With the forth coming season nipping at our heals it is no surprise that many of us are getting less and less sleep. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a new comer to the waterfowling obsession, I figured id would be good to make note of a few helpful tactics that might get forgotten amidst our great anticipation.
First and foremost, keep it simple on the call. Meaning, most of us will be hunting fields that are already being used by birds. Remember that these birds have not been pressured since last winter so keeping your calling simple will ensure that you do not blow out your incoming flocks. Using clear honks, clucks, and moans will out produce heavy calling many more times than not, especially in the first few weekends.
Secondly, don’t neglect an opportunity to call them back. In our experience, the only flock that doesn’t have a chance to be called back in during the early season is a flock that is all laying on the ground. This is your opportunity to open up on the calls and let loose your summers worth of practicing. Once you have them swung, go back to keeping it simple until you shoot them again.
Notice how your birds are sitting in your field. The first few weeks it is best to utilize ‘family group’ decoy sets. There is no need to set every deke in storage, just bring enough to get the job done and place them in small groups as you would see them during the summer. We have our best luck using 3-5 dozen full bodies, set in differing numbered family groups. Make note to place your sentinals in a position viewing each family group, or at least viewing a majority of your family groups if not specifically towards their own.
Finally, take extra time to brush up your hide. Many times we as early season hunters will find our selves in pastures, small grains, sweet corn, or silage fields. These are low cut fields that offer little surrounding cover and normally cant be hunted by ‘mudding up’ the blinds. Take the time to ensure that your hide is properly brushed and make an extra effort to try and find that brush in the same field you are hunting. If need be, take an extra few minutes and bring a shovel to allow you to get your hide to have the smallest profile possible.
These are proven tactics that I hope you as new comers find useful, and you seasoned vets find as positive reminders while anxiously positioning your set. Good luck to all. Hunt hard and hunt safe. And don’t forget, we all enjoy reports and pictures 
