I've been a serious duck hunter for many years and fill the freezer with mallards every year, but my type of duck hunting is very different from the norm. I don't own a single decoy or duck call. I jump shoot exclusively. I'd rather cover ground and get exercise than sit in a blind freezing my butt off. I know every piece of water in my area and how to approach without being seen by birds on the water. You'd be surprised what ducks will sit on. I regularly jump groups of mallards off 2 ft wide ditches and other tiny sloughs and eddies. The occasional pheasant I shoot between duck jumps is a bonus. A dog is definitely necessary. Half of my birds drop in thick brush and I'd never find them without his nose. Working the dog and seeing the retrieve are the best parts of the hunt. I'm partial to labs, but any retriever will do. Weather plays a huge role, the colder, the better. My best day of duck hunting ever, was -17 degrees F when I left the truck.
