# Allatoona Ducks



## pbmang (Dec 27, 2010)

Ok, a little back story.  I have never hunted in my life, and up until recently never really had much desire to.  About 6 months ago a friend of mine put a bug in my ear about wanting to go, and it has grown to the point where I am now chomping at the bit.  My buddy and I are basically bent on going hunting this Friday.  After looking at the time available and equiptment we have, I think duck hunting will be our best bet to possibly see some animals.  I have been doing some research and I think we are going to try and do said duck hunting on Allatoona.  I had been doing some internet research and have got a few questions for anyone who may know.

If we are duck hunting on Allatoona we would need a WMA license if we were just inside the brush back in a creek within the WMA, correct?  However, if we built a makeshift blind on the lake bed or were simply on Corp property and not on the WMA, no WMA license would be needed.  Just wanted to double check if that sounded correct or not.  By my interpertation of the rules, and since the lake is way down, we can be on the exposed lake bed and save ourselves $19.  If this isn't correct, please let me know!

Also, we don't have any decoys and probably won't have any by Friday.  It was suggested to me to go into the back of a creek and try and put up a little blind.  Then just try and call a few ducks in that way.  I have a feeling it's not going to be the best setup, but this will be our first time and we really just want to get out there.  I do have a boat (since I bass fish all the time), so we can access just about anywhere with water on the lake.  I have a few creeks I think will be good, but any advice on the legal aspects would be fantastic!

Thanks!
Chris


----------



## scoggins (Dec 28, 2010)

get the wma stamp and be done with it.


----------



## NOTHER1GOT (Dec 29, 2010)

YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THROUGH THE CORP RULES TOO. Temporary hunting blinds may be constructed, but must be removed completely at the
end of each day. No vegetation may be cut or removed on Corps of Engineers property
for any reason.
ALSO FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IF YOU ARE IN A BOAT OR DRY LAKE BED YOU DONT NEED A CORP HUNTING PERMIT. IF YOU ARE HUNTING ON THE BANK YOU DO NEED A HUNTING PERMIT FROM CORP OF ENGINEERS.


----------



## buckhunter3987 (Dec 29, 2010)

Are you planning on rigging some kind of blind for the boat. Not too many bass boats are very well suited for duck hunting what with all the shiny stuff on them.
Honestly, I think you might be best suited to wait and not go off so half-cocked and you will enjoy it much more if you do a little more planning/scouting. I just don't think you will have much luck the way it sounds. The season is open till Jan 30, that will give you plenty of time to get better organized and be more sucessful.


----------



## Luckybuck (Dec 29, 2010)

Chris, don't forget the Federal duck stamp.  If I were you I would find an area where you have inland streams.  Would stalk and shoot the woodies.  My lease in Meriwether is loaded with Wood Ducks in the two major creeks.  Have not hunted the ducks do to commitment to deer hunting.  You know that lead shot is not allowable to shoot or even have in your possession when duck hunting.


----------



## pbmang (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks for the advice guys.  I was aware of the lead ban, so I have a few boxes of steel shot.  Our plan was to go out tomorrow and do some scouting and see what there was in the way of ducks as well as good locations to try and setup a blind.  As far as the boat goes, we are planning on beaching it a few hundred yards from where we plan on hunting, hoping it won't scare away the ducks.

NOTHER1 - I read through the Corps rules and that is pretty much how I understand them as well.  Our plan was to go back into a creek and see what we can find.  I know of some areas where trees were cut during the tree cutting program and should provide some good starting points as far as contructing a quick and easy blind on the actual lake bed.  I guess that is one advantage to helping out creating the fish habitat, hopefully it helped created some easy duck blinds as well.

Honestly, with this hunt we arn't planning on being super successful, it's just more for getting out and say we went hunting, even if we just sit on the bank a few hours and cut up with each other.

Luckybuck - Thanks for the heads up!  I actually went to the post office during lunch today to pickup a stamp for me and a friend of mine.  Got the last two they had!  I read a post earlier today on this forum where someone was walking around flushing the ducks out and that seemed like a pretty good strategy.  My only concern is I don't have a pass to hunt on Corp. property, and I'm afarid to really venture off the lake bed in search of ducks.  Depending just how far down the lake is, we may treck up the exposed lake bed as far as possible through a feeder creek and see what flys out.  That really is a great idea (or sounds good to me atleast)!

I put a few calls out since my original post and I think we will have around 5 or 6 of us out there in total, so hopefully someone will find something.  Luckilly all but one are much more experienced hunters than I, so I am really looking forward to what I can pick up from them.


----------



## Rem270 (Dec 30, 2010)

Good luck, been thinking of doing the same thing myself.


----------



## primmative (Dec 30, 2010)

pb---a very minor thing, but could be the difference b/t getting a ticket and not.  The free GA Migratory Bird license must be on your license to be legal.  Also, be absolutely sure that everyone in your party has a plug in their shotgun.  If the warden can fit three in the magazine, you've got yourself a nifty little fine.  One last note....500 feet from a structure is not a suggestion in the warden's eyes.

Good luck and have fun.


----------



## thompsonsz71 (Dec 30, 2010)

I think he means two in the mag..... if you can fit three in the mag your in trouble....


----------



## pbmang (Dec 30, 2010)

primmative said:


> pb---a very minor thing, but could be the difference b/t getting a ticket and not.  The free GA Migratory Bird license must be on your license to be legal.  Also, be absolutely sure that everyone in your party has a plug in their shotgun.  If the warden can fit three in the magazine, you've got yourself a nifty little fine.  One last note....500 feet from a structure is not a suggestion in the warden's eyes.
> 
> Good luck and have fun.





thompsonsz71 said:


> I think he means two in the mag..... if you can fit three in the mag your in trouble....



Thanks for the heads up guys.  I had no idea about having to plug the gun.  I just did a little reading and I've got a Winchester 1400, which only holds 2 in the magazine from the factory, so I dodged that bullet  

Also, when you say the free GA Migratory Bird license, is that the HIP?  I have the standard hunting license, GA Waterfowl Conservation, HIP and a duck stamp.  That should cover it, correct?


----------



## thompsonsz71 (Dec 30, 2010)

correct


----------



## pbmang (Dec 30, 2010)

thompsonsz71 said:


> correct



Cool, I was about to say, another license 

Thanks a lot for the help guys!  Regardless of how it goes, I sure am excited.  I set up all night last night thinking about it and I've been staring at the clock today, counting down until 3 so I can head home and then get out on the lake.


----------

