Evenings can also prove productive, as ducks come in for a late-day feed and then head for their evening roosts. Positioning along the birds’ travel lanes affords you the chance to shoot them coming and going.

Flounder suggest the spirit of duck hunting: Don came, hunker down and keep a lookout for prey passing overhead.

Optimal conditions include puffy winds and cloudy skies and a light rain. Basically, when the birds are getting blown around, they’re more apt to settle into a calm shoreline. Also, low light hinders their vision. On bluebird days, the hunt’s over a couple of hours after sunup, whereas nasty weather allows you to hunt until you get your fill.

In any conditions, masters of waterfowl psychology leverage the old safety in numbers theory by arranging a couple dozen decoys within shooting range of their position. Ducks will bunch up in adverse conditions, but new arrivals instinctively seek out new neighbors to help them locate food, water and roosting areas.

As a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Eric Johnson spends a lot of time studying wildlife. He’s also spent many hours in a duck blind from Florida to New England. Ducks are ducks, he said, but when they arrive in the migration can greatly affect their reactions.

In contrast to northern environs, where Johnson said he has called indecisive ducks for up to five minutes, calls comprise a lesser element of Florida hunts. The fact is, duck calls in the Sunshine State usually fall on suspicious ears.

“By the time ducks migrate down to Florida,” he said, “they’ve passed through a lot of decoy fields and they’ve been shot at and called at, so they’re pretty wise by the time they get here. Traditionally, down here, ducks either come in right away or they just ignore you and keep on going.”

Jennings notes, “If you’re where they want to be and you have decoys out, you won’t need to call them. They’ll come right to you.”

THE ART OF CONCEALMENT

Defying geographic boundaries is this duck-hunting postulate: Those suckers have incredible eyesight. Hence, the need for full camouflage outfits, hats, gloves and face nets (or camo grease paint).

Some hunters shoot from johnboats rigged with tent blinds. Jennings stakes out a promising mangrove island, erects a makeshift fence line by sinking palmetto fronds into the mud and then hangs camouflage netting along the foliage.

Wherever you hide, you gotta sit still.

“A lot of hunters get antsy in the blind,” Jennings said. “They want to get a better position, or adjust their seat, but that’ll ruin the whole thing. If you start bobbing your head or moving around, the ducks can see that motion. When they’re coming in to land, that’s their most vulnerable time and they know that. So they’ll key in on the movement.”

Good shooting form starts with patience and ends in fluid motion.

“Be as still as you can, then stand up, mount the gun and take your shot in one movement,” Jennings said. “This gives you time to get multiple birds, because they all have to get back in gear and get going back up.

“Also, make sure the duck is in range so you don’t just wound it. If a wounded duck flies away, no one will get to harvest that bird except the raccoons, foxes or whatever finds him.”

BAG YOUR BIRD

Jennings suggests 28- to 12-gauge pump-action or semiautomatic shotguns and No. 6 or 7 1⁄ 2 shot. Heavier shot materials like bismuth and tungsten maintain their velocity better than steel, thereby affording greater range and killing power.

Shells with high-end shot cost more, but as Jennings notes: “You invest all this time, effort and money into duck hunting, why skimp on the load that’s actually going to bring the duck out of the sky? Also, you’re going to wound fewer ducks with quality shot.”

Many hunters who go with less-expensive steel say that it’s best to choose shot one size larger than what you may have used back when lead shot was legal: No. 4 instead of 6, for instance.

Essential to this game is a good bird dog. Not only does your canine companion save you a lot of walking, but quickly retrieving birds ensures a direct and humane dispatching for those still kicking.

Work with your dog during the off season to eliminate “hard mouthing,” which damages the meat. Also, establish discipline and control to ensure your dog can keep its cool when ducks flare into the decoys. In the field, carry plenty of fresh water to rinse the dog’s face—salty or brackish water will irritate their eyes and mouth.

BEND A ROD

After a morning of duck dunking, Jennings swaps his shotguns for spinning rods and heads for productive mangrove shorelines, backwater cuts and grassflats. The usual target is redfish lying in sandy potholes or tailing on shallow grassflats. When transitioning from hunting directly into fishing, Jennings advises keeping your waders on and pursuing reds on foot. Weedless gold spoons, or white jerkbaits rigged weedless on a 2/0 or 3/0 worm hook are ideal for this pursuit.

On winter’s super low tides, trout, reds and the occasional snook will get locked into deep troughs way back in the mangrove basins. With mere puddles between navigable waters and these fantasy fish bowls, your choices are A) hike through several hundred yards of mud or B) zip across treacherous shallows in an airboat. When you reach these holes, shrimp fished under corks, jigs and topwater plugs can yield tremendous results.

Truth be told, a blast and cast trip is somewhat of a Catch-22, as ideal weather for hunting (windy, cloudy and cold) and fishing (calm, clear and warm) rarely overlap. But you have options. If the day favors duck hunting, spend more time in the blind and watch for windows of angling opportunity. Conversely, if chamber of commerce weather emerges, you can always count on first-light duck action, then wrap up early and spend the day casting.

Good thing is, you’ll have very little traffic during duck months. Unlike the parking lot of spring snook season, fewer boats exploit winter’s meager opportunities.

“This a nice break from the traditional stuff you do 90 percent of the year,” Jennings said. “It’s a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy some sporting activities. The game’s not over in the winter, it’s just played differently.”

FS