Hey folks, I'm the new guy.. I'm a huge fisherman, been doing it a long time. I just never have gotten around to hunting. This duck season I want to give it a go.. I'll be going quite a bit with a friend of mine that has been many times, but I'd like to hear any advice from y'all for myself.

I have a 20 gauge Mossberg 88. If I find that like duck hunting, I'll probably step up with a Remington 870 or something a long those lines. I also have an older 12 gauge Winchester in the closet (not sure what model) but I've never shot it. It was given to me by a family member. The Mossberg I'd be using already has the plug to only hold 3 shells at a time. I'm also aware of only using steel shot with waterfowl

Where I'd be hunting is the southeast Texas coast from about Freeport to Galveston. I have the boat (Majek Extreme) so anywhere in these bay systems I can access easily. I got my super combo all-water fishing+hunting license with the federal waterfowl stamp, HIP certification, migratory game bird endorsement, etc...

Anyway, my question is simple... What exactly do y'all look for? Why do you set up a blind right here, instead of over there? What conditions are ideal? Again, I'm 110% new to this. I'll going with the friend I mentioned above, but I'm interested to know what there is to look for exactly. I can school anyone all day on fishing both saltwater and freshwater, but hunting is all new to me.

So what's there to know?? Thanks

Two things...

1. Find the X. Sometimes they want to be where it is obvious, food and fresh water. Other times they'll pile up in one place that seems identical to everything else around it. Scout it out, hunt where they wanna be.
2. On the coast you can literally watch your gun rust. Take plenty of oil and make sure your clean and oil your gun well.

Have not hunted the TX coast, but from what I'm told the birds move in between the brackish water to fresh water ponds.

I'm told you need big big big spreads.

You need to make sure you ID the bird you're shooting. For example, redheads, pintail, and others there is a limit on how many you can shoot.

You scout for the "X," so you need to get out there before the opener and ride around with your boat. You're looking for spots the birds want to be.

Its best to scout in the early morning.

In the late evening if you find birds holding up for the night that would be their roost. You want to be there the next moring and pay attention to the direction they head. The next place they land is where the "X" is.

Do not hunt the roost unless you want to blow out that area.

Make sure you pay attention to your conditions. You don't want to get caught in a fog early morning or get caught in a bad storm Don't want to read about you or any other lost hunter

Do some YouTube searches on hunting the Texas coast in the area you plan to hunt. I've seen some decent videos of Port O'Connor to give me an idea of what I'd need to do if I ever make a trip down there.

And don't over look finding a guide. You can certainly make the learning curve a lot less with using a guide and getting them to show you the ropes. Of course you can't beat inviting someone that knows what there doing to jump in your boat and making a few hunts with you.

Pm me and I'll point you to some areas to check.

Experienced coastal hunter here. My advice would be to research public lands in the area. Find somewhere with decent access from the intracoastal. Get out and do some scouting this weekend. Youth hunts will be occurring so careful not to ruin someone's hunt if you feel tempted to boom scout. Understand the tides and weather (north wind + low tide = mudflats) to avoid ending up stuck. Take binoculars so you can sit and watch birds work to find natural flyways and try to hunt those. I'll be out there Saturday checking my usual spots. With the favorable weather continuing odds are good that we'll see some decent bird numbers already. Compared to last year October is setting the stage much better.

All great advice. IMO concealment is very important too, but just as important is movement. Learn how to watch ducks working your decoys. They can see better on dark cloudy days and can see the whites of your eyes. Hand movements when working a call or reaching for your gun. Good luck!

ttt