Layout hunting book

[Ivan Konermann]

I've been on this site for a number of years and think that there is a lot of great input to be had from everyone's experiences. I've noticed that there is not one place to go to to get the basics on a range of issues related to hunting from a layout boat. If someone knows some of it, they can search for a topic and find a lot out there, but there is not a good starter/comprehensive thread for this...

So, I'm proposing to start this thread as a collective effort. Really what we'd be doing (yes, this is a joint effort) is writing the book on how to layout hunt. It wouldn't be specific to a certain area or species, but should give the guy who wants to get into the sport an idea of what the "real deal" is.

This is not a money maker for me - the end goal is to have something that gets "stuck" on this forum and others and is a resource for people to use for a long time...its public domain, owned by all of us, for everyone to use. It is also a collective effort to cover the key issues that someone should be aware of when they decide to give layout hunting a try. Not every part of this will affect everybody who layout hunts. I kind of see it as a starter kit for someone who wants to know how far they can go with layout hunting - and provide them some idea on what to do if they want to really pursue the sport. It may also be a good reference for experienced hunters to consider other ways of doing things.

I've been layout hunting for 7 years, but know that there are people with more experience than me, or people with just different experiences than me. I also know that I have re-rigged my spread more times than I care to admit, and that I've made other choices in the dark that were costly in terms of time and/or money. Why not get some of these lessons learned together and put them up where they can be easily found/searched/etc.

My plan is to write each chapter and then post it up on the fuge so people can add their thoughts, criticisms, pictures, etc. Once there has been some "peer-review", I'll rework that chapter based on comments and critiques. I'm not going to pretend that I can make everyone or anyone happy with what I'll write - that is a recipe for disaster. HOWEVER, I do recognize that just because I don't use a technique doesn't make it wrong, and that because I do use a technique doesn't make it the only way. I'd like to give the guy who needs help a decent idea of some pros/cons for any particular approach. That requires more experience than most of have individually.

I will definitely need help with pictures....there are so many ways to do things and we all know how much better it is to SEE something than try to just read about it.

I'd like to get a sense of what I should include in this guide - below is what I have after chewing on this for a few days...please let me know if you see holes in what I've got:

-Decoys: type, size, numbers, reusing old dekes
-Longline rigging: knots, line, droppers, clips, anchors, reels, storage
-Longline & layout placement: relationship, lefty/righty, deeper water, line retrieval
-Layout rigging, anchoring, using bridles, anchors, flags,
-Hunting out of layout: birds low, keeping down, watch caps, shoot from recline, flagging, calling, choke, picking up birds
-Sea ducking: decoy numbers & type, simplification, shot size
-Tender considerations: anchoring, boat type & size, dogs
-Transport: trailering, carrying layouts, decoys
-Night ops: lights, reflective tape, white dekes, scouting
-Boat driving: in dekes, rough water, next to layout, backing, practice
-Safety issues: PFDs, flags, PLBs, weather, float plans
-Where to go: Great lakes, all three seaboards, large inland lakes, vegetation hotspots)
-Reality check: costs, time, locations, transport, storage, boat driving, re-rigging/learning
-Sources for info: Refuge Forums, Duckboats.net, The Hull Truth, MLB, Pitboss, Bankes, books

Comments welcome....

For those on the Refuge, I am working this same effort there as well. I'd like to hit both sites as there are clearly very experienced people on both sites.

-Ivan

 

[John Fraser]

Sounds like a great reference. There is a long learning curve with layout boat hunting and it helps to learn from others. Post those chapters up as they come along, I'm sure you'll get lots of comments.

 

[Ivan Konermann]

Guys - this is the intro and first chapter on decoys...please let me know what you think.


INTRO:
Hunting ducks out of a layout works well because the primary types of birds pursued are divers and sea ducks. Both types of duck tend to fly close to the water, which gives them a profile view of the decoys and a layout boat. Most puddle ducks will tend to approach decoys from higher in the air, giving them an overhead view of the decoys and the boat where the hunter waits.
Typically this type of hunting is done with at least two people - one person hunting in the layout boat while the other watches and helps from the larger boat, or tender. Rigging multiple layouts can be done as well, which allows for even more people to work into the rotation.
One of the best benefits of layout hunting is the ability to get away from the shoreline and the other hunters. Few people can take advantage of the open sounds, bays, and lakes like a layout boat hunter. Since the hunters are not tied to a location and not worried about beating other people to a good spot, they can ride out into the water as the sun rises, watching for the areas with the most bird traffic.
What follows are chapters on the key issues related to layout hunting. This is not intended to be an all-encompassing reference for every possible way to layout hunt. Instead it’s a guide for those who are just getting into the sport and need more information. When I started layout hunting, I searched for good resources and found some, but none that laid out all the components. Any item covered below can be done in multiple ways and is worthy of long-winded discussions. For those who want to know where to start, I wanted to help with a jump-start.
1-Decoys: type, size, numbers, reusing old decoys
Diver decoys can run the range like any other duck decoy, from wood, cork, or foam based to the commercially produced hollow plastic decoys. Generally the larger decoys will work better when hunting on open waters and needing to attract birds from longer distances. Black and white tend to show up the best in open water conditions, and many diver and sea ducks have a great deal of these colors in their plumage. Many hunters recommend a minimum or 4 dozen decoys and some use as many as 200. My own experience has been that 8-10 dozen is a good number to attract birds and set a good spread without having to carry so many decoys. Self-righting decoys are a must - decoys are usually deployed from a boat and it can be very difficult to access a decoy that has tipped over.
Since layout hunting can involve shooting low birds at close range, it is very common to shoot decoys. Some hunters opt for non-sinking decoys (foam, cork, etc) while others patch plastic decoys until they are past their useful life and then replace with a new bird. The new layout hunter will probably use plastics due to expense alone.
Another practice is to use silhouette decoys on a floating Y-board. The Y or V board is a floating frame that supports three silhouette or shell decoys . This can be a great technique since oversized decoys can be used, adding to a spreads visibility. The Y boards are normally used for sea ducks or brant since they are not as cautious as other diver species and can be easily painted using mainly black and white.
Since so many of the divers and sea ducks are black and white, starting a spread can be as simple as reusing other decoys and painting them black and white. The majority of my first diver rig was made of repainted mallards and other puddle-ducks. There are a fair number of hunters who use black paint on white jugs and bottles. This apparently works well for sea ducks, and can be used for the outer edge of a diver rig.