Smith likes to drift the river for birds that he can find along the way, but he carries a few decoys with him when hunting the tidewater.

"Early in the season, the birds will come into a spread of a half-dozen decoys," he said. "Windy days are the best, to put a little motion in the spread" -- and to keep the birds flying within shotgun range.

"A lot of times, we do a combination steelhead-waterfowl trip," Smith said. "When you spot ducks ahead of you, one guy jumps out, and then the rest of the group floats by on the far shore. The ducks almost always seem to fly up the opposite side of the river that the boat is on."

If you drift the Umpqua for ducks, bring your fishing rods. This is one of the Northwest's premier salmon and steelhead rivers. Drift it in November, and there'll be fall chinook and coho in the deep water.

Get in contact with Smith at www.jodysmithguideservice.com.

Pudding and Molalla Rivers
The slow-moving Pudding River winds through private farmland in the heart of some of the Willamette Valley's most productive waterfowl habitat. Easily floatable from put-in points at bridges near Woodburn and Aurora, its sloughs and eddies can be loaded with ducks.

A drift-boat can be employed when the water is high, but a canoe or a rowboat is a better choice.

Local waterfowlers have been basing hunts out of the Pudding for decades. It's not uncommon to drift around a bend and into a small spread of decoys. If they stay in one place, they're probably plastic. Smile and keep drifting.

The jump-shooter and the decoy hunter have a symbiotic relationship. In a few minutes, you'll be flushing ducks that will drop into their dekes.

The nearby Molalla River, of which the Pudding is a tributary, is a completely different stream. Flowing down out of the high country from the Table Rock Wilderness, it's fast-running and shallow.

JUMP-SHOOTING SAFETY TIPS
• Load one gun. There's room for only one loaded gun in any boat or canoe. The person in the rear seat is responsible for steering and keeping balance while the hunter shoots.

Also, there could be fishermen, hikers, or other hunters on the bank. Be mindful of the direction the birds are taking before you fire.

• Keep your gear near. Wear a lifejacket and bring waterproof matches or a lighter to start a fire. Watch for underwater snags, and be careful climbing in and out of your boat. The water is cold in November. After an unplanned swim, a person's body temperature can plummet and bring on hypothermia.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
To order a signed copy of Hunting Oregon, send $19.50 (includes S&H) to Gary Lewis Outdoors, P.O. Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709.