gonna try duck hunting

My hunting buddy and I want to go duck hunting this coming season. Neither of us has any experiance with it. I've found some web sites that I'm reading through, but wanted to ask a few questions here.

What chokes should I use? I have a double gun with screw in choke tubes.

What shells are the best for the money? What size and type of shot? I knowI can't use lead. I can chamber up to 3in shells in my 12ga.

What about decoys, calls, etc? We're going to be hunting over a swamp/slew type area near a spot where others had been successful last year. I don't know what technique they used. It's a wooded area, as opposed to an open field or pond. I don't know if this is ideal or not, but his neighbors did a lot of shooting last year.

Will ducks be scared off if they see you? I've heard of duck blinds. What's the deal with this?

What times of day are best?

I guess that's it for now, I'll probably think of more later.

Why don't you try going out with a guide the first time? Duck hunting isn't very difficult, but it sounds like your so new to it that having an 'expert' in the area you hunt show you the ropes would be extremely beneficial. It is a bit of an art, combining decoy spread (yes, there are different ways to set out decoys and it will effect your success), your abilty to duck call, how well you're camoflaged, etc, etc.... And lastly... If the water is deep, you're either going to need a trained dog or a boat to retrieve the birds. Otherwise, you can use waders. There are a lot of television shows devoted to duck hunting, you might want to watch those for some pointers as well.

Welcome to the sport of masochists. The worse the weather the better. Get used to fingers and toes so cold you are glad you can't feel them any more, and long periods of total boredom. It takes a special mind to enjoy crawling through a swamp before dawn so you can stand absolutely motionless in 6' of water, preferably in driving sleet. Both your friends and your dogs will have to be the hardiest.

For hunting over decoys, modified in one barrel and Improved Cylinder in the other. Or you might go with two modified chokes. Choking tighter than modified is pointless with steel shot. It loses energy too fast for long range shooting.

My favorite low buck duck load is the Remington Sportsman in #4 steel shot. You may prefer #2 shot. It's an inexpensive, capable load out to about 35 yards. I think I was paying $4.89 a box of 25 for the 2.75' shells on sale, and about four bits more than that for the 3' shells. Watch for sales right before duck season starts.

If you think you might have some shots at geese, my shot shell advice changes. For geese, buy #2 Hevishot. In most cases, the modified choke will serve fine. You will pay about $18 for a box of 10. If you are vastly wealthy, go ahead and shoot #6 Hevishot at ducks. Remington will be co-branding Hevishot shells this fall. It's a tungsten/nickel/iron alloy about 10% heavier than lead. For geese, it's worth the money. For ducks, I still use steel.

Get out there before the season starts and listen to the ducks. You can also get videos on duck calling. I have heard some gawdawful duck hunters scaring every duck for a mile around with their stupid duck calls. If you can't sound like a duck, you are better off shutting up.

Decoy sets are important, and will vary with the weather. Try to set dekes on the lee side of a windbreak in a feeding pattern. Set your far decoy 30 yards from the blind, and most of the decoys 25 yards from the blind. If you are shooting up at a 45 degree angle, a bird 25 yards out is 35 yards from your gun. If you are shooting at a low angle, you can take a shot at a bird over the 30 yard decoy. It's really hard to estimate range when you are staring up into the sky. The big mistake most duck hunters make is sky busting at birds that are 'way out of range.

Yes, you need a blind, and you need good camo gear. Even camo out your face, so they don't see that little moon shining at them from the ground. They also have excellent hearing, so keep quiet.

Dawn's first light, as early as it is legal to shoot. If there is a storm it will keep kicking them around into the morning, but if the day is sunny they will all be sitting and sleeping by the time the sun has been up an hour. Ducks and geese migrate at night, then sleep and feed during the day. A wind will kick them off of open water, looking for a sheltered spot. That's why a decoy spread on the lee of a windbreak will look attractive to them.

When you are shooting steel, lead the bird a little more. Steel loses velocity faster than lead or tungsten. Ducks can be a real challenge for a wing shooter. Some breeds, like teal or widgeon, can be cooking past you at 60 mph. It's going to be tempting to try a shot, which will burn up a lot of ammo and not do much to fill your bag limit. If you can call them in to the dekes you can slow them down. If you take a 60-yard pass shot with tungsten, you will bring down a teal if you hit it, but the lead will be a ridiculous 40 degrees in front of the bird.

Save the feathers for your fly tying friends. Don't shoot any mergansers unless you really love the taste of fish.

In swampy cover, you really need a retriever.