Multi-purpose Duck boat?

[kodiakjack]

So I managed to pick up a boat for a good price last week. 1985 Thundercraft bowrider with a 140 Johnson. In addition to using it for family fun and fishing, I’m also mentally juggling the idea of using it for waterfowl.

Now, bear with me, I’m not a water Fowler by any means. I’d like to be, but have never had friends or family in that segment of hunting, and I’ve never had a boat before. I’m sure it’s not the ideal duck boat, but do you think I can make it work? What accessories would be essential/preferred?

I’m planning to add a trolling motor, which I assume would be essential to quietly finding a spot to anchor. I wondered about making up some “panels” of corn stalks or weeds that I could hang over the edges... Also not really clear on etiquette when it comes to finding a place to hunt... I assume it’s all first come first serve, but what’s appropriate spacing? When you’re sneaking in in the darkness, how do you know you’re not setting up next to some other guy’s boat hidden among the reeds. These, and a thousand other questions.



Beyond the boat, I’d also welcome all manner of advice for duck hunting too. I’ve been out exactly once - an invite from a friend of a friend of a friend. It was interesting, but I spent most of the time just trying not to look like an idiot in front of the others. Seemed to be a lot of unwritten rules or little actions or procedures that others seemed to do instinctively, and I just mimicked as best I could. Came home one bird heavier, and damn near a box of shells lighter.

 

[hoytcanon]

Well... lots of questions and too much to say. Your boat is definitely not the usual waterfowl craft but you can make it work. Grass panels are one way to go, but I think I would build an aluminum frame to hang them on. For divers you can get away with just side panels, but for puddle ducks, mallards, blacks etc... you will have to narrow down your boats width overhead or you will flare alot of birds. You don't need a trolling motor... your main motor can get you into position and run you out to get downed birds... but you will likely be running into grass beds for cover, so your prop will gather weeds, you can add a weed rake to your cavitation plate to keep the prop a little cleaner. The glass windshield will have to be well covered, or even better, remove it for waterfowling. Lots more to say, but I will let others chime in.

 

[Longwalker]

Looks like a nice boat! The boat you have is Waaaay better than no boat if you need a boat for your duck hunting. But I've seldom used a boat for duck hunting. Boats are not needed or even very useful for hunting ducks here in Saskatchewan. You must be from Ontario. Nobody else would assume the rest of the country would know what WMU90 is? So a friendly suggestion is to ask a bit more specific question related to where you intend to hunt. Pretty sure duck hunting etiquette is quite regionally specific.
My main advice is to scout your prospective hunting locations before trying to actually hunt there. You want to set up your spread of decoys where the ducks already want to be. It is very unproductive to try to lure ducks that are just flying by, no matter how good you are at placing a realistic spread of decoys. So look for locations that normally have a bunch of ducks resting, or in the case of diver ducks, feeding. Proximity to cover is quite important too, you will want to hide your boat in shoreline or island cover. It's much harder to fool ducks if you boat ( or blind) sticks out all by itself. And Don't move! Ducks spot movement and avoid it. No matter how good your camouflage is. Ducks approach decoys or any landing spot by flying into the wind, just like aircraft - it slows them down and makes landing easier. So having your boat downwind from the spread of decoys will help ensure shot opportunities are in reasonable range.
Pattern your shotgun with a few different shells to see what will give you three to five pellets on a duck sized target at the range you hope to shoot them at. And figure out what's too far. For most shooters and most guns and loads, that's about 40 - 45 yards. Try to limit your shots to closer than that. It will take a while to be able to judge distances. Placing a particular decoy at 40 yards from the boat is a good way to hep you judge range. You don't need 3-1/2' super magnum shells. A good high speed load (1500 fps or so) of steel 3's or 2's from 1-1/8oz to 1-1/4 oz will kill ducks efficiently if you centre them in the pattern.

