bluedavis

Making the noise is easy. But a lot of guys don't pay any attention to what the ducks are doing. There are times when the hen mallard greeting call will cause ducks to instantly spin around and come your way. And then there are times when that same call will scare 'em away. I carry three calls: an acrylic mallard call, an old wooden mallard call (softer and for days when #1 scares 'em, and a whistle for pintails and teal.

I think the bore should be the least of your concerns. Take the whole thing apart - bolt and recoil spring - and then use some BreakFree CLP. These guns are incredible tools when they cleaned & oiled properly, but an expensive single-shot when not. BTW - the closest football team here is the Buffalo BIlls so I guess, as far as football is concerned, I may as well be in Ohio too. GO STEELERS!

I hunt a state-owned marsh. It is a pretty good-sized piece of open water; I'd guess 80 acres with some cattails around the edge. We have a split season here (western NY) and this spot is usually frozen over by the late season. I would go out onto Lake Ontario but doing such a thing in my 10-foot jon boat is past my edge of sanity.

No beer in the house, so I'm drinking wine tonight. For a snack I selected some mallard jerky that I made using the Hi-Mountain jerky mix that you can buy. This is something that you can make in the oven (when your wife isn't around) and I give it my highest recommendation. If you can't find it in your local sporting goods store, then check out their web site. I use it for venison too and am especially fond of the hickory and the mesquite flavors. http://www.himtnjerky.com/

I wasn't too impressed and gave up on them. I'll be the first to admit that it could have been my shooting, but the ducks just didn't seem to fall the way they would with heavy-shot.

Ducks are very good eating, at least the puddlers and vegetarian divers like redheads and cans. I don't like cooking and can't be bothered with fancy recipes, though I'm sure they're very good that way. I simply breast out the duck, put it in a ziplock with some italian salad dressing for 10-15 minutes, and then put it on the grill. The same rules apply for duck as for venison - don't cook it well done. I think ducks are wonderful this way. Geese are another story.

I like the IC choke with a 3 1/2 inch load; BB's or #2's. If my shooting is getting good, then I'll switch to a modified with 3 inch heavishot #4's. I hate losing ducks.

The winchester slugs work great for me, both the platinum and gold tips. I did have some penetration issues with the winchester plain sabots but the premium ones work great. I've stuck with 2 3/4 inch rounds and have heard/read that the higher velocity stuff can be unstable.

I clean mine the same as my bird barrel - some solvent, a brush, and wipe clean. The sabots protect the barrel from the slug just as your shot cup would protect your bird barrel and so it doesn't get very dirty. And besides, you'll only be taking one shot. By the way, I use the same slugs and have found them to peform very well. Good luck!

It completely depends on where you hunt. Often, puddlers can be hunted in a foot of water. But I agree with tucker301 - if you're into kneep deep water then go with chest waders. Even if the water is only knee deep you may find yourself crouching down and sitting it.

When you jump to the 3.5 shell you can either increase the payload or the velocity. I'm starting to think that the increased velocity is the way to go. Even at 30 yards I see a difference in knockdown power between 3 and 3.5 shells. I don't like chasing ducks on the water.

don't forget about the forearm - you'll need a different one than for your bird barrel

By the way - I've been using a modified choke with 3 inch #4's.

The bad thing about using hevishot is that you only get one shot per duck. They just crumple and fall dead. You don't get that follow-up on the duck as it angles down and you don't get to chase them on the water. I found that it completely changes the hunting experience.

I've been using 2 3/4 inch Winchester Sabots with good results.