In Campbell's blinds, it’s usually the lead caller that will finish the birds and ultimately call the shot.
Campbell indicated that he typically takes the lead calling role in a blind, allowing a partner to fill in following his lead in response to the number of birds they’re trying to work at a given time. In his blind, it’s usually the lead caller that will finish the birds and ultimately call the shot. He pointed out some exceptions, however. In his experience, “Large groups of birds typically respond well to group calling. For example pintails will usually respond well when everyone in the blind contributes on a whistle.” He stated that it’s up to you to read the birds’ attitude in reaction to the calling and adjust accordingly. “I’ll usually know right away as to whether or not they’ll work judging by their response or lack thereof to my first few notes. If they do respond, continue with whatever you did that generated their response.” When the birds seem to be ignoring you and continuing on their initial flight path, Campbell says he’ll usually throw some aggressive calling sequences at them. If still no response, that’s your cue to give up on that bunch and look for the next group which hopefully won’t be quite as smart.
The flooded field we were to hunt was brimming with abundant green growth despite having been turned over and this was exactly why Campbell prefers a field left fallow versus one planted with rice. “The birds will usually eat that rice out pretty quickly but a fallow field will continue to produce new growth throughout the season,” he noted. Campbell’s ideal setup for ducks includes a buffaloed pasture with a flood of about 3 to 5 inches of water. And to get the birds to notice your field, he emphasizes realism and visibility. “For visibility, I like to use pintails, wigeon, blue wing teal and even ringneck decoys which all show up very well from a long way out. These Avery decoys have such realistic paint schemes it really helps to finish birds close in, especially late in the season.” Campbell advised to let the size of the pond dictate the number of decoys set out. That, along with your willingness to pick them up if you don’t plan to leave them out for the season.
Campbell suggests utilizing as many decoys as one can afford to maximize opportunity when hunting the rice fields of SW Louisiana.
“Rice field hunting is a numbers game. If you’re going to leave them out there’s no such thing as too many. I’d put out as many as you can afford,” Campbell said. Understandably, for most it’s a matter of finding a balance between your pocketbook and time spent setting up and picking up each hunt. “Though overall it’d be better to pick the decoys up each time, the big spreads typically used in field hunting just don’t make that very practical for most hunters. Instead, try moving the decoys around and adjusting them to the wind direction to provide a new look,” Campbell noted.
