From countless early mornings, sleepless nights, and endless preparation, it all comes down to that moment you raise, pulling that trigger at the birds cupped over your decoys that make it all worth being a waterfowler. From die-hards to beginners, waterfowl hunting has a long, rich tradition that takes place in your favorite field, pond, lake, river, or reservoir. Like others I have made many mistakes over my years of hunting, especially waterfowl. I want to share a few of those mistakes with you, so you don't make the same ones.The most common mistake I have made over the years is calling too much. When I saw ducks I would get on the call thinking it would make the birds take a one way trip over to my decoys. Boy was I wrong. I found out more times than not that I was actually spooking the birds and not getting an opportunity to pull the trigger. These days, I am more resourceful with the call and let the birds reactions tell me what they want. If they like the sweet tune coming out of the barrel of my call I will continue to blow my call in that manner. On the other hand, if I notice the birds getting wary or spooking from my call I will put the call down or try a different rhythm. Ultimately you need to find what works on the birds that particular day and stick to it. Someday the birds may be responsive to the call, while other days they don't want anything to do with it. So keep in mind that sometimes less calling can actually help you be more successful. Another mistake I have made time and time again is not leaving a clear leading zone for the birds in my decoy spread. I would throw out decoys in a random pattern and not take into consideration that the birds need a place to land. This means as birds came over to check out my spread they would circle a time or two but never commit all because they had no place to land. Now days I take more pride in strategically placing my decoys, making sure the birds have a clear landing zone downwind of my main group of decoys leaving me with perfect shot opportunities. From the years of observing birds, I try to replicate my decoy spread to match a real flock of birds; usually meaning my decoy spreads are U, V, or J patterns. If a pronounced landing zone is present, you drastically increase your chances of being prosperous during any hunt, remember that. The last mistake, at least that I am going to share with you, is not remaining totally still. Myself included, get so excited at the sight and sound of waterfowl that it is almost irresistible not to move. Moving my head side to side searching the sky for incoming birds was a common mistake for me during every hunt until I realized that birds were flaring or keeping their distance, as this head moving motion exposed my face producing a glare. This was leaving me with very poor results hunt after hunt. Even with well concealed blinds and excellent camouflage it is important to keep your movement to a minimum especially when birds are working the decoys. To keep myself from flaring bird these days I watch with only my eyes eliminating unwanted head movement. Stay still, stay low, stay concealed and the next thing you know the birds won't know what hit them.Learn from these three mistake and implement correct techniques which will help make you a more successful waterfowler. One last thing is check the rules and regulations pertaining to your state as bag limits, season dates, and special regs are constantly being changed from year to year.  Good Hunting.