Gunning on the Outer Banks

A few years back I decided to take a hunting trip out to the Outer Banks. I looked over the internet and found a few guides. I called a couple of them and got a strong sales pitch about the tremendous shooting they had every day of the season, year after year, regardless of the weather, regardless of the time of year. So I decided there must not be any shooting at all out there. But I really wanted to go, so I called one more guide, Ken Dempsey Guide Service out of Hatteras, NC. He asked me if I was a duck hunter and when I replied that I was he said then I realized that there were no guarantees. He said he had good days and not so good days. He said the weather was a big factor out there. He told me that they didn't kill a wide variety of ducks out there; Redheads, Pintails, and Brant made up the vast majority of his shooting. I immediately booked a hunt with him. I have gone back each year that I can afford to. Ken puts out a great decoy spread, has strong blinds and works hard to move you around to get the best shooting for the conditions. Redheads, Pintails and Brant. Really have to twist my arm to get me to shoot them.

Cape Hatteras is a pretty desolate place in mid-winter. Not a lot to do except duck hunt. But if you can stand a little wind, can stand a little cold, and can stand shooting Brant you ought to give Ken a call. Not only is Ken a good guide, but after just one trip out there I consider Ken to be a good friend of mine. Doesn't get much better than that.

Ken has several blinds out on the Hatteras Reef. I guess out there you lease an area and it is yours to build a blind on and no one can bother you. Pretty cool. His blinds are big, solid, well brushed with cedar, and all of them are in about 2 feet of water. Makes for a real easy hunt. He puts out big decoys spreads: 75 ducks, 50 goose and brant decoys. Big oversize, well painted decoys. The blinds don't have any boatwell, so after Ken drops you off at the blind, he gives you a radio and then he goes to another blind a 1000 yards away or so and stays in touch with you if you need anything. Really works out good. If the weather changes he will take you to a different blind, he keeps decoys set out at a couple blinds each day to allow for weather changes. All in all Ken Dempsey runs a good hunt.

Both my sons have been out there with me and both of them want that to become a regular part of our season. Truly a classic way to hunt waterfowl.