Ducks filled the sky 15 minutes before shooting light. “It could happen fast,” my 82-year-old father excitedly whispered.

But when legal shooting light arrived, the birds didn’t finish. In fact, the first three flocks of wigeon didn’t even look at the decoys. I waded into the shallow pond, pulled a dozen fakes, and condensed the rest of the spread to create three open lanes and two holes for ducks to land in. I also removed the wing spinner from its post on this windy morning.

The adjustments worked. The later flocks finished in picture-perfect fashion, with ducks dumping into the decoys, feet down. In less than 30 minutes, Dad and I were leaving with limits. That wouldn’t have been the case had changes not been made.

Ducks are bright this time of year. Migratory birds have been hunted in Alaska and Canada since September, while local birds have seen it all. To gain a mid-season edge, try some of these basic adjustments. 

When targeting ducks coming to an early morning roost after having fed all night, try downsizing the decoy spread. Going with a dozen decoys send a message that those are the first ducks on the pond. On creeks and small sloughs, try a half-dozen mallard decoys set in the highest point of visibility and scatter another half-dozen wood duck or teal decoys along the edges. This gives the look of relaxed ducks moving to the water’s edge to rest, with new birds recently landing in the open water.

When hunting roosts, consider shooting a sub-gauge because shots will not only be close, but a lower boom means fewer disturbed ducks. Go-to small water shotguns like Browning's A5 Hunter 20 Gauge or Silver Field 20 Gauge are perfect roost shotguns. Match them with quality tungsten, bismuth, or the two killing metals blended with steel shot, and you’ll kill birds.

When hunting roosts, shoot fast and get out of there. As soon as the last duck is taken, grab the decoys and head out. The quicker you finish up, the more time fresh ducks have to come in. This often means you can hunt the area again after only a few days.

When hunting more extensive water for late-season ducks, the more decoys you can toss out, the more ducks will come in. This is especially the case on heavily hunted public land. But rather than simply tossing out every decoy you have, consider these factors.

Include a mix of species in your spread. Mallards are almost always a given, as are green-winged teal. Based on what you’re seeing while scouting, include some of those species, too. For instance, gadwall numbers are booming this season, so adding a dozen to the spread is a clever idea. Wigeon numbers are again high in many places, and including a few dozen in multiple groups outside the spread is a good move. If you’re hunting near exposed shorelines, run a string of wigeon floating decoys toward the edge, then place another three to five dozen wigeon silhouette decoys on shore. Wigeon often swim to shore to rest, preen, and even feed if there’s green grass, so emulating what they do in nature with your decoy spread can be highly effective. 

Add decoys with more white coloration to your spread as the season progresses. Putting out a half-dozen drake shoveler decoys will significantly increase the visibility of your spread. A dozen or two pintail decoys is also a good move. Sprinkle a dozen of the pintail decoys in with the mallard and wigeon decoys and set the other dozen on the edge of the spread in their own flock. This creates increased visibility while giving off a realistic look.

If hunting bigger bodies of water or river sloughs where diving ducks frequent as the season progresses, adding a dozen of those can pay off. It’s hard to go wrong with a half-dozen or so ringneck decoys or a few drake buffleheads. Coot decoys also create realism in a late season spread and offer good contrast that can be eye-catching to ducks. 

When hunting big water, I pull out my trusty Maxus II. Dad grew up shooting an Auto-5 but started shooting the Maxus II a few seasons ago. Now, this 12-gauge shotgun is his go-to shotgun, too. On stormy days where high winds dominate, we’ll often switch from steel to heavier bismuth or tungsten loads or a blend of the two heavier pellets. Pay attention to ammo velocity when switching loads, as speed variations can affect your leads.

If birds aren’t working, there’s a reason. The wind may change direction, and the birds can’t set up to approach. On a recent hunt, the wind changed direction three different times. A buddy and I reset the spread each time so the birds could work. It took time, and we spooked some ducks while rearranging the decoys, but our efforts were worth it, with ducks dropping in.

I usually remove the wind-aided wing-spinning decoys late in the season. Because so many hunters use these decoys, ducks get wise to them. Instead, go with a jerk cord wing decoy and slightly spin it two or three times, very slowly, just enough to get the attention of distant birds. Once their heads turn, go to the jerk cord decoys on the water. Water-moving decoys are more valuable than a wing spinner this time of year. 

Now can also be an excellent time to call less. Call just enough to catch the attention of distant birds, then let the decoys do the work. If birds start to swing wide or pass by, get back on the call. Avoid calling when birds are approaching or passing directly over the blind.

Incessant, loud calling can do more harm than good, especially when the calling is subpar. Last season, a guy and his son set up 200 yards from Dad and me. The dad wanted the teenage son to work on his calling. The loud, obnoxious calls that never ever stopped scared virtually every bird. Dad and I shot limits by letting the decoys work with little calling. Not only do ducks have incredible eyesight, but their hearing is acute. Mid to late-season duck hunts are not the time and place to practice calling; do that at home.

For every day my buddies and I hunt, we spend three days scouting. Even when we hunt five days a week, we shoot in the morning and scout right after the hunt, then again later in the afternoon. We spread out to cover the ground, using binoculars and spotting scopes to watch bird numbers and see precisely where birds are landing and flying.

Using cellular trail cameras is another excellent way to scout. Setting trail cams on creeks, sloughs, ponds, and flooded fields allows you to check fluctuating water levels, food sources, and the number of ducks using an area and see what species are there. The timeliness of a cellular trail camera also reveals when ducks are arriving and leaving and how long they’re around. Trail cameras are your eyes in the field when you’re not there and are 24/7 scouting machines. 

With the peak of duck season upon us, hunt smart. Pay attention to what birds are doing and emulate what you’re noticing. Do things a bit differently than fellow hunters by creating unique looks and adjusting, and you might come away with increased shot opportunities and birds for the pot.