 

[kodiakjack]

Well... lots of questions and too much to say. Your boat is definitely not the usual waterfowl craft but you can make it work. Grass panels are one way to go, but I think I would build an aluminum frame to hang them on. For divers you can get away with just side panels, but for puddle ducks, mallards, blacks etc... you will have to narrow down your boats width overhead or you will flare alot of birds. You don't need a trolling motor... your main motor can get you into position and run you out to get downed birds... but you will likely be running into grass beds for cover, so your prop will gather weeds, you can add a weed rake to your cavitation plate to keep the prop a little cleaner. The glass windshield will have to be well covered, or even better, remove it for waterfowling. Lots more to say, but I will let others chime in.

Now, I’ve heard divers don’t taste all that great, and you think I’d have a hard time drawing in puddle ducks eh? What if one layed a bunch of hay or something scattered all over the floor?... I guess still not a very natural sight in a marsh.

The trolling motor I’ll be getting for fishing, so that’s in the works anyway. Given the choice when slipping into the weeds, do you thing a trolling motor would be better? I’m also thinking about the noise, and disturbing other hunters...

Thanks for the tip on the window. Wouldn’t have considered that.

 

[hoytcanon]

Now, I’ve heard divers don’t taste all that great, and you think I’d have a hard time drawing in puddle ducks eh? What if one layed a bunch of hay or something scattered all over the floor?... I guess still not a very natural sight in a marsh.

The trolling motor I’ll be getting for fishing, so that’s in the works anyway. Given the choice when slipping into the weeds, do you thing a trolling motor would be better? I’m also thinking about the noise, and disturbing other hunters...

Thanks for the tip on the window. Wouldn’t have considered that.

Puddle ducks generally approach from a higher elevation than divers do prior to spilling air and backpedalling into the dekes, so they are more likely to look down into the boat and spot something amiss. All ducks are somewhat "gamey" compared to ruffed grouse or pheasant, if that is what you are experienced with... some divers are better than others... but for sure they are more of an acquired taste than a grain fed mallard or rice fed black. Divers are alot of fun to hunt though and there are recipes that can make them quite nice for the table... your particular boat lends itself more to big water as opposed to ponds and sloughs. Etiquette regarding spots on water with boats are first come first served... give a wide berth to any spread that is out before you. I concur with Longwalker's advice above also.

 

[kodiakjack]

Looks like a nice boat! The boat you have is Waaaay better than no boat if you need a boat for your duck hunting. But I've seldom used a boat for duck hunting. Boats are not needed or even very useful for hunting ducks here in Saskatchewan. You must be from Ontario. Nobody else would assume the rest of the country would know what WMU90 is? So a friendly suggestion is to ask a bit more specific question related to where you intend to hunt. Pretty sure duck hunting etiquette is quite regionally specific.

Guilty as charged. Sorry. My job/position is a little more in the public eye than I’d like it to be, so I try to be a little cryptic about my online presence. But yeah, you’re right. North shore of Lake Erie.

My main advice is to scout your prospective hunting locations before trying to actually hunt there. You want to set up your spread of decoys where the ducks already want to be. It is very unproductive to try to lure ducks that are just flying by, no matter how good you are at placing a realistic spread of decoys. So look for locations that normally have a bunch of ducks resting, or in the case of diver ducks, feeding.

So just go for a little cruise around the lake at sunset in early fall and looks for flocks?

Proximity to cover is quite important too, you will want to hide your boat in shoreline or island cover. It's much harder to fool ducks if you boat ( or blind) sticks out all by itself. And Don't move! Ducks spot movement and avoid it. No matter how good your camouflage is. Ducks approach decoys or any landing spot by flying into the wind, just like aircraft - it slows them down and makes landing easier. So having your boat downwind from the spread of decoys will help ensure shot opportunities are in reasonable range.
Pattern your shotgun with a few different shells to see what will give you three to five pellets on a duck sized target at the range you hope to shoot them at. And figure out what's too far. For most shooters and most guns and loads, that's about 40 - 45 yards. Try to limit your shots to closer than that. It will take a while to be able to judge distances. Placing a particular decoy at 40 yards from the boat is a good way to hep you judge range. You don't need 3-1/2' super magnum shells. A good high speed load (1500 fps or so) of steel 3's or 2's from 1-1/8oz to 1-1/4 oz will kill ducks efficiently if you centre them in the pattern.

