Duck season is here, and with it comes some cool gear. Here’s a look at some of my top gear picks and why I like them.
by Scott Haugen
Heyday Bare Strap and Tagalong Food & Water Dog Stations
The Heyday Bare Strap is an ingenious, versatile tote that not only works on ducks, but I’ve also used it on grouses, quail, and doves. So did my hunting buddies. I let them try it, and now they all own one. Heyday’s HydroLeather strap and coated steel cable make for one of the most effective, secure, and easy-to-use bird straps I’ve seen. Get the Bare Strap Full Kit, as there’s a use for every bit of it.
Earlier this year Heyday Outdoor introduced their Tagalong Food 3G and Tagalong Water 3G stations for dogs. Each self-contained station stores 3 gallons, making them ideal for road trips or to keep in the truck and feed and water your dog after a day in the field. A creative, easy-to-stow, carry-and-use design makes feeding and watering quick, simple, and clean.
YETI Wetland Collection
Yeti’s new Wetlands Collection has caught the attention of many waterfowlers this fall. The earth-tone look of the two Ramblers keeps my coffee hot for nearly three hours on cold days. The Loadout GoBox 60 Gear Case is perfect for the blind and the duck boat, even for strapping onto the back of a quad or tossing it into a decoy cart. The GoBox is tough, the latch is sturdy and crisp, and the easy-to-remove tray is handy. Their Rambler Pitcher is also nice in the blind or the boat. YETI’s line of Tote Bags is also more than worth checking out. I wasn’t sure about these, but now I have three, all in different sizes. They’re handy for stowing clothes, camping supplies, dog gear, and much more, and they’re built tough while easy to clean.
Slayer Duck Calls
I’m not a great duck caller, so I like Slayer Calls. I started using them three seasons ago, and they make me sound good. Slayer Calls comes out with creative and unique duck and goose calls each season. One duck call I used a lot the last two seasons is their Whistler’s Mother, which produces crisp, loud wigeon and wood duck whistles along with drake mallard chatter that appeals to all ducks. It’s loud, making it ideal on rainy, windy days and when hunting expansive marshes and bodies of water.
I also love their single-reed Ranger for the range of sounds and volume it creates. I look forward to using their Dubar duck call this season. The tooth-like notched call had duck hunters talking like crazy late last season. Simple, easy-to-use calls that work, that’s what I need.
Sitka Duck Oven Jacket
The first hunt I wore Sitka’s Duck Oven Jacket, was last December. I was hunting out of state. I wore the jacket every morning of the hunt, every evening to dinner, and on the plane ride home. I wore it on many other hunts, and bundled up in it every morning to run my dogs on non-hunting days. Simply put, it’s a cozy, comfortable jacket that’s one of the best I’ve used for battling cold winds and freezing temperatures without the bulk and weight commonly associated with such garments.
The Duck Oven Jacket utilizes WINDSTOPPER and Primoloft Gold Insulation with what GORE-TEX LABS calls their Cross Core technology. The result is a jacket that retains heat throughout, even down the sleeves. The lower third of the Duck Oven Jacket is crafted of compression-resistant fleece, which makes it comfortable and easy to tuck into waders or bibs.
Browning Wicked Wing Folding Knife
A well-designed knife for cleaning birds that’s sturdy holds an edge, and won’t break the bank. That’s what you get with Browning’s Wicked Wing Folding Knife. I first used this knife on ptarmigan in Alaska, then on forest grouse, quail, and band-tailed pigeons in the Pacific Northwest. Next, I put it to the test on cackling Canada geese and big honkers in the early goose season. The 3.5-inch trailing-point blade is also great for skinning and caping big game. In other words, it’s a super, all-around knife.
TETRA Hearing Devices
My biggest regret in over 50 years of shooting guns is not protecting my ears. Now, later in life, I’m paying for it, and it sucks! At the suggestion of fellow hunters who
swore by TETRA Hearing Devices, I got a set of the Multi-Pursuit AlphaShields. The custom-designed units fit great and have changed my life. Before wearing TETRA devices, my ears rang every night after duck hunts, and the condition worsened all season. With the TETRAs, there’s no ringing, no headaches, and no muffled sounds while on the hunt. My mood changed, my outlook was positive and my quality of life increased, all because I could hear better.
