34 Nebraskaland • October 2022
T
humbing through one of my favorite waterfowl
magazines, I stumbled into the new gear section. It
was impossible to turn the page without seeing something
I could use. It made me wonder how we did it before all this
new gear was available.
Long before all the technology and gadgets were invented
and used by kids today, we entertained ourselves with
things that cost less money. My family lived in a house the
size of my current garage, so extra spending money wasn't
something I could scrape together. We were very creative
and resourceful due to our financial reality. As a kid growing
up in a small lake town in the '70s, the passion for waterfowl
hunting ran deep in my blood. Hunting was something we
could do on a small budget, and it's still true today.
There are several ways to keep your budget low and still
enjoy waterfowl hunting. Here are a few ideas that will go
easy on your wallet and fill a few
bird straps.
DECOYS
While hunting teal a couple of years ago, I was in a rush to
get out the door and inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag of
decoys. Now faced with the reality of not getting to my spot
on time if I went back, I decided to use what I had. Much to
my surprise, it didn't make much difference in decoying those
teal. In fact, it made for an enjoyable eye-candy hunt as bigger
ducks, not yet in season,
decoyed right. The moral of the story
is, you don't need the most expensive decoys to kill ducks —
regardless of the waterfowl you pursue. Keep it simple, find
the right price and let your scouting skills do the rest.
KEEP IT CLEAN
You can spend a lot of money on guns. In fact, for some
hunters, it can become an addiction. Not that I'm against
new guns or people that own them, I've just always been an
over-and-under guy and through the years have found ways
Low Budget Waterfowling
By Todd Mills
Master two or three sounds on that old wooden call and you'll kill plenty of ducks. JON FARRAR, NEBRASKALAND
