Send us a text Desert levees, crowded sweat lines, and glassy water don’t sound like a recipe for great duck hunting—until you hear how Colin makes it work. We brought him back to explore the real SoCal playbook: go lighter, hide smarter, move sooner, and add motion the right way. From San Jacinto to Wister to Kern, he lays out what actually matters when 300 people chase 50 spots and the birds have seen it all. We start with this season’s curveballs—fog domes up north, odd weather windows, and fewer hunts while he preps a move—and why that didn’t stop him from finding success. Colin shares his full mobility system: a jogging stroller rig with an ATV gun rack, waders on late, a jet sled on top, and decoy choices that keep the load small but the look real. He explains why teal decoys punch above their weight, how small family groups and open water steer traffic, and when to scale up to make a spread look like a closed zone. The theme is simple: don’t camp a mistake—move to where the birds want to be. Then we get into the art of the hide and the science of motion. Colin hunts inside cover rather than behind it, stashes gear away from the blind, and fixes beaten tule islands to eliminate hard edges. For motion, he runs a mojo on a remote for controlled flash, a heavy-duty jerk string with four decoys for sound and ripple, and simple tactics like kicking water or dragging a foot to make chocolate milk. We talk ethical shots, why passing on skyscrapers pays off, and how “run traffic” strategies differ from hunting the true X. Along the way, we compare cultures between LA and the Sacramento Valley, from breakfast burritos in the desert to late goose hunts near Gridley. We touch on clubs near Kern, CWA access, and why gadwall in the Pacific Flyway can be maddeningly smart. Most of all, we share the mindset that keeps this fun: manage expectations, respect the resource, learn the refuge by showing up, and celebrate the craft even when the strap is light. If you love public land strategy, gear hacks that actually help, and honest talk about pressure and ethics, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe, leave a review on Spotify or Apple, and share this episode with a buddy who needs to hear “move now, not later.” What tactic will you test on your next hunt?