Appreciate the guidance. Yeah, ranging them was definitely tough for me.

 

[kodiakjack]

Puddle ducks generally approach from a higher elevation than divers do prior to spilling air and backpedalling into the dekes, so they are more likely to look down into the boat and spot something amiss. All ducks are somewhat "gamey" compared to ruffed grouse or pheasant, if that is what you are experienced with... some divers are better than others... but for sure they are more of an acquired taste than a grain fed mallard or rice fed black. Divers are alot of fun to hunt though and there are recipes that can make them quite nice for the table... your particular boat lends itself more to big water as opposed to ponds and sloughs. Etiquette regarding spots on water with boats are first come first served... give a wide berth to any spread that is out before you. I concur with Longwalker's advice above also.

I apologize for being so green to all this... but how wide exactly? (Ish). Like 100 yards? 1/4 mile? I assume it’s less about simple gun safety, and more about having your own spread to lure ducks, and not getting into any conflict about my ducks/your ducks?

 

[geologist]

Some super advice here, thanks!

 

[1963beretta]

Are you planning on hunting Lake Erie? Your boat is certainly not what I would consider a hunting boat, but if you’re out on Erie, it could actually be beneficial being big and deep. Erie gets pretty violent and is fairly choppy on a good day during the later season, so a stable boat would be a good thing. I guess it depends on your particular hunting situations. For me, I couldn’t settle on the perfect hunting/fishing boat, which is why I have two boats. I prefer my hunting boat to be small and light as it allows me to get into the shallow swamps with ease. My hunting boat is a 12 ft aluminum and it works best for me. I bought a 16ft boat that I thought would be great working double duty, but I couldn't hunt out of it so I sold it. I ended up buying a dedicated fishing boat and kept my hunting boat for ducks. I found that to work best for my style of duck hunting. But I wouldn’t dare take it out on a lake like Erie.

 

[kodiakjack]

Are you planning on hunting Lake Erie? Your boat is certainly not what I would consider a hunting boat, but if you’re out on Erie, it could actually be beneficial being big and deep. Erie gets pretty violent and is fairly choppy on a good day during the later season, so a stable boat would be a good thing. I guess it depends on your particular hunting situations. For me, I couldn’t settle on the perfect hunting/fishing boat, which is why I have two boats. I prefer my hunting boat to be small and light as it allows me to get into the shallow swamps with ease. My hunting boat is a 12 ft aluminum and it works best for me. I bought a 16ft boat that I thought would be great working double duty, but I couldn't hunt out of it so I sold it. I ended up buying a dedicated fishing boat and kept my hunting boat for ducks. I found that to work best for my style of duck hunting. But I wouldn’t dare take it out on a lake like Erie.

“Planning” might be too strong a word... More like “Toying with the idea of”...

If I did, it’d be inside long point bay, protected (a bit) from the bigger waves and wind. I really don’t know. It’s my first boat. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing yet. Got a lotta learnin’ to do yet, before I’m at this stage. It kind of fell into my lap, and now I’m just playing through all the possible uses in my head.

 

[MRP]

Boat, full standup top is a must I think.
Trailer, bigger tires for long trips and gravel roads. Move the winch to the other side of the post so you can shorten the nose bracket a lot. A locking folding reach, more room in driveway and tuff to steel. When you grease the wheel bearings get the # and get spair set.
Sorry I didn't stick to your questions.

 

[kodiakjack]

Boat, full standup top is a must I think.
Trailer, bigger tires for long trips and gravel roads. Move the winch to the other side of the post so you can shorten the nose bracket a lot. A locking folding reach, more room in driveway and tuff to steel. When you grease the wheel bearings get the # and get spair set.
Sorry I didn't stick to your questions.

