Any float/canoe hunters here?

[Jäger]

I love huting local rivers and creeks for woodies and other fowl, but as a relatively young buck (29) I am always willing to learn, do you gentlemen have any tips, advice, secrets and stories you'd like to share to make for a more successful float hunt? Thank you!

[Dean Romig]

That's how I started more than fifty years ago. I would hunt pheasants in the fields and cornfields that bordered the creek that ran by our woodlot. Every 50 or 100 yards I would swing back to the creek and would often jump blacks, mallards, woodies or whatever would be using the creek. I shot a duck once when I was thirteen or fourteen about a week before duck season opened. I knew I would be in trouble if I brought it home... Dad was a stickler for the law! So I plucked it and cut off the head and feet and totally dressed it and brought it home. When Dad saw it he asked "What the heck is that?" I told him it was a crow.... He said "Well, you know the rule... whatever you kill, you eat." So we cooked it up and had it that evening. Dad said (with a smirk) "That's the best tasting crow I've ever had!" Somehow he knew it wasn't a crow but he didn't let on.





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[Jäger]

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;175611]That's how I started more than fifty years ago. I would hunt pheasants in the fields and cornfields that bordered the creek that ran by our woodlot. Every 50 or 100 yards I would swing back to the creek and would often jump blacks, mallards, woodies or whatever would be using the creek. I shot a duck once when I was thirteen or fourteen about a week before duck season opened. I knew I would be in trouble if I brought it home... Dad was a stickler for the law! So I plucked it and cut off the head and feet and totally dressed it and brought it home. When Dad saw it he asked "What the heck is that?" I told him it was a crow.... He said "Well, you know the rule... whatever you kill, you eat." So we cooked it up and had it that evening. Dad said (with a smirk) "That's the best tasting crow I've ever had!" Somehow he knew it wasn't a crow but he didn't let on.

Sounds like an amzing way to grow up. One of my favorite things to,do,is to load the canoe up with one of my best buds from the Army, on a cold day, and shoot woodies from the canoe. It's allot of work for a little reward but it is a fun way to do it.

[OH Osthaus]

one of the best jump shooting stories I know to be a fact

the friend who gave me my golden retrieverpup lived on a lake which was great for divers, not far from his house was the river outlet of the lake- which was always good for a few puddle ducks.

One day - just after turning 16 and able to legally hunt on his own, my friend's son decided to surprise Mom and Dad with a duck dinner for some occasion.

So - he hurried home from school and geared up- now- my friend had two canoes- the one we hunted from and early Old Town wood and canvas 18 footer ( I have one now- weighs a tad into triple digits) aa well as one of the OT 12 Kevlar models - that scales between 25 and 30 pounds.

Unable to handle the big one on his own- young son took the light weight to the dock, returned to the house to get his Dad's pride and joy Model 12 heavy duck ( bought with paper route money in his teens) whistled up a dog ( my pup's mother) and headed into the outlet, most likely beaming with pride in the surprise he was staging for the family

it is worth mentioning that this river has the deepest soft bottom of any place I have ever seen- I made the mistake ONCE of getting out of a canoe in there- luckily I had kept a hand on the canoe because I started to sink at once- I hauled myself back into the canoe by shedding my water belt and undoing the suspenders - pulling my self into the canoe and digging my waders out with the paddle

so- the happy hunter arrives at his chosen spot- tosses out some decoys - and in a few minutes a mallard set its wings to join the party.

the son swings up his Dad's 12 and cancels the flight, at which point the retriever (oh- by the way - Dad did not use the dog float hunting because he never steadied her)

the duck comes down, the dog launches from the gunnels and the canoe spins sending the hunter AND the model 12 in the drink.

son and dog (with duck) make it back to the canoe, but remember the muck bottom) the gun was no where to be found.

my son's friend hurries home and calls his uncle- who calls a scuba diver he knows and this team return to the scene - fortunately - the decoys marked the spot and the diver had a small area to explore the muck and found the gun.

fast forward, Mom and Dad arrive home to find a muddy canoe and wet dog in the yard and upon entering the kitchen find a fat mallard waiting for the oven and a harried son on the floor drying and oiling the parts of a completely disassembled model 12 spread out on the floor.

[Blind Dog]

Mike, your system works best, shooter in the bow and handler in the stern. I usually go solo so I have to be quick to drop the paddle and shoulder the gun. My little rig below.

[Jäger]

Originally Posted by Fred Preston

Mike, your system works best, shooter in the bow and handler in the stern. I usually go solo so I have to be quick to drop the paddle and shoulder the gun. My little rig below.

Sir, I apologize for all the questions I'm about to ask, but I'm just trying to learn,

Where in Ohio are you? I mainly hunt the Little miami in SW Ohio.

What time of day do you go and what time of season.

Do you Camo up your boat?

Any additional tips that make you successful?

[Richard Flanders]

I used to shoot ducks on a small creek from a canoe. It's a salmon spawning creek and the ducks come in for the eggs, which makes them taste....well, let's just say not so good. Very fun shooting though, either by myself or with a paddler with me or them in the bow and doing the shooting and a retriever in the middle. About the funnest duck shooting I've ever had. Only lost my gun in the drink once and had to strip down and dive 6ft for it. It was a Miroku Daly 12ga O/U. Nice gun and worth diving for. I currently love to hunt out of my Poke Boat(see DU mag ads). It's 14ft long and made of thin kevlar and weighs 24#, I think. I can hook the tow line around my waist and easily drag it over mud or wet grass to the next pond. It only draws maybe 3" of water with me and gear in it so will get me into all sorts of places when the water is low and the motor boats(other than the Mud Buddy)are out of luck. Nice wide beam so pretty stable. It will hold 10 decoys stuffed in the bow and stern. I tether the paddle so I can drop it and grab my gun and shoot if ducks come over while I'm paddling. When I had a white bladed paddle the flashing blades worked like a robo duck when I was paddling. My hunting partners said they could see them flashing from over 1/2mil away. Almost tipped it in the middle of a lake once when trying to shoot to the right; haven't tried that since. Advise tethering your gun with 1/8" dia nylon cord....

[Blind Dog]

Mike, Northcentral Ohio, Mohican watershed; Mornings, early season (still warm and comfy), upland game mostly in October and November. I use Black Cloud steel #3s in my shotened (26") VH 12 with, as Rich suggests, an eight foot nylon teather to the canoe.

[Mills]

I have a Jon boat I bought for duck hunting among other things

[Steve Hodges]

Been jump shooting ducks for longer than I want to admit. Just go out and do it and you will learn the ins and outs of it. No big secrets here.