wind pushes some new birds in for the coming weekend!
Thanks brother! Hate to hear that for y'all but I hope the tides change with the weather moving in! We're gonna be working on our local ducks for the first couple weeks here so it's bound to get pretty tough real fast
Damn solid number of birds for NC early season
The local birds down here are something else! Can't wait till the migrators start rolling in too
That is a sweet looking timber hole y'all hunted. Crazy watching the mallards work in there.
Thanks Matt! Not quite the flooded timber y'all have out there but we try to make due
Heck ya man! Glad you got on em!
Thanks brother! It was a good way to kick things off down there
Ya it is, not going to lie I’m a little jealous my season doesn’t start until Nov 20 😂
Lost birds are troubling.... I don't remember not finding one since I have had Buddy... Nice little spot... fun hunting those places... Blessings
It pains me every time we lose one, I'm very much looking forward to getting my own pup in just a few months now hopefully. It seems like the tucked away spots like this typically end up being some of the most difficult to hunt but very enjoyable nonetheless
Great video Thomas! Our opener was Saturday there was 3 of us got 16 pretty good day!
Thanks brother! Glad to hear you got on them! Been out anymore since?
Good hunt and the breakfast in the am was a plus! I’m going to get back into duck hunting again and your videos are getting me primed up. Last time I duck hunted was in New Mexico on the Rio Grande and Bernardo. Good luck with school.
Thanks for watching them! Hope your second foray into waterfowling treats you well! Where abouts will you be hunting this season?
@@HokeOutdoors It will have to be in Maryland or Virginia. I live in Washington DC so I have to do non-resident to get my hunts done. I’ve joined a club and we lease land on the Eastern Shore wherein we deer hunt. I could do some duck hunting and Canadian Geese hunting there too but the club hasn’t done that in the past. I plan to Turkey hunt this year which I haven’t done since New Mexico too. We did a pig hunt in NC about a year and half ago which was fun and harvested some good meat. Good luck this year with your hunts and I will stay tuned for your videos.
That place looked good and you can see it was tough to move around in .
It was a beautiful little spot but definitely one of the tougher I’ve ever hunted
Nice hunt Thomas , been ok around here boat blind should be here by the weekend I’ll see how it goes
Thanks brother! Hope the boat blind does the trick for you! Are you gonna be using it out on the river or lakes and such?
purchased a foldable magnet shell pickerupper. thanks for the code HOKE.
Glad to hear it! I find mine to be super handy, hope you enjoy yours!
Welcome to nc where it’s pressured like hell, the migration can be odd, the weather makes a lot of spots difficult to get in even with a mud motor, and guys are sky busting 200 yards away when you’re working birds. Makes for a challenge but we do alright most of the time.
It can definitely be a challenge down there but y'all have some pretty incredible habitat and a lot of birds when the weather is right
@@HokeOutdoors oh yessir I love it here. Challenging at times but I always enjoy it. But really you only get into those birds at the coast when the weathers right killing main land birds is even tougher some years. Last year was hard on me around the house. Had to go to the big water to whack em
My ticker won’t last very long in that swamp. But good exercise for you young guys. Dog is definitely an asset. Good hunt.
Thanks brother! Definitely not easy going in that spot but quite the adventure to hunt it!
Nice video. I had a similar hunting trip last year and it was a miserable one. Lost a few birds and had a few holes in my waders, hard time walking and collecting birds plus almost everyone around us was sky-busting and claiming our birds. Please make some more river hunting videos :)
Thanks Nasser! Sorry to hear that wasn't a fun experience, unfortunately it seems like a few hunts like that come up throughout every season. I'm planning on doing some more river videos if it gets cold here later this winter!
I've never duck hunted but want to get into it. I live on Jordan Lake, though not near any marshy areas. There are some ponds in the woods that I've heard ducks on while deer hunting, curious if that'd be a good place to start.
I hunt jordan lake often. If those ponds are on the game lands go get after em
Good stuff man. Of course if you hunt the East Coast, you know all about the frustration of cripples in swamps, dog or no dog. Gonna snag me a motion duck with the code, gracias 👍
Thanks Jeremy! It's one of the tougher parts about hunting swamps for sure, hopefully a dog will make it easier in the future at least. Hope you enjoy the motion ducks as much as I do!
