Talking the Duck with Zack McNelly
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| A proud doggie... |
Hello fellow nerds! I talked with Zack McNelly, a childhood friend of mine, fellow outdoorsman, and the founder of MarshLife brand! Duck hunting isn't a specialty of mine, so I thought I'd give y'all a little taste of the duck hunting life. Without further adieu...
1. Why duck hunting? What is it that makes it unique to you among the other types of hunts?
Duck hunting is very unique, and not at all what I thought it would be. The first thing everyone should know is you have to be a little crazy to duck hunt. Imagine it is 4am in January and you (on purpose) crawl out of your nice warm bed to face a 12 degree cold front just in hopes that some birds might drop into your hunting spot. Then you proceed to jump waist deep in freezing water to put your spread of decoys out. Then deal with a thousand complications in hopes that like any form of hunting all these little things line up and you get your shot. (Pun intended)
There is nothing in this world like sitting there in silence and then hear and see ducks dump into your spread, watching a duck cup'up to land 15 yards in front of you and then
the caller yell "Cut'em" or "Kill'm" and all the guns go off and the dogs light out after the falling birds. It is an experience like no other.
But there is a moment, minutes or even seconds before the sun breaks the horizon. something about that silence and anticipation. The peace and freedom you feel you forget the cold and misery and you are just calm. Then Animals begin to stir birds start flying and if you are lucky you will begin to hear and see ducks begin their morning ritual bouncing from water to land and land to water.
Hitting a shot on a duck that is 40 yards out with your last round after all that cold and anticipation, it is like making a game winning basket or landing a insane ski jump. Like a hole-in-one or a game winning touchdown pass. You will be hooked, fully addicted to an incredible new sport.
There are rules to this game and everyone needs to be on board to have a successful hunt. You cannot just shoot the first duck you see. The caller will tell you win to shoot. You have to be still when the ducks drop in, you have to be ready.
2. How did you get started in duck hunting?
I was invited to film a hunt and had no idea what to expect. I met with my good friend John and our mutual buddy Chris at 3:30am on a cold December morning. Then we stomped out
to a little pond in a cow pasture. On the north bank there was a small building 4ft-6ft that I completely missed it was so well disguised. I sat quietly in the blind while John and Chris did what they had done a thousand times before. Chris set decoys and Mojos (a kind of battery powered bird attractor) while John was busy getting the dogs set, loading guns and brushing in the blind. After what must have been 20 min or more they tucked in next to me and everything went silent even the dogs calmed their breathing and began to watch the sky.
Then minutes later I had not even noticed but ducks had filled the far side of the pond. I asked what was going on and we were waiting another 2 minutes until it was officially shooting light. Then while I was cleaning the camera lens, Chris yells "Kill'm and him and John shoot and kill a duck each. The Ducks had moved to our side of the pond. and I had missed everything. I made up my mind to be ready after that. I wasn't going to miss another chance to get that moment on film.
It was an awesome hunt, we ended up reaching our limit by 7:30am. At one point our group shot 8 ducks in one 20 minute span. It was exciting and it wasn't till watching the film later that I saw how much was happening all at once. I was hooked! I told them to call me when they hunt and that the next time I wanted to hunt as well. They taught me everything I know and I am very grateful. Now I teach and get to be a part of a team of hunters that share time, resources, and company to insure each season is an amazing one.
3. What is the basic gear someone needs to duck hunt. Price wise, what are we looking at on an entry level?
Waders, Duck Camo over clothes, waterproof boots. But I went on my first hunt without any of these. My advice is find someone who is willing to show you the ropes. Duck hunters are patient, passionate, and committed people or they wouldn't be duck hunters. If you have a friend that duck hunts you will know what I mean. Waders are an investment $100-$300 but they will last several season and are an important part of duck hunting.
4. What is the base level of knowledge that you need? Basic strategies, species identification, ect.
You don't have to know a lot and you will learn the more you go. There are a lot of good Youtube channels that detail what it takes to be successful. But my ultimate suggestion is to find someone that will let you tag a long even if just to watch.
Species:
This is where things get complicated. The good news is you can shoot any legal "duck" until you limit out. But there are a lot of duck species and bonus birds to shoot while duck hunting.
First get your migratory bird permit and carefully read species and limits for everything you intend to shoot. Shooting a swan in the state of Missouri will likely land you with a fine of $2,500, misdemeanor charges, court costs, and such other penalties like loss of hunting privileges. So do your research!
Strategy:
Calling is a big part of duck hunting and a must in most cases to bring ducks in close enough for a shot. But I have come to appreciate the art of decoy placement.
Your spread can consist of 8 to 15 mallard duck floaters or 8,000 snow geese shells, full body and motion decoys and another 2,000 socks. (a wind activated decoy)
The more you understand and learn the more prepared you can be. Preparedness is the key to success in duck hunting. I learn something every trip and duck hunters who have hunted for 5 years or 35 years
will tell you there is always more to learn.
5. Do you hunt mostly private or public land?
Private, there is nothing wrong with public land but if someone over hunts a field they will likely run off any birds. With Public land you could be coming in right behind or in front
of other hunters, or worse right on top of them. Private land is also easy to to hunt. Let me explain. Many people understand that duck hunters are good people. I have never had someone tell me I could not hunt their land unless they had a very good reason. Most people don't mind and it never hurts to ask.
6. Are ducks your favorite waterfowl to target? Do you have any guilty pleasure species, maybe one considered a trash species that you like to hunt?
Geese are great but ducks are my favorite. 1 canadian goose is a whole dinner. Where you need 2-3 ducks to feed my family of four. Really depends on what comes in. I will shoot, prepare and eat anything I shoot. Some ducks are better eating than other. I would rather eat a Mallard over a Spoony (Most diver ducks are not as good to eat in my opinion.) Certain Duck species have collected nick names over the years. Spoony = Northern shoveler. But just about every duck has a nickname. here are a few:
Woody or Woodrows = (wood duck)
Trash duck = (American coot)
hollywood, black jack, Ringer, = (Ring-Neck)
Greenhead, Mally, or GreenTop = (Drake Mallard)
Robber = (Widgeon)
Blues or Blue-wing = (blue-winged teal)
Suzie = (Hen mallard)
Spoonbill, or Spoony = (shoveler)
Flasher, or Green-wing = (green-winged teal)
Sprig = (pintail)
Reds = (RedHeads)
7. Short list of best shotguns and gauges
I can only speak from my experience. I like to hunt with a Semi-Auto 12 gauges. The state of MO restricts you to only ever having three rounds loaded in your gun at any time.
If your Shotgun hold more than three you need to by a spacer for your magazine. You can by used for 2-3 hundred and get a decent gun. Some great guns I have enjoyed are: Browning A5, Mossberg 930 or the Winchester SX3. But you do not need anything specific just make sure you are shooting Steal and not lead shot.
8. Tell me a little about Marsh Life and where you want to take it as a brand
MarshLife was built to fill a gap in the Outdoor apparel industry. Many Duck hunters enjoy wearing clothes that reflect their passion for duck hunting, but most of what is available is outdated or low quality. MarshLife has one primary goal, Provide high quality gear for people who share our passion.
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