Duck hunting Corpus

[Bowdacious]

Last year I went duck hunting the first time at the ranch and got hooked but I was just hunting teal at a small tank. This year I want to try public land around Corpus/Port Aransas maybe even Kingsville but I would like to know any tips you veterans have to offer. How to set up, decoys, calls, gear, etc. and if y'all are feeling generous maybe even spots to try out.

Thanks in advance, hope everyone has a good season!

[CastAndBlast]

Good luck getting any info....

I hunted a lot of public land over the years. The best advice I can give you is to do the opposite of what the majority are doing. If every group around you has 600 decoys out, put out only a couple dozen. If all of the groups around you are blowing a mallard call, blow a whistle (or even better, leave your calls at home). If all of the groups around you are hunting in elevated box blinds, get on the shore and layout.

Good luck in your adventure! It can be frustrating, but rewarding at the same time!

[Bowdacious]

Thanks for the advice sir!

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Youre my hero

[Bowdacious]

Ttt

[capn]

The Laguna madre offers the easiest duck hunting in the state IMO. You need a boat, and any bay boat will be just fine. The hunting is not complicated at all. Spend some time running the boat, figure out which part of the bay has the huge rafts of ducks that look like clouds when they get up, find a piece of shoreline or an island with a little cover that will allow you to put the wind at your back, put out as many decoys as possible, and get to shootin redheads. You can learn the rest by trial and error. Brush up on bird ID to be able to tell redheads part from bluebills, which can be tough under cloudy skies. Make sure you know the difference between a pintail hen and a wigeon or gadwall. Stock up on decoys. For hunting main bay shorelines, which are the easiest to hunt from a bay boat, figure 8-10 dozen decoys for a good start. Space em out and the spread will look bigger, which you want because you're competing with rafts of live ducks that will number in the thousands. Black and white stand out against the water best, so concentrate on pintail and diver drake decoys but use what you have. Research texas rigged decoys, it's the way to go on the coast and no bags needed. Always watch what's going on around you while out. Watch flyways, the way they come around certain points, passes between islands they fly down, back lakes that the puddle ducks are hitting. Adjust as you go and use that to your advantage.

There's a lot more but that's plenty to kill a pile of ducks on the bay around corpus or port a. It really is stupid simple down there to kill enough to have a good time... You just have to have a boat. When you get in the marshes or public walk in, things get much more difficult.

[TexasHunter83]

Hit up Google Earth. There are a lot of places down that way, that you can get to with a pickup. I went duck hunting in between Corpus and Port A last year and there are enough places you can drive right up to and kill some ducks. You can certainly get your fill of redheads around that area.

[Greenheadless]

The Laguna madre offers the easiest duck hunting in the state IMO. You need a boat, and any bay boat will be just fine. The hunting is not complicated at all. Spend some time running the boat, figure out which part of the bay has the huge rafts of ducks that look like clouds when they get up, find a piece of shoreline or an island with a little cover that will allow you to put the wind at your back, put out as many decoys as possible, and get to shootin redheads. You can learn the rest by trial and error. Brush up on bird ID to be able to tell redheads part from bluebills, which can be tough under cloudy skies. Make sure you know the difference between a pintail hen and a wigeon or gadwall. Stock up on decoys. For hunting main bay shorelines, which are the easiest to hunt from a bay boat, figure 8-10 dozen decoys for a good start. Space em out and the spread will look bigger, which you want because you're competing with rafts of live ducks that will number in the thousands. Black and white stand out against the water best, so concentrate on pintail and diver drake decoys but use what you have. Research texas rigged decoys, it's the way to go on the coast and no bags needed. Always watch what's going on around you while out. Watch flyways, the way they come around certain points, passes between islands they fly down, back lakes that the puddle ducks are hitting. Adjust as you go and use that to your advantage.

There's a lot more but that's plenty to kill a pile of ducks on the bay around corpus or port a. It really is stupid simple down there to kill enough to have a good time... You just have to have a boat. When you get in the marshes or public walk in, things get much more difficult.

Be very careful, most of the spoil islands in ULM are under the authority of the Nature Conservancy and you can not step foot on them (in fact, some have a buffer zone around them). South of Bird Island Basin and on the east side of the IC in ULM is technically under the control of the national park. As for land shorelines elsewhere, be careful not to trespass. Get caught violating any of this and it technically could land you a felony (but unlikely, probably a lesser charge).

Best thing to do is call the local game wardens of the area you would like to hunt and get the ins/outs direct from the horse's mouth.

[Bowdacious]

Thank you for the help gentlemen! Unfortunately, I don't have access to a boat so it would be wherever I can get a truck to or where I am able to walk into. Am I able to hunt on any shoreline or how does that work? I hate to sound so ignorant but I have never hunted public lands before.