It's tempting to blast away, I admit, but it's a better idea to let the birds fly. That'll give you time to spread your decoys and get set up. If they're resident birds and haven't been alarmed by shooting, usually they will return fairly quickly, and you could call them in to your decoys.

At the opposite end of the day, ducks that have been feeding away from the pond will begin to return during late afternoon.

If you arrive before the ducks, you can often enjoy excellent shooting over decoys right up to the end of legal shooting time.

As for decoys, you probably don't need any more than a dozen mallards blocks. I don't carry more than a half-dozen into small ponds. A few teal decoys often turn the trick on these small birds, though, and a bufflehead or hooded merganser seems to give other birds a sense of confidence.

I usually connect three or four decoys on a line, so I can toss them from my hiding place.

There's usually an abundance of shoreline vegetation in these areas, and I've never bothered with a blind.

Small portable blinds are a good idea in areas without cover. But remember that small-water ducks know their environs the same way your cat knows the neighborhood: Anything new or unusual looking will set off alarms. Make sure the blind matches the vegetation.

Also, a collapsible stool is a good idea because the ground is nearly always soggy. If your dog is trained to, it may even sit on a stool.

HUNT SAFELY
Finally, safety is important on these waters because usually you will be quite some distance from any help. For that reason, it is a good idea to hunt with a partner always.

If you do hunt alone, carry a cell phone and always leave information about when you will return and precisely where you are hunting. It is easy to twist an ankle or become disoriented in a swampy area. You want people to know how to find you.

Be especially careful floating on rivers, where you can encounter everything from barbed wire across the stream to fast water that isn't on the map. I always consult paddling references, most of which are online these days, before putting a canoe in the water.

Good hunting!