Thread: Late season field hunting

Will give it a go, cheers

Assume you scouted where they were, how many and when the day before?

Sometimes it's a change in the wind.

I've scouted paddocks around Canterbury the day before going out shooting and seen triple digit bird numbers then shot a handful the next day, sometimes it just happens.

Go buy yourself a big sheet of clear plastic like whats used in glasshouses......15x 10m should do.
Pick the lowest point in the paddock and lay it out then peg it down. Put a couple of pairs of decoys in the centre and a pair or two on the grass next to the plastic. It will simulate a 'pond'. I used to use this method when paddock shooting a few years ago......the plastic looks like a temporary pond , esp if there is a slight breeze blowing causing the plastic to ripple. Ducks love a bit of water on the grass.

Funniest thing was watching mallards land on the plastic and skidding along it on their arse....or watching them face plant themselves if their feet hit a ridge in the plastic.

I didnt use a blind, just took a spade and dug a hole about the width of my waist with a knee high step in it so I could sit in it. A couple of clumps of rushes to hide me from the waist up and I had ducks landing within 10m of me.

If they don't want to commit then they are seeing something wrong. I've had the same issue. Fixed it by using natural cover ie. A hedge and docoys within15ish yards and a tight choke, way more committing.