Small water in Texas is the epitome of waterfowl pursuit. The Wigeon Hole at Dry Creek Outfitters is the experience that most waterfowl hunters dream about. Seeing wigeons (And don’t forget all the Pintails) dump into a small farm pond at first light reminds every hunter of the good ole days. On this particular morning, morale was low at the lodge following a week of being beat up by inconsistent birds, no rainfall, and a heatwave that had us all asking why we didn’t just go swimming instead of hunting. Little did we know, Dry Creek Outfitters had a honey hole up their sleeve…

With low temperatures in the 60’s and highs in the upper 70’s, we lined the trucks and illuminated a pond the size of your living room with headlights. With each splash from a tossed decoy anticipation grew. As we neared sunrise, a neighboring feed of over 1,000 Sandhill Cranes put on a show that you can only understand if you have seen it in person. Let’s just say everything is truly bigger and better in Texas! As we watched the show, we strategically placed (5) Lucky Agitator HDi’s, (1) Lucky Waterproof HDi, and (1) Super Swimmer in the spread.

As a waterfowl hunter for as long as I can remember, I vowed at a young age to always remain teachable. This has benefitted me as a hunter, father, and husband. Let’s just say, at The Wigeon Hole, class was in session. I mainly hunt in Oklahoma and have heard many fair warnings against motion over small water. Many will say, “pull the motion,” when the first group of birds doesn’t center up in the kill hole (Sidenote: This is almost always due to poor hide… not decoy strategies). Regardless, I couldn’t help but wonder if this set up would really trick these finicky birds.

As the sun peaked over the dam of the pond, it is like a director screamed "ACTION" as the birds entered stage right and didn’t even think before sitting on the Lucky Waterproof HDi. As we set up, we strategically placed 2 of the Agitators and the Super Swimmer beneath the spinner and it worked like a charm. Groups of 3 to 20 birds, mainly Wigeons, all cupped and found their final resting splash around that motion in the kill hole. With each “Kill ‘Em,” you could feel the emotions rise from each layout blind in the line of 10 hunters. We shot more times than we would care to admit and missed more birds than I hope they got on film. But this hunt will easily be in my top ten hunts of my lifetime.As a lifelong learner, I would be negligent to omit the sharing of my notes on lessons learned from, “The Wigeon Hole”:

• 1.THE SCOUT REALLY MATTERS

For most of my life, duck hunting was a stab in the dark on a Saturday morning. To rely on lucky spots from years past will never seal the deal on a successful hunt. It is better to put in the work and scout on your own like the guys at Dry Creek Outfitters, or better yet, just go on a hunt with them!

• 2.HIDING IS PARAMOUNT

If you see birds flaring just outside of shotgun range, refuse the urge to jump to conclusions about the decoy spread. Trust the products that the professionals have proven time and time again to be successful and make sure your hide is brushed in. Keep faces down and eliminate anything that throws a reflection or shines (including those cool sunglasses that look great in your Instagram story). Don’t know where to start… order a Lucky Duck 2x4!

• 3.MOTION MAXIMIZES SUCCESS

At Lucky Duck, deception is our middle name. I got to see first-hand how effective the best motion decoys on the market can be for a hunt. Do yourself a favor and add multiple sources of motion to your spread! Before you know it, you will have a memory like “The Wigeon Hole.”