lay out hunting solo

R

rfaucette

New member
I was reading in another post about some of you guys layout hunting solo. Could you explain how you do it, do you use an electric motor , or just paddle , how do you carry all those dekes?
 
I hunt with a Marsh Rat and a tri-hull tender for puddle ducks and the occasional diver. I motor to the spot, set the spread, move the tender off and anchor it up, then paddle back to the spread with the rat.

The rat easily rides on the stern of the tender and is pretty easy to load and unload. It doesn't paddle great though. I have an electric motor set-up for it which works well but it gets cramped stowing the motor and battery once at the spread.

I am in neither very deep or rough water and I am close to land.
 
This is what I PLAN on doing, so it has no merit as experience. I'm sure there will be a serious learning curve once I get to it. It was supposed to happen this year. But, as with many things I never got to it.

I plan on setting my dekes as I do now out of my TDB 14 after towing layout boat to the hunting spot. Then setting an anchor with floating buoy attached and retreating to the bank or island to beach and anchor the TDB 14. Then row/paddle small boat to preset anchor. I anticipate rowing less than 100 yards.

This is my plan on doing it alone. Hopefully I will be able to report as to how well it works. It hasn't been real high on my priority since most birds are still coming in range of my TDB. But, I would rather have them at my feet than 30 yards on the outside of the spread.

Just a note, most of my hunting like this would be in the coastal part of NJ and has many sedge islands that lend to parking the tender rather close.

Best wishes,
Gene
 
I use my 4 River 9' boat as a solo one man.
This is definately not "great lakes" style layout hunting. I don't use that many decoys, 3-4 dzn, I'm never in deep water, waist deep at the most, usually ankle to knee deep and never in rough weather.
I haul the layout in my jon boat. When I get to the place I am going to hunt, I anchor the jon boat a couple of hundred yards away & then walk, pole and/or paddle the layout to where I am going to hunt.
Its definately do-able under the right conditions. Just gotta use common sense and know your limitations. I don't see how you could do this with a true great lakes style layout boat, which is wide, heavy and next to impossible to paddle a/o pole.
 
solo out of an MLB boat.....I want to say it was the (2) man......Gary "river" hunted with large rigs of his own carved cork decoys and this was not a hunt for whimps....he wanted to have the dog with him which explains the need for the larger boat.....his set up was pretty standard with the layout stowed on the bow of his tender and the decoys longlined.....

The "solo" part came in after the decoys were set....the tender was parked on the river bank and the laout was then motored, via an electric motor mounted on a bracket on the side of the boat, back to the rig. The electric gave Gary not only the ability to move between the layout and the tender but also to chase cripples....

Now the River isn't the ocean or the Great Lakes but it can be done....you best be deeply committed to wanting to solo layout hunt to do it though...

If Gary reads this I'm sure he'll favor us with a picture or ten dozen...

Steve
 
i have finaly put Barney to use have had 60 plus dekes out all in or should say on the boat with dawg to its about 13 feet long run anything from a 4hp to a 15hp4stroke,carry a blind sometimes ,but add a little wind and your time out there becomes difficult withthe long lines and friggin withthe riggin is a chore..ive scaled back a bit when i use it now i was used to having a 14 ft aluminum and having a 100 dekes out by times its a learning curve,the biggest thingis safety and the weather ,,,id prob get more burds if i was alone as daisy is still under 2 years and she cant seem to still that still in a boat that long...butits not about the amount its the time well spent doin what i love to do and being safe about it while im at it..

i pulled pole in a storm last time and it prob saved us i should have left 1/2 hour sooner the next time we just didnt go with 50 mil o hour winds expected ...went to chineese dinner at the dinner ummmgood got 8 inchs snow in the storm.

when you start thinking that you should be packing up then its time...to go
 
I think the fun starts when you shoot something..
Unless you have a dog in your boat (who just shredded your waders flying out of the boat after the bird), you have to toss the anchor and start poling/paddling after your bird - navigating through your decoys, and coming back in the same spot and get your anchor on again (the anchor float has mixed in with your decoys by now..).
If only someone would invent the perfect "net/paddle/pole/hook" thingy (swiss army paddle!) to go after them.
Dave
 
