Nothing more fun than popping up over a tank dam and popping some ducks....

I disagree...shooting decoying birds up close is way more fun.

Jumping tanks is kind of beginner duck hunting IMO. It doesnt really involve many of the subtle skills that I enjoy that are involved with decoy style duck hunting.

Pretty much anyone with a shotgun can jump tanks. The only required skill is to be able to sneak up on them.

All that said it's a fun thing to do every now and then. After a so so hunt I've jumped some tanks and yeah it can be fun...but I don't get the satisfaction of shooting ducks that way vs decoying. Just not as much sport in it.

I dont hunt tanks.

shitzweak

I have done it. Kinda feels like cheating. Stalking can be an art but like Marcstar said hunting over dekes is way more gratifying.

I prefer to get them swimming in the decoys.

Hunting over dekes is a blast and there's nothing better than a cupped and committed duck getting one right in the face. Jumping ponds is fun also but is over too quickly.

However it happens, I love it when there are ducks in range.

I dont think its considered cheating the ducks, at our old lease we would hunt the main lake-traditional duck hunting, and if we didn't shoot our limits we would go jump two other ponds on the property after the hunt. I always got excited belly crawling up the dam and never knowing what could be sitting on the water. Just what I think about it!

Would much rather shoot them while sitting in the blind.

I agree shooting birds that are cupped up and have their landing gear down is just about the coolest thing ever! If we were going in order of excitement for me, then next would be passing shots and then "jumping" them up.

Enjoy both! But over dekes is way more awesome!

I dont think its cheating! Its def. not the same as when their cupped and committed but if thats what you got you do what you gotta do! Thats all I had for a long time but I looked forward to it every mornin after sittin in the deer stand!

As long as some ducks get dead by legal means, it's all good.

For me it's like spot and stalk hunting....IMO anybody can just sit and wait for a critter to come out in front of you....using ur gile to sneak up on them is a rush!

Many variables come into the art of tank jumping. How big is it? Cover? Dam very high? Tageting a specific species?

I love to do it after deer hunting. I am not going to hunt the small tanks anyway so it is fun and you got some good meat for sausage. If you hunt those tanks with dekes, the ducks are coming to them anyway with or without dekes so you normally end up with less birds jumping as opposed to picking off every bird that comes to land right after legal.

I spent 2.5 days spot and stalking woodies in a flooded east Texas slough and that by far my most challenging duck hunt. I finally got my drake woodie and his hen the final evening 1 hour before dark after being unsuccessful on all stalks.

I am not "above" it

I look at pond jumping the same way as someone who goes sneaking through the woods looking for deer. It is much more exciting to rattle one up, as is calling ducks in. But a good stalk can be very satisfying also. I will be the first to admit that I cannot call ducks worth a s**t, never had anyone to teach me, so I started pond jumping so I could get a chance to get a few. I have decoys, so whenever I can be around someone who knows what they are doing, I'd always prefer that; but pond jumping has its place too.

I never said I won't be doing it again this year...

The pattern I'm seeing is guys that I know on here to be duck hunters tend to agree with me vs the guys I've never really seen on here that sound like more deer hunter types.

Its not hunting its just shooting . It falls right along with skybusting

If you can sneak up on something and shoot it; it's hunting.

and it's only skybusting when you miss...

I prefer to hunt over decoys and shoot them when they come in because it is easier, but I will jump shoot some birds every now and then.

Sometimes I think people confuse something that is hard work with something that takes skill. Washing a bunch of cars is hard work but there is very little skill in it. Same with jumping a tank. Most 14 year old boys are going to be better at tank jumping than I would be assuming they are also good shots.

Don't call it hunting.

I love pond jumping but I really hate it when I get there at noon and spend 5 min. sneaking up over that dam and what do I see???
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A bunch of BARNEYS that have been there since 3 a.m. with decoys spread all out in front of them, shining a spotlight on me cause they were there first!