Chesapeake Bay Bonanza: Ducks and Geese on the East Coast

The wind howled as the sky spit in the eye of any hunter chancing to look aloft. Much is made about waterfowl hunting in extreme weather, but fortunately for Chip Heaps and his buddies, the afternoon hunt last year at Quaker Neck, a finger of land just below Chestertown on Maryland’s storied Eastern Shore, was staged from a blind that didn’t require a boat. The blind sat at the edge of an impoundment, and the field in front of it was decked out in silhouette goose decoys.

“The wind was blowing right in our face, so we had to turn around and try to take the birds out the back and when they were coming over the blind,” says Heaps. “We did kill several out front over the decoys, too, though.”

The Nor’easter made for challenging shooting, but the quartet limited out on mallards, black ducks and pintails, nonetheless.

“It was such a nasty and perfect day to field hunt,” says Heaps, a retired past regional director and development officer for Ducks Unlimited.

THE CHESSIE LEGEND

Such hunts exemplify the Chesapeake Bay’s legendary waterfowling legacy. Even the Bambino, Babe Ruth, regularly shouldered his shotgun in the bay’s northern reaches. In the days before bag limits, when skies were dark with ducks, market gunners on the remote, wild Eastern Shore filled barrels with birds, most destined for restaurants and dining tables in New York City and other large metropolises.

Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary, some 200 miles long and up to 35 miles wide, spanning from the mouth of the Susquehanna River in the north to southern Virginia, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The shoreline covers 11,684 miles. More than 50 tributaries, each with their own waterfowling potential, empty into it. Today, 10 million people live along or near its shores, an incredible increase over the last 100 years.

But still, the ducks and geese come, urged on by a migratory drive or pushed south by sustained harsh weather in the northern United States and Canada. The shooting can be spectacular. Just one or two magical days in a duck blind or boat leaves a hunter longing for more.

Ben Lewis, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (dwr.virginia.gov) waterfowl biologist, says the bay has attracted migrating, wintering Atlantic Flyway waterfowl for thousands of years.

Atlantic population Canada geese journey long distances from their Ungava peninsula breeding grounds to the bay,” says Lewis. “Eastern population tundra swans migrate from as far away as Alaska. Historically, these waterfowl came to a shallow bay with abundant submerged aquatic vegetation food sources that supported them throughout the winter. The bay’s grasses and marshes aren’t as abundant as they were, but shallow feeding areas and expansive marshes are what keep waterfowl coming back year to year. This is especially true for sea ducks, which are attracted to shallow areas in open water where they can dive for invertebrate foods.”

Josh Homyack, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (dnr.maryland.gov) waterfowl biologist, has seen great strides in improving waterfowl hunting opportunities during his 20 years with the department, particularly on the upper Eastern Shore and in southern Maryland.

“Public-land hunting availability is night and day in these areas since I started,” he says. Beyond land acquisition, Maryland has also installed impoundments and improved wetlands on public lands over the last decade,” with most of the work involving financial or technical input from Ducks Unlimited.

GOOD GOOSE GROUNDS

Field-hunting for geese is a staple activity on the Eastern Shore, especially in Maryland. The farms bordering Virginia’s big tributaries, with their abundant fields of corn, soybeans and winter wheat also attract honkers.

While public land for goose hunting is scarce in Virginia, Homyack says good public field-hunting opportunities exist in Maryland.

“Grove Farm and Old Bohemia WMAs in Cecil County both have large agricultural fields, and Grove Farm has water-access hunting opportunities on the Sassafras River, Pond Creek and the open Chesapeake,” he says. “Old Bohemia can also produce some snow geese when they are around. There are also good goose hunting opportunities via a lottery at Sassafras and Wye Island natural resource management areas. Wye Island lottery spots are prized by those in the know.”

On public-land hunts, Homyack advises traveling light since most areas don’t allow trucks in the fields. You have to pack all equipment in and out.

Hunters typically stage from field pits, A-frames and layout blinds. Field blinds are available through Maryland’s Central Region reservation system.

Finding fields where geese are frequenting, then hunting during optimal weather—typically cloudy and breezy and even with a little precipitation—can make for short, successful outings. Guides routinely cite scouting as the single most important task. Be where the birds want to be. When setting decoys, guides with Harrison’s Outfitters (harrisonsoutfitterservice.com) near St. Michaels, Md., like a classic X array around the blind, with clear landing holes both in front and behind. You can adjust the number of decoys to ensure the best landing hole is the one in front of you with the wind (ideally) at your back.

“So many people ignore the wind, but birds are like airplanes,” Homyack says. “They land into the wind.”

Silhouettes are often used as the farthest decoys from the blind, with realistic, full-body feeders positioned closest. Even with a large spread, positioning decoys in family groups of four to seven birds adds a genuine look.

As the season wears on and birds are more wary, or on bluebird days with high pressure dominating, scaling back and using smaller, more realistic spreads of fully flocked decoys can work. Movement also helps. Sometimes, backing off on the calling and waving a flag from the blind can pull in cautious geese.

PUDDLE DUCK POSSIBILITIES

Several lower-shore bayside WMAs in Maryland have, historically, had excellent dabbler duck opportunities, but weather and habitat conditions such as beneficial submerged grasses can vary from year to year. Weather is usually the main factor in successful waterfowling around the Chesapeake.

