It took me eight minutes to cover the 75 yards of marshy, thick streamside brush. Roots, burdocks, blow downs, and brambles filled every space between the firs and hardwoods. In one spot I was wriggling through, I swear I saw a rabbit backing out! I had hunkered down, duck walked, crept on hands and knees and finally belly crawled – pushing my gun ahead of me a foot at a time – but I was in place two minutes early.

Twice during the sneak I had heard the ducks quacking, and now through the tangled fingers of brush and leaves I could get an occasional glimpse of movement. Fifty yards downstream I knew my hunting buddy Jim Stout was edging into his final position. Wriggling forward to the last curtain of thicket brought me within two steps of the river bank and through one small opening I could alternately see an orange leg, a dusky wing with a flash of blue and an iridescent green head as various birds paddled and fed past my viewing slot. Then it was time.

The 10 minutes Jim and I had agreed upon to get into position was up, so I quietly got to my feet and took one quick step into the open. For a split-second there was absolute silence and the streamside diorama stood still in shock. I was amazed that my stalk was successful and the ducks were just plain amazed. Total silence turned to absolute chaos as my scattergun rose to my shoulder. Quacking, flailing teal, blacks and mallards filled the air making a quick exit upstream and downstream.

I swung on a brilliant greenhead, squeezed and saw the bird fold, then selected a fast-fleeing black passing left to right and surprised myself as it cartwheeled. A low-flying greenwing teal in overdrive ruined my try for a triple as the shot string laid out on the water too far behind. As I reloaded in case of a late-flushing holdout, I remembered hearing Jimmy shoot seconds after I’d fired. As hoped, some of the ducks had flushed downstream past his holding spot. As it turned out, Jim had bagged a teal and a hefty mature black duck.

Our sneak attack tactic is called jump shooting for the obvious reason that once you’re in position you jump up and shoot. Lest you think this sounds simple, let me remind you of the long, tedious stalk and crawl, and also tell you that our first two attempts that morning were a disaster. Each of the previous sneaks ended before we could even see water, let alone ducks, when the wary waterfowl either heard or saw suspicious events and literally flew the coop.

Single sneak

Of the variety of duck hunting methods practiced in Maine, jump shooting is probably the least utilized. Some waterfowling purists even look down their noses at the tactic, feeling that any outing that doesn’t include a set of elaborate, well-placed decoys, top-rate calling and a well-trained retriever is less than satisfying. It’s a lot of work and very time consuming for a single hunter to set out a good decoy spread. No one enjoys waterfowling over well set blocks any more than I do, but often there are time constraints, and a couple of prework jump shoots are way better than not hunting.

Water or field hunting over decoys, floating, and even pass shooting outings tend to include two or more sports, but jump shooting can be a very effective solitary style of bagging ducks. The first step crucial to any effective jump shoot is to locate a bunch of birds. Fairly shallow rivers and streams are the best bet since you need to wade to pick up downed ducks, and chest waders will only get you so far. Lakes, ponds and deep rivers are out unless you have a retrieving dog. It’s just too much hassle to transport, load and unload a canoe and all the gear every time a duck is downed as you hopscotch from brook to puddle to pond.

Driving main roads, secondary and farm field roads and walking four-wheeler or snowmobile trails or even fishing paths or logging tracks with an overview of a section of waterway is a sure way to spot ducks. A set of binoculars is a great asset, and likely spots to check on flowing water include eddies, bogans, backwaters, runs with small islands, or lots of exposed rocks, and slow-moving, shallow stretches where the birds can easily tip up and feed. When scouting lakes, give special attention to spots with shallow weed beds or surface vegetation, reed-shrouded coves, slow-moving thoroughfares and attached backwaters or bogans.

Puddle ducks are creatures of habit that favor specific feeding spots and familiar locations to rest or roost. Only persistent pressure will cause them to relocate permanently, so if a spot is hunted only once a week birds should consistently be on hand. A smart jump shooter will have at least a dozen dependable sites to visit on a rotating schedule. Of half a dozen spots checked during an outing at least half will usually harbor ducks, and with care, one or two shooting opportunities should occur.

