Work the wind.
Read the water.

READING THE WATER

Experiment.
Observe. Adjust.

This is an interactive scenario simulator, not a validated wildlife forecast. Wind, pocket clearance, bank crossings, ice and selected wariness assumptions affect the example approach. Real ducks can respond differently. Bird type changes silhouette, size and wingbeat animation; it does not claim species-specific attraction probabilities.

The freeze/thaw model uses air and starting water temperature, prior cold duration, depth, current, snow, initial ice and elapsed hours. A shore-first pattern visualizes the resulting ice index; a maintained hole keeps a circular area open. The index is a simplified design assumption, not measured ice coverage, thickness or load-bearing capacity. Never use this model to decide whether ice is safe.

Choose a neutral, curious or wary response to motion, then adjust hunting pressure, concealment and calling. These are explicit scenario assumptions, not fitted biological relationships. No harvest probability is calculated. Habitats are generated scenes, not surveyed locations. River width and water level reshape the banks; swamp trees and islands affect clearance checks. Currents are illustrative and decoys are treated as anchored. Migration, food availability, salinity, real bathymetry, thermal radiation, individual learning and scouting observations are not yet modeled.