Here is what I did last season: I own an Otter Phantom (www.otteroutdoors.com) which I paddle with a kayak paddle. Above the stern storage compartment I have a bag of dekes bungee corded on (1 dozen long line rigged and 6 loose). Paddle out to where you want to be (chest deep at most), get out of the Phantom and set up the dekes, then anchor the boat and get in. Throw a camo cover over you and go to it. Here are a couple things I plan to do for next year: a bow and stern anchor with 3 drops on each anchor rode, avery realgrass to cover the boat and me better, battery operated bilge pump (going in and out you can't keep the water out.
 
thanks for the replys, I hunt the pamlico sound and rivers of nc. and i have always wanted to try it solo but just couldnt figure out how to run down crips, and all, I have a tender and two layout boats but its hard to find people that want to do all that work. My son usually hunts with me but a baby on the way this mo. has put a crimp in my lay out hunting. I have got to figure out something but it is very dangerous to be out there by yourself.
 
First I'd try to look around for a partner. Check your local DU, Delta waterfowl, here, other hunting websites, shooting clubs, etc.

In my opinion, open water diver hunting is far too dangerous to be done alone. Simply not worth the risk.

If you really feel like you have to do it, I'd consider a displacement hull sneakbox with a small cockpit opening and an outboard. Just need to keep within reasonable limits.

Charlie
 
Mr. faucette, I always have heard of the sound and plan to make a trip. I can't layout because of my back, cant get up from layut position. I could however shoot from a tender. In return I would run your tender for you. I have to take it as I can lol. I'm not that far from you give me a shout someday and we'll see if we can do this next season. Les 843-337-9065
 
A sneakboat, like a BSBB or Devlin Bluebill, may be the better option. Still low profile but easier and safer to handle by yourself and much better than a big boxy boat blind.
 
Solo layout,like Steve said,requires strong commitment.Since you already have a layout boat,without a motor mount on the stern,like some lake erie designs,rig one like Grary has on his layout w/electric.You probably won't need the tender if you only plan to hunt within 500 yards of the ramp.The real commitment comes after you have shot birds and must slip the fore and aft anchors ,pick up the dead ducks after you ship the motor,kill any cripples,return and retrieve the anchors from the floats you attached them to,cuss at the birds that are buzzing the dekes while you were doing all this,and settle down for more action.A strong small dog,like a AWS o Boykin,well trained,could do the retrieving and eliminate that problem,but he would need to lie between your legs and stay down untill you command him.Remember ,he's more excited about getting the birds than you are.
The very best way to layout hunt has got to be with one or two hunting buddies, for more than just logistical reasons.Easier to set the decoys,and the layout boat,a couple more pair of eyes that are in contact with you via walke-talke,much more fun and laughs,but more importantly,SAFETY.Not having a reliable hunting partner is the pitts.Not having one I decided to layout as a last resort,so bought a BBSB with the intention of sneaking down to my set,after ducks drop in and take them flushing off the water.Thoes that let me get close enbough before they utter O S%#$.The BBSB will make a suitable layout as I have a removable motor mount and with clear plastic<Steve loves this>drapped over the stern(edge weighted so it goes into the water)it disapears as well as a layout boat.The duck retrieve would be the same PITA.Hope this helps.Don't forget a flag,both for waving at distant birds and signaling some Dunb A## bass fisherman that what he is about to run down are not real ducks.
 
Yes retrieving the downed birds even with the Marsh Rat is not great. Last time out I missed chances on a big flock of geese trying really hard to land in the decoys while I was out picking up a bird.
 
I've hunted solo a couple of times when all my buddies bailed out to go deer hunting.

I went up against a bluff with water deep enough to park my tender on shore, tied an anchor rope to a tree and motored out to the end of the rope. I had about 200' of rope
Then dropped anchor and put out the decoys just upstream from the anchor.
Then went back to shore unloaded the MLB and clipped it to the anchor rope.
Then I just pulled myself out to the spread with the anchor rope. If you plan things out you can drop the ducks upstream or upwind and intercept them as the drift down by pulling yourself back and forth on the rope.
The fun begins when you have a cripple. you have to pull yourself back to shore, untie the tender and retrieve the cripple before he gets too far away. It really did not take long in reality. I had huge rafts of ducks building up around me because the tender boat was not disturbing them until I actually did get a cripple. The tender tied to shore didn't seem to bother them but it was in shadow most of the morning.

I'd never try this on a windy day.

Always bring a paddle and cell phone and flag.
Triple check all knots, if your layout or tender breaks away your going to be calling for rescue.

Mike
 
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