Novaduckhunter

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This was my first sea duck hunter ever (and first hunt of the season i came home with game in the bag) . What an experience, if you have any hope of not becoming completely addicted to waterfowl hunting and haven't gone Sea duck hunting, this is your warning... DON'T DO IT!!! Got my first duck double and triple ever, just another added bonus. [/img] [/img]

Yesterdays hunt. That's a $9 duck. (took 2 Kent TM shells I've been saving to bring him down, but I wouldn't have been able to take the shot if I was shooting steel)

Here's all of my ducks so far this season. My first Drake Wood duck ever, and the first duck of the season. The most amazing, and successful, day off duck hunting I've ever had. The ducks were bomb diving my spread like I've never seen before at levels I've never even imaged or seen. If I was half a decent shot I would of had my limit.

Blast away, nothing should happen that wouldn't happen with any other lenght shell.

The Nova is just as reliable as any pump as long as you take care of it. I've used mine for 3 years with over two thousands rounds threw it and have yet to have a jam or failure to feed or fire. The aftermarket parts are harder to find and usually more expensive then say a 870, but get the gun you want and the gun that fits you best.

I've used mine on one dove hunting with great success. I wouldn't use the full choke unless you plan on a lot of long range shooting. I used my modified choke and it seemed to be the best around constriction.

Personally I like a little more shot, so I'd go for 1 1/8 oz. Buy a box of each and see what your gun shots best.

I've shot 50+ rifled slugs through my standard nova(26" barrel also) with no problems yet. Winchester slugs do leave heavy buildup after even one shot and I have to spend 10 minutes or so with a bore brush to remove it. As for chokes I wouldn't go any tighter then a Improved Cylinder.

You should be fine with buck shot through a full choke. You might want to consider smaller buckshot like #4 or #1 for fox and coyote. They both pack enought punch out to 50 yards or so and will give you a alot more pellets. Also, pattern your gun to see which load shots best and how far you will be able to shot that load.

I ordered a dozen new decoys for this past season and kept it simple with my rigging. I ordered some cord crimps, PVC line and strap weights Cabelas. I measured of 12 feet of line for each decoy and using the cord crimps attached the weight to the decoys. I generally hunt in water around 5 feet deep but decided I would rather have too much line then not enough. A little bit of extra line does allow the decoys to move around more in the wind. I rap excess line around the keel of the decoys. If you are only using a dozen or two decoys then I would rig the decoys like I did. If you use six dozen or so decoys or need to be able to set up quickly, then rig 4 or 6 decoys together with three feet in between each decoy and use one heavy weight for the rig. It doesn't really mater whether the line is in the front or the back, but it couldn't hurt to mix things up a bit.

Well this is a touchy and tricky issue IMO. Personally, If I could legally throw a 50 pound bag of corn into the spots I hunted this past season, I would. North Carolina isn't exactly know for its great duck hunting. A very good day for me is to see three or more groups of ducks and get a shot a maybe one or two groups if I'm lucky. I did bag more birds this season because I patterned my gun and improved my shooting skills. I ended up with two ducks and four geese.( one more duck and goose then last year). But fired less then two boxes of shells the entire season in the dozen+ times I got out. The last two hunts I never fired a shot. If baiting would get a few more ducks and geese to come to the few hunting spots NC has, then I would. Any spot that ducks feed at, natural or not, could be considered baited if you know ducks feed their.

Well, thats one way to pluck a duck.

Santa brought me the Field and Stream 5mm waders. I just go back from a two day duck hunt with them. I didn't fire a shot the entire time but the waders kept me warm and dry. They came with a pocket and D rings already installed.

Thanks everyone for you input. I gave waders away as a gift idea so if I do get a pair as a gift they will be the field and stream 5mm or a Cabelas model. I'm in North Carolina so the weather can range from 70 in the early goose season down to 20 or below in later December and January. I already decided on a pair of chest high waders with a thickness around 4mm or 5mm and a good amount of insulation. Again, thanks everyone for your help.