Barlow's Charters and Guide Services

Barlow's Charters specializes in guided duck hunts across the Mississippi Sound, taking advantage of the massive winter populations of diver ducks that stage off the Gulf Coast season after season.

Hunts depart roughly two hours before legal shooting time and run until limits are reached or around noon. The operation uses a Waterfowl-Works NXT Gen x2 2-man layout boat rated for 900 pounds—safe, stable, and comfortable even for larger hunters. A 21' Starcraft tender boat powered by a modern 4-stroke Yamaha 115 outboard gets the group to productive water, with high freeboard and shallow draft to navigate winter conditions and shallow areas.

They deploy roughly 100 decoys on longlines with heavy weights to keep them in place during rough seas and currents. Setup happens in close proximity to the birds, primarily over hard sand bottom with seagrass—what these ducks come to eat.

Trophy Redheads are the primary target—the largest ducks in the area and present in great numbers. You'll also encounter Greater and Lesser Scaup (Bluebills) and Buffleheads on nearly every trip. The Bluebills barrel in with acrobatic moves and are faster and harder to read than Redheads. Buffleheads—North America's smallest duck—zip in fast and are built tough. Occasional puddle ducks, scoters, old squaw, and snow/blue geese round out the possibilities.

"It is not uncommon to be able to see rafts of a thousand ducks sitting on the water. We often have flocks of well over 100 birds land in our decoys at once."

• •Non-leaking waders
• •Plugged 10, 12, 16, or 20 gauge shotgun (12 gauge preferred)
• •2-3 boxes of steel/non-toxic shells per hunter (#1-#4 shot, #2-4 recommended)
• •Camouflage clothing (temperatures range 70°F to low teens)
• •Face mask or face paint
• •Snacks and drinks

You'll need a Federal Waterfowl Stamp, Mississippi State Waterfowl Stamp, and Mississippi Small Game License.