Photo By R.E. ILG

There's only one thing that'll pull me away from my winter smallmouth fishing -- and that's a good push of greenheads. Waterfowlers are some of the most well connected hunters. If ducks are on the move south, we know it.

At times, you can experience a good duck hunt almost anywhere in Tennessee. However, when you're looking for consistency, the Volunteer State's waterfowl double play resides in the west in the form of Reelfoot and Kentucky lakes. These two bodies of water are on the duck travel map and noted as rest areas. You can hit them both in a day if you like or split your trip up based on bird movement.

When ducks start to book trips to this double-play destination, it's time to load the truck with everything it'll hold from guns and gear to decoys. Like beacons, these traditional duck-hunting outlets draw both hunters and waterfowl for an unconventional rendezvous.

REELFOOT LAKE
Outdoor writer and television personality Wade Bourne travels all over writing and filming about the best duck hunting the country has to offer. But he'll quickly tell you that there are several reasons that he feels have drawn him to freelance at Reelfoot Lake.

Bourne said Reelfoot is a public body of water and open to all who have appropriate licenses. He added it is the epicenter of waterfowl concentration for Tennessee, with both federal and state refuges nearby that hold birds. And despite its reputation for being a "closed society," Reelfoot does hold possibilities for freelance hunting -- when conditions are right. Bourne isn't always looking specifically for any type of weather or time frame to point his truck and duck boat toward Reelfoot's famed waters.

"I head to Reelfoot whenever I can," Bourne said. "Best conditions are when there's a strong cold front pushing from up north. Also, I like to hunt Reelfoot when other areas in West Tennessee are dry. When heavy rains come and the bottoms flood, that's where the ducks go. But when the bottoms are dry, the birds concentrate at Reelfoot."

About the public hunting opportunities and regulations for hunting at Reelfoot, he said he always advises first-time hunters at Reelfoot to go with a guide to get a feel for the lake. That said, freelancing is available in two forms -- blind-hopping and boat-blind hunting.

Blind-hopping is like it is on other management areas. If a blind isn't occupied by legal shooting hours, it's open to the public for that day.

Bourne said to keep in mind that guides' blinds rule the best spots, and they're occupied virtually every day. There are also many blinds in not-so-good spots that may be unoccupied, for obvious reasons. However, by moving and watching, blind-hopping can provide freelancers with some good shooting.

The veteran waterfowler said boat hunting is a little tougher. There are holes and areas back in Reelfoot's swamps where a freelancer can find good hunting, but these are chancy at best. First, these spots are very difficult to find for hunters not familiar with Reelfoot. Secondly, boat hunters may not set up within 200 yards of a fixed blind. Bourne said you should take a laser rangefinder to measure distances.