10 Best Hunting Bibs

Best Hunting Bibs in 2023

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Looking for Puddlejumpers

An off the beaten path approach to duck hunting.

There are two steps we use at finding the right place to go. First, we check out the topographical maps of the area we intend to hunt in. What we look for are old logging roads or trails off a secondary road, where these trails cross over a creek. These creeks, we have learned from experience, have been marked by beavers and contain fresh beaver ponds and older broken open dams where pot holes and puddles along the creek are surrounded by tall grasses. Then we travel to the area in late summer to check it over from the road to make sure it has everything we're looking for. It is not always necessary, though, to have the trail in. Small creeks and ditches that run along the sides of roads can also be productive upstream, even if they don't look like they will be from the road. When we find a promising area, we prepare ourselves for opening day.

Once we know exactly where we're going, we load up a backpack with duck shot (steel shot) and a few apples to eat when we take a break. We have an agreement. I carry the pack in when I'm fresh and rested, and Tom carries it back out, hopefully full of ducks. We case up our 12 gauge shotguns that we meticulously cleaned the night before, dress for the trip according to the weather with orange camo hats and blaze orange jackets, and with our faithful Retriever on heel (a real asset for this type of hunting), head out to our pick-up truck for the trip out to what we hope is the right place to be opening day.

The reason we prefer to choose a trail that crosses over a creek is to let the dog have a good run through the bush along this trail on the way in, in search of ruffed grouse, so as we walk in we have our shotguns loaded and ready. Like any other bird hunters, sometimes we see some, sometimes we don't, but a good dog does make a difference. When we get close to the creek, though, we let the bird hunt go so we don't alert the ducks to our impending arrival. At this point we put the dog on heel.

Over the years we have encountered a variety of terrain and vegetation along these creeks, and most creeks will contain all of these varieties if followed along far enough. We have learned that if the beaver dam is new and high, chances are there won't be any ducks in it for it won't contain the right type of feed, but ducks may find shelter in it, depending on the weather, so we don't just barge up to it and assume nothing is there. We stop just below the dam and listen. If no ducks are heard, we slowly raise our heads and look for movement. It is not unheard of for a small flock of wood ducks to be swimming on the far side of these big ponds, in among the dead and dying trees, just out of range. If we do happen to spot their movement, we quickly sneak up on them and see how close we can get. Sometimes this means getting wet stepping into the creek just below the dam to get a closer look, and possibly even a shot at them. However, if no movement is sighted, we quietly walk along the shore to the other side of the pond where the creek enters it, still checking for movement.

If an old broken beaver dam is encountered, there usually is a small pond behind it. There is a very good possibility of ducks being in that pond. If it's a high dam, one of us is able to peek through the opening made to let the water out, and spot where the ducks are. Sometimes these openings are big enough to jump out from behind and put the ducks up. If it is a low dam, we crouch down and slowly creep up on it. If duck sounds are heard and we're still crouching down, I get a solid footing so I don't do what I did the first time out. I slipped in the mud halfway up the dam after my first shot and landed on my backside in a pile of prickly bushes. I only had a single barrel shotgun in those days, but did manage to hit one mallard in the flock before I went down. Now I make sure my footing is well set before I squeeze the trigger.

While walking along the creek, little grassy clumps and rocks may conceal small pot holes along its course. Again, as we approach these small clumps or rocks, we listen for duck sounds, and if we hear them or just suspect ducks could be in there because we saw some fly over the area and appear to have landed close to this place, we drop down on all fours and crawl on knees and elbows in the mud and water with the shotguns held across both hands to keep them dry and clean. Oh, sure, we get wet and dirty, but when we poke our heads up over the edge of the creek bed and see mallards sunning themselves and swimming around eating, the mud we crawled through doesn't matter at all. After the hunt, the mud does wash off in the shower and in the laundry. As one drake is usually standing guard and spots us, we jump up and have a real good duck shoot as the ducks lift off the water. Our dog, then, goes and does her job to keep us from getting any wetter. It is not uncommon to get four or five ducks the first day out of one of these pot holes. The best grasses to find these duck pot holes in also contain hitch-hikers that love to get caught in the dog's fur. The harder she works, the more she picks up, but she loves the job, and enjoys the grooming she gets afterwards.

As we work our way back to the road, we judge each dam we come to according to size and age. Experience has alot to do with this, but we still mess up once in a while and are surprised when a flock takes off right over our heads. Each turn in the creek is slowly rounded and checked out. Some days we get our limit before we get halfway back to the road, and Tom's backpack is feeling pretty heavy. I'm happy on these days that we made our agreement. Other days we should have been sitting in a duck blind with the decoys for we go home skunked, even if we walked the creek the previous year and it was productive. These creeks can change from day to day, week to week, and year to year, depending on beaver activity, wind, and the amount of rainfall, so we never know what to expect. The area that yielded nothing today may present you with your limit tomorrow.

This type of duck hunting isn't for everyone, so don't pack up the children and take them along. It is physically demanding with all the walking involved. There are areas where thick eye-poking bush surrounds a freshly flooded area that has to be traveled through. There are areas filled with sticky, slippery boot-tugging mud that can't be skirted because the cliffs that line the edges of it are too high to climb. There are rocky hills to be navigated over to avoid getting wet. The smooth looking grass fields where the old ponds were are not smooth at all. These conceal dead logs, beaver runs and rocks to slip and trip over. Ankles can get twisted, cheeks can get scratched and muscles can ache when the hunt is done, especially if the summer was spent sitting in the boat, fishing. We find, however, that the shooting we get is well worth the effort we put into the trip. Even those days we are skunked we find the effort rewarding, for we have come upon moose, deer, bear and the odd wolf. The scenery is always changing and beautiful, and the fresh air and exercise is great for a good night sleep. Our family, by the way, has affectionately termed this form of duck hunting as ambushwacking puddlejumpers.