The anchor lines should have net floats attached. The line can then be untied from the boat and the anchor left in place with the float marking the location. This makes chasing cripples and retrieving dead ducks faster than if the anchors are hauled.

While most hunters use steel shot for divers because of its relatively low cost, many hunters shoot tungsten-alloy or tungsten-polymer or bismuth shot.

A good shot will save money using the more lethal pellets and even a beginner may save money when using them to retrieve cripples. A crippled diving duck can take plenty of shells to bring to bag because of the small lethal area represented by its head appearing for an instant above the water. Sometimes, all you get is one chance at a cripple, especially on a choppy day. A heavy load of tungsten No. 6 pellets will do the better job of dispatching a cripple, saving ammunition, cash and hunting time.

When shooting from a boat blind, open bores are better than tight chokes. If the decoys have been properly placed, ducks will give some close shooting opportunities. Using an improved cylinder or modified choke helps compensate for the up-and-down motion imparted to a shotgun barrel by a rocking boat.

Hunters make plenty of excuses for missing bay ducks. But getting them to decoy says you've won the game. Some hunters miss out of shock and some fail to shoot when hundreds of bay ducks envelope their decoys suddenly, then vanish into the vastness like a wisp of smoke.

But either way, it's an experience you'll never forget and, for many of us, one you can't get enough of.

Find more about North Carolina fishing and hunting at: NCgameandfish.com