Waterfowl Hunting Tips for the Mattamuskeet Country

We've hosted enough hunters over the years to know what separates a good trip from a wasted one out here. None of this replaces doing your homework on the current regulations — it's the practical, local stuff the rulebook doesn't tell you.

Scout before you hunt

This is the single biggest thing. Where the birds were last week isn't always where they are this week, and a morning spent looking before you ever load a gun pays for itself. Drive the refuge roads, glass the impoundments and the fields, and watch where birds are trading at first and last light. Have a first choice and a backup, because someone may be sitting your spot when you roll in before dawn.

Hunt the weather

Waterfowl hunting on this coast lives and dies by the weather. The best mornings usually come right behind a hard cold front and a north wind, when fresh birds push down out of the cold and pile onto the lake and the impoundments. A warm, still, blue-sky week can be slow; a nasty, blustery one can be the trip of the year. Watch the forecast, and if a front is coming, be on the water the morning after.

Decoys, calling and concealment

Open, shallow water and big skies mean the birds can see a long way, so hide well and keep the spread honest. A few notes that hold up around here:

• Concealment first. In flat, open country a sloppy hide undoes a perfect spread. Brush in, sit still, and keep faces down when birds are working.
• Read the wind. Set the spread so working birds finish into the wind and into your shooting lane, not over your back.
• Don't over-call. On heavily hunted public water, pressured birds often want less calling, not more. Let the decoys do the work and call to fill the gaps.
• Swans are their own game. If you drew a tundra-swan permit, hunt them on their own terms — big water, big visibility, and a very different setup than a duck hole.

The tundra-swan permit — plan months ahead

North Carolina is one of the few states with a tundra-swan season, and Mattamuskeet is the heart of it. Swan is hunted only by a special permit drawn by lottery through the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and you apply well ahead of the season — not the week you show up. If swan is on your list, get the application in on time; it's the part people miss.

Licenses, stamps and HIP

Before you hunt waterfowl here, get the paperwork squared away: a North Carolina hunting license, HIP certification, the federal duck stamp, and any required state waterfowl privilege. Non-residents have their own license options. Sort all of it before you arrive, so a great-looking morning isn't spent at a counter instead of in a blind.

Bring a boat, waders and a dog

A lot of the good water out here is shallow, muddy, and a walk from the truck, so a small boat or a solid pair of waders earns its keep. A retriever is worth its weight in this country — downed birds drift and tuck into thick cover fast on open water. If you're traveling with a dog, just tell us when you book; plenty of our guests do.

Mind the lines, and the other hunters

Refuge, state game land and private lease boundaries run right up against each other around the lake, and they're not obvious in the dark. Know exactly where you are, give other parties room, and don't crowd a spot someone got to first. Public ground gets competitive after a front when everyone's chasing the same fresh birds, so get there early and hunt courteously.

The early start is the whole game

Good waterfowl hunting happens at first light, which means a pre-dawn start, which means logistics. That's the part the inn is built for: an early hot breakfast, flexible check-in for the night before, truck and trailer parking at the door, room for the dogs and the gear, and pizza and wings till nine when you come off the water tired. We're about eleven miles from the lake — close enough to sleep in a bit and still beat shooting light.

For the timing, see our waterfowl seasons notes and the lay of the land in where to hunt. When you're ready, call the front desk at (252) 925-2001 or use our booking page — we're the only hotel for miles, so book early in season.