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I've duck hunted twice before Thanksgiving this year (once with a guide, once on a preserve where everything was set already set for me). Most people, including my family, focused on mule deer, elk and upland game where I grew up despite huge numbers of Canadas, ducks and sand hill cranes in the area so I never learned to waterfowl hunt. This year, my son and I stayed the night at the lease Wednesday and duck hunted Thanksgiving morning. I had a limit down about 30 minutes after legal shooting but ended up losing three because I couldn't get to them before they snuck off. Our lease has about a 6-acre lake, two 2-acre tanks and three smaller tanks. All hold ducks this time of year, particularly the three bigger lakes/tanks. What do I need to cost effectively hunt the place?

I was thinking I need decoys, I found a really good natural blind and had no trouble positioning myself to get plenty of shooting even without decoys. What type of decoys would work in Texas and how many? I guess I would also need to get duck calls and learn to use them.

My biggest issue is retrieving. I have hip waders and rubber boots, but the lake is deep enough, I had a hard time retrieving until they drifted close to shore. The wounded birds were getting away before I could get to them. I looked at the cost of retrieving dogs on the Internet and was shocked. They're as much as pointers plus I'm not sure I want another dog right now. Could I retrieve with a kayak or canoe? If so, what type should I look at?

On another note, when my wife and daughter arrived at the lease for Thanksgiving lunch, they were raving about the bacon wrapped "filet" (scaup and teal) I had grilled.

I am in the same boat as you, and I don’t have a dog either. You can certainly use a kayak or canoe to retrieve, but it could be dicey in cold/wind/wearing hip boots. Be careful if you try it. I have used a large top water zara spook and a spinning rod to snag floaters. Unfortunately I believe you are going to have to accept a greater loss level than you would if you had a dog.

Get yourself a dozen or so Teal Lifetime Decoys! https://lifetimedecoys.com/decoys/

Unfortunately they don't make Bluebills yet. If you have mallards I would get a dozen flocked head Lifetime decoys as well.

Calling is not required but if you want to play with it do it sparingly. This is a very good call that is easy to use and learn on. https://lastflightcalls.net/products/the-imposter-acrylic

Boats! Well yes a canoe or kayak will work just fine. So will a fishing tube. Or you can go all in on something like this.https://layouthunting.com/nxt-gen-ufo-layout-boat-2/

In addition to the above...this season:

1 - get a friend with a dog. Let him retrieve. Learn how he controls his dog.

2 - get a pup and start training it...learn from the dog that your friend brings and make sure that you train yours to not do the things that his does to annoy you.

3 - get a whistle, learn to call later.

Next season - use your dog, you'll have the best season ever.

^^^^^^^what LeakyWaders said.

I bird hunt way more now just to watch the dogs work and keep them happy. It makes it more enjoyable.

Side note: A good dog will often get you invited on hunts, but a bad one will definitely get your future invitation revoked. If you get a dog, train it or have it trained to be an asset in the field and not a detriment. Just because you have a Lab (insert whatever other retriever breed) doesn’t mean you have a duck dog!

A friend once told me he duck hunted and snorted cocaine, but gave up on the duck hunting because it was too expensive and wrecked his life.......

I hunt central Texas every Christmas on my wifes families ground. All I have is a dozen flocked mallards, so thats what I use. I've killed greenwings, bluewings, ringnecks, mallards, wigeon, gadwalls, woodducks and mergansers over them down there. Just got a new dozen greenwing teal but haven't even rigged them up yet.

My calling is very limited, simply because I'm not confident in it, and because I haven't had to.

For the 'deep' retrieves, like mentioned above, a spinning reel and a topwater bass plug works very well, have done that several times.

I have no shame in shooting a wounded bird on the water to keep it from swimming off and being lost.

A comfortable chair does wonders. I started off with a 3 legged foldup stool. Its too low to the ground and just uncomfortable. I upgraded to a directors chair like thing. It folds up and goes in my decoy backpack. It is comfortable to sit in. The legs have bars going front to back so it won't sink in the mud. Having a backrest lets me sit out there a lot longer.

True Story!

Great advice if one has the time and money to invest in one. Yes it is a life long investment! A well bred retriever of your liking is going to be minimum $1K for the pup, which will be the cheapest part of the deal. So if $1K scares you a dog isn't for you. Add vet bills, food, possibly training, training aids, and miscellaneous expenses over the life of the dog.

By the way training doesn't stop if you want a good working dog. So even if you train yourself that's time invested. A dog that retrieves a ball, stick, Dokken's dead fowl IS NOT A WORKING DOG! A working dog at a minimum knows Heel, Back, Marks, Can retrieve multiple Marks, and can blind retrieve. Anything less is a pet or house dog.

