Attracting ducks with gravel

Had and old Outfitter from Louisiana tell me today that the secret 2 attracting ducks legally is to put a load gravel or coarse sand into your pond. Is this something anybody has ever tried. I know I have shot hundreds of ducks in gravel pits over the years so it kind of makes sense.

Yyyyyyyyyyuy

Few hundred pounds of corn works much better

have shot a lot of specks and snows in a gravel pit with no water in Louisiana, found white creek bed type sand in the gizzard of a lot of woodducks, a lot of small pebbles in other ducks. have also drove up on 200+ mallards lined up on a gravel road in north Dakota not anywhere close to a feeding field or water(only thing I can think of that theyd be doing). would it work? maybe. for what it would cost and what not, why not just grow grain?

birds do have to have "grit" or small rocks in their gizzard to digest food, but it can be found too easy in MOST places for them to be that attracted to it IMO

Be careful how you place the gravel for waterfowl. It can be considered as baiting depending on how it is set.

For instance, there is a piece of property that I hunted a lot when I was younger. It has a flooded gravel pad that was placed there to draw in ducks and geese. They came in there every year. Per the GW, we were not allowed to hunt within a certain distance of the pit because it was considered baiting. But, it was strategically placed so that the birds would fly from the roost to the pit and give the hunters the best shot.

I tried that same theory on dove,, since they were always on the road eating gravel, spent $500 on 2 trucks loads of gravel --------------------- it was a great theory, but it didnt work,,,,, they are still on the road, but not on the gravel I put down. beats me.

I would have to hear this one from a GW personally or see something official in writing. I have a hard time believing gravel is considered 'feed'.

grit/gravel, etc is right there under baiting rules....
maybe harder to prove, but still considered baiting.

Along with salt

I stand corrected. I actually just by coincidence ate with a game warden and asked him. He said yes gravel is considered bait. But I looked again at the definition on the TPWD and it refers to salt but I didn't see anywhere it says grit/gravel


Bait
Salt, grain or other feed, directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered, that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

I've never heard of anyone getting ticket for anything ridiculous pertaining to gravel/grit. pretty difficult one to prove, especially since all birds have to gave grit or pebbles in their gizzard to digest food and live. Not like busting a craw open and finding hen scratch in one. And for the time being, here in the United States, we are still innocent until PROVEN beyond doubt that you are guilty.

key word is "attraction"...
and Fed GWs, US Fish and Wildlife guys are probably not your friends when you meet them in the field.

See page 4, first paragraph. https://www.fws.gov/le/pdf/waterfowl-hunting-and-baiting.pdf

Problem Areas
Feeding Waterfowl and Other Wildlife
Many people feed waterfowl for the pleasure of bird watching. It is illegal to hunt waterfowl in an area where such feeding has occurred that could lure or attract migratory game birds to, on, or over any area where hunters are attempting to take them. The 10-day rule applies to such areas, and any salt, grain, or feed must be gone 10 days before hunting. The use of sand and shell grit is not prohibited.

SJ, hey go for it...
we've had the Fed guys roll up and they treated us like Crips and Bloods...
we don't need that drama...
USFW are not hunter friendly....

Such posts and threads always confuse me.Do the authorities abide by the law..Or their word of the mouth is law...

when the Fed guys hand out tickets (w/gusto) its you and the judge to finish it off...
SO.. unless yer cuz is DA in such and such Co. they'll lighten yer back pocket...
feed,seed,gravel/grit and salt(what?)(birds go for salt?)is baiting... period....
if the local judge is lieniant on out-of-town hunters(fat chance)there ya go...

That make's it clear as snot doesn't it? The words grit/gravel aren't listed anywhere in any publication I can find that states that is illegal.

I know the below articles are for dove and not duck... but I couldn't find anything specific on duck and gravel.

