When to pump the field?

[goosebruce]

Those early ducks sure are great, to see your fields covered with ducks a month before the season. Too bad 3 days after the season starts all those ducks are gone no matter who fed em early.
Water on yo food in hot weather is a no no. Its rots your food out. Early water is good, if it stays cool. Turns off 75 like its been for 2 weeks, and you'll pay for that early water later in season. We pump a week-10 days before the season. We've got a lot of stuff blocked off, to hold the rains when they come. But early on, we wont have a bunch of ducks, and dont want a ton of water to scatter them on. When the rains come, and they will, they will bring hungry hoards of ducks, and we will have fresh fields to feed them on, and our primary fields will stil have food left as well. Our roost fields were in beans this year, otherwise we would have pumped them early (just cut last week) to hold those early birds, and get the food out of them.
To increase your birds year after year, hold your water late. Dont pull your water off till its time to farm. Let the birds use your place as long as they can, they can and do rememeber from year to year. travis

[Lazy Drake]

We started pumping around November 8th, we will be fully pumped up for this saturday. The weather will be warm but it will sure be nice to go hunting. You get different opinions from everyone on the situation. If you have multiple places you can do like goosebruce said. Since we only have one spot we are pumped up to hunt when it opens. My 2 cents


[img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Lazydrake [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[judge jb]

How soon we forget? thinking back the past three years with the dry conditions we had, i chose to fill as soon as possible..... yea yea, i know they have ate up the most of my jap millet { if they didn't get it the beavers would have} but then again, if you are on an established hole, they will come.... i am just glad for water and i have enjoyed watching them gourge themselves for the LONG flight...... fill her up is my answer.....

judge jb

[jstanard]

For you field hunters.
I'm curious to hear everyone's opinion on when to begin flooding your duck hole.

The arguments I've heard generally fall into three categories...

1. Pump early to attract preseason ducks and get locals in habit of using your holes

2. Wait until the season is closer before pumping, otherwise risk your fields getting eaten out.

3. Whadya mean pump? Pray for rain and catch all you can.


What doYOU do? Or what would you do if given the chance?