Don Shearer's Old Fatboy

Matt Seidel

Matt Seidel

New member
Though I would post up some pictures of Don's old momarsh fatboy that I bought a couple years ago on our closing day of the season . Haven't use it to much until this year and it is a fun boat for floating the rivers. Thought you would enjoy these Don. I used that 20 gauge beretta for every hunt here this year from doves to geese and it was a blast.

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Cool pics, Matt. Care if I put them in the photo gallery? That is a neat looking little stream. How are you portaging it? Drop off?
 
Matt,

Will you tell us more about the hunt? How do you set up for divers...where are you position your dog...what's your deke spread like...? I've been wanting a Fatboy for some time. I'm working during my prep time at school for a few extra bucks so I can afford a Fatboy this spring. Because I hate lunch room duty, I got one of the cool pics off of Ira's site of a Fatboy cruising down a river to keep me motivated. Your success just makes the ends justify the means:) Sweet pics!

Thanks,

Dave
 
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Chris, the 12 slot decoy poncho is made by aerooutdoors in burbank, i like it for carrying a couple decoys and it really spreads the weight out over a standard decoy bag.

Ira, feel free to use any of the photos you want. As far as portaging luckily my girlfriend is willing to get up early in the morning and help me shuttle vehicles so I have my truck at the take out spot and she doesn't have to come pick me up later in the day, that way I can float or setup without having to worry about meeting anybody. Typically just put in and out at different bridges or fishing access sites.

Dave, I will post up some more pictures of some my hunt, but in the fatboy I use a 6 slot decoy bag for mallards and then put the poncho over it. I scoot it up so that Miles can fit behind it while floating and then I push my seat up against the decoys to make a solid seat.

You can see me in the driveway with my typical setup.
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I also have a aquapod 10 footer and it is nice if I'm not taking decoys. When my buddies go we use the fatboy as a decoy carrier and the aquapod as the shooting boat. Then when we get to islands we can each take a different side.
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As far as decoy setup I have been using a couple GHG goldeneyes and some full curl mallards. I love goldeneyes, the way the dive in from 100 yards up or bank around the decoys, its a blast and miles likes all the noise they make in the air as well. Typically I don't shoot out of the boat so we just hide in some logs or along the bank.
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Results from a different hunt
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Cool Matt,

That was originally my boat that I sold to Don. Good to see it being put to use in my old home state of Montana.
 
Matt,

I think there is something wrong with the boat. I cannot speak for Gregg, but when I had it it never had all of those dead birds on it.

I have decided I want the boat back. :) I am kicking myself for selling it. I am glad you are getting some good use out of it. Your truly a lucky guy. A good boat, a good looking pup, and a girlfriend who will drive a shuttle for you. Some guys just know how to live.

My best,

Don
 
Matt,

I'm not reinventing the wheel! Consider your boat set up copied...when I get my boat:) Thanks for sharing your hunt. Our Michigan season is over so I'm carving decoys with Rutgers and friends. Hearing about other's hunts makes the season last all year long. I've got a GE cut out from The Duck Blind.com that's on my to do list for this year. I like to hear those whistling wing too.

Take care,

Dave
 
the reason you never killed ducks out of that boat like in the pictures is cuase you never took it hunting.......geez at least Kurz took it out once in awhile, and inbetween duck hunts fed it a toe or two to keep it happy......

Glad to see it found a good home....

Steve
 
Thanks for the kind words everybody. Greg I knew somebody else had that boat before but couldn't remeber the name thansk for reminding me. What part of montana did you spend time in? This boat is a little heavier than the newer models and has been the center of several viscous attacks by my girlfriend for making her help me move it around. I haven't fed it a toe yet but do have a nice scar on my chest.
 
I used to live in Gardiner and hunted the Yellowstone between there and Livingston. During the off season I'd make the commute all the way over to Willow Creek almost every Saturday to train my dog with a retriever club......fuel was much cheaper then. You live in a great spot....don't leave if you don't have to!

Gregg
 
Congratulations on some cool hunt pictures Matt. I used to live in Helena and would have loved to have a Fatboy to hunt in when I was there. Used to see a ton of GE when I would fly fish on the rivers. I have a Fatboy original as well and love it.
 
Hey Matt that looks like fun. I was wondering how you prepare those goldeneye for the table. I had to swear off of them long ago because of their culinary attributes. I'd love to add one to the bag from time to time if I could figure out how to make them enjoyable table fare.

thanks
 
My girlfriend doesn't like the texture of duck breasts or steak for that matter but loves them ground up or in sausage. So I just grind them up for tacos, chili, and other dishes and then I save a batch for the end of the season to get made into assorted breakfast sausage, hotdogs, bratwrusts, peperroni sticks, summer sausage, or whatever else I might need.
 
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