Missouri Duck Hunting Clubs - For the best waterfowl hunts!

Waterfowl hunting is as much of an art as it is a craft. It takes learning, an observant eye and years of firsthand experience to perfect those skills needed to become a successful hunter. And unfortunately, not all of those qualities can be gleaned by reading books, watching videos on the topic or surfing the Internet.

For novice, Missouri hunters eager to learn the nuances of the ever endearing art of waterfowl hunting, the best way to get started is by joining Missouri duck hunting club.  Detractors of this good advice often hold that joining hunting clubs might detract one from doing much hunting. The inverse is actually true, because when you join a club you become part of a "fellowship" of like-minded individuals, thereby even further strengthening your resolve to improve your hunting skills.

Novice hunters get a great opportunity to fraternize and network with more seasoned hunters frequent the hunting club. That way, they can get access to invaluable hunting knowledge that books, and videos don't really teach. Missouri waterfowl hunting clubs aren’t just good for beginners. Even seasoned waterfowl hunters can find some of the best hunting through these clubs...and here's why:

• Many clubs have duck duck hunting  guides and other staff that have intimate knowledge of their hunting grounds. Individuals or small groups could spend hours scouring the grounds to locate the best spots. Club members can, however, tap into that knowledge to immediately pick the best spots at the best time of day to decoy the targeted birds.
• Contrary to what you may think, waterfowl hunting does require several "tools of the trade" to make it a success.  Equipment such as decoys, layout blinds; pits and goose chairs are expensive for individuals to purchase. Hunting clubs provide affordable access to these and other items for their members.
• But even if individuals could afford to purchase all the equipment and tools needed, it takes years of practice and experience to learn how to use them. For instance, decoys must be deployed in significant numbers, and in specific patterns for decoying waterfowl to believe the setup is realistic. Otherwise, they won't descend, which can leave individuals bitterly disappointed. Hunting clubs can usually offer expertise in such matters as good decoy deployments.
• Above all, hunters share tips and swap hunting strategy with each other, thereby serving as a tool to sharpen every waterfowlers skill. Individuals setting out on a hunt will rarely get the opportunity to consult with others to learn how they might better their own hunting techniques.

While the decision to go Missouri waterfowl hunting individually or as part of a guided hunt at a duck club is purely a personal one, there's no doubt that duck hunting clubs afford a whole host of conveniences, and opportunities denied freelance hunters. At the end of the day, hunting clubs are far more likely to bag a more bountiful harvest, while thoroughly enjoying the hunting experience, than individuals hunting on their own in a strange surroundings.

Snow geese are hard enough to decoy. Level the field with guided snow goose hunting!

 Even if you are a veteran waterfowl hunter, guided snow goose hunts make good sense. But for beginners or casual sport hunters, the only way to successfully harvest a good number of bird is if you are guided on a hunt. Why? Because, unlike other types of birds such as Canadian geese or Mallards, snow geese are extremely shrewd, fly in very large groups and are very sensitive to their environment. They are quick studies, and learn the patterns of danger fast, thus flying past a decoy setup at the slightest sign of peril from afar.

Guided snow goose hunts are conducted by trained and professional goose hunting guides, who are avid waterfowl hunters themselves. They therefore they have a much better idea of how the snow goose thinks, and how they will react to any given situation. These are experienced groups of individuals that are skilled in the art of decoys. But they are also intimately familiar with the hunting terrain. This trio of skills puts them in a much better position, more so than even seasoned hunters, to ensure that their guided snow goose hunts result in harvesting the most number of birds possible.

Many novice hunters might equate a waterfowl hunt to scenes they see on TV, where a vortex of thousands of birds circle overhead for a brief moment, and then descend onto a virtual killing field, only to be harvested by eager shooters below by the dozens. The truth is far from that, especially when it comes to snow geese. These magnificent and intelligent birds have been hunted for thousands of miles during their long migratory trek from the breeding grounds and back. So by the time they fly past a particular field, their keen sense of survival is horned sharply by recent experiences.

Professionals conducting guided snow goose hunts know this, and that's why they put in place a number of factors that entice the snow geese to descend on the fields they fly over, including:

• the best time of season that will result in the most abundant harvest
• the type of habitat that is most likely to attract the geese
• the type of decoys that must be used to make the field a convincing landing place
• the number of decoys that are ideal to entice the birds to finally land
• the exact patterns and placement of decoys to make the fields look realistic
• the need for simulated snow geese calls using electronic devices

While one can easily pick up many of these tricks and techniques by reading a few books or surfing the internet, guided snow goose hunts offer more than just "second hand knowledge". The experience and the resources that a professional guided hunting service can offer is much more than most individuals or groups can get on their own. Just the time, cost and effort involved in acquiring, positioning and staging the decoy setup will often convince even seasoned hunting parties to opt for a guided hunt. 

CINCO DE MAYO- DUCK QUESADILLAS RECIPE

Have some duck meat left over from duck hunting season? Well, it the fifth of May and here is a waterfowl recipe you may like and kick back and enjoy and you might as well have some Margaritas at the same time!

Duck Quesadilla

• 1 lb. boneless Duck breast meat
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1 (1 oz.) pkg. dry fajita seasoning mix
• 10 (10-inch) Corn or flour tortillas
• 8 oz. Sargento fine shredded 4-cheese Mexican
• 1 tbsp. bacon bits
• 1 onion chopped 
• 2 peppers, chopped

Preheat the broiler. Cut the duck meat that you got while hunting into small cubes and prepare with the fajita seasoning mix. Broil 5 minutes, or until duck is just a little pink on the inside or the meat reaches 165 degrees. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Mix in the seasoned duck, onion & pepper. Slowly cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Layer 1/2 of each tortilla with duck mixture, cheese, and desired amount of bacon bits. Top with cheese. Fold the tortillas. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve with Refried beans and Spanish rice and chase it all down with some Margaritas

Perfect Margarita

• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
• Coarse salt
• Ice cubes
• 1 3/4 cups tequila
• 1/4 cup Cointreau
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Lyme syrup

To salt-rim the glasses, rub a cut lime around the rim of each glass. Fill a saucer with salt, and dip each glass, upside down, into the salt. Set aside. Fill a blender jar three-quarters full of ice cubes. Pour tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and syrup over the ice. Begin blending on low, then increase the speed to high, until the ice is very finely chopped and the mixture is frothy. Taste for sweetness, adding more syrup if necessary. Blend a few seconds more, and pour into the salt-rimmed glasses. Serve immediately. I hope you enjoy this waterfowl and margarita recipe.