# Savannah / Ft Stewart duck hunting



## WhatsUpDock (Jun 25, 2016)

So just like many others this will be my first duck hunt in the Coastal Georgia area. I've read lots of threads on this forum and get the whole I'm gonna have to do a lot of scouting to really find the birds and have a good season. Hopefully I don't CensoredCensoredCensoredCensored anyone off scouting right before season and maybe the first few days of season when I get back to Georgia. But I haven't been able to find what decoys everyone is using. I currently have a dozen decoys, 6 are Mallards and 6 are Redheads. I'm running a 40" Texas Rig with a 4oz weight. I plan on adding some Woodies into my spread, should I add anything else like coots for this area? Will the Texas Rigs I have be enough for the river? Any other advice to have a somewhat successful season would be appreciated also. I'll be running a 1860 Go Devil w/ a 35hp GDSD.


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## WhatsUpDock (Jun 25, 2016)

Also what calls are you guys using, I was using Mallard calls in Kansas. Should I break out the Woodie call on the rivers?


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## MudDucker (Jun 25, 2016)

Divers will decoy to anything that looks like a duck.  I am more species specific in my spread using primarily blue bills and redhead decoys with a sprinkling of other species like golden eye, buffle head and such.

Divers do not come to a mallard call.  The diver call is a brrrrrr sound.   You can make the sound with the malard drake calls.  I use a drake call and a whistle, but calling is really not necessary.


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## g0nef1sshn (Jun 25, 2016)

On stewart the only decoys youll need is wood ducks and mergs. And a wood duck call if you want something to do. I only use 4-6 woody decoys out there. If your gonna be on the river, have about 20 feet of line on them too.

you already have a boat too so other than cruising the ogeechee and canoochee, Id poke around the darien area and even further south in fl for a weekend trip. If you are comfortable knowing tides and salt water then the coast gives you more options also. 

Are you on stewart or hunter?


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## king killer delete (Jun 25, 2016)

woodys and divers. Texas rig aint going to help you much in the rivers and on the coast.  On my river decoys I run about 35 feet of 550 cord on a 10 oz weight.  on the coast long lines with allot of weight.


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## g0nef1sshn (Jun 25, 2016)

Oh yeah, you probably wont make any other duck hunters mad scouting, there arent that many I have bumped into out there. Only saw maybe 2 other boats last year, and 2 years ago didnt see any. But stewart is huge and I may have just been far away enough to have seen anyone else. 

But when I was doing my scouting early  in the morning you probably will bump into other hog/deer hunters parked or walkin around. Once I saw vehicles on the trails leading to the landings I would back out and go somewhere else to not mess their hunt up.

And you def. want 10oz or more and 30ft decoy rope wouldnt hurt like killer said.


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## WhatsUpDock (Jun 25, 2016)

Thanks for the info guys, I'm sure I'll see some of you guys on the river out there.


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## g0nef1sshn (Jun 25, 2016)

WhatsUpDock said:


> Thanks for the info guys, I'm sure I'll see some of you guys on the river out there.



If I get my motor on mine for this year ill go cruise Stewart with you. Ive only been out there in a kayak so far so I need to do more of a run up the river (I am sure it all looks the same though). The only pain is the whole pass and permit thing. Read up on that and dont forget to check into/out of areas.


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## WhatsUpDock (Jun 26, 2016)

Yeah for sure, It's always good to have someone else to cruise with, especially someone who knows a little more about the river than me. Even if you don't get your motor, just PM me and we can set something up and you can just ride with me. I can always use a hunting partner if someone is interested. But be prepared to put in the work to help me scout.


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

WhatsUpDock said:


> Yeah for sure, It's always good to have someone else to cruise with, especially someone who knows a little more about the river than me. Even if you don't get your motor, just PM me and we can set something up and you can just ride with me. I can always use a hunting partner if someone is interested. But be prepared to put in the work to help me scout.



