Outdoors Dad Life × CreekHopper
First Duck Hunt
Cold, wet, loud, and completely unforgettable.
When
Early teal Sept. 19–27; ducks Nov. 21–28 and Dec. 12–Jan. 15
Scout water in October and get the kid comfortable in waders before the main season.
Ages
12+ with hunter education; this is the most demanding of the five
Tagging along: 8+ and only if they handle cold and early mornings well
Read this first
- Life jacket on every person any time you are in or near a boat, no matter how shallow the water looks.
- Cold water is the danger, not the ducks. Dress for immersion and carry dry clothes in a dry bag.
- Guns unloaded and cased during the boat ride, in and out.
- Set your shooting lanes before legal light and don't shoot outside them.
- If a dog is working, everyone knows where the dog is before anyone swings a barrel.
Licenses & certification
- Hunting license, state waterfowl stamp, federal Duck Stamp, and HIP certification.
- Hunter education required for new hunters; boating safety education may be required too.
- Check daily bag limits by species — waterfowl limits are specific and they change year to year.
Gear checklist
- Waders that actually fit the kid, or keep them on dry ground
- Life jacket for every person
- Warm base layers, extra gloves, extra socks, all in a dry bag
- Thermos of hot chocolate — this one matters more than the decoys
- A dozen decoys is plenty for a first morning
- Headlamp, hand warmers, and a bucket to sit on
Tips of the trade
- Pick a short, easy morning. Home by 10 a.m. beats a heroic all-day sit.
- Let the kid call the shot: they yell 'take 'em' and the memory is theirs.
- A retriever turns a slow morning into the best day of the year for a kid.
- Sunrise over a decoy spread is the photo. Take it before the shooting starts.
- One cold, miserable first trip can end a kid's interest for years. Bail early and leave them wanting more.
Did it? Mark it complete.
We'll add the patch to your crew, drop it in your logbook, and hand you a Mission Complete postcard to post.