Decoy Bag Question for Small Boats

David Palmer

David Palmer

Active member
Hey folks! I hunt out of a Devlin Broadbill and was wondering what decoy bags you small boat hunters use. I'd be hauling them on the bow of my boat 'cause my cockpit is chock full of my legs, my dog, and all of my other gear. Any suggestions? BTW, all of my plastic dekes are Texas rigged.

View attachment Broadbill.jpg
 
I use mesh bags for my plastic decoys, when I use them. Laundry bags work just fine strapped down with bungees...and they're cheap.
 
I use mesh bags for my plastic decoys, when I use them. Laundry bags work just fine strapped down with bungees...and they're cheap.
Click to expand...

"Laundry bags" Lord help us! No fine upstanding hunter would be caught dead with out a proper camo mesh decoy bag costing 4 times the price of a laundry bag. As for transporting fine hand carved decoys, I use a slotted bag made for 6 decoys in individual pockets. A mesh bag works well for "other decoys".
 
I hunt creeks and channels and only use 6-8 decoys. I hunt puddle ducks mostly.
Driving around I see 3-5 birds together along the shore. Watch for a few days and hunt that spot.
I'm adding a few more decoys as I go along. I have decoys bags I lash to the bow.
 
I've got several mesh bags for plastic decoys. As Rich says, I usually go small, seldom more than 12 decoys.

For corks, I have a very nice 6 pocket canvas bag from Dave Clark, and a really bad 6 pocket nylon bag from LL Bean. Either to the boone would be tough to strap to the bow.

I think I have seen photos here of bags that hang under the gunwales of sneakboxes to keep them out of the way of legs and dogs. Also "decoy racks" that fit onto the decks for storage.
 
Decoys of any kind in mesh bags lashed down, or better yet loose, stashed under the bow and anywhere else they fit with anchors well secured to decoys.

Bags even in, or on, a small boat I found to be a PITA. Handmade or plastic, they get the same treatment, and if they can't take being abused they do not belong in the boat. If they are good decoys ya don't need that many, but 2 Canada goose decoys for sure.
 
When I hunt out of my 12' boat I really like Rig Em Right's Tanker decoy bags, they look like a big duffle bag. That goes up on the bow, and in the cockpit I use a Drake Stand-up bag that doesn't have a big footprint but lets you stow 3 or 4 dozen plastic decoys. You can fit a ridiculous amount of decoys into a small space with those bags.
Here's my whole late season ice hole hunting rig packed into the 6'6"x28" cockpit of my ice sled-
SledLoaded2.jpg
[/URL]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top