By Jeff Matura

No, the end of duck hunting season doesn't mean it's time for all the HONEY DOs quite yet! Here's a checklist we have put together of all items we have taken care of or still in the process of... A little care at the end of duck hunting season can add years of life to your hunting gear.

1) If you are using Ace duck decoy anchors or Avery J anchors be sure to release the tension on the rubber stretch cord. Next wipe down the rubber stretch cord with Armor-All. These simple steps will keep the rubber from dry rotting and help it last much longer. Next, store your decoys preferably out of the sunlight and extreme temperature changes.

2) Using a permanent marker place a T on the top of your duck call reeds and remove. By doing so the cork won't become compressed during the off-season and need replacing before season starts. Store individual calls and associated parts in individual zip-lock bags so reeds and corks don't become interchanged.

3) Be sure to add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank of your outboard boat motor before you head out for your last duck hunting trip. Most boat shops get $100 a carburetor for cleaning when old gas leaves a varnish behind.

4) At a minimum wipe down your duck hunting shotgun with Rem-Oil or your choice of gun oil if your gun doesn't have a camo finish. This will prevent off-season rust from occurring. Better yet give it a good cleaning. Don't forget to clean out the inside of the magazine tube and the spring and tube in the stock if a semi-auto. Don't forget to remove the choke tube and apply a generous amount of oil to the threads before reinstalling.

5) If you pulled your boat trailer on salted roads on duck hunting trips towards end of season be sure to power wash the trailer and boat. Salt will raise havoc on painted and unpainted surfaces.

6) Be sure to dry out the insides of your waders to avoid mold and other stuff from growing during the off-season. Best done with boot driers...

7) At the end of duck hunting season remove batteries from your motion decoys. Just a slight leak of battery acid can cause un-repairable corrosion to internal wires and connectors inside your motion duck decoys.

8) Be sure to charge your boat battery and spinning wing decoy batteries at the end of duck hunting season. Lead acid batteries including gel-cells will last longer if kept fully charged.

By using some or all of the tips above hopefully you can extend the life of your duck hunting gear and save some money in the future.

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