Lake Hunters

[muzzy]

So tell me, ya'll that hunt lakes like me, do you find you hunt more coves or points, what numbers and types of decoys do you use in both situations??? I would like to add a few more blocks to my collection, I was looking for adice on what types, seems the ringers would be a good choice, or maybe a dozen or so more mallards, my current spread includes 1dz mallards, 6BWT,6wooducks, and 1dz canada floaters

[Jay]

depends on what lakes your talking about. In the upstate i generally just hunt in beaver swamps off of bigger lakes so i dont use that many decoys. The one time i did hunt just in the open water was when everything else froze over and we did really well that day. Had out a dozen ringers and 2 dozen mallards. Killed a Gadwall, a few mallards and some ringnecks. I would say add some ringers to your collection.

[muzzy]

Clarkes hill, thanks JAY, anyone ever hunt hartwell or russell????

[Jay]

i mostly hunt hartwell. get down to the coast every once in a while

[B.S.D.]

Like jay said it depends on what lake. What area of it, your surroundings, the applications of decoy spreads are virtually endless. If you plan on huntin big, open water your gonna want an ass of deeks, from ringers to coots. DON'T EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A COOT DECOY!

[Swamp Rat]

Another good tactic is to use a LOT of goose decoys and cut back on your ducks. Most places I hunt, you don't see large numbers of puddlers in one place. You may indeed see large numbers of divers, though.

My spread goal is actually to CUT BACK my spread size a bit (those that know me are dying of shock). I will increase my goose spread to about 18 - 20 floaters and a wad of shells or full bodies on the bank. Then, maybe 5 - 7 mallards, 5 widgeon, and 3 pintail drakes. The sprigs are my outer marker - anything inside that line (40 yards) is fair game. I used to put out over a dozen mallards, then some teal, gadwall, black ducks... Too much to carry.

I will put out maybe 15- 18 ringers and/or bluebills in a knot. IF I use my coots (debating that) the ringers / scaup will be next to them. IF I use my coots, I am planning on putting them on those new-fangled decoy spreaders to make it easier to put a bunch out in a hurry (and pick up also).

In the past, I also had a dozen or so canvasbacks and redheads out - jury is out on whether I am going to keep doing that.

[KRT]

Swamp Rat we need to get together

[B.S.D.]

an oversize goose spread is not a bad idea but the only thing you have to worry about is how to get them there, me and my buddy's goose spread takes my high tide and his fast craft to get it there this is with NO duck deeks....

[Swamp Rat]

True, BSD - but I think I have that licked this year.

The New Lake Hunting Plan -

First off, I am somewhat spoiled by having a family house on the lake to base my operations out of. And a 24 foot pontoon boat, which will be key to my operations this year.

My plan is to load my stuff on the pontoon boat and use it to get to the hunt site. No, the pontoon is not camoflaged, but I will end up parking it as far away as I can from where I will be hunting - 200 - 300 yards if I can. It has been my observation that lake ducks and geese are used to seeing pontoon boats and do not feel as threatened by them anyway.

On this boat I will have my decoys, my canoe (I don't have a dog now, so the canoe serves as my duck-retrieving platform), my Avery Finisher blind (another integral part of the plan), my dekes, and my other assorted stuff. Plenty of room.

Oh, and to avoid getting lost in the fog on the big water like happened to me TWICE last year, I will have my GPS mounted on the pontoon.

The plan is to get to the site, offload the dekes, canoe, and other stuff. Then move the pontoon a good ways off. If I am hunting an island, the other side of the island is where I will put it.

The canoe will be pulled up in the weeds and covered up.

This will enable me to travel to and from the spot in relative comfort, safer in big water than my 1536 jon boat, and allow easier movement of my dekes.

Another tact I am considering is using a MLB type layout boat and hunting open water. If I can get one of them rascals, I can use the pontoon boat as a mother / tender boat for it. We tried that once with Gander's layout and it worked fine (although putting decoys out from a pontoon boat in a wind turned into a gang-rigged nightmare).

For times when I will be hunting in a spot where I will not be able to get the pontoon boat far enough away, I reckon I will just downsize my spread and take the jon boat. Nice having a ramp at my house too.

KRT, maybe it's time for a lunch run.

[Johnny Reb]

Sounds like you've got it figured out SR! [img]graemlins/thumb2.gif[/img]