12 excellent ways to totally botch your duck hunt

#9 DON’T CONTROL YOUR DOG

If your retriever won’t listen to commands or remain still when ducks are working the spread, the hunt will be a bust. I’ve seen many a good outing quickly turn bad when a dog runs erratically among the decoys or swims out of control through the blocks. If that happens, quickly restrain the dog in your blind or, if necessary, walk it back to your vehicle and put it in its kennel.

If it gets to that point, don’t get too down—all dogs have good and bad days. If your retriever is young, it simply needs some discipline. It’s best to spend time teaching it the routine during the off-season, however, not in the field during an actual hunt.