Here is an article that advocates a good 'gravel shoot'

http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors/article/Doggett-Dove-hunting-over-sand-or-gravel-2071744.php

And here is an excerpt from a TPWD publication

The ideal food plot is a 10- to 30-acre field that is located
within a natural flyway and that has trees along each
border, a water source near one of the sides and a graveled
rock road next to one side Although this ideal situation may
not be possible for every field, many of the attributes of an
ideal food plot can be provided through proper construction
and careful site selection.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/nonpwdpubs/dove_management/dove_management_texas.pdf

I still think it goes back to the attraction part. I interpret that anything you introduce to an area intended for birds to eat, placed there to attract them, is considered baiting. Food plots don't fall under this unless they are altered by means other than standard agricultural practices such as shredding or discing.

Below is copied straight from TPWD, I bolded some areas. Notice where is says could
. I interpret that as saying if they think its attracting the birds and you put it out, its baited. Up to interpretation from the GW

Bait-Salt, grain or other feed, directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered, that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on or over any areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

Baited Area- Any area where salt, grain or other feed has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered, if that salt, grain or other feed could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them. Any such areas will remain a baited area for ten days following the complete removal of all such salt, grain or other feed.

Baiting -The direct or indirect placing, exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering of salt, grain or other feed that could serve as a lure or attraction for migratory game birds to, on or over areas where hunters are attempting to take them.

The "use of sand and shell grit is not prohibited" is a direct quote from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife document found on page 4, first paragraph. It was not my opinion. Not my words. I only highlighted and underlined it in my original post because that was the topic of the discussion. https://www.fws.gov/le/pdf/waterfowl-hunting-and-baiting.pdf

"Many people feed waterfowl for the pleasure of bird watching. It is illegal to hunt waterfowl in an area where such feeding has occurred that could lure or attract migratory game birds to, on, or over any area where hunters are attempting to take them. The 10-day rule applies to such areas, and any salt, grain, or feed must be gone 10 days before hunting. The use of sand and shell grit is not prohibited."

It is also mentioned on this website with the same wording.
https://www.fws.gov/le/waterfowl-hunting-and-baiting.html

That settles that.

It's amazing how much they are wrong.

In Federal Waterfowl regs "Sand and Shell Grit" is clearly stated to be legal to hunt over.

Salt is clearly stated to not be legal. If you buy Grit to put out and hunt over, look at the ingredients. It may have halite or Sodium Chloride aka Salt in it. If you use cheap Road Grit it is going to have some form of salt in the mix. Not all grit is "sand or shell grit" either.

Lets look at one storebought grit product.
http://www.morningbirdproducts.com/product_pigeongrit.html

INGREDIENTS:

Limestone
Oyster Shell
Salt
Zinc Oxide
Iron Oxide
Monocalcium Phosphate
Dicalcium Phosphate
Calcium Carbonate
Sodium Chloride
Mineral Oil
Sodium Selenite
Zinc Oxide
Manganous Oxide
Ethylemerdiamine Dihygrodide
Ferrous Carbonate
Copper Oxide
Cobalt Carbonate
Calcium Periodate
ANALYSIS:
High in mineral content.

It does contain Salt, but also note the words "high in mineral content" Another commonly used name for grit is "mineral grit".

From TPWD Annual Public Hunting Lands definitions.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/need-to-know/#definitions
Baiting - The placement of minerals, vegetative materials, or other food substances used as an attractant for wildlife.

Though the wording was likely put in place related to Deer hunting, placement of minerals on APH public hunting lands is clearly stated to be Baiting on state APHP units. Most grit could be called a mineral or containing minerals.

So lets look now at the statewide migratory game bird regulations.
http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/migratory-game-bird-regulations/
If you open the links for Definitions and Methods, TPWD migratory game bird regulations mirror Federal regulations therefore does not define grit as bait or hunting over grit as prohibited. So private land, you may or may not be able to use grit that is free of salt because you can't always use common sense with Hunting regulations.

I would suggest writing the appropriate authority for where and what you want to do regarding setting up a bird grit area and get it in writing or printable email first.

Then there is the topic of using yellow painted gravel. Or fake ears of corn. Or a big photo silhouette of a pile of corn placed on the ground.

How about if a place was baited so you stayed away from it but does it state how far you have to stay clear of baited area? I like flyways and natural water sources for dove myself.