Hunting Ducks In The Short Trees

I want to talk today about an overlooked habitat to chase ducks in. It is the reforested wetland program lands that cover the southern end of the flyway.

The big trees get all of the attention and they’re fun but they offer very little variety. It is mainly mallards with maybe a woodie but the short trees are a different animal altogether. It’s harder to hide and every species of fowl use them and that’s what I love about them. Plus, I have found it’s the habitat the ducks feel the most comfortable. It offers great thermal cover for when it gets cold, and the waters are full of invertebrates when it warms up.

I enjoy an opportunity to take a variety of species each time I go. With that, you must be prepared for anything, but you don’t want to take a variety of shells. You need one shell that can do it all and for me that’s the Hevi XII, 3 inch, number 6 shot for the 28 gauge Benelli SBE3. It’s great for teal and effective on mallards and specks as well.

HEVI-XII

Pack in with HEVI-XII® and come out carrying extra weight. Loaded with HEVI-Shot's original 12 g/cc tungsten that's 53.8 percent denser than steel, these loads double the downrange energy, hitting birds harder from a longer distance. This means you can drop three shot sizes for the same lethality and still put 28 percent more pellets on target.

Buy Now