There are plenty of small duckboats that can fit your needs for walk-in and retrieving/setting decoys, until you get into the dog world. Carstens, Hellbender, Aquapod, pirogues, etc.... you can match them up to your needs and budget better than we can. Heck, when I was a kid, we had a fishing rod with a Zebco 33 and a piece of foam around a heavy weight, with copper wire ‘grapples’ taped to it, as our redneck duck retriever. There are a million decoys out there. A floating block of wood will kill ducks if you’re on the ‘X’, and so will no decoys at all. You can call ducks in (variables on location) and you can just let them come in all on their own. I’ve seen some regular old ‘pet’ or ‘house dog’ be a better hunter and retriever for than the high $, relentlessly trained, fancy titled, waste of dog food at the other end of the blind. Point is: don’t let us tell you how to skin the cat. You already know the hide needs to come off. Go hunt and figure out the best way for you to get there. It won’t mean nearly as much in the end without figuring out your own needs vs others.
Having said that, one new item for me.....if you use marsh seats, that new Alps with the backrest and mesh triangle seat is the most comfortable one I’ve used, and I’ve stunk up a lot of them.

For some more opinionated generalities....
Keep in mind: decoys without keels move better in the wind and can add a lot more life to a spread, and can be used on dry ground. Decoys with keels stay upright in rough water far better. Two decoys in the right place are better than 100 in the wrong place. Wind at your back is what you’ll hear preached, but then landing ducks are also looking right at your face, as well. Hunt the ‘X’ however you can, damn the wind. Double reed calls are easier to learn and call on. Single reed calls can do more and have more range. You only need two of the fifty calls you’ll want to carry. Listen to ducks on the ‘X’ work ducks in the air, before you decide you know when to call. Small retrieving breeds are easier to handle in small spaces and small boats. Shoot them where they eats, not where they sheets. Dry clothes in a dry bag aren’t worth it, until they are. Keeping your powder dry applies to your duck shells after a hunt. Grease on choke tubes is your friend.

A dozen mallard and a dozen teal decoys will work in Texas. You won't always need all of them. Rig one to a jerk string with a bungee cord. Those spinning wing decoys help too, and you won't need a call. Hide your shiny face and hands! I would recommend a John boat with a trolling motor for the size waters you described.

Before I had more time than money, I killed em with crappy 15 year old mallard decoys, a mossberg pump and canvas waders.

How much you want to spend is up to you.

Duck hunters can and will spend a lot. I'm. In that group and don't regret a single penny spent.

Any small boat or pirogue will work and usually light enough to easily get to the spot.

I prefer Roger’s waders that are lightweight but have the zip in insulation.

A face mask makes a world of difference in getting birds to commit.

As for decoys, I would get a 18-24 pack of puddle ducks and call it. Get the plastic style non tangle decoy cord or use heavy mono and crimps. I would do what Leaky Waders suggested and get a whistle instead of a call. Mojos or other spinning wing decoys can make or break a hunt depending on how the birds react. I would say a jerk string is a better bet or something like a higdon crazy kicker for the calm days.

I have had a few retrievers over the years and have hunted with countless others. A good dog cannot be beat when it comes to finding birds or adding value to the hunting experience. With that being said, a poorly trained dog can ruin a hunt. They are great pets and are fun to have if you put in the time. As stated above, I have thousands in my current biscuit eater as he is well bred. He is the first dog I sent to be trained due to the lack of time. However, my best hunting dog, I paid $150 in two payments of $75 for. The only reason he turned out so well was due to the amount of time and hunting we did. I was in college and he went everywhere. With that being said, you’re much more likely to get a good dog with proven bloodlines, I just happened to get lucky.

Good luck and enjoy the best part of duck hunting, the time spent with family and friends.

Thanks for the advice. This gives me some things to think about.. Didn't hunt today but the ducks were really flying at the lease. I saw several hundred this evening. Mallards, Canvasback, Teal, Redheads and probably a few others were flying today.

Good day yesterday. Bought a kayak from Bass Pro last week and a friend and I hunted yesterday. If my ID is correct, we killed redheads, ring necks, bluebill and American wigeon plus we saw may others including canvas backs and a few mallards.

Well, you could locate in a field and stay dry. Or just limit your shots around the pond to where you can retrieve easily. Always anchor a wounded bird as soon as possible - even in the air if you can. Chest waders are another option. And of course a small kayak is another option.

Before you get a dog, switch shot sizes to something smaller and shorten your range. Decoys will help a ton with that. Roger's Sporting goods has good prices. Avian X decoys look like they might take wing. Good luck. You are traveling a dangerous path, taking up duck hunting.

I fell down the rabbit hole of duck hunting a few years ago. Knowing what I know now, the best advice I can offer is to find a friend that knows how to hunt your area and has a dog.

Short of that, if you're already on the proverbial X, you might not need to worry about decoys or calling. Just build a good blind (or two or three) in the right spots, based on how the winds vary, and fire away. For tough retrieves (we have some quicksand type stuff at our place), try a painter's extension pole. We painted ours camo with Krylon Fusion and leave it by the blind. If you need or want decoys, Roger's is usually tough to beat (check Prairiewind too).

I'm keeping my shots within 40 yards (preferably 30). I don't think I mentioned ammo. What shot size I use and why go smaller if larger doesn't always anchor them?

Inside 40 yards, fast #4s have plenty of energy for ducks, and pattern density is your friend, at all ranges. Then again, if you’re gonna shoot them in the ass instead of the head, they’ll fly off if you’re using BBs. Use whichever gives best pattern density in your gun, inside 40 yards.....1s/2s/3s/4s.....won’t matter much.