Neat Old Sculling film

jode hillman

jode hillman

Well-known member
This was sent to me in our decoy club newsletter. Awesome footage of 1950's sculling ( Bushwacking) on the flats.

Tonight is the R. Madison Mitchell Endowment dinner in Havre de Grace. As a result of the discovery of 8mm film and it's transfer to disc, there will be a continuous loop of actual bushwack rig hunting on the Susquehanna River and The Flats shown at the dinner.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBfTVRo1unU
 
Pretty cool stuff.

Hard to believe they actually killed ducks back then without any fancy camo. :)
 
Thats a great video...its interesting to note that in this day and age camo has the perception that you must have the latest and greatest or your game bag will be empty. Checking out how they hunted I will revert to red plaid:). Also it seems that some of the boats where painted white (still utilize that color in europe) and some seemed light gray. That looked like a lot of fun.
 
I'm surprised that they were able to get so close to birds in such a high profile boat! Most scull boats that I've seen are really low profile and narrow. Is this type of scull boat a regional variation? Also, I love the unpowered rowing boats and the guy hunting in the red flannel shirt!
 
That was great. I was halfway throught before I realized that video was posted by Pittboss (Jeff Coats)...I drive past his house almost every day and drool over his 21' and 25' Bankes parked on the lawn.

I see Capt. Harry Jobes, who learned in Madison Mitchell's shop, several times a year, and he always talks about bushwacking as his favorite form of hunting. I don't see anybody out on the Flats doing it any more...seems like bodybooting and layout boats have taken over.
 
thats it I'm getting rid of the camo! Red flannel and white caps for me! that was a really cool video thanks for sharing that with us
 
Great video Jode. I love how hard those guys worked for their ducks yet how efficient the whole process went. My favorite part was the 2 man team in the row boat setting decoys: 2 twists...pitch an anchor...set a decoy...two twists...pitch an anchor...set a decoy.... They must have had over 100 carved decoys set out!
 
There was one part where Doc was standing along the shore with a bunch of cans draped over a deadfall and he was holding a gun. It had a very small barrel.............what the heck was that? It almost looked like a .22. Anybody else notice that?


dc
 
And to think today guys spend days blogging over the "best" camo pattern and how they've been brainwashed into believing what they need to be succesful.Aparrently in the old days all you needed was a good back,strong arms and a white hat!!
And nobody bitchin' about who's doing the rowing.
If they still had to row today very few would do it... if any.
Awesome video,very rare...
 
I enjoyed that too. Thanks for sharing. It was good to see someone else keeps an English Setter in the duck boat! Nice looking color too. My son watched with me and he thought the rowing part was pretty cool. Makes me want to build a smallish Devlin or BBSB just to get into something a little less cluttered and modern. I have loved the classic red wool hunting coat from LL Bean for a long time now too. Since the wife works their now, perhaps I should own one. I have a grey plaid wool one, but not the red and black one.
 
that is some pretty cool stuff right there!
The love the decoys!

But sadly they culled all the dumb ducks back then and have caused the ducks to evolve in supper intelligent fowl
now we have to have the most life like decoys made
with the newest camo pattern to hunt them!
 
I think there might be some truth to the culling of dumb ducks. We have definitely evolved a smarter duck through the process of natural (or unnatural depending on perspective) selection.
 
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