Chasing Waterfowl in the PNW

January 2024

By Nick Burgess, Floor Manager Shedhorn Sports, Ennis, Montana

So, what does someone do after the closing of the big game hunting season in Montana? I think there are two viable options. One is calling predators to help with predator management and two is chasing waterfowl. Both have their own challenges and are appealing in different ways. The weather was warm which makes calling predators much more challenging, so I was passing time until the weather changed. That was until I was given the opportunity to waterfowl hunt the PNW, the Pacific Northwest with Retay Shotguns and the DCC, the Don Coffey Co. If given the opportunity to hunt the PNW, jump at the opportunity.

The Pacific Northwest brings its own set of challenges. The weather is very different than we would experience here in Montana. To say the least, it is WET! Challenge Accepted! It is not easy to adapt your Montana big game system to the extremely wet coast. However, if you have good insulation pieces and rain gear you can make it work. Other necessities are waders, insulated and waterproof boots, and good gloves. Obviously, there are a lot of other gear needs, but you can get by.

Arguably the most important piece of gear is your shotgun. This is where the rubber meets the road. You need to have a gun that WORKS! What does that actually mean? When I look at a firearm, in this case a shotgun, there are a few things I look for. These are all attributes I look for after gun fitment…not a topic in this post. First and foremost, it has to be reliable, meaning that when I sit up out of a layout blind or stand up out of a box or A-frame, it needs to shoot and cycle. Second for me is the controls. I like to have larger controls from when it is cold, wet and I am wearing gloves. A smaller concern but just as important is the placement of the safety. I have hunted with shotguns that have the safety on the tang, in front of the trigger guard and behind the trigger guard. When looking for your waterfowl gun, you need to find out which is more comfortable and usable for you. The last attribute I look for is finish. Will it hold up to the weather and use over time?

For me, Retay marks off the boxes. The Gordion and Masai Mara are the company’s semi-auto shotguns. There is nothing wrong with waterfowl hunting with a pump action shotgun but there are distinct advantages to a semi-auto. During this hunt I shot the Masai Mara 12GA.

THE HUNT:

I met Zach Epstein from DCC at the Bozeman, MT airport enroute to Seattle. Grabbed a coffee…definite must! Next flight had us into Bellingham where we were picked up by Jake and Brian from DCC West. We had a rented AIRBNB for the four of us. Grocery stop, license stop, and about a 15 minute drive had us at the house. We decided to have some dinner, more of a feast, and then prepare for the morning hunt. That evening we had around 40mph winds which made us optimistic for the morning.

Up early and loading the truck our hopes were high as the wind was still ripping out of the North. Weather report had wind continuing throughout the morning. We met up with Gage Bates and Prodrift Guide Service. For the morning we were hunting out of layout blinds over a small pond next to some standing corn.

Right before shooting light, the ducks decided to put on a show! The number of birds was staggering. We had the opportunity to video, photograph, and watch the spectacle as we readied ourselves.

With the conclusion of nature’s beauty, shooting light hit us with birds flying! Early we had birds overheard but not wanting to commit. A small move of our blinds by Gage had us in the hot spot. For the next hour and a half, we had constant action. It is hard to put into words the spectacle of watching mallards locked in and coming into your spread. It is a dance between duck and caller. At 9:17am we called it with a 5-man limit of mallard ducks on the ground!

*Mallard Duck limited out! (Hunter #5 taking photo)*

If you are going to hunt ducks, you should clean and eat ducks! That evening back at the house we cleaned our days limit and decided we should cook up the day’s bounty. It seems like when a group of hunters get together, there is at least one that has a secret recipe or knack for preparing the game. Brain took over and started preparing a dinner of fried duck and pasta. To say that it was good would be an egregious understatement. The meal is truly the trophy of the hunt and a time to visit, laugh, joke, and relive the events of the day. With full stomachs we relaxed for the evening with the promise of another day chasing ducks!

Day two began like the first with wind and an overcast sky. Changing it up, we would be hunting out of a box blind overlooking an ag field. Early there was a mixed bag of ducks and geese flying. There were groups of mallards, wigeon, pintails, Canadians and cacklers in the sky. Our hopes soared based on the idea of taking multiple species.

With the coming of shooting light, the geese disappeared, and the ducks slowed down. It looked like we were going to have to work harder for the opportunities. We were prepared to tough it out. We started to have a few three and four packs get up and start working our decoys. Similar to the day before, Mallards were coming. Though we did have one random Bufflehead land in our spread. He hung out for quite a while but did have a free pass. As the day wore on more and more ducks started to get up and came to check out our decoy spread. Pintails were a target bird throughout the day. We were constantly looking for a mature drake with a long sprig. These are unbelievably gorgeous birds. The Washington limit is one pintail per hunter, so patience is key. Each of us was blessed with the opportunity to fill our pintail limit. The last of the birds on our list was the American Wigeon. Four ducks left to hit our second straight 5-man limit. Last wad of the day was solid wigeon. And just like that, day two was in the books. A mixed bag, decent weather and fantastic people.