A Ducks Unlimited Guide to Hunting Dabblers [Hardcover]

Wade Bourne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

This is a comprehensive guide to hunting mallards, wood ducks, wigeon, teal, pintails, and other dabbling ducks. Never has another book offered more details on dabbler hunting tactics, including:
*Methods for hunting dabblers over decoys in marshes, flooded timber, agricultural fields, rivers, and small and big lakes
*Strategies for pass shooting, jump shooting, and float hunting
*Tactics for early- and late-season hunting
*Advice on how to hunt public areas
*And much, much more
In-depth chapters cover how to call dabblers; how to set up the most effective decoy spreads for a wide variety of situations; how, and where, to set up duck blinds; and how to scout and locate the best hunting spots. A chapter on shotgunning recommends which gauges, actions, chokes, and loads to use for various species and types of hunting, and includes tips for becoming a good duck shot. There's even a chapter on how to plan a duck-hunting trip, complete with information on the top ten dabbler hunting destinations in the United States and Canada. Like author Wade Bourne's first Duck Unlimited guidebook, Decoys and Proven Methods for Using Them, this one is chockfull of enough new and detailed information to make it an invaluable resource for the novice and veteran duck hunter alike.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This comprehensive guide to hunting mallards, wood ducks, wigeon, teal, pintails, and other dabbling ducks is the first definitive book on the subject for the 21st century, and a great resource for novice and veteran hunters alike. Never has another volume offered more details on dabbler hunting tactics, including: methods for hunting over decoys in marshes, flooded timber, agricultural fields, rivers; strategies for pass-shooting; tactics for hunting early and late in the season; tips from the country's best guides.
This book also features in-depth chapters on how to call dabbling ducks, how to set up duck blinds and how to locate the best hunting spots. There's a chapter on shotguns and shooting, and even one on how to plan a duck hunting trip.

About the Author

Wade Bourne has been a full-time outdoor broadcaster and writer for more than 20 years. He is the former host of Advantage Outdoors TV and current host of the syndicated Advantage Outdoors Radio program. His articles appear frequently in many national hunting and fishing publications, including Ducks Unlimited magazine. He is the author of three other books: Decoys and Proven Methods for Using Them, Fishing Fundamentals, and Ultimate Turkey Hunting.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932052003
• ISBN-13: 978-1932052008
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best How-to Duck Hunting Book Out There, February 12, 2003

By 

Dan Delamato - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Ducks Unlimited Guide to Hunting Dabblers (Hardcover)

I bought Wade Bourne's Decoy book two years ago and it changed the way I hunt ducks...and geese. I've been able to lure more birds within shooting range, and have been able to pull out a few new tricks when conditions change, or when my favorite methods fail. This new book is just as good as his first...and even a veteran duck hunter like myself will learn newer and better ways to hunt puddle ducks.If you're just getting into the sport, or if you'd like to improve your hunting, buy this book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of your basic gear if you want to start hunting puddle ducks, January 27, 2009

By 

Utah Blaine (Somewhere on Trexalon in District 268) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Ducks Unlimited Guide to Hunting Dabblers (Hardcover)

I'd give this book to anyone looking to start hunting ducks who has little or no prior experience. In fact, if someone asked what was the minimum amount of gear one needed to buy such as waders, a shotgun, etc., I'd include this book in the list. This is a concise, easy to read manual that gives the novice an intro into all the aspects of hunting ducks. This book is geared toward inland hunting of dabbling ducks (mallards, wood ducks, etc.). Chapters include a general overview of hunting dabblers, tactics, decoys, blinds, calling, pre-hunt scouting, shotguns, and planning a hunt. Each chapter is about 20 pages long, with some nice figures and a few sidebars containing tips and ideas by some of the author's friends. If you are a novice, this book will not replace the knowledge of an experienced duck hunter to guide/assist you the first few times out, but this book does a nice job of explaining the whys and wherefores of many of the things you'll be doing out in the blind. This book should best be viewed as a companion or aid to supplement your field learning. One thing that would have been a useful addition to this book is a list or summary of basic gear. There are some obvious things that are necessary to hunt ducks (waders, shotgun, etc.), but lots of other gear that is often very useful but not so obvious that one picks up experience. I'd be interested to know what non-standard items Bourne carries in his blind bag. I've only been hunting a few years and I'm still tweaking my gear each time out (although I may well be doing this the rest of my life). I'm not sure how interesting or useful this book will be to a veteran duck hunter. He/she may pick up a few useful bits of information, but the info is rather basic, and in any case, most of the advanced learning about duck hunting is done by doing it, not reading it in a book. Definitely worth the $20 for someone at the start of their journey/addiction.