“You will need a set of good waders,
preferably waist to chest high.”
First things first: choose your gear.
You will need a set of good waders,
preferably waist to chest high. If you
are trudging through deeper waters
– while unlikely, still possible – you
will hate to spend the rest of the day
in your noisy, soggy, squishy boots.
Not only is this extremely uncomfort-
able, but you’ll do a good job of scar-
ing away the birds. Along with
waders, you’ll also need a good face
mask, a jacket, and gloves. Opt for a
hat as well, if you can. Unlike other
forms of hunting that require hunter’s
orange to be somewhere on your
person, you won’t need to dress
head to toe in it for waterfowling.
Chances are, you will be in semi-pop-
ulated hunting grounds that are
known for hosting other hunters, and
because waterfowl habitats are low-
level marshes with very little cover-
age, hunter’s orange isn’t completely
necessary, but not a bad idea to have
if you have never hunted the land be-
fore.
Go for camo that matches your sur-
roundings. This should be a no-brainer,
but waterfowl rookies have been
known to chase off game simply be-
cause they show up in Army fatigues,
with no regard for the environment
they’re actually placing themselves in.
Waterfowl habitats are mostly brown,
so stay away from any overly-green or
digitized patterns. The face mask is
highly important, along with the gloves.
For one, you will get sunburnt without
protection, even in the cooler months,
and possibly other inconveniences
from the cool weather itself, such as
chapped lips, dry skin, etc. Along with
that, your skin itself is going to look out
of place to the waterfowl, especially
ducks, as they’re very cautious. Make
sure the majority of your body is cov-
ered and out of sight.