RefugeRat.com

Please meet Californian Josh Campbell.

Josh has been hunting for 27 years, nine of those for waterfowl on public refuges throughout the State.

Every fall, Josh also makes a freelance journey to Canada, targeting geese.

In the paragraphs that follow, Josh shares his knowledge and insights which have led to some super hunts as a Rat on public lands.

Give a warm welcome to Josh.

Addicted - First Green-Winged Teal

For nearly 20 years of my life, I thought that people who got up at dark o’clock and went out in the cold and rain to shoot ducks were crazy. Hunting never sounded fun to me.

Here’s proof that you shouldn’t knock it until you try it. My good friend Joe has long been a waterfowl-hunting addict, and he always told me that I should try it one time. If I didn’t like it, at least I had given it a shot. Joe persisted, telling me it would only take one time for me to be hooked. Finally, I took him up on his offer, fully expecting to hate it.

Joe picked me up early one November morning and we drove across the valley to a nearby refuge. He spent the entire ride telling what a great trip it was going to be, and how I would be addicted for life. When we arrived at our spot in a small pond, I was amazed at how many birds I could hear on the water and flying overhead. I quickly realized how cool it was, and admitted that I could see myself doing it again. As the sun came up, I could see silhouettes of ducks flying by. I was excited to start shooting. No more than 10 minutes passed when Joe told me I had two teal over my left shoulder. The next few seconds happened so quickly that there was no time to think; I just reacted. I missed with the first shot, but dropped one of the birds with my second, leaving me in total awe of what had just happened. It was a nice looking green-winged teal drake. And Joe was right. I was hooked. I hunted the rest of the season, and have been addicted ever since. I only wish I had started hunting waterfowl at a much younger age.

Refuge Hunting Observations

I like hunting public refuges because they offer many different locations to try new things. They also allow me to meet new people, and to share stories and techniques that could make a hunt more successful. I always set up with some sort of movement in my spread, because I find that a little movement adds realism to the decoys. I’m also not afraid to relocate my decoys if it’s not working for me. When I find a spot in the morning, I try to pinpoint where the biggest concentration of ducks are, knowing that there’s something there they like. My favorite kind of refuge hunting is marsh hunting for puddlers, because they give me the opportunity to see how a bird will work in different areas and in different situations. Like hunting potholes, birds many times don’t like them first thing in the morning, so I often have to mix it up later in the morning when the birds start looking for a place to loaf for the day. Later on in the year, when the geese start to move in, I work the fields hunting for specks or snows.

In my many years chasing ducks and geese on the refuge, I’ve learned this much: Hunters don’t have to belong to a private club to be successful. I like refuge hunting because I’m never tied to one spot, and there are plenty of places for everyone to hunt. When I first started hunting on the refuge, I never wanted to try new things, or new spots. But it only took a few conversations with old-timers for me to realize that a willingness to change can lead to a lot of success. I started paying closer attention to the ducks, and how they worked certain areas, and at what time of day they would change their preference of places to land. I also learned to scout my areas before I hunt, if possible. I usually finish my hunt, gather my things, and either take a ride in my truck or boat and try to find new places that could possibly turn into a great success story. Refuge hunting has also taught me to be patient, because even though you’re not killing ducks one moment doesn’t mean your luck can’t change. I have been very blessed living in California, because I have many public refuges within an hour-and-a-half drive, and public rivers even closer than that. If the duck hunting isn’t good at the refuge, or it’s not a shooting day at the refuge, I can take to my boat in the river and try to make it happen there. The most important things I can say about refuge hunting is be patient, respect other hunters, work your birds in close, have a good time, and shoot ‘em in the lips.

A Hunting Story To Remember

Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “it isn’t over until the fat lady sings?” I’ve got a story that proves the saying is true. It was late in December when Kenny, a friend of mine, and I decided to take a Wednesday hunt at the refuge and see what the day had in store for us. We did our homework, and knew that the storm that swept through two days earlier had brought a new wave of ducks and geese to our area. When we arrived at the refuge, our plan was to set up in hopes of whacking not only ducks, but just maybe some geese as well. There were a lot of ducks in the area, but for some reason they wanted nothing to do with what we were offering. I asked Kenny if maybe we should move our spread around to see if that would change our luck. He agreed. We gave our new location about a half-hour and still no luck, so we agreed that maybe we should give it another 15 minutes before packing up and heading home.

It was about 9:45 when our spread became the hottest deal in town. I knew from the bird activity at hand that this may just turn out to be a very good day. We both had our limits of ducks within 30 minutes, and I told Kenny that the only thing better than that would be topping it off with a limit of geese. We both were about ready to pack up and leave when Kenny looked across the pond and said, “Are those specks flying over the parking lot?” I was sure they were. These specks were about a quarter- to a half-mile away, but we didn’t have anything to lose. I told Kenny to get ready, and I started clucking away on my speck call in hopes of getting a response. About that time, I could see them start to turn our way, and then I could hear them calling back to me. It took what seemed like forever for them to get to us, but when they were about 25 yards over the top of us, I told Kenny “Take them!” Three specks fell to the water, Kenny had gotten two and I the other one. But while Kenny was getting his birds, I had two snows fly over me, and I killed one to finish my limit. It turned out to be an awesome day, and we owe it all to the fact that we stuck it out and didn’t pack up and go home before the lady herself sang her song.

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