As a relatively new waterfowl hunter I have learned quite a bit over the last few years. 2025 will be my fourth season hunting waterfowl and although I have used local guide services my first couple hunts, I am continuing to grow my skills and confidence with friends and solo trips.
(Story time) –
My first trip in November of 2022 was with a local guide operating out of Cape May County. Not knowing what to expect as I was just getting into hunting altogether around that time. Waking up at 3AM and making a 2 hour drive down to South Jersey, we met up at a local WMA. After going over some rules and regulations and giving his Labrador Retriever a whole lot of head scratches, we spent about half an hour wading through a flooded out cornfield eventually setting up chairs in the middle of this cornfield, sitting in about 4 inches of standing water.
The weather was cold, around 30 degrees F that morning with a snow-flurry fluttering down on us. To be honest, in that moment was feeling a little uncomfortable and wasn’t sure it was entirely for me. All that changed as the sun peaked out slightly through the clouds as we slowly hit first light. My guide started working his calls and we quickly heard the responses from the birds that were inspecting the deeper flooded pond that was in front of us.
First light hit and a pair of mallards quickly dropped in on us. “Take the shot!” my guide loudly whispered as a raised my shotgun and pulled the trigger on the bird. No hit, I missed my first bird. We continued this for the next 6 hours as more birds drew in closer for a shot. Unfortunalty that day we were only able to get off a shot on another one or two birds which ended up also being misses.
For me it was still a succesful hunt, however. Hunting, still being a very new activity for me is one of the healthiest outlets for disconnecting from all my electronics and worries and reconnecting with mother nature and our natural state of being. Hunting, although modernized in many ways stills offers us a primal and ancestral connection to nature that the majority of the world no longer gets to experience.
Public places to waterfowl hunt in New Jersey:
Finding a spot of public land in New Jersey to hunt for waterfowl and become pretty intimidating for a beginner and even a seasoned hunter. The state is somewhat supportive of the hunting public but can be extremely difficult to navigate the laws surrounding firearms and ammo and safety zones and a-lot of new hunters including myself find themselves worried that they are doing something wrong.
That being said, there is still a-lot of public land that is suitable to hunt waterfowl on in the state. I’ll list a hand-full of the Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) below that are located on bodies of water.
Black River WMA
Pequest WMA
Tuckahoe WMA
Colliers Mills WMA
The state also offers an interactive map on their website that shows all WMA’s in the state and you can do research to see weather there is one close to you that has a body of water on it. Odds are if there is water, there are birds. Don’t over complicate it.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e6fe8acbe942487788ad50cddf78e4dc (State Map)
Gear you need:
The first piece of gear that is an utmost necessity for waterfowl hunting is going to be a quality pair of waders. The entirety of the waterfowl season in the state is during the late fall and winter months. That means you are going to get wet in the cold. I have yet to waterfowl hunt and not get wet, i’m sure its possible but so is hypothermia so do not cheap out on a quality pair of waders.
On the cheaper end and priced at $179.99 and under depending on the camo pattern I recommend a pair of these FROGG TOGGS neoprene boot-foot waders. They have lasted me 3 seasons already and still haven’t leaked.
Boot-foot waders are needed for waterfowl hunting due to the thick mud and silk you may be wading into during your travels. If you make the bad decision of using stocking-foot waders while waterfowl hunting, you run the risk of losing a boot or getting stuck in the mud.
For a shotgun a good semi automatic or pump action shotgun will do the trick. Theres no need to go crazy spending a ton of money on a fancy shotgun. If you already own a pump action – just use it.
Dog Dillema –
Most people I know that have been interested in waterfowl hunting either through mentioning my plans to someone or asking around have stated that they wont try it because they don’t have a dog. Now weather or not you needed a dog to waterfowl hunt is a debate that you could go in circles for hours over with someone who has always used a dog. My dog is personally afraid of water and wont go near it, never mind firing off a shotgun any closer than 10 miles from his ears.
In this case you’d pretty much be limited to using a kayak or hunting water that is shallow enough to wade through to retrieve your birds.
What to do once you get to the woods –
So you’ve found the perfect tract of public land to test out your newfound interest in waterfowl hunting. Now what? Well make your trek in before light, this means getting into the woods while its still pitch black dark outside. Make sure you have a headlamp and even a backup headlamp inside your daypack. Once you get into your spot, set up either a chair or sit on the ground, however you please. Wait until sunrise to load up your gun and once first light comes, start calling!.
Conclusion –
As a beginner hunter just go into your first few trips with the expectation that you might not even see any birds. Just focus on getting yourself out there in the woods and sit, listen and watch.
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