New Year's Eve duck hunting

What's a duck hunter to do on New Year's Eve?  If you hunt in a state where duck hunting is open, that's an easy answer.  What if you live in northern Wisconsin and the temperature never got above 0?

For me the answer was fairly simple.  Strap on some snowshoes, bundle up with some good long-johns, grab some loved ones (dogs, too) and head out to do some waterfowl and trapping scouting.  I'm most successful when I duck hunt if I do a lot of scouting and have as many honey holes as possible.  When the season is open I like to have as many places to hunt as I can.  Finding these spots is best done outside of the season.  I also like to keep a list of places to hunt, so when the season is open I don't rely on my fading memory.

Sure, the ducks are gone, but a basic knowledge about waterfowl habitat can still yield locales for future hunts.  Cattails, wild rice, shallow pools, and other areas that frequented by our feathered friends can still be found during the hardwater season.  Snowshoeing on the ice and frozen marshes can be a quick and relatively easy way to locate out-of-the-way duck holes.

As the snow gets deeper the snowshoeing gets better, especially for dogs.  Not that the dogs can traverse the snow easier, but it tires them out faster and results in a quieter house in the evening.  If our young dog doesn't get at least 45 minutes of exercise per day she is restless in the evening and makes sleeping through the night almost impossible.  By taking her snowshoeing in deep snow, we can sometimes burn off enough of her energy to get two days reprieve from her puppy energy.  A tired dog appreciates one of the finer things in life- a cold winter day with a warm evening by the fireplace.

I may have found a new duck hunting spots.

The deeper the snow, the more tired the puppy.

Happy New Year and Meskousing Boats looks forward to being a part of your best year!