Walk in Duck Hunters

What are your tips and tricks with moving gear?

and if you don't have a dog, what is your primary means to retrieve your bird?

Inflatable decoys, deflated, in a backpack.

Use a surfrod with a big treble hook for decoys.

I have a canoe with a catamaran that is removable to move gear.

I have a good retriever now but I used a bass pole and a jitterbug last year....or waited for the wind/wake to wash it ashore. I had a few guys on windless days stop and say "you want my dog to get that bird?"....very cool.

Get a good decoy bag (padded straps and waist strap) for hiking in. I take all the sand out of the keels and make them water keeled decoys to reduce A LOT of weight.

Luckily we live in Texas. Swimming after a bird is always an option......And has been done.

Otherwise what everyone else says.

I hate the way hydrilla feels on bare feet.... freaks me out just thinking about it

Might as well be a shark as far as I'm concerned

Haha ya my luck I'll be the dummy who gets attacked by an alligator and is never seen again

Decoy sled or a good decoy bag. I always just walked out and picked my birds up before I got a dog.

Texas rig over the shoulder and start walking, I still don't have a dog so I just walk out and get my birds.

Two legs and waders.
And hockey backpack full of decoys

Practice.. Grab your gear and hump it around your neighborhood. I used to get weird looks carrying a decoy bag full of gear and a sledgehammer (simulate a gun) around the neighborhood, but it helped. Get you body used to carrying the weight. Nothing sucks more than not being used to it and halfway through your walk-in and your hating life and then realize you have to go back after you're done. Every hunt you will learn. You'll tweak how you hump your gear, and what you bring every time.

THIS...

Nothing worse than a "pack in" that's out of shape.

Another tip, get some friends that pack in, usually gear can be split up and lighten everyones load. When I take friends to a public walk in, I carry everything (I think it gives them an idea on how hard the walk is when your only carrying a shotgun)

-Matt

Texas-rigged decoys on a carabiner (or two) over the shoulder, layout blind over the shoulder, blind bag and gun over the the shoulder. My shoulders get a serious workout. I always keep a fishing rod in the truck with a topwater lure or weighted treble hook tied on for retrieving the ones that get out in the deep water. Or just take a swim. Here's my buddy KentuckyNative drying out after taking a swim for some teal ... and we had a dog that day.


Or a long stick tied together with old pieces of barbed wire ...

I just bring a gun and some shells and set up 20 yards away from the guy that got there 4 hours before me

I pack as Light as possible and distribute the weight evenly in my deke bag.

If I'm using my layout, I put about 8 decoys inside the layout and put it on my back with the backpack straps then my gun over my shoulder. If I'm not using my layout I put about 16 texas rigged decoys in a decoy bag with my blind bag and my jacket and sweaters since I'm usually stripping them off about 100 yards from the gate anyways. Then I have my gun over my shoulder. I got really good at walking in last year, there's no close walk in spots where I hunt.

Well, a buddy of mine picked up one of these and created the Duckanator Mobile 2005



Do to non-disclosure agreements, I can't show you the real model. But when fully rigged it stores the decoy bag, shot gun, and blind bag.

Deer cart will save your back bigtime. But...................sometimes the terrian is either too soft and muddy or too rough, that is the only thing that holds me back from using the cart.

Kelly

I always take way more crap than is needed.

I have a tendency to do that too.

Back in europe we used live ducks on a yerkstring.
No calls needed, just jerk the rope every once a while.

Its still legal in france.

Frenchies...

Strange video from the frenchies,

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GwST0pT5sDk

Good decoy bag and just wade out to dead to pick up. We have never used dogs, would love to but it's too damn expensive to buy and train those suckers.

I can't believe someone suggested suiting up for gear hauling practice and someone else came in right behind him and said ^^THIS

Does non-disclosure agreement mean his wife might find out? That would be kind of cool to see it all set-up if it's legit.

Here is my poor man's ATV from late last season...



The all terrain Radio Flyer! I had to drag that sucker over a mile one way through the mud to get to our spot.

Later I bought a Jet Sled to put on top of it so when we got to the water we could float everything the rest of the way. Worked great, my boy got to help, too.

I have my yak that I drag behind me just about all my walk in spots. I can load it down with 16 decoys a gun and my backpack. I use a tow rope and pull it like a tire pull workout. Then it can be used as a blind a bird fetcher or just as a gear sled.

Pack as light as possible. And then take some more stuff out. I've seen a guy retrieve birds swimming on top of a full decoy bag.

I've used the kayak before as well. Love hunting out of that thing.

Larry- I use a wagon too!!! I got one from Barbour freight!! Big fat wheels. Only prob is I need to make the wheels wider. It has a tendency to lay over going over brush and rocks.

What's the minimum # of decoys you guys will bring for the long walk ins?

...Big fat tires and everything...

Swedish boat cart. The only picture I have is under the layout boat, but center balanced under my big kayak I can easily portage a long ways with gear. Then break down the cart and stow it in the nose of the yak. I have even put it under my small 9 ft kayak to use the boat only as a cart before. I replaced the tubes with solid ones. No worrys with cactus and mesquite.

Minimum amount I bring in walking depends on what's happening with the birds. I've walked in as many as a 100 plus decoys with a buddy of mine when we were young and stupid ... but now I wont bring anymore than 2 dozen.

Buy appropriate gear... ghg with 8oz weights are a no go. Buy super light acadamy deeks and texas rig em.. nothing about a walk is easy with gear... this is also a good time to introduce your son/nephew/ teenager to hunting..haha

Here is a pic of a guy in Illinois that is hunting on a walk in only place. You can see his car in the background.

Humm I don't do walk in hunts anymore if I can't take the boat or the ATV guess I don't hunt there, I did ride in on our mule once may years ago, now that was a hunt to remember

HAHAHAHA

I've seen bicycle tracks at the walk in place I hunt and that pic is exactly what I had pictured in my head.

That's commitment right there.

I betcha he is killing some ducks with that outfit.

That is BigB on the callmaker forums peddling that rig, the rig actually belongs to Gouldman, another callmaker on the callmaker forums. Both expert callmakers.

I bet if its a lengthy ride he'd be pretty toasty in those waders and coat.

This is in Iowa or Illinois, not sure where they where hunting.

That's an awesome idea for sure

I bring a lot of friends....

Not everyone is in epic shape such as the hayraker of the americas.

I think it's a good idea, If I was out of shape I'd do it to get serious.

Since I walk several miles everyday, work in the sun, haul around a bunch of heavy suff, and bust my arse 12-16hrs a day. There's no way in hell I'm going to do this.

carry on

-Matt

hell ya, I've rocked lil red wagon for years. Aint no shame in a 3 man limit ridin' on that wagon.

-Matt

This thread has cracked me up. I been too busy to partake, you guys keeper going...