and means to get to the ducks, i.e. boots, waders, canoe/pirogue, or boat,
Well, either that or just walk up to the edge of the pond/lake/creek/river and wait.
Essentials:
-Hunting license with federal waterfowl stamp
-Shotgun (20 ga or bigger) with steel or bismuth shot (bismuth preferred), and proficiency in using said shotgun at moving targets.
-Place to hunt where ducks are
-Camo, including head and hand covering (ducks see very well)
-Alarm clock - gotta get up about an hour before daybreak to get situated
-Knife to clean 'em if you get some
-Patience
Not essential, but preferred:
-boat and/or chest waders, to get to the best spots. If boat, then need a place/method to launch boat.
-camo'ed stool or chair to sit on to wait, if hunting from the bank
-decoys of the right species for your area
-calls and the knowledge to use them, including knowledge of the different types of ducks in your area, and which calls to use for which ducks (species-specific).
-other people to go with so you can space yourself around the area to form a web of fire to get the ducks if you miss or cannot get a shot.
Tangent: Yesterday while turkey hunting, I saw a mama wood duck with 6 ducklings do the classic fake-injury flapping in the water to draw my attention away from the ducklings when I surprised them...interesting.
And duck would be about as dark of a meat as it gets...guess you were kidding. Some like it, some don't. I can take or leave it.