We hunted in the Montauk area on Oct 23 for sea Ducks in windy conditions. We had a strong N/W wind with gusts to 35 mph! The Scoter both Surf and White Wing were flying in the 4′ Waves. we had louie,Steve,Joe and Mike aboard our comfortable 25′ Parker with it’s enclosed pilot house cabin being a welcomed respite from the biting chill of the north west winds. we set up 4 gang rigs of decoys all around the boat in 25′ of water. We had the Boat anchored up to a quick release anchor ball so we could quickly get after downed birds. No sooner did we set up the rig when a pair of Scoter set down outside the spread. wew jump shot that pair harvesting both specimens that were in fine shape for the taxidermist! We had sporadic action with singles and doubles comming in every 30 minutes. an occassional bigger group of 4-5 birds would swing by for some pass shooting. The guys went through 50 rounds apeice collecting 2-3 birds a man with the limit being 4. They should’ve easily limited out but being that this was thier first time trying thier hand at fast paced shooting at sea ducks this trip was dubbed a training day! More Birds will be flying down from the north each passing week.You must have a sea worthy boat that can handle the rough seas associated with Sea Duck Hunting! You will also need a fast shooting gun that can fire 3 quick shots in 3 seconds or else the birds will be out of range. Leave the dog at home on these hunts. you will use the boat along with a landing net to retrieve your downed birds. We use #2 Steel shot with a minumum of 4 boxes per gunner brought aboard for the fast paced action.We use the mod choke with 12 ga 3.5″ guns in pump or semi-auto. leave the over/under home! you will need that 3rd shot! Be prepared to diengage the boat from the anchored position quickly and have lookouts keeping thier eye on downed birds so you know where to go to finish off the cripples in the rough surf! always have the rquired saftey equipment and VHF radio handy in case you run into a sticky situation out there!

Hunt safe!
Capt.Dennis Caracciolo
D.C.OUTDOOR ADVENTURES inc.
www.huntfishny.com