That hunt looked rough, glad to see you slogged it out though. I can't stand losing birds and I'm in the same boat. Just a little bit better walking conditions so I could catch up or a dog would have saved me 3 this year. Frustrating but happens.
Yep that’s right, I wish I could never lose another bird but I know the odds of that aren’t in my favor. A dog will certainly help though
Public land hunt can suck at times but you all did get the job done 👍😎
It always seems to be an adventure if nothing else!
Good job Thomas! What’s your go to choke/shot size for big ducks?
Thanks Andrew! I’m shooting a Carlsons Light Modified with #2s or #4s
@@HokeOutdoors very nice! You are a great shot.Had a good weekend down here with divers on the River eastern NC! You going out in the morning? Gonna be some great weather for Hunting and Thanksgiving
@@andrewn.5117 thank you! Glad to hear you had a successful hunt down there! I’m going out in the morning to a lake cove up here in Virginia
@@HokeOutdoors yeah I was surprised to see this many divers this early but not complaining! good luck man! I enjoy the footage
Love your videos 👌🏻
Looked like a successful hunt but you should take scrappy with you next time! he'd grab all those birds for ya :)
As long as he doesn't try to sink the kayak we can arrange that!
If your ever in western nc n wanna shoot some in the mountains more than welcome to join!
I appreciate it! I'll definitely take you up on that if I get the chance
@@HokeOutdoors sounds good man I actually do alot of hunting not to far from u there not goin to mention on here tho haha
Typical NC swamp shoot. Those guys out west and up north just don’t know how good they’ve got it!
That is a fact! Hard work for a few ducks is the norm around these parts
Killer shooting.
What choke do you use? And do you have a preference on ammo brand/shot size?
Thanks Josh! I'm using a Carlsons light modified choke and shooting 3 inch #2 shot, not sure on which brand it was in this video
Great effort trying to find those ducks y’all shot . I could tell it was difficult just hearing your breathing in the video haha
Some boys beat us here😂
They were some crazy dudes 😂
@@HokeOutdoors I did get there early tho didn’t I 😂. Your gonna make me start a RUclips channel man bc I love the way u shoot your videos.
I went to falls lake … was a failed mission lol
I heard the low water out there made it tough, hope you can wax a few out there during the November split!
@@HokeOutdoors I only went because of the spilt zones.. I am more ENC area
I’m from NC what public land is this it’s hard to find decent public land near me
Relatively new to North Carolina and starting back from square one. No hunting buddies no boat, no dog. Currently live in Wake Forest but willing to travel to find birds. Any general areas in NC that are known to hold ducks?
The coast is always a good option if you can find someone with a boat to go with. Besides that check out your local gamelands and lakes, not much worth traveling across the state for in NC
Eric, I just moved out to the Raleigh area. Looks like Jordan Lake and Falls lake are both public lands for duck hunting!
Wouldn’t happen to be near mount holly?
Nah pretty much in the other corner of the state
What county you hunting in I’m on the NC-VA line
I was in the north central part of the state, not sure what county
Did you hunt the west zone this past weekend?
@@HokeOutdoors no I’m in central NC close to Danville Virginia
@@HokeOutdoors you couldn’t have been far that’s why I was wondering what county or city you were close to
What call do you use
I'm using a DRC Rev
What do you use to edit Thomas
I'm using Final Cut Pro but I used to use iMovie for a long time
@@HokeOutdoors thanks
Whats that mount on the barrel of your shotgun
It's a Shotkam
Tough going but a great video
Thanks Michael! Definitely had to work for them this day but had a great time doing it!
Hey Hoke, how are you? I am a NC and VA duck hunter myself. I live in the NC area on the east coast. I was wondering if you hunt this area at all? Also I was wondering if you ever bring along subscribers and viewers of your channel? I'm new to duck hunting and always looking for new people to go duck hunting with. Love the sport and always looking for some knowledge that can make my skills better. Thanks Hoke.
Get a dog...no more lost birds
I'm planning on getting one to start training this offseason. I've wanted one for a while but college gets in the way of having a pup
What choke so use for ducks
Carlsons Light Modified
I live here in nc where would u suggest for me to start duck hunting
Just find whatever gamelands or huntable lake is closest to your house and start scouting/hunting and trying to locate areas birds will use
Headed down to Holly shelter for the Eastern zone opener, anyone wanna join me?
Hope you get them down there this weekend!
