What is typical MD waterfowl hunting like?

New to MD (And the east coast). It seems like everyone I run into deer hunts but rarely touches a duck. Coming from Oregon it was fairly popular I feel. There is also a ton of state/public land to hunt which included no-boat-required areas. What is the typical duck hunt setting out here? Anywhere I can pick up and throw out some decoys and wade out to get birds? Seems like it would all be private land.

I don't waterfowl hunt myself but I know ppl do it on parts of the upper Potomac and Monocacy rivers by you. Additional resources that might help you at https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/hunt_trap/Waterfowl_HuntingAreas.aspx

just posted in your welcome thread , wading is tough around here , some public land , need to sign up early.

Thank you both! Appreciate the link.

There is a DU chapter in WV that is pretty active, reach out to them and they can help you find some fine options, https://www.facebook.com/EasternPanhandleWVDucksUnlimited/

It's a tough sport to pick up in MD. The Eastern Shore boys grow up with it, know how to get spots, and generally know how to do it. Us Westerners have to read up on a lot of regs and learn by a lot of trial and error. But as far as hunting without a boat...you're pretty much SOL. You'll at least need a vessel to retrieve birds, and it's very helpful to have one to get to most spots.

Very difficult to get decent blind spots in this state in my opinion. Frankly, I think waterfowl hunting is hugely overrated here for the average hunter. The laws are in landowner favor, so if you don't know someone, own land, or pay to hunt, its almost a bust.

There are some exceptions - sea ducks if you have a good boat and don't expect to eat anything.

I always see these maryland waterfowl promotional pics and think "what a crock of shit"...

Antarctica said:

Very difficult to get decent blind spots in this state in my opinion. Frankly, I think waterfowl hunting is hugely overrated here for the average hunter. The laws are in landowner favor, so if you don't know someone, own land, or pay to hunt, its almost a bust.

There are some exceptions - sea ducks if you have a good boat and don't expect to eat anything.

I always see these maryland waterfowl promotional pics and think "what a crock of shit"...

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Agree. Those promo pics are to sell passes to the Easton show.

Unless you luck into opportunities on some private or otherwise exclusive property, it is probably more trouble and/or expense than it's worth.

I have hunted the upper Potomac and if you are in the right place at the right time, there are short flights of Wood Ducks and Mallards, but it is rare to get much action and you really do need a boat.

Ducks here are generally available in several ways:

Really easy/guaranteed results/expensive:
Game farms/managed shooting preserves, where they release pen raised ducks that are trying to return to the pond you are hunting. There is a managed shooting area north of Westminster, and I'm sure there are others on the western shore, and there are quite a few on the eastern shore too.

Moderately easy/good chances, no guarantees/expensive:
Booking a legit guide and hunting wild ducks and/or geese at productive places. There are quite a few guides that specialize in waterfowl. Don't overlook the early 'resident goose' season. Ask around and find someone well-established and with good references. For the occasional hunter, this might be the best quality experience for the amount of work and cash involved.

Hard/cheap/:
a) Hunt public property like federal/state parks, and WMAs (permits may be required) on your own and try to decoy/pass shoot mallards, wood ducks and the occasional black duck. You need a boat for this, you don't want to wade Blackwater nor most of these other spots.
https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/wmaeastern.aspx
These public areas can really take a beating, so don't expect a lot of opportunity, but you can shoot a few ducks here and there if you work at it.
b) Hunt the sea duck zones. We get a LOT of divers and other 'sea ducks', but you're not going to see many edible ducks out in the sea duck zones. You will definitely need a capable boat, 800 yards offshore can get ugly fast.

Hard/super-expensive:
a) Lease hunting property for thousands a year, maintain a blind site, invest in decoys and a boat and hunt your own way.
b) Buy a waterfront property for a gazillion, maintain a blind site, invest in decoys and a boat and hunt your own way.

Those are all pretty bummer options. It kind of shocks me because I hear nothing but how amazing the waterfowl hunting is in the east when I lived out west. Pen raised ducks for some reason does not interest me (Although pheasant I would do planted). Have not reached that point in my life of paying for guides so I guess that is out. Well I guess that decoy money goes to somewhere else. Thanks Antarctica and E.Shell for the info.

BUffaloSocks said:

Those are all pretty bummer options. It kind of shocks me because I hear nothing but how amazing the waterfowl hunting is in the east when I lived out west. Pen raised ducks for some reason does not interest me (Although pheasant I would do planted). Have not reached that point in my life of paying for guides so I guess that is out. Well I guess that decoy money goes to somewhere else. Thanks Antarctica and E.Shell for the info.

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Head over to Columbia. They’ve got some nice lakes. Plenty of ducks. Doubt you’d last long before you ran in to problems hunting Columbia Association property through.

But a lot is the private property bit. I notice ducks on many ponds. Is it amazing, nope, but if you were a private land owner with a quarter acre pond, you can probably bag a few ducks a year with a bit of patients.

I started waterfowl hunting a few years back. There are a lot of rules to sort through and I think some folks new to it would be turned off to starting out because of it.

Marsh out here is no joke and the mud will suck you in, so wading where I normally hunt is not an option.

The best option for me was to get an inexpensive Walmart kayak and a few decoys and put out where there is public land to hunt from and put the kayak on shore after setting out decoys and roll out a camo blanket.

