Dogs and Shell Lake skiffs

Rick L

Rick L

Well-known member
does any one hunt a dog out of the double ended open cockpit boats - the Shell Lake style craft

I love the looks of these old boats - but wonder how practical a double ended boat is with a dog.

my experiences with a dog and a boat is just with jon boats - other wise - its hunting from a stable blind or a canoe in and put the dog on shore or a muskrat house

exit and reentry are my concerns-
 
rick , I hunt my 87 lbs lab and myself out of 10 aqua pod. he lays down along side my legs on right side while I'm gunning off the left both of us are laying down low in boat. I can send u pics off my cell if interested rick
 
It probably depends more on the behavior of the dog than anything. Then maybe size and weight of hunter and dog for practical / safety reasons.

I take my 60 pound lab in a fiberglass double ender with zero safety concerns.

If the dog is reliably steady, I'd say go for a few scouting trips in Aug / Sept with the dog in the boat and see how it goes. Bring a bumper to practice retrieving. Better to make a practice run in warm weather than get baptized in ice water later.

If you're REALLY concerned, you can always do some pre-training on land to really firm up the obedience.
 
any thing other than a well behaved retriever is a hazard in any boat

so- assuming Macallan will not be perpetually 6 months old and full of himself forever

my question was about exit and re-entry from that style boat

do you put the boat against something solid some the dog can use that? have you figured out some sort of ramp set up? I can't see a dog getting from the water onto the deck and then cockpit without some aid.
 
In a small craft like that open water pick ups can be done with care. grab the dog by the collar or scruff let him get his feet on the side of the boat and then push down on the back of his neck and he will pop up into the boat. If the boat is unstable you will need to learn to lean back while pulling the dog in and the center quickly so that his momentum does not unsettle the boat.

If you are sitting up against a bank teach the dog to return to shore and then circle to the back of the boat and enter from there. This is much easier for both dog and hunter.

best advise is to get the boat in warm weather so you and dog can have some good in and out training without the fear of hypothermia
 
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I've been in a watercraft of some sorts with a dog hunting waterfowl since around 1972. My father always duck hunted from canoes...my first hunting craft was a canoe. Our dogs were always family dogs, hunting dogs, and field trial dogs. Those three traits all together. Some people say they would never have a trial dog because they are too hyper....my father used to say "you can take it out of them but you can't put it into them" when addressing a dog's desire or prey drive and whether they will get back in the water in late October after a cold water retrieve. An unruly dog can ruin a hunt before the first decoy is placed in the water. We always pulled the canoe up into a stable cattail hide location. Teaching the dog to ride/sit calmly too and from a hunting location is as important as knowing how to put a shell into your shotgun. It's all part of it. Dog size is part of it too. Hunt with a dog in any boat...especially a duck sexy double ender Shell Lake style. Here's a photo of a dog in a double ender
http://duckboats.net.nmsrv.com/specs/images/hoefduckboat.jpg
 
my question was about exit and re-entry from that style boat

do you put the boat against something solid some the dog can use that? have you figured out some sort of ramp set up? I can't see a dog getting from the water onto the deck and then cockpit without some aid.
Click to expand...

I just pull my dog in by the scruff of her neck if it's too deep or soft for her to jump up on the deck.

Minnesota requires waterfowl hunters floating in boats to conceal themselves in emergent vegetation so I tuck the boat into cattails, wild rice, or floating bog. Thus the boat has some supplemental stability for the majority of canine coming and going. Even so, my particular boat is pretty wide and my center of gravity is pretty low kneeling on the floor so I wouldn't worry too much about grabbing the dog by the scruff and pulling her in if I needed to in open water.
 
Double ended boat has a pretty wide range of meanings. I used a Kara style boat for years with Bailey They are VERY stable and I had no problem hunting a dog out of one. Even the few times she fell off the bow in the dark in 6-8' of water, with the boat full of decoys, I was able to get her back in with no problems. Exit and reentry went pretty smoothly On the other hand, a buddy has a Hoefgen style boat and I would be a LOT more hesitant to hunt a dog out of that. I can't tell how wide a Shell Lake boat is, but I would approach it cautiously.

There is quite a bit of difference between dogs as far as how smoothly they exit/enter the boat. The advice concerning practice in the off-season is spot on.
 
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The Appleton double ended boat I hunt out of, has grit on the decks fore and aft. It also has stake holes fore and aft. I invert the push pole to whatever length needed to secure the boat to the bottom to stabilize the boat. I have hunted with and without a dog. When with a dog the grit on the deck and stabilized boat really helped. You will need a bailer (a hand made one if possible) or a very large sponge, as water accumulates very quickly from dog, decoys and fowl weather. Also a very good life vest, and a square life preserver to kneel on while paddling.
 
Rick,
As an owner of 2 Hoefgens, I see no problems with hunting with a dog.
I would place a canoe-style chair in the middle and have the dog behind you. Of course you can expect to get your neck licked. Capacity is 600#. Some nonskid material on the deck may help.
Training your dog to be steady, and practicing dummy retrieves with them going in and out of the boat before season would be fun for me.
Scott, you mentioned a "Hoefgen-style" boat...is it an actual Hoefgen?
 
It is a Hoefgen, and I've not tried it with a dog. I would be more hesitant to hunt with a dog out of it than with a Kara. I was trying to point out the differences of the hulls even though both are double ended type boats.
 
Okay...now that I looked up a shell lake skiff and the Kara mentioned,
I think they are more substantial, width and weight wise, then a Hoefgen. But the Hoefgen is meant to be paddled, not built for a motor. I had a welder fabricate a electric motor mount on the back deck of one of my Hoefgens, and my wife likes the silent motor effect when motoring on our small inland lake.
I primarily jump shoot from my Hoefgens, or use it for a blind in very shallow water. It works for me for my marsh situations. But I can see why some would like the Shell Lake/Kara as well. That's why I own 3 different styles of duck boats....one never has the perfect set up. (at least the excuse I use with my wife.)
 
the double ended Shell lakes - like the mallard - are rowed or paddled- no spot for a motor

like the [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Hoefgens duck boat but classic wood and canvas
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