Wisconsin is the same way with people on opening weekend set up on top of you i had guys shoot at ducks on my decoys before , we were set up in a small weed patch with decoys front and back of us the guys came in from shore 5 mins before season set up about 50yrds from us and were shooting at us over are decoys . that didnt last long lol .Why did you change the name of your chanel
Man I hate to hear it was that bad for y'all. We definitely don't love the competition in this area but everyone I've run into has been respectful at the very least. I changed the name of the channel because I'm doing more hunting outside of VA these days and I wanted a name that was more personal
What choke are you using ?
Carlsons Light Modified
I went on there looking which one is it you have ?
@@baseball10147 www.amazon.com/CARLSONS-Extended-Modified-Choke-15514/dp/B000JMGU1M
Tell your buddy scrapple some good shit. Had it for the first time in Kansas on a hunt that some boys from up north had cooked
Haha I'll be sure to pass it along! Still haven't tried it myself but I'll have to grab some to cook up for a surprise breakfast for him this season
@@HokeOutdoors man he's gonna be stoked when you do that.... good luck this season buddy!
We need dog at bush and dark also
Hi..bro.Do you have address for that location? Thank advance.
good morning brother
Good morning
You need to get yourself a dog!
Planning on it for next season! I don't think I can go through another season without one
Man, Idk how you Americans do it. Having to pick out certain species on the wing. I sure am glad I live in Canada where everything opens at once lol I don't think i would risk hunting if I had to pick out certain species on the wing like that.
It’s definitely tough at times but I do believe it’s a skill that’s valuable to have. How has the season been up in Canada this year?
@@HokeOutdoors Oh for sure! It is only my second year waterfowling, so I can't compare it to anything. But I have seen tons of birds. Starting to slow down already in the north, I have to travel an hour south to see any real decent birds. I only have 3 Canada's under my belt so far, but lots of missing lol
Good shoooootin
Thanks brother!
@@HokeOutdoors coastal region is coming soon
@@HokeOutdoors I am going to go to my uncles place near Christmas. If you see my video terrible shooting that’s where I’m going
the guy on tha feed chatter made this video hard to watch lol
Not for us coastal guys
3 more days buddy…. 3 more
You got room in the boat for one more? Just getting into it and need some buddies.
Y'all will be pounding on them down on the coast in the blink of an eye! Hoping to make it down there for the weekend
@@TangoWhiteTrash do you stay near Pamlico river?
@@HokeOutdoors you do really good job with your videos man…I hunt a bunch around pamlico river/ Neuse river if you ever come down this way
Bom de mira
Sauce
Tomas you need a dog.
I do! My goal is to have one for next season or at least be training a pup during the season. Once I graduate college it should be much more feasible for me to get a pup
@@HokeOutdoors they’re a big responsibility for sure. Ive got a5 month old black lab and she’s an awesome dog. Got her at 8 weeks old in Chesapeake VA
First
Get a dog!! Quit shooting ducks in cover where the cripples can't be retrieved!
I've wanted a dog for a long time but college isn't the most conducive environment for training a retriever unfortunately. Like I said at the end of the video, I wouldn't have hunted here without a dog had I known how thick it was around this hole
You need a GOOD DOG!!!!! Completely unethical to hunt a place like that without one.
I'm going to get one as soon as I can. I can't have one at college due to my living situation. Unfortunately we didn't realize how thick it was back in this area till we were hunting
Damn Thomas, watched too many of your videos not understanding why you don’t have a dog (yours or someone else’s) in most of the places you hunt. You know full well your gonna lose a pile of birds because of that. I agree with what’s been said, unethical to hunt those back woods areas knowing you’ll seldom find a cripple. The bad thing about it is you post it for all to see. You produce to many good videos to not incorporate the most important thing in a hunt and that having a good dog to find the birds you don’t out right kill.
And don’t give me this BS I’m a college student and don’t have time/$ for it. You make the time…just as much as you spend in producing your videos. I played baseball at a D1 NC college, trained and hunted my first retriever and kept him (covertly) in the suite for almost 2 years! Basic training and he got the job done. Just amazes me to see the number of good RUclipsr duck hunters that produce good content, yet don’t have what I’d consider the most important part of the hunt in retrieving and finding birds that never would be found and brought to hand. I see you’re in the process of getting a dog, I wanna see it in action next season. 👌
Which part of NC y’all hunting?