Well there is always the Potomac river heading north.
Plenty of islands, public, but you will need a little boat. Check maybe scout some locations from the shore. Nowlings ferry and up. Again check the regs and good luck.

Another option to look out for.See if you can get permission to field hunt for goose.Sometimes ducks come in also.

remrug said:

Another option to look out for.See if you can get permission to field hunt for goose.Sometimes ducks come in also.

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I've killed hundreds of geese in the field and the times ducks have come in have been few and far between. I used to hunt in Washington County just east of the Potomac and we would be fortunate enough to get the geese coming off the Potomac and flying down the valley looking for food. Ducks would come around once in a blue moon.

Best duck hunting I have done has been on the Eastern Shore, but that is a PITA to do with all the driving, etc. Might eventually get back to it if I can buy a farm on that side of the bay and maybe stay out there a week at a time to hunt. Driving back and forth is just a complete PITA. Had a perfect property for sale several years ago on the Monocacy. 100 acres with the Monocacy making up one of the boundaries. Couple hundred yards on the Monocacy. However, at $450,000 without a house, it was unobtainium for me at the time.

In short, much easier to kill deer in this state nowadays because there are just so many deer and farmers want to get rid of them. Waterfowling is some tough sledding, but in the right spot it is massively enjoyable.

There is always the option of joining a hunt club. I might be able to buy into a hunt club for $50,000 that has 250 acres to hunt, but I hate the politics that are involved with hunt clubs.

Albright's Gun Shop in Easton books guided waterfowl hunting trips. Check out its website. No experience, but am curious.

Don't be afraid to ask people to hunt, most of the time they say no but sometimes they say yes, we have property we own, property we pay a lot to rent, property we just pay the taxes on($300), and property we hunt for free. Sometimes you need to do the leg work, there are ways of getting property owners info and you would be surprised what is out there if you are polite and sometimes willing to help them out. A buddy is on the western shore and has gotten several places for Canadians and ducks for free by writing absentee land owners for permission. Always be on the lookout, we were able to pick up 50 acres in the middle of Blackwater WLR for a relatively cheap price this year before it went on the market. Make friends and don't be a douche bag, people have a hard time inviting strangers because of the potential of someone stealing there spot out from under them. I have spots open all the time but I am leery to take strangers due to being burned by people in the past. It also helps that our club has Insurance.

There are lots of good spots around Deal Island and Fishing Bay that are public you just need to do the time and scout them.

Lots of great tips here not only for me but I am sure for others. Thank you everyone for pitching in. As for contacting land owners, I err on the side of caution and privacy. I know for me when someone rolls up to my property (Dont get many visitors) I am immediately suspicious. I know a local farm right by me that ALWAYS has a decent flock of geese hanging out. Would the best way be to just drop a letter in the mail and ask?

BUffaloSocks said:

Lots of great tips here not only for me but I am sure for others. Thank you everyone for pitching in. As for contacting land owners, I err on the side of caution and privacy. I know for me when someone rolls up to my property (Dont get many visitors) I am immediately suspicious. I know a local farm right by me that ALWAYS has a decent flock of geese hanging out. Would the best way be to just drop a letter in the mail and ask?

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The one guy writes letters, the other guy just goes up and asks or gets their info from the court house and calls them.

Just walk up and ask. They may get asked all the time, and they may never get asked. If you don't see people hunting it, they either don't want it hunted or nobody has asked.

I never knew how good I had it (actually I did) living on a dairy farm in Clarksburg 25 years ago. Great time shooting geese in the snow with friends, drinking coffee and smoking cigars at 5:30 in the morning. I found that place by just walking up and asking if they had a place to live.

These days, I just duck hunt the mud puddle behind my house, but its not the same as heading out into the field with a pile of dekes, or to a blind in a boat.

metalman3006 said:

Don't be afraid to ask people to hunt, most of the time they say no but sometimes they say yes, we have property we own, property we pay a lot to rent, property we just pay the taxes on($300), and property we hunt for free. Sometimes you need to do the leg work, there are ways of getting property owners info and you would be surprised what is out there if you are polite and sometimes willing to help them out. A buddy is on the western shore and has gotten several places for Canadians and ducks for free by writing absentee land owners for permission. Always be on the lookout, we were able to pick up 50 acres in the middle of Blackwater WLR for a relatively cheap price this year before it went on the market. Make friends and don't be a douche bag, people have a hard time inviting strangers because of the potential of someone stealing there spot out from under them. I have spots open all the time but I am leery to take strangers due to being burned by people in the past. It also helps that our club has Insurance.

There are lots of good spots around Deal Island and Fishing Bay that are public you just need to do the time and scout them.

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That is how I have always felt about inviting "friends" to come hunting with me. Probably a fear instilled by my dad's story about how he took a friend hunting and then the friend just continued going there without my dad as if the friend had permission from the landowner.

I have been thinking about this a lot today. I need to start getting my rear in gear and asking around about permission for hunting. Have not been seeing many geese this year or I might be knocking on doors where I see the birds. As I stay around here longer, I will get to know more and more landowners. Lots of cut corn all over the place.

Really wish I could find a goose spot west of route 31. I already have one spot, but that spot is one bird a day.

Guess I will invest more time in this endeavor as I get more free time to go hunting.