The morning of your hunt, you will be greeted by your guide at 5 a.m. at the Comfort Suites (breakfast available for those staying at the Comfort Suites only). At this time, we finalize the plans for your hunt. We will discuss how the weather, tides and availability of birds relate to the requests you made on your questionnaire. For the hunt you will need insulated waders or hip boots, waterproof camo clothing, camo hat, face camo (either mask or cream), gloves, shotgun (preferably at least 3″), non-toxic shotgun shells, Virginia Hunting license, a Virginia Conservation stamp, a federal duck stamp, a Virginia H.I.P. number. We recommend modified or improved cylinder chokes.

You will follow your guide to his boat, typically a 24-foot Carolina skiff. At this time your guide will go over basic safety procedures, provide your group with a hand-held V.H.F. radio and discuss waterfowl identification and bag limits. All guides are licensed coastguard captains and all boats have been inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard to meet or exceed all safety requirements. We have approximately 100 blinds which include stepping from the boat to the blind, or we can wear out the hard cores with long walks through the marsh and hunting from the reeds or saltwater bushes. In most cases your guide will have you set up in your blind, with decoys out, thirty minutes before sunrise. Tide, weather and other factors that affect navigation may cause this to be impractical, in which case your guide will have you set up as soon as possible.

Your guide will remain nearby throughout the day to recover your birds and relocate you as required. Depending on the types of birds you are hunting, it is not uncommon to move three times a day. It is possible to hunt Puddleducks, Divers, Brant, Seaducks, and Geese all in the same day. The combined limit on all these types of waterfowl totals well in excess of 30 birds per hunter. At times your guide may be away from you to set up a new blind, scout new areas or chase cripples. During these periods you will be able to contact him by radio. Your guide does not shoot, nor are you allowed to shoot his limit. The days hunt concludes at 2 p.m. We have bird cleaning and taxidermy services available upon request. We have refrigerator and freezer space available at no charge.