We have all been there before. Duck season is at the halfway point. Opening day excitement has worn off. That sweet spot we call “mid-season” is upon us and, with it, comes...stale ducks! If this were a movie, we would now hear menacing music.

So, what are stale ducks? Honestly, I hadn’t heard the term until I was in my thirties. I now know the telltale symptoms of stale ducks in the first few minutes of a hunt.

• They begin to circle just close enough that you think they might decoy but just far away enough that doubt creeps in.
• They start to “bump and run” whereby they cup their wings and dive toward the decoys then pull up about sixty yards out for yet another pass.
• When you blow your call they either snub you or beat a path in the opposite direction.
• They begin to frequent off-the-beaten-path areas that offer less pressure from predators, both wild and human.

Read more at projectupland.com.