Chesapeake Bay Virginia Duck Guide Recommendations

[grahambiel]

Hey guys, I’m going to be in the eastern Virginia area this winter and looking for a recommendation for a duck hunting guide in the Chesapeake Bay Area. I’d prefer a guy that hunts on the Virginia side rather than Maryland. Anyone have an outfitter they’ve hunted with and had a good experience that they could recommend?

 

[Rich M]

I went a couple years back in December of January for brant. It was just me, guide plopped me in a blind and put out a couple decoys. Saw the prettiest sunrise ever and shot my limit of brant during it.

Guide then moved me over to a bufflehead blind. They are fun to shoot. Shot 6 I think and headed in.

Saw flocks of snows, black ducks, and lots more brants and bufflehead.

Chincoteague hunting and fishing center
Duckguide.com

I'd go back. Check out the website.

If you want to do snow geese, a couple bunches of birds did go into the permanent Decoy spread they keep out there. You might get a couple, it isn't like Texas or Saskatchewan.

The area is better for brant and diver ducks. Blacks are common on the Salt flats.

 

[grahambiel]

Awesome good to know. Never shot a Brant so was hoping that might be an opportunity. I’ve killed enough hen butterballs for several lifetimes but I have to agree...they’re sure fun to shoot

 

[Rich M]

You could do sea ducks instead of butterballs. I grew up shooting buffies and we don't get many down here. Brant are neat, mallard size goose pretty much.

Whatever you do I'm sure you'll have fun.

Decide what you'd like to do/get out of it and call a few guides, see which you feel comfortable with.

In my case, they dropped me off in the blinds and went somewhere to wait for the shooting. No guide in the blind, just me.

If I get on my computer I'll put up a couple pictures. Trip was December 2012 - pics to follow.

 

[Rich M]

 

[Rich M]

 

[grahambiel]

thanks for the pics! looks like a great time ill give these guys a ring

 

[hutty]

If Va. doesn't work out I can recommend several in Maryland depending what you want to hunt. Maryland has divers, sea ducks, puddle ducks, geese and offers hunting out or layout boats or body booting for a wild adventure.

 

[grahambiel]

Awesome, may take you up on that...right now we’re hoping to find something in southeast Virginia mainly because my buddy won a quail preserve hunt in that area at a DU raffle

The whole preserve thing wouldn’t usually be quite our style (so likely will just do the one day there) so while we’re out that way we were hoping to find someone nearby who might be able to get us on to some ducks.

The Chincoteague Hunt recommended above is a bit of a drive anyway from where we’d be so probably wouldn’t be too much further for us to just hunt in Maryland either

 

[BraedenD93]

Would you be able to provide me with that info. Id love to go for a sea duck and puddle duck hunt. Theyre the prettiest birds

If Va. doesn't work out I can recommend several in Maryland depending what you want to hunt. Maryland has divers, sea ducks, puddle ducks, geese and offers hunting out or layout boats or body booting for a wild adventure

 

[hutty]

For sea ducks Jeff Coates https://pitbosswaterfowl.com/ or Maryland waterfowl guide service https://marylandwaterfowl.com/

For puddle ducks or divers Tommy Marvel Chesapeake Guide Service http://chesapeakeguideservice.com/