# How to hunt a duck properly?



## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

First of all Hi everybody! I think this is my first Post here. EDIT: Ok seems to by my third and not first post here my bad.

What ammo are you using for duck hunting? In the last few days I shot 2 ducks 5 times, 3 hits and never got it. (to be honest I feel very bad about the second one and I REALLY hope that it didn't die in vain shortly after --> useless death then)

I would love to get a duck as my the first game. (cuz I love the taste and they are big enough for my skill lvl)

For the first time I used 0,44cal steel one perfect upper body shot but nothing happened and the duck just fled.. Second duck 4 shots 2 perferct body/neck hits (dunno it for sure) with 0,44cal lead. One of the two misses was like half a cm over the head.









I know that I did hurt it badly cuz it didn't even fled and sadly it was a place where I couldn't get down qickly enough and catch it with my bare hands because then the duck just would have fled through the thicket there. Because it was still able to walk/run..

I'm shooting half butterfly with good meter draw and 3 - 2cm tapering 0,9mm Latex. I really don't get it why they are that tough and just won't die so I finally can eat my good tasting first prey... =(

Can someone help/advise me here please? THANK YOU in Advance & all the best!


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## kenyaslinger (Jun 27, 2013)

Man you are in trouble. I don't think guys here are going to like this..

Sent from my TECNO S9S using Tapatalk


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

kenyaslinger said:


> Man you are in trouble. I don't think guys here are going to like this..
> 
> Sent from my TECNO S9S using Tapatalk


Don't take it personally but I don't think it's not your decission what the others are gonna like or not. Also that answer didn't helped me at all... (like I said I really don't want to offend you but this answer was unnessesary imho)

Ps: Also did EVERYbody started as noob and I practiced nearly two month (10-15m 2-3cm big targets) before I even thought about to go out and take game.


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

Also I already know what I did wrong, I went for the neck so I either hit the head, upper body or maybe even spine. In future I'm going to aim a bit above the head so I either get a headshot or don't harm the game unnessersary. 

But I would like to hear what ammo you guys are using while hunting ducks?


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## kenyaslinger (Jun 27, 2013)

Of course I don't decide for anyone, but I know guys here do not appreciate injuring an animal and letting it go.

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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

kenyaslinger said:


> Of course I don't decide for anyone, but I know guys here do not appreciate injuring an animal and letting it go.
> 
> Sent from my TECNO S9S using Tapatalk


But still another anwer which didn't help me at all. And yet NOBODY complained except for you. (like I said don't want to offend you but why this unnessesary answers?) 

If they won't like what I did then let THEM tell me that please.. Thank you! 

(Ps: Even the best miss some times and injure game so I really don't get your problem sry)


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## Phoul Mouth (Jan 6, 2015)

kenyaslinger said:


> Man you are in trouble. I don't think guys here are going to like this..
> 
> Sent from my TECNO S9S using Tapatalk


I'm one of those people! But I am not going to get mad or anything, he seems like he was trying to go for a clean kill and seems remorseful about it so it's no big deal.

@OP: I use 7/16th inch steel ball bearings and have dropped a duck with a head shot. I'm not sure how that sizes up to what you were using but I think a lot of the issue may be your aim. If you truly don't want to cause undue suffering I highly suggest 2 things. 1: Practice your aim on some small targets. When you can hit something the size of a ducks head 5 times out of 5 you're in a good spot. 2: Practice getting closer to wildlife. The closer you are the easier the shot and the more power will be behind it. I took a pheasant on the ground last weekend after creeping up to within like 20 feet. Stalking takes practice, but is well worth it if you plan to slingshot hunt.


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

Like I said I only let the the probably heavy injured duck fled because of the stupid location. Otherwise I would have finished her suffering with my bare hands of course! 

