Ducks near Hillsboro

[Jeremy]

Any good public spots near hillsboro to find ducks (other than sauvies)? not looking for anybodys honey hole just somewhere to get some experience hunting those little guys. No dog either but i have a friend with a bunch of dekes. Pm or email me if you dont want to post on the board.

Try to get permission to hunt on a harvested cornfield fairly close to water. If there is any standing water in the field it's better. Put the decoys out cover yourself with corn stocks and call in the birds.

[Jeremy]

click-click, bump

[Miss B Haven]

Is Jackson Bottom (Just South of town on First Street/hwy 219) all a no hunting refuge? I know it's a refuge/wetland but not sure if hunting is allowed. Lotsa birds there I know that. They fly over my place on the way in and out all the time (mostly Geese though).

That's the only public land I'm aware of around here close. Everything else (well except that City Park on the river :grin: )is private farm land I believe. It's not very far over the hill to Sauvie Island though. I think I'd wear a hard hat and goggles out there though. Man- a lot of shooting on that Island. My moorage is right across the creek at Scappoose.

Is that gun club/shooting range still out there North of Hillsboro/Cornelious? If so they should know the spots (if there are any). I'm not sure they are still there. Buncha land got converted to big Nurseries out that way.

[Flatfish]

Sauvies or the Lower Columbia.

I hunt here. It is pretty much clubville( the Tualatin river has some public access. But hunting there is hit and miss. And portages can be tough).

The guys at the Hillsboro trap and skeet club are on my speed dial. Several of us are in the same club.

To be honest, I think clubs are cheaper in the long run than public hunts( of any quality). But to justify the expense of a club, you need to shoot often. 2 days a week for 2 months straight.

Good hunting.

Mark and the dog.

[skahorse]

Is Jackson Bottom (Just South of town on First Street/hwy 219) all a no hunting refuge? I know it's a refuge/wetland but not sure if hunting is allowed. Lotsa birds there I know that. They fly over my place on the way in and out all the time (mostly Geese though).

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Oh how I would love to hunt that place!! It's right across the street from my house, and for the last 2 months or so it has been Geese in and out ever 5 - 10 minutes. And as the year goes on it just gets better. I remember times last year when I am sitting in my house and the geese are so loud and there are so many flying over that I can't even watch TV. You just have to go outside and stare. Thousands upon thousands every where you look. The sky is full of them.

Since I've started duck hunting this year, and have been able to tell the difference between ducks and geese I have noticed quite a few ducks there too. And for the most part, you can hear the calling almost all times of the day. I went out front of my house this morning before work and heard what sounded like a hail call. It's pretty cool. Sorry Jeremy, no hunting allowed though. ( [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] to the people who made that rule)

Jeremy, I have been hunting Sauvies a lot lately, as its really the only place close. Unless you go private. If you find a farmer that lets you hunt on his land... invite me!! :grin:

Flatfish,
Could you go into more detail about some of these clubs... Maybe where we can get some info, like cost and when/how often you can hunt. I would be interested in hunting like this, but I don't even know where to start. As far as hunting often to get your moneys worth... If it were near my house, it would be hard not to hunt there everyday... :smile:

--Skahorse

[Jeremy]

Somebody has been shooting over there for the last couple of mornings, i live up on 6th and sounds like it is coming from somewhere near the wetlands, i heard about 15 shots this morning on the way to max

[skahorse]

There's quite a bit of farm lands out there. And I'm sure the goose hunting is excellent. Especially the land that is adjacent to the refuge. I hear gunshots from my house all of the time. I've checked though, no hunting on the refuge. I need to get off of my lazy butt and start asking around about private land. That's the key to good hunting.

--Skahorse

[Wreckless]

I've lived in Hillsboro all my life (except college) and used to hunt Jackson Bottom BEFORE it was in the city limits. As you can imagine...it was good. There are some "pockets" of private land that are out of the city, but, in 44 years I've yet to get permission..In high school I just snuck in [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]
I live over by Century HS now and can hear shooting over toward the Reserve golf course on the mornings I'm home, but I assume it's a private club. (or they are "hazing" the geese) There are some "fairly reasonable" duck lakes in the area, but you almost have to know someone to get in....I'm not in on one, I hunt the river and a spot out toward Yamhill. The Hillsboro Gun Club on Wren road is a great idea to get to know some "locals".

My $.02

Dennis

[Flatfish]

Many of the clubs pretty much require a present member to vouch for ya just to get invited to hunt a couple times. If all goes well, they will ask you to join next year. Be wary if there are open spots left this year.

The duck festival( June in St. Helens) is like a crackhouse for duck junkies. Meet everyone you can who has anything to do with that event and you are meeting good folks.

The Hillsboro Trap and Skeet club is the place to be. Those geezers know everyone( and their dog) in the bird killing world. And you get to burn powder and make friends all at once. A pretty good deal according to the international clays huffing dog.

A couple guys put ads in the classifieds in early summer. This is a great place to start.

The ponds on Susbauer are good early ponds. But later on( now til end of season) around FG and south of Hillsboro tend to be more reliable producers of numbers.

The road to here from there is not a clear path. But the adventure is part of the fun.Go find your way.

Cost is not a total indicator of quality. People who think like each other( it is a team thing. Ya'll gotta get along) do best. Great clubs also seem to be works in progress. They get better every year.

Once you are in the underworld of duck hunting, everyone seems to know everyone. So lateral movement amongst clubs seems to be easier.

Sorry for the lack of names and numbers. But there are way too many variables among people and their personalities for me to just blindly email or post names and numbers. So go out there and meet folks. Duck hunting is a social event. The more you meet, the more information you have to base a good decision on.

Good Luck.

Mark and the so fat he has a beeper go on when he backs up dog.