He knows the rivers around Ft Stewart. He has been paddling for several years and when he pulls out that old 20 gauge 870 don't laugh like I did. One thing you are going to find out about coastal Georgia is that you have about five to ten hunters for every bird. I know Ft Stewart, I was in the 24th Infantry Division when it was straight leg aka light infantry. I have walked every swamp and mud hole on the place. Up river you will have wood ducks and hooded mergansers. Down on the coast is where you will find the big commons and the great buffleheads. Now every now and then the scooters and the blue bills will drop in. Your dog will be gator or shark bait . Oyster beds will turn a trip to the salt water into a trip to the emergency vets office. You are going to find that your education is just starting. The first thing you need to invest in is a sea tow or boats america membership. The next is to learn about the tides and how that will affect your hunting. You can get stuck and then you are stuck. Your waders will only be good in the swamps and look out for the puff mud.
Now you are going to say how does this old man know all this. I am you except I came to Ft Stewart in 1978 as young Staff Sergeant.  When I got to Savannah there were still old men that came in the local hunting stores and told stories about riding the train to Tybee to shoot ducks. Good luck.


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

king killer delete said:


> He knows the rivers around Ft Stewart. He has been paddling for several years and when he pulls out that old 20 gauge 870 don't laugh like I did. One thing you are going to find out about coastal Georgia is that you have about five to ten hunters for every bird. I know Ft Stewart, I was in the 24th Infantry Division when it was straight leg aka light infantry. I have walked every swamp and mud hole on the place. Up river you will have wood ducks and hooded mergansers. Down on the coast is where you will find the big commons and the great buffleheads. Now every now and then the scooters and the blue bills will drop in. Your dog will be gator or shark bait . Oyster beds will turn a trip to the salt water into a trip to the emergency vets office. You are going to find that your education is just starting. The first thing you need to invest in is a sea tow or boats america membership. The next is to learn about the tides and how that will affect your hunting. You can get stuck and then you are stuck. Your waders will only be good in the swamps and look out for the puff mud.
> Now you are going to say how does this old man know all this. I am you except I came to Ft Stewart in 1978 as young Staff Sergeant.  When I got to Savannah there were still old men that came in the local hunting stores and told stories about riding the train to Tybee to shoot ducks. Good luck.


Here are some pictures


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

Some more


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

Salt water all


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

A good start on diver decoys is buy some cheap mallards and some flat black and flat white paint and some light blue model paint and get started painting. You can have a good spread of divers quick and cheap. If you loose one you have not lost much. I use G&H standard decoys and they work well. One thing you will find is that decoys do get shot with the low flyers and cripples. If I was going to buy new decoys I would buy the foam filled. You do not need 300 decoys to kill birds on the coast. 60 decoys on long lines will do the job. Mallard calls do work on blue bills and a floating mojo will get them in close. I know puddle ducks get mojo wary in late season but the divers don't seem to worry about Mojos in fact the love them. Re rig your mallards and use them and wood ducks will decoy to mallard decoys.


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## WhatsUpDock (Jun 26, 2016)

Sounds like I have a lot to learn. I'm use to the oyster beds, mud and tides because I duck hunt a lot back home in Florida out on the Salt River. Looks like you guys have some decent luck after learning the river. I appreciate the help and the pointers. This has helped me a lot and will hopefully help any future hunter looking to hunt the area.


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## king killer delete (Jun 26, 2016)

WhatsUpDock said:


> Sounds like I have a lot to learn. I'm use to the oyster beds, mud and tides because I duck hunt a lot back home in Florida out on the Salt River. Looks like you guys have some decent luck after learning the river. I appreciate the help and the pointers. This has helped me a lot and will hopefully help any future hunter looking to hunt the area.



Good then you are not as new to area as one might think
What part?


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## Beta Tau789 (Jul 2, 2016)

WhatsUpDock said:


> Sounds like I have a lot to learn. I'm use to the oyster beds, mud and tides because I duck hunt a lot back home in Florida out on the Salt River. Looks like you guys have some decent luck after learning the river. I appreciate the help and the pointers. This has helped me a lot and will hopefully help any future hunter looking to hunt the area.



Gone's a Florida boy too, sounds like we all need to hook up for a coastal hunt this year, but if your riding with Killer don't forget your ear plugs ....


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## g0nef1sshn (Nov 11, 2016)

Dock you got your pass/permit and boat ready? I might try poking around the canoochee sunday. Might get out today for a cruise in the ogeechee but ill have my two kids with me so itll be more of a fun ride.


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## GLS (Nov 11, 2016)

Note that there is no afternoon duck hunting on Stewart.  Gil


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## g0nef1sshn (Nov 11, 2016)

Yep. Gotta be out by noon i think.


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## mcarge (Nov 14, 2016)

Good luck with it..its tough here for a few birds. IMO much better off in traveling to Florida or North Carolina if you want to shoot actual ducks.


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## king killer delete (Nov 15, 2016)

This^^^^


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