Blast in the brine: coastal duck hunters use natural blinds for backwater shooting.

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Florida duck hunting isn't limited to the interior lakes and wet prairies. Coastal marshes and shadowy backwaters of our central Gulf Coast offer dependable hunting each fall. Running the open water, you'll see a mix of lesser scaup ("bluebills"), canvasbacks, redheads and ring-necks. These diving ducks present a sporty alternative, but their diet of fish and mollusks yields a gamier taste. Offering better table fare, puddle ducks such as mallards, teal, widgeon, shovelers and pintails are most commonly taken from shoreline positions.

Throughout the unpopulated areas of Lower and Upper Tampa Bay, for instance, puddleduck hunters shoot from quiet creeks and bays lined with mangroves and knobbed with oyster bars. Move north to the briny jigsaw puzzle of coastal islets from Chassahowitzka to Crystal River and it's basically the same deal, except for the rocky minefields smattering shallow approaches.

In any of these areas, ducks will look for quiet, protected spots to sit between roosting and feeding. Sneak inside before they leave for the morning or return for the evening and you'll get your shots.

Flat bottom johnboats with long shaft outdrives like the Go Devil are ideal for poking your way through treacherous shallows. Airboats offer another option for pushing deep into skinny spots. Be prepared to wade, in some cases a lot.

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Where depth and bottom makeup allow you to run right up to the shooting area, stash the boat out of sight so as not to tip off any birds considering a dropin. Leverage natural shoreline contour to conceal your vessel and use camouflage tarps and/or foliage to break its outline.

However you arrive, you'll need neoprene stocking-foot waders and wading boots for traversing the wet and muddy environment. Boot-foot waders will suffice, but the muddy bottom you'll commonly traverse likes to grip solid objects and when the brown oatmeal holds fast, it's easy for a foot to slip out of a boot. Stumbling in chilly water is never fun, but stuffing a gun barrel into the mud can ruin your outing.

Florida being Florida, it's not unheard of to sweat during duck hunts, but the right kind of weather will make you appreciate those 5-mil waders. Homosassa duck guide Mike Locklear summarized the difference between a Chamber of Commerce day and one that favors waterfowlers:

"It's nice being out here when the clouds start turning different colors, but in all the duck hunting I've done, unless you have bad weather, [the action] is always at dawn and dusk. You'll have half an hour to shoot."

"Damp, cold and windy" won't make the tourism brochures, but that's definitely shotgun conditions. Hunters know that the more meteorological misery Mother Nature delivers, the better their chances of shooting a limit. Pleasant mornings and afternoons allow ducks to come and go at their leisure and that means they can leave their roosts early and stay out of range until just before the end of legal shooting time. Conversely, nasty weather blows birds from the exposed water of outer bays back toward their shoreline roosting areas.

CLOSING THE DEAL

There's nothing wrong with shooting from duck boats with a pop-up blind, or even a rigid enclosure that you transport into the hunting area. However, natural habitat offers the quick and convenient option of simply standing or sitting amid the mangroves. Camp stools and lawn chairs make the waiting more comfortable, but spray paint any metallic parts black or camo to eliminate reflections.

In a South Tampa Bay creek, low tide allows hunters to slip under the east side mangroves, where the rising sun engulfed us in shadows. For afternoon shoots, you'll want to tuck well within the mangroves and bolster your obscurity with palmetto or cabbage palm fronds. Some wrap their position with camouflage netting.

Whatever the setup, you'll need head-to-toe camo with face mask or face paint to avoid detection--especially after the birds have been shot at for a few weeks. Ducks are inherently cautious creatures, but late-season hunters see a marked increase in the degree of difficulty.

Effective duck calling takes practice, but waterfowl ascribe to the safety-in-numbers rule, so a good spread of decoys will immediately improve your chances of pulling in birds. Imposters should match indigenous species, but placement is critical. Drop your spread out of effective shotgun range and the best you can hope for is a glorified bird-watching trip.

Identify your hunting position first and then deploy the decoys accordingly. Savvy hunters often arrange their spread in two main groups with a clear landing zone aligned with the shooting position. Incoming birds typically look for the open spots, so a well-planned spread brings them in for a clear facing shot.

Most duck hunters go with 12-gauge shotguns in semi-automatic, pump or over-under models. In the woods, a shorter barrel helps with jump shots, but that's rarely a concern for coastal duck hunting. A 28-inch barrel fits this game well with plenty of sight plane plus the right amount of weight for a smooth swing--an essential element of nailing those passing shots.

Number 2 shot in 23/4- to 3-inch shells will do the trick. With toxic lead shot banned since 1991, approved shot types for waterfowl hunting include bismuth-tin, iron (steel), iron-tungsten, iron-tungsten-nickel, tungsten-bronze, tungsten-iron-copper-nickel, tungsten-matrix, tungsten-polymer, tungsten-tin-iron, tungsten-tin-bismuth, and tungsten-tin-iron-nickel.

No matter how long you've hunted, it's always exciting to see a duck flare its wings and stick out its feet. Stay cool, measure your response and mind the timing. Pop up too quickly and agile ducks can veer away from the decoy field faster than a politician can dodge a yes-or-no question. Let one get away and you can bet he'll rat you out to his buddies.

On the flipside, waiting until the ducks drop too low creates another hunting hazard: Locklear laments: "I hate it when people shoot my decoys."

Also, duck dogs--Labrador retrievers and other capable breeds--are a key element of this game, particularly in tidal areas where tides can carry away fallen waterfowl much faster than you can move in waders. This is particularly important for afternoon hunts when waning light may challenge retrieval. (Tip: Note how decoys lay in the tide, as this will help you locate downed birds that the dog misses.)

For dogless hunters, a clever alternative exists: Use a spinning rod and weighted treble hook to retrieve birds. The twofold benefit: If a new set of ducks moves in, you can drop the rod and shoot without a splashing dog spooking the oncoming birds or creating a downrange safety issue. For optimal safety, divide your field of fire into equal sections with one hunter assigned to each.

One of the nice things about coastal duck hunting is that you're often close to productive fishing. After a morning hunt, or before the afternoon shoot, winding in a few trout or reds is a pleasant bonus.

For licenses and hunting regulations, visit www.myfwc.com or call your regional FWC office. Some counties have restrictions on the discharge of firearms which may apply to bays and other waters. Consult the local sheriff's office or other authorities.