A solitary gunner must place himself even with the bulk of the flock and within 25 to 35 yards at most, closer if possible. Getting clear of trees and brush for an open shot often allows the ducks to put up to 10 yards more distance from where they jumped into flight, and 45-yard shots with steel loads are generally neither practical nor productive. Bismuth, tungsten matrix and Hevi Shot loads are all far more deadly in the 40- to 50-yard range, but fairly expensive and it’s far better to pass up a long shot than cripple or lose a wounded bird.

Full camo clothing and very slow stealthy movement will get a solo shooter within range 50 percent of the time. A bit of wind, rain or ambient noise from flowing water will boost the odds. A low profile is critical to getting within close range, so be prepared to belly crawl if necessary. Don’t rush the stalk and definitely don’t hurry the jump-up-and-shoot segments. Lie still and get your breath back, know where the ducks are, check from the ground up to be sure that no roots, vines or branches will trip you or impede your gun swing when you make your move. I won’t mention any names, but some jump shooters have gone back down even more quickly than they hopped up. It’s embarrassing, guns and bodies get bruised, no shots get taken after the arduous stalk and it’s difficult getting the mud and leaves out of my beard.

Teamwork

Using two or three hunters to jump shoot a section of stream or stretch of lake shoreline is far more likely to produce action than solo stalks. If a trio of gunners are involved, for example, once ducks are sighted one sport will begin to sneak up even with the birds’ location. The other two will move into position along the bank 30 to 50 yards above and below the ducks.

If the first man spooks the waterfowl before getting a shot, one of the others will likely get a good passing shot. Perhaps both of the gunners will have shots if the group of birds split up. Often on a large flock, all of the gunners will have some shooting. Sometimes on brooks with a lot of bends and curves ducks can’t be seen, but you know they are present somewhere along a certain section. This is a good time for the end gunners to start 100 or more yards from the middle man and slowly move along the stream edge toward each other, hopefully bumping up ducks for one another.

Multi-hunter jump shoots are very effective on Maine waterways and sure to produce action. The fact that a group can enjoy a few jumps in a short time span, say before work, makes this style of hunt even more attractive. A couple of drawbacks must be considered and dealt with, however. Sneaking up on ducks requires stealth, and the more people involved the tougher that can be. Also, it can be difficult working the timing so each shooter arrives at the right place at the right time. It’s no good if one man jumps the ducks and the rest of the hunters are still back in the woods. More importantly, when several gunners are involved, extra care must be taken in knowing exactly where everyone is, and shots taken accordingly, not randomly.

Gearing up

Full camouflage clothing is a must for jump shooting, especially a full mesh face mask and gloves. I recommend a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes. Hip boots will work on many waterways, but chest waders will assure even more access and comfort. Remember, the waders aren’t just for retrieving downed ducks, they offer protection from ground water, muck and mud as the stalker creeps and crawls along the ground. By the way, never wear chest waders, even neoprenes, without a belt.

A 12-gauge is the most favored scattergun, but 16s and 20s can do the job with the right shells and a top-notch wing shooter. Steel shot is required for waterfowl, but alternatives like bismuth, tungsten matrix and Hevi Shot are legal as well. These steel substitutes are generally more effective, but much more expensive. If steel is your choice, don’t settle for loads less than 1500 FPS and use No. 2 or No. 3 shot size since brush, leaves and tree trunks often soak up some of the pattern.

A state and federal duck stamp is required in addition to a regular license. Don’t forget your binoculars and camera. Jump shooting may not qualify as a gentlemen’s duck hunt, but this down and dirty style of waterfowling provides great action time and again. When the ducks won’t come to you, perhaps it’s time for you to go to them. Try this sneak-in-and-pop-up style of gunning and you really will get the jump on ducks.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com