Wood Over Water - Potomac River Smackdown!

by Z-Unit Derek Rambo

An idea came about a few months ago about testing the effectiveness of wood Zink calls and GHG® decoys to hunt heavily pressured, late season, public water honkers. Paul Cupka asked me to join him in Virginia to hunt the Potomac River way back in October while we were hunting in Canada. Not only was I excited about hunting with him on his "home" turf, but also to be involved in this great idea of Wood Over Water! It was something I was not going to pass up!

Hal Halloway was to join us this day and we decided to hunt a loafing area Cup had scouted out for days. To add to the late season goose hunt was the fact that it was the last day of duck season so we knew our work was cut out for us and we were ready.

We arrived very early at the river spot to haul down all our gear, blinds, and decoys down a steep embankment. Sliding decoys, bags, and other gear down the hill was interesting and soon we were setting the spread on the water, on a little sand bar, & on the shoreline. Using a spread of GHG® FB Mallards, FB Black ducks, FB Pintails, Canada resters & sleepers, Lifesize Canada floaters, duck floaters, and sleeper shells, we mimicked a resting flock of ducks and geese loafing on the river. Add Avery® Ground Force & Finisher blinds equipped with Neo Tubs, the spread looked deadly and more importantly, ultra realistic!!

Quickly we had ducks buzzing us and after a few alternating shots there was a nice pile of ducks behind the blinds. Although the hunt had started out well there were two problems starting to emerge before the sun was above the horizon. One, with a strong 25 mph north wind and the tide going out (tide...what is that??) the "river" was becoming smaller and smaller. Two, a voice rang out from behind us...we all looked back and it was Prince William County's finest. Apparently somebody called the police and we had to spend the next 20 minutes explaining the hunt/no hunt boundaries to them. While checking our licenses, they got the word that we were good as long as we were hunting the water. After saying our good byes to the fine Prince William County policemen, we began to move the spread and blinds farther out towards the receding water.

Shortly thereafter a small flock of geese started to fly down the river. With some soft calling and contented moans the flock locked up on the rig. At 15 yards Cup called the shot and four large Canada's floated within the decoys. King, Cups yellow retriever, once again did some awesome retriever work including an unbelievable 250-yard blind in white caps on the river. What a dog!! Due to the river being blown out to the bay we had to move the spread and blinds again. Anybody that has had to walk in this silt/mud knows what a chore it is to walk, much less move blinds and decoys. (Insert massive heart pounding & burning of the hamstrings here). Another flock succumbed to the hollow sounds of wood over water and five more were added to the bag. Add some more ducks and this was quickly becoming one of the best hunts of the year for all of us!

This same scenario (moving the blinds, spread, and decoying several flocks) was repeated four more times with similar results. The hunt ended with a pair of geese falling to Hal and Cup's shooting over what was not much more than a mud flat! After my 20-minute retrieve in this thigh deep muck (King was suffering from the beginning stages of hypothermia and was in the truck) I was wasted but very pumped about our hunt. Final total was 12 ducks and 15 honkers over public water!

"Wood Over Water" should not and cannot be taken lightly...especially by late season waterfowl!!