Their Bluetooth CustomShield is new to the TETRA lineup. The 90-level devices are for hunters with hearing loss. Take their quick online hearing test, and they’ll develop a custom prescription for your hearing profile in each ear. Don’t whine about dealing with little batteries, struggling to put them in when it’s dark or raining. Just commit to it. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones.
onX Hunt Recent Imagery
onX continues creating technological advancements that make waterfowl hunting more efficient, enjoyable, and safe. Their latest creation for duck and goose hunters is called Recent Imagery. With medium-resolution (5 meter) satellite imagery updated every two weeks, Recent Imagery puts essential information about current recreation conditions at our fingertips.
With a near-real-time view and the ability to scroll back in time, you’ll see valuable information such as water levels in ponds, rivers, and impoundments, crop harvest completion in specific areas, and ice-up status. Just think of the driving and scouting time this will save, not to mention the ability to know exactly where you need to be to make the most of your hunt. Recent Imagery is available to onX Hunt Elite Members.
Big Al’s Silhouettes
If you’ve not jumped on the silhouette bandwagon, do it. No decoy has expanded the places where I can hunt, diversified the sets I can make, and afforded more mobility than silhouettes. Big Al’s silhouettes often get overshadowed by other brands. Still, they’ve been at it just as long or longer. Their materials and photo finishes are tops. When properly taken care of, silhouettes last for years.
Last season, I configured Big Al’s wigeon decoys on Higdon FLATS Motion Silhouette Stakes. I had several days of incredible shooting thanks to the moving action created, even in light winds. For hunters of little dark geese, Big Al’s lesser and cackler decoys are incredibly lifelike, as proven by hunters who’ve used them where these birds are heavily hunted. And their Super Specks are just that, super! A guide buddy in Canada had some old speck silhouettes, and when he picked up 8 dozen Big Al’s, he ditched his others and replaced them with 45 dozen Big Al’s Specks. That was three years ago, and he’s still using them, having since added to the flock.
Final Approach Live Wood Ducks & Live Floating Wigeons
The majority of my duck spreads consist of Final Approach LIVE Floating decoys. I love these decoys’ size, body positions, and precise, colorful paint jobs. I also like their LIVE Fully Flocked Floating Mallards. But I was elated when they came out with LIVE Floating Shovelers last season. The 6-pack of drakes was an integral part of many hunts last season. More than once, they pulled in daily limits of spoonies for a buddy and me, but they also shone in attracting other ducks. Late in the season, when educated ducks can be challenging to finish, I’m a firm believer that the stark white colors and detailed paint job on the LIVE Shovelers appeal to mallards, pintail, wigeon, and teal.
These decoys are eye-catching from a long way, no matter the weather conditions. Put them in your spread, back up a few hundred yards, and look at your decoys; you’ll instantly get it.
High’ N Dry Waist Wader
High’ N Dry has taken the knowledge of their proven, breathable wader and applied customer feedback to create the Waist Wader. With practical features and rugged protection to optimize overall durability, performance, and comfort, these waders are a win. Features include multi-layer seam seal technology, limited seams, and a 4-layer breathable fabric. The knees are reinforced with Kevlar fabric and backed with neoprene for maximum protection. The 55 percent natural rubber boots are reinforced in high-wear areas and lined with neoprene for comfort, durability, and warmth. Below the waist are two large waterproof pockets protected with Ti-Zip zippers to safely store essentials. The Waist Wader comes with an adjustable belt, removable, elastic shoulder straps. Available in solid brown or Shadow Grass Blades.
High Camp Flasks
High Camp Flasks has you covered whether you’re looking for a quality vessel to keep your coffee hot all morning or a low-profile flask for a post-hunt toast. I first tried their Firelight Flask in the 750ml size. The vacuum-insulated, leak-proof, premium stainless steel unit kept the coffee piping hot, and the two magnetic tumblers made it simple and easy for a buddy and me to enjoy coffee in the blind. I liked it so much that I got the 375ml Firelight Flask, perfect for hot drinks on mornings when I hunt solo. The complete line of High Camp Flasks comes in a range of sizes and colors, and they’re truly next-level.
