Went to scout some property around Wortham that I have access to. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are about hunting small ponds? There are three on the property that are about 30-50yrds wide and anywhere from 30-60yrds long. Plenty of water in all of them and are sheltered by trees with one being in the middle of the woods. I'll be saving that one for really windy/bad weather days. I have never really hunted these types of ponds before and was wondering if anyone hunts these types of set ups on a regular basis. The property is about 10 minutes from Richland Chambers so there should be ducks in the area although I didn't see much today with these warm temps.

go scout it and find out.....bring a gun just in case!

IMO, ducks in general like ponds that are open where they can see in all sides for danger. If you have a setup like that, plant some groceries for them and they will come.


Timber can also be good if you have acorns. Most small ponds I have scouted/hunted in the woods with no acorns have been "Gar Holes".

If you saw ducks on them, they'll likely be back and you'll have a decent hunt. If you didn't see any...well it will likely be tough.

Curious, do these ponds have oak trees overhanging, where there could be acorns for mallards to feed on? Those can produce surprisingly well IMO.

Good luck.

Should be pretty simple, sit on the side of the pond where the wind is to your back, put deeks on left and on right, ducks land in the middle and shoot them in the face.

80% of the time that is spot on! Today I was hunting a farm tank that would have put me out of range of where the ducks wanted to be. I had to set up with a cross wind. The only way to know this was from scouting. Remember to be flexible with stock tanks!!!! The tank lined with trees may be your wood duck honey hole.

We hunt quite a few small ponds but they require scouting. Our equation is every 20 birds on a small pond will produce a one man limit.

Many of ours get hunted once/season.

Yeah you need to scout and make sure the pond is holding ducks, or you will just be looking at a sun rise.

Nothing wrong with just looking at a sunrise sometimes.....

It beats the hell out of looking at a computer screen.

I would rather be scouting than sitting on a hole with no ducks.

The scouting part will be difficult to do on a regular basis. The property is two hours one way from where I live. We are going to hit it next weekend and see how it works out. The land owners do see them around on a regular basis and we saw one today as they where showing me the property. There was a lot of action in the hay field with them moving bales this morning. I'll definitely be looking closer for oak trees on Saturday.

I know what you mean. For every hour I hunt, I scout for 5 to 20 depending on the animal and time of year.

I choose outdoors over the couch any day!

Well if you cannot scout it, you are left with the luck of the draw. My suggestion would be to make a 2 day deal of your hunting trips, day 1 is scouting, day 2 is killing. And if day 1 scouting private there are no ducks go scout public. Day 2 chose your best spot. That's how I roll, but I like scouting as much if not more than the killing.

I've noticed that the ponds I hunt always tend to pick up late in the season. It may just be the property I hunt but thats the trend I've seen. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't give up on the place after just one hunt

That's mostly what I hunt on. I had a lot ducks on my ponds this weekend.

Also on small ponds, a jerk string can make a huge difference. Many times even if the wind is blowing, the water will be slick since it is protected. Having that little bit of movement can turn a good hunt into a great hunt. I also always use a mojo on small ponds. Some may disagree, but I think they make a difference.

Using a mojo on a small pond is probably the best way to flare birds. Usually on small ponds theyre coming there regardless of what you do. Get the wind at your back, conceal yourself and throw a couple deeks with a jerk and shoot em in the face. That's why everyone talks crap about pond hunting, because it's literally that easy.

Its not easy, its called working smarter not harder.