The other unique trait of decoying ringnecks is how they respond after hearing the first shot. While I prefer having the wind directly at my back when decoying all other species of waterfowl, the speed of a ringneck is so great that it takes the duck a huge amount of sky-yardage before he can turn or flare upward. If the ducks are coming right at you and you want to take multiple shots at the flock, the odds are 99 percent that after the first shot, the birds will keep right on coming so fast that they will be behind you before you can get a second or third chance.

Since I'm right-handed, for a ringneck hunt I prefer the wind to be coming over my left shoulder, or directly parallel to my shooting position from left to right. The head of the decoys should be a few degrees left of my central field of fire at about my 10 or 11 o'clock position if my nose is at 12 o'clock. Ringnecks are highly predictable when it comes to their direction of approach. If there is any noticeable wind, they will decoy so they are facing directly into the wind. With this setup, the first shot can be taken when the ducks are just right of center, the second shot as they are over the decoys and the last as they flare upward to the left in departure, if you can pick a bird and swing the gun fast enough to keep up.

Like other diving ducks, ringnecks are tough to bring to bag. They can dive dozens of feet and stay submerged for extended periods if crippled. If a cripple achieves the safety of reeds or grass and you don't have a retrieving dog, that's that. Another slant on their incredible diving act is that they can also react by diving rather than flying when a hunter jumps up to shoo them into flight after they've landed in the decoys. While it's frustrating when they dive and re-emerge out of shotgun range and you're shouting and waving your arms to make them fly, your antics are also something to laugh about when the decoys are sacked and the hunt is over.

Ringnecks are not very large, so large shot sizes are unnecessary for taking them. In fact, denser patterns of smaller shot are more likely to immobilize them upon impact by striking the head or spine. I've hunted ringnecks with waterfowlers who prefer No. 6 steel. But I prefer No. 3 and No. 4 steel ammunition because it gives a dense pattern, with a shot size large enough to take larger ducks if they decoy. A No. 6 non-toxic tungsten alloy load is ideal for ringneck gunning.

There are other places besides Suggs Millpond Game Land in North Carolina where ringnecks are the dominant ducks. Among my favorites are Harris Game Land in Wake and Chatham counties, Great Lake and Catfish Lake in Croatan National Forest in Jones and Craven counties and Roanoke Rapids Lake in Halifax County. My preferences are not intended to disregard other ringneck waters, just good places for any hunter to begin looking for this high-bag-limit diver.