Baiting or may be a flooded bean field

I know you can’t legally bait but I can’t see why people don’t plant for the birds and then leave it to flood in season. I may be wrong but I would think it’d be more incentive for the ducks to come in.

Why go to that trouble when there’s plenty of idiots in line to be the next one to pay good money for a blind over a giant mud hole.

That’s kinda what I figured. But I was wondering if it would help.

I’ve never seen a fallow field flooded in Ms. plenty of rice stubble and beans fields flooded tho. Sure you aren’t seeing rice stubble?

I’ve hunted fields of flooded sickle pods SW of Clarkesdale and did well. Hunted some club that had breaks.

My duck hole is full of barnyard and jap millet along with half of it in moist soil. Mainly smartweed. I try to plant 🌽 where the hap and barnyard is but it was way too wet this summer.

I see no difference in number of ducks between corn and regenerating millets.

We’ve killed the heck out of ducks in flooded cotton stubble.

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-habitat/a-primer-on-moist-soil-management

Yeah. I asked the guide. He said the field we were hunting as well as most in the area were not planted, just left fallow, and then flooded. He said the farmers were getting $6000 per blind for the leases and all they guaranteed was a pit and water. Said a lot had all but quit farming. Field we hunted today had had beans and it was better. Not great but better.

Ah yes, the perfunctory rowed up mud hole. No food, no birds and a PITA to set out and pick up decoy spreads. Dryer winters are leading to more and more of this dictated by normal farming practices to proceed when possible, with no decrease in lease price to compensate.

As said earlier, I hope we’re in the bottom of a long, slow dip and that it will turn around, again! Got a buddy that’s been driving out and hunting small cattle ponds in TX and he sends pics of “tennis shoe” hunts with limits in 30 min...like it used to be on MS Delta & Arkie hunts. Seems the flyway is shifting west, more.

Sounds like the poor mans delta area more commonly know as Marks MS area just west of batesville. Ground there will break about any farmer around.

I don't see the attraction for flooded empty fields unless the birds are using it as a resting pond.

I have hunted fallow fields, but the volunteer rice was as thick as or thicker than if it had been planted.

And hunting pit blinds sucks.

I’ve been three times. And my group has only killed 15 ducks. 12 ruddy’s, and 3 ringers. Been really bad in central fla even though weather has been great! Our normal puddle duck spots have no ducks. I don’t think I’ve even seen a teal this season

I'm glad I got to experience unbelievable flyway hunting while it still existed. It's been getting worse and worse over the last 6-7 years. We've had some good seasons in there, but only when the ice gets thick.

I still go just cause I have a great group but my real focus on waterfowl is on the trips to the dakotas and Canada.

What’d you say? My ears are still ringing from that last volley...I got put beside Jake with his blasted muzzle break!!

My dogs all end up half deaf. My last female lab was absolutely deaf in her left ear. Should could hear in her right. Ported or non ported sound the same to me in the pits. Just right and you’ll hit the deck, then a cussing commences


I do dislike hunting out of pits, perspective and everything else is distorted.

It's bad.

I pulled boards on our place, yesterday...not a decoy thrown on our place, this season.

The ducks aren’t coming back. Ever. Glad I got my duck fix in the ‘90s. You can’t even drive around Guntersville and look at any ducks these days.

Old hunting partner told me he burned 12 gallons of gas mid December around the islands and other places and never bumped up any birds. That sir, is sad.

I usually get calls asking me to quit bowhunting and come out and shoot ducks....This year, not a peep. Talked to one of the guys that usually invites me and he said it was terrible. If they hadn't leased out the farm next to theirs he didn't think they would have even killed triple digits. They usually kill 4 or 5 times that.

At my deer hunting spots I usually hear the duck hunters blasting away, at least for the first couple hours of the morning. I didn't hear much at all this year or see anything other than snow geese and some local canada geese flying over. Feel sorry for you guys.