Most duck hunters I know want to be in their blinds early in the morning and/or late in the afternoon. Those are peak periods for duck activity and duck hunters to be hunting. One of my, favorite times of the day to hunt ducks is the midday period from 10 AM-2 PM. Why do I want to be in the blind and why am I so passionate about hunting in the midday time? Here are several reasons:
- DUCKS ARE NOCTURNAL FEEDERS: A lot of times ducks will feed all night, and they don’t even start back to the refuge to their rest areas till 9:00-10:00 in the morning. A field that’s full of water, grain, and decoys is a killer combination. Those ducks are anxious to get on the water and rest. If they hear your call, they’ll come. Those midday ducks work better a lot of times than they do earlier and late.
- DUCKS MIGRATE ON STORM FRONTS: If there’s any frontsl activity that coincides with that midday period, ducks like to migrate on those fronts. If you watch your weather forecast, and you have a front that’s going through in the midday. You need to be in your blind. Those birds that are coming down ahead of that front are anxious to get on the water. These situations usually provide great shooting on migratory birds.
- MANY HUNTERS GET THEIR LIMIT IN THE MORNING: A lot of times by the midday, a lot of other hunters have gone home. They’ll hunt till nine or ten in the morning, and they will pack it up and head back to camp. If you were there and any ducks do show up, you’ll have them to yourself. You don’t have to compete with anybody else closer to mid-day.
One thing is for sure, if the ducks fly and you’re not in your blind, you’re not going to get them. If you’re there, you may be the only one that’s there. You may have them all to yourself. The midday period absolutely can offer some of the best duck shooting of the entire season if you try it out. You’ll see that I know what I’m talking about on this one. Midday is a great time to hunt.
