Motion typically attracts birds from long distances, but it also seems to flare many flocks as they get within about 60 yards. Illustration by Steve Sanford There is nothing like a flooded-timber hunt when mallards pour from the heavens like rain, but sucking birds into even the best holes is rarely a given. To start a new field or rejuvenate an old one, Vandemore plows or disks to disturb the seed bank, waits for natural vegetation to cover the area, mows, and then just adds water. Spinning-wing decoys work well for ducks in fields. I have a few questions for you guys that I have tried to research but never got the answer I was looking for. In all four major North American flyways, hunters refine fields to attract waterfowl. The farmer is going to let me build a Levi and flood it. When a river surges above flood stage, be there the next morning. One day’s delay might cause you to miss one of the best hunts of your life. In my experience, geese flare from motorized decoys. Although Arkansas is rightly known for its flooded-timber duck hunting, the relative dearth of bottomland hardwood forest in comparison to Arkansas’ vast rice acreage means a lot of … He was going to spend the golden years fishing for monster rock quarry bass, but soon discovered the previous owners had started a piping system to flood adjacent ag fields. When most waterfowlers talk about hunting ducks, they'll mention boats, flooded timber or reed-choked marshes, chest waders and floating decoys. Equipment for River Hunting They can provide some of the best shooting in waterfowling, or some of the greatest frustrations. I think milo would be fine, but if corn would be easier or if you already have access to some corn seed I'd go ahead and use it. Leasing duck hunting rights on rice fields is big business in The Natural State; some sweet spots with a proven history command a lease price that some would consider obscene. After 90 days of flooding, 86 percent of soybeans, 50 percent of corn and 42 percent of milo is deteriorated. Hunting is typically best when rising water first starts breaking into riverside woods and fields. However, some grains deteriorate faster than others when flooded. Flooding Fields for Duck Hunting. “Flood the field when the average air temperature is above 55 degrees and you’ll get a lot more bugs,” he says. Keep this in mind when flooding fields for duck hunting. And when you dont flood to the ears, the birds wont eat it up near as fast. After all, duck hunting is generally considered to be a water-based sport. “Sometimes we’ll have a lot of ducks in the area, but they’re hard to kill because the weather’s warm or whatever. Field crops offering the most energy for waterfowl include corn, milo and soybeans. As ducks flock to rice fields, so do hunters. Some of the corn fields I hunt we dont flood all the way to the ears and still kill a ton of ducks out of em. We do whatever we have to to keep ‘em using our property.” Never got into the field hunting but I am going to next season. After a certain period they become devoid of the good … Thus, such spots can be fields of dreams, or domains of disappointment. Not long ago, a retired duck-hunting friend bought a small parcel of land with a lake. If you’re mostly hunting geese, leave the spinners at home. If our success starts dropping, then we may quit hunting for a few days to let the ducks get back into the field. FIELD HUNTING ADVANTAGES. I've got a 120 acre stubble corn field that I'm lucky enough to be able to hunt in Emmett. How much area should I flood and how deep should I make it. I cam across a farm that I can hunt. Choose models with remote controls so you can turn the wings off as ducks make their final approach.