A born and bred Texan, Dennis Loosier spent his youth hunting ducks, squirrels, and hogs. As his passion for duck hunting grew, Dennis educated himself on how to access public lands for hunting opportunities. Through the years, he has learned, firsthand, the importance of strategic planning and scouting. Dennis is a partner with Dr. Duck Co., a company that equips people with rugged, durable gear for hunting, as well as the host of the Dr. Duck YouTube waterfowl hunting show, and an Ambassador for RETAY Shotguns. Despite this full plate, he still makes time to enjoy his passion for duck hunting on public lands throughout Texas. Dennis lends his expertise with Duck Hunting Success: 5 Basic Scouting Tips, the first entry in RETAY’s new monthly blog. First off, why is scouting for ducks so important? It’s important because there are so many variables to scouting. This include ducks being adaptable to weather conditions; they are always on the move between feeding, to a loafing area, and a final destination of the day which is their roost. All of these elements must be considered in your scouting plan. Second, when you have the basic location, you plan to hunt in, the next step is to watch the ducks and see how they fly in and out of the water hole they are using. Remember to check wind direction too. Ducks like to land into the wind, so you want to make sure the wind is good in the direction you will have to set up in. Third. Now you have found ducks. Planning on how to hunt them is very important. I never hunt the roost, but use this location to find the feeding area. Hunting the roost will make your ducks move from the area and push them to find safety somewhere else. Personally, I look for feeding areas and try to set up there. Fourth is another very important step in duck hunting success. Decoy arrangement. It varies from scouting but is key to a successful hunt. You need to make note of how many ducks are in the area you are hunting and try to simulate how they are using the area. In other words, try to copycat what they are doing as closely as possible. Finally, the fifth key to a successful hunt, and probably one of the most critical steps, is your concealment. Ducks are looking for one thing wrong, and it doesn’t matter how many things you have right. That one thing wrong will make them lose confidence and move on. So, make sure your hide is good from above. Most people do a great job of hiding at eye level and below, but ducks are looking down on you most of the time. Good luck on your duck hunt! Dr. Duck
