12 excellent ways to totally botch your duck hunt

#3 DON’T CREATE A LANDING ZONE

When you have guests over to your house for dinner, chances are you tell them where to park when they arrive. In a duck-hunting situation, think of the ducks as your guests and create an inviting landing zone for them among the decoys. If you don’t have a landing zone in your spread, the birds will either flare or slide off and land wide, short or to one side of your spread. If that happens, the shooting opportunities will be poor to non-existent.

When setting up your decoys, therefore, make a J- or V-shaped spread to ensure you leave an open hole for the birds to land in. Also make sure the landing zone is within close proximity to your blinds, allowing you to enjoy some close-range shooting opportunities.