And I'm practicing on battle tops up to 15m. 10m I'm pretty good already (hit it every second to third shot) but 15m still pretty hard for me that is why I wouldn't hunt game on this distance atm. I like to hunt between 5 up to max 8m because because I nearly never miss a bottle top size target then. That is why I always have old bread with me to feed the ducks and get them nearer to me. ^^


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

I think bottle tops are pretty good aiming targets or what are you guys thinking? Also I aimed for the wrong position --> next time I'm going for a bit above to head and not the neck. So I either get a headshot or a miss above. I thought the neck is good because so I could either hit the head, neck, or maybe even spine. But now I know I was soo wrong about that.... 

Also I'm using 0,44cal lead balls cuz I heard they are pretty good generell hunting ammo. Do you think that the size of my ammo is ok? Got bigger and smaller lead balls too..


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

Try hex nuts go for head shots ducks Turkey's geese all have very heavy wings that are hard to punch threw.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

I can't hunt ducks where I live, but if I could there are few different type size of ammo I would use.

The very smallest would be 9/16" steel (184gr) next would be 5/8" steel (252gr) .... and for lead it would be my 1/2oz (214gr) egg lead weights or my 3/4oz (314gr) egg lead weights. I would only try for head and neck shots, a body hit will do nothing but maybe wound them ... they are big tough birds !

Here is what the 1/2oz egg weights look like.









wll


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Just do what one poster recommended, get sly on stalking and practice with what you suggested, bottle caps or similar size at 15 meters. If you can hit them consistently you can do head shots at that range. Neck shots work about as well if a solid hit on the neck is done...not a glance. A body shot on a bird that large wouldn't kill it right off...rather wound it or break a wing...you'd have to be in a place where you could very quickly chase it down and dispatch it, to take a body shot.

Make sure your bands are strong enough also. The half ounce lead weights are good and heavy but take some righteous bands to propel them rapidly enough to be effective and have a fairly flat trajectory. A severely arched path(trajectory) isn't good, it's harder to hit the target...you need a fairly flat flight path.

Is English your primary language? If it's Spanish there are a number of posters who speak it including me.

It's said that Simple Shot has good prices on steel ammo...just a suggestion.

Hunting isn't for everyone for many reasons. One of them is that many shooters can't shoot well enough, they won't practice enough...both at shooting and at stalking and knowing the wildlife's characteristics and habbits...and stalking techniques for that game...then they go out hunting and wound rather than kill game.

Don't worry about folks being angry at you, you posted, confessed and that shows you want to know how to hunt, not how not to hunt. If someone gets on you about it, just ignor...don't get into a fracas here on the forum.

By the way, .44 cal lead is good ammo for that size of a bird. .44 lead is almost as heavy as .50 steel. Ther e is actual .44 and .44 mag which is not actually .44 but instead, (mic it and see if you don't believe me) .427...the mold would be stamped with what exact diameter it is.


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## Sst der Kleine Steinschlag (Dec 5, 2011)

Practice on bottle caps is a good thing, but more important is to keep calm in the heat of the hunt.

i could hit inanimate objects way smaller than a bottle cap at 15 metres in my attic shooting range, but did miss a pheasant from under 5 metres (standing right under its roosting tree at fairly bright dusk).

Shooting in a familiar situation in good light and at the ever same angle is something different than an out in the wild hunting situation.


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

Thx for all that good advises guys!

No I'm not a native english speaker as anyone will recognise pretty fast I guess.. =D

Gota go to sleep now.. Good night fellow (hunting) mates! 

Ps: Sorry for the double post but my first post disappeared first even after updating this thread omFg.. Since I don't have the time now and also dunno how to --> please delete my second post. Thank you!


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## Quak0r (May 7, 2015)

Thx for all that good advises guys!

No I'm not a native english speaker as anyone can see pretty fast I guess.. =D

Gota go to sleep now.. Good night fellow (hunting) mates!


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## JonM (Aug 17, 2013)

I wouldn't recommend hunting ducks out of season. Read up on your state rules & regs for hunting.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Please pay attention to both of the following:

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/33458-please-no-out-of-season-hunting-reports/

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/31584-illegal-activities/

I note there are no waterfowl in season right now because they are raising young. So I am going to lock this thread.

Cheers .... Charles


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