What’s a “full stand up top”? The sun canopy thing? Wouldn’t that get in the way while shooting?

Appreciate all the tips. Not too worried about the trailer size, it’ll only be in my driveway while I’m tinkering, then off to be stored in the barn at the farm. Bigger tires might be good though.

 

[1963beretta]

“Planning” might be too strong a word... More like “Toying with the idea of”...

If I did, it’d be inside long point bay, protected (a bit) from the bigger waves and wind. I really don’t know. It’s my first boat. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing yet. Got a lotta learnin’ to do yet, before I’m at this stage. It kind of fell into my lap, and now I’m just playing through all the possible uses in my head.

If you’re hunting long point, then yes, you be somewhat sheltered from W/NW winds. You’ll want to keep an eye for heavy S/SE winds as long point can get pretty messy as well.

As for the boat itself, you’ll want to ensure its as hidden as possible. Google duck hunting boat blinds to get an idea of what you’ll want to do with yours to turn it into a duck blind

 

[Suther]

What’s a “full stand up top”? The sun canopy thing? Wouldn’t that get in the way while shooting?

Appreciate all the tips. Not too worried about the trailer size, it’ll only be in my driveway while I’m tinkering, then off to be stored in the barn at the farm. Bigger tires might be good though.

Nah, its like the windows on a blind, just shoot right through it! lol

I'm following this thread, also looking to get into duck hunting this year, albeit from a canoe or kayak rather than a boat like the OPs

 

[MRP]

What’s a “full stand up top”? The sun canopy thing? Wouldn’t that get in the way while shooting?

Appreciate all the tips. Not too worried about the trailer size, it’ll only be in my driveway while I’m tinkering, then off to be stored in the barn at the farm. Bigger tires might be good though.

When you undo the bottom snaps the front half should lay down over the windshield. 2 mins down and up.

 

[hoytcanon]

You can do spring loaded blinds, that flip back when you yank a cord, but these are not necessary. Quite simply, if you build a hoop of sorts that runs 1-2' inside the gunnels and then conjure a support frame for it, you can grass that or just use camo burlap or netting... it helps if you can make it collapsible for transport and running on the water. If you get serious, you can paint your boat and motor with a flat paint in battleship grey or duck boat brown, also known as Dead Grass brown etc... this may affect resale value however so keep that in mind. The blind can be as simple as the ones seen below;

 

[kodiakjack]

Thanks fellas!

 

[fader]

I’m no expert but some of what I’ve experienced so far.

You’ll want the blind setup so that you can take it down within a minute or so if having it up gets in the way of steering the boat. It’s a tough call when to retrieve. You’ll want to go retrieve quickly as the downed ducks can float away. Be crippled and swim a bit before dying etc. So it can be a pain to find them sometimes when down. Some ducks will submerge too and then pop up to the surface a bit later.

You’ll also want to wait a bit too. Often I’ve called it and gone to retrieve and more ducks deke in right in the middle of me going out.

I use a Jon boat for marsh and often i’ll bottom out on stuff as the water is shallow. Oars help too. Your boat is deeper water so you’ll find it hard getting into the marsh.

Anything shiny you’ll want to cover up and camo. You can use camo burlap for some areas too. Also think about how you want to throw out and retrieve decoys. It can be a pain sometimes with currents wind and being able to easily get your hands on some of them.

Sunrise is usually the best time to hunt. So often you’ll be navigating in the dark. That’s something else too. So having a setup you can deal with in the dark is key. It’s legal 30 min before sunrise up to 30 min after sunset. So if sunrise is 7am for example I’m usually on the water by 5 if it’s 30 min to get to where I want to setup. 30 min to setup my decoys and get my gear sorted out. I like to have at least 30 min before legal to be able to sit quietly and get ready.

Have fun! Duck hunting is a lot of fun and puddles vs divers are very different.