When you’re hunting ducks, being able to catch them by surprise is half the battle. Ducks feel safer when gathered in a group, so you can give them a false sense of security by using duck decoys.

MIDDLE RIVER, Minn. — Joel Huener says he’s always been “kind of a rabid do-it-yourselfer,” a trait that also rubbed off on his hunting and fishing. “I tie flies, I make rods and I load my own ammo,” ...

If you slog through just one frustrating morning of hunting off the “X,” you’ll learn the biggest spreads and best calling this time of year won’t do a thing to pull ducks toward you.

Though Jefferson City borders the Missouri River, it is not, at least in this era, considered as a major site for waterfowl or duck hunting. Jefferson City was, however, a major center for wooden duck ...