5 duck shooting tips for beginners

If you’re interested in duck shooting, there are several things you need to know before you head out on your first shoot. This blog will look at the different types of ducks you can shoot in the UK, tips on how to shoot them, and answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

 

Types of ducks you can shoot in the UK

As a beginner in duck shooting, it helps to know what ducks you can shoot and where you can find them. Most of the ducks in this list typically see  an increase in population  during the winter, when many migrate to the UK, so you can expect to be shooting in cold weather. Below, we’ve listed several breeds of duck that you can shoot across the UK:

 

Mallard

Undoubtedly, you will have seen a Mallard before, as they’re the most populous wildfowl in the UK. In fact, if you split the entirety of the UK into 10km squares, Mallards would be  found in 93% of them!

 

Gadwall

Smaller than the Mallard, you can recognise a Gadwall duck by its black and white underside and brown colouring on the rest of its body. Gadwall ducks are still fairly common around lakes, reservoirs, and coastal wetlands, and they’re most populous in the winter.

 

Goldeneye

Possibly the most distinctive-looking duck on this list, Goldeneyes are named for the bright yellow eyes found on males. The rest of the body is covered with striking black and white markings, and they also have triangular-shaped heads. Goldeneye ducks are rare in the UK, with the majority of their 200 breeding pairs found in the Scottish Highlands.

 

Pintail

The male Pintail has a brown head, white belly, grey back, and grey wings. The female Pintail is a greyish-brown colour all over. You’ll rarely find any Pintails in the UK outside of the winter months (the UK only has 27 breeding pairs), but during the winter, you’ll find them around marshes, coasts, floodplains, and estuaries.

 

Pochard

The male and female Pochard look vastly different. The male Pochard is easy to identify with a bright red eye, a reddish-brown head, and a grey and black body. The female Pochard, however, is brown all over with some white around the face. In winter, you’ll find up to 30,000 pairs of Pochards across the UK, mostly in lowland areas across the East of England.

 

Shoveler

Named for its large shovel-shaped bill, shovelers of both genders have a white underside to their wings, which is very noticeable in flight. Males also have a black head with a greenish tint and a brown belly. Female Shovelers are light brown all over except for the wings, which are white underneath and black on top. Mainly found in inland wetlands and coastal estuaries, Shovelers are most populous in the South of Britain and the mid-west of Ireland.

 

Scaup

One of the rarest ducks in this list, only 3,000 Scaups migrate to the UK for winter, from as far away as Russia! Male Scaups are mostly black, with white and grey patches on their sides and back. The female Scaup is a deep brown with a white patch at the front of its face. Most Scaups head to the coast in the southwest of Ireland and the west of Britain.

 

Teal

What sets the Teal apart from other ducks is the green stripes down either side of the face of the male. The rest of the head is brown, and both male and female Teals sport a green patch on their wings that distinguish them from other ducks. Nearly half a million Teals spend their winter in the UK, and they can be found across a wide variety of inland and coastal waters.

 

Tufted

Earning their name due to the flick of hair over the back of their head, male Tufted ducks are black and white while female Tufted ducks are dark brown with a white belly. You’ll find nearly 10,000 of these ducks at Loch Leven in Scotland and Loughs Neagh and Beg in Ireland, although it’s possible to spot them on lakes and ponds all over the UK.

 

Wigeon

Both male and female Wigeons are mostly grey and brown in colour; a brown head can help identify males with a yellow stripe down the centre and a white belly. In winter, Wigeons can be found across various areas of the UK, particularly on the coast.

 

When is duck shooting season in the UK?

For ducks on inland waters when above HOST (Height of an Ordinary Spring Tide), the duck shooting season runs from 1 September to 31 January for the entirety of the UK. When water is below HOST, the season for England, Wales, and Scotland continues for an extra 20 days until 20 February. For further information on tide times visit the Met Office website.

Related: Shooting activities to try in the off season

 

Where can I shoot ducks in the UK?

You can shoot ducks on any UK land as long as you have the land-owner’s permission, and you’re following the advice on water levels and dates of the duck shooting season. You also shouldn’t use lead bullets and you can only shoot a bird that’s in flight.

For the full rules on bird shooting within the UK, visit the UK Government website.

 

5 duck shooting tips for beginners

Like shooting any game bird, improving your skill and shooting form takes practice and experience. We’ve included some tips for beginners below to help get you started:

1.      Pay attention to their behaviour

Taking the time to learn the behaviours and patterns of ducks will help ensure you’re at the right place at the right time. For example, Mallards fly between bodies of water at sunset and sunrise to feed and find open water, so these are the best times of day to hunt them. Ducks also tend to be creatures of habit when it comes to flight paths, so if you watch their movements, you can predict where they’re going to fly across the sky.

2.      Survey the area

Once you find an area you know is inhabited by ducks, take time to observe the area and watch where they choose to land. Ducks tend to stay in areas with wide-open spaces where they can spot predators from a distance. This will show you where to set up while waiting for them to take flight.

3.      Learn how to attract them

If you want to attract ducks or bring back a flock that has fled to the sky, it helps to use duck calls. Ducks prefer living in a group, so they tend to stay wherever there are other ducks, as this indicates that the area is safe. You can also use decoy ducks that look realistic; some even come with moving parts that imitate the flap of wings.

4.      Use the right camouflage

Ducks will be able to spot you from long distances if you aren’t using camouflage, and they’ll be gone before they’ve got within a few hundred metres of you. You can wear appropriately camouflaged clothing or even create a shelter that’s camouflaged with foliage from around the nearby area.

5.      Take your time

The key to making sure you don’t miss your shot is to take your time. Holding steady and taking measured movements will help you keep your line of sight right on the target. It also helps to keep your concentration on one duck at a time, don’t shoot into a flock of ducks hoping for a hit and don’t change your target at the last minute, or you’ll come home empty handed.

Related: A complete guide to shooting for beginners

 

 

 

Duck shooting FAQs:

What should I use to shoot a duck?

Most hunters will use a 12-gauge shotgun for waterfowl. A size 3 shot is considered the most effective ammunition against ducks; these have larger pellets to help bring down larger birds.

Can you shoot ducks on a Sunday?

No, killing any wild bird on a Sunday in the UK is illegal. This includes Christmas Day for Scotland, and in Northern Ireland, you can’t shoot wild birds at nighttime.

Can you shoot a mandarin duck?

No, you cannot shoot Mandarin ducks in the UK. They are not considered a game bird or waterfowl under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which sets out the species of birds and the seasons in which you’re allowed to shoot them.

Can I shoot ducks on my property?

Yes, you can shoot ducks on your property as long as:

• You’re following the rules set out by the shooting season
• You have a licence to shoot birds from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)
• You are shooting a species of duck legally set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

 

 

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