Probably the best bonus we get every other trip is a passing flight of geese. Resident geese stick around all season and many of these birds will overnight in a local beaver pond or swamp. We found out very quickly that if we paid attention the geese will announce their coming before us seeing them. We frantically swap out shells and hit the goose call a few times to get the big birds' attention and try to keep them low as they come down the swamp. After shooting at fast-moving missiles for an hour or so, the big, lumbering birds are deceiving in their flight. We missed some incredibly easy shots at first but soon caught on to the proper lead.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Obviously, the best places to do this type of do-it-yourself wood duck hunting are where the ducks thrive: a swamp. A look at a topographical map can help a hunter find a swamp nearby. For the hunter without a boat or canoe, the best swamps to look for are those that are landlocked and away from the big rivers. They tend to be smaller and shallower, which means they can be waded. Look for creeks and streams on the map and then follow them to an intersection of other streams and creeks. It is a good bet that the wetlands at that confluence will create a location that beavers will take advantage of. This is a particularly good location to check out after a wet year.

An untapped source of beaver ponds and swamps that is open to the public is our military bases. Quantico Marine Corps Base, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Picket immediately come to mind as installations with a number of beaver ponds. Because they are open to the public (with some restrictions and additional regulations), many hunters figure they are overhunted. The truth is that most hunting on these installations during December and early January is done in pursuit of whitetail deer.

Again, use a topo map to determine where unnamed beaver ponds are located and then hike in. Obviously, in the case of military installations, it's critical that you check the regulations to be sure you are in an open area before hunting. The military installation will also have a map of named ponds that are frequented by anglers. The larger ponds can be accessed by a small boat or canoe, but much of the wood duck hunting is done from shore on the smaller ponds.

Virginia currently has 34 wildlife management areas (WMAs) accounting for nearly 200,000 acres of land. Some of the better WMAs to hunt ducks include Dutch Gap, Hog Island, Princess Anne and Chickahominy WMAs. There are a number of additional WMAs and other public lands that offer good wood duck hunting listed at www.findgame.org. Users can work through the site and determine which public land is best for waterfowl, which is the closest and so on. Information such as phone numbers and boat launch facilities are also listed on the site, which is a gold mine for hunters.

In addition to military installations and WMAs, local farm ponds should be checked out, too. Sometimes the water is inviting enough that woodies will stop in for a few days before heading farther south. Landowners and farmers are more apt to approve a request to hunt on their property for waterfowl or small game than they are deer. It never hurts to ask.

JUMP-SHOOTING FROM A BOAT
Hunters who own or have access to a small duck boat, kayak or canoe will find that Virginia has thousands of miles of sloughs, backwaters and small tributaries that attract wood ducks. Jump-shooting from a kayak, canoe or even a small johnboat is great fun and a very effective way to bag a pair of the great-tasting and beautiful birds.

Hunters are cautioned to make a dry run through the selected stretch of water before actually hunting it if they are hunting east of Interstate 95. Virginia has some antiquated waterfowl hunting laws that make it difficult for the average Joe to hunt public water without concern for breaking a law. Look for properly licensed blinds on the dry run through the section that is to be hunted. All hunting east of I-95 must be done a minimum of 500 yards away from properly licensed blinds regardless of whether they are occupied unless the hunter has permission from the blind owner. Hunters west of I-95 will find that blinds are not licensed and jump-shooting is much easier.