Homyack mentions Fishing Bay, Deal Island, Fairmont, Ellis Bay, Chicamuxen and Cedar Point WMAs, some of which are lottery-only hunts in tidal impoundments, as traditional best bets. Some are “walk-in” hunts, but kayaks, canoes and small boats can help. Thousands of acres of huntable water also exist just outside the WMA impoundments, he says. In Virginia, the Hog Island and Princess Anne WMA hunts, both awarded by lottery, can provide excellent gunning. Princess Anne, with its proximity to big water, can also feature diving ducks.

The Susquehanna Flats at the top of the bay near historic Havre de Grace, Md., home to a renowned decoy museum, offer world-famous hunting for all species of waterfowl from divers to puddle ducks to geese. Some 22 boat ramps serve the expanded region there.

As with geese, Homyack advises traveling light for dabblers due to many WMAs’ restrictions against non-electric motors. You need to be able to carry everything in and out in a small boat. During years with lots of rainfall, it’s easy for dabbling ducks to scatter and avoid hunters. Managed impoundments, especially during dryer years, can be very productive. Many outfitters, especially around the Chestertown, Md., area offer hunts with intensely managed impoundments, often flooding grain fields. These can be expensive, but the shooting can be incredible.

“Tons of guides offer puddle duck hunts,” says Homyack.

SEA DUCKS AND DIVERS

Matt Cash, a firefighter and paramedic, regularly targets divers and sea ducks in the Virginia portion of the Lower Chesapeake Bay, including scoters (black and surf) and long-tailed ducks, plus bluebills, buffleheads and canvasbacks, while hunting from his skiff and layout boats.

Cash lives in New Kent County and routinely tows his boat an hour to reach the best sea duck hunting, launching near Hampton, Newport News or the mouth of the York River.

“While many hunters complain about public-land availability in Virginia, we have thousands of acres provided to us by the DWR,” says Cash. “Fortunately, for sea duck hunters, this is an open-water sport and public land isn’t usually a factor. Anyone with a boat, boat blind, layout, decoys, a gun and a bunch of No. 2 shotgun loads has a great shot of harvesting sea ducks in Virginia.”

Maryland and Virginia have ample big-water hunting, each with special sea duck zones or “gunning rig zones.” Homyack says Maryland sea duck and diver hotspots include Susquehanna Flats, South Marsh and Bloodsworth Island. Sea ducks are plentiful around Kent Island, the Choptank River and Pocomoke Sound.

The laws and regulations related to these areas and hunting around existing blinds can be cumbersome, so both Homyack and Cash advise reading up on the regs ahead of any hunts. They also warn that sea duck hunting can be dangerous. Appropriate boats and safety gear are essential. Hunters who are unskilled with operating boats in big, freezing-cold water should consider first hunting with a guide, Cash advises. Many guides throughout the bay specialize in big-water hunts.

Cash recommends studying nautical charts, looking for offshore shallow-water areas where sea ducks and diving ducks can still dive for food on the bottom, and then, if possible, scout the area during warmer months. When setting up, position your strings of decoys in a classic “J” shape, a proven means of drawing birds closer to the boat. Conceal the boat and hunters as best possible. Oh, and bring lots of ammo. Missing is common in sea duck hunting.

PREPARE FOR LAUNCH

Top boat ramps around Chesapeake Bay.

Publicly accessible boat ramps abound in both Maryland and Virginia. For a thorough listing of Virginia access points, visit dwr.virginia.gov/boating/access.


For Maryland, visit here.

1. Windmill Point Landing in White Stone, Va., at the mouth of the Rappahannock River (lancova.com)
2. Gwynn’s Island Boat Ramp, Mathews, Va. (visitmathews.com)
3. Gloucester Beach Park Boat Ramp, Gloucester Point, Va., provides access to the York River, Mobjack Bay and western side of lower Chesapeake Bay. (gloucesterva.gov)
4. Deal Island WMA Boat Ramp (Big Sound Creek), Somerset County, Md. (dnr.maryland.gov)
5. Fox Hill Boat Ramp, Hampton, Va.,has two double-wide ramps and a high-volume lot adjacent to Wallace’s Bait and Tackle. (mrc.virginia.gov)
6. Ellis Bay Wildlife Management Area Ramp on Muddy Hole Creek, Tyaskin, Md. (dnr.maryland.gov)
7. Ragged Point Marina Boat Ramp, Cambridge, Md. (visitdorchester.org)
8. Dogwood Harbor Boat Ramp, Tilghman, Md. (tilghmanisland.com)

GO WITH A PRO

Learn the ropes of Chesapeake Bay hunting from a local guide.

Hundreds of guides operate all around Chesapeake Bay. A few of the better ones are listed below, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources maintains a list of registered hunting and fishing guides on its website (dnr.marlyand.gov).

Northern Neck Sport Fishing and Guide Service: Sea duck hunting on the lower Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. (@northernnecksportfishing on Facebook)

Monquin Creek Outdoors: Duck, goose and swan hunting on marshes, rivers, ponds, creeks and field impoundments. (monquincreekoutdoors.com)

Reel Blonde Outdoors: Hunting for scoters, long-tailed ducks, occasional buffleheads and bluebills. (rbofishingcharters.com)

Virginia Beach Sea Ducks: 
Big-water hunting for black and surf scoters and long-tailed ducks. (@vbseaducks on Facebook)

Schrader’s Outdoors: Ducks and geese around Henderson, Md., with superb lodging in the manor house. (schradersoutdoors.com)

Tom Marvel’s Chesapeake Guide Service: Ducks and geese near Kent County, Md. (chesapeakeguideservice.com)

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• This article was featured in the December/January 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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