South Jersey Hunting Shack

greg setter

greg setter

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One of the things that I like about duckboats.net is hearing about and seeing pictures of how others hunt around the country. Local geography is always the key to where the ducks are, and the country is so varied with different types of habitat and conditions. So here is a small sampling of where I hang out with my friends during duck season. This is centered around our home away from home, the duck shack. We all live within an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes away from it, so it is pretty convenient. While even New Jersey has a lot of different types of waterfowl hunting and three different zones, I do about 95% of my duck hunting right around here now. Here is what it looked like in 2004 when we first found this place
View attachment duck shack 2004 1.jpg
It had been a crab boat rental business for many years, and this was the office.
View attachment inside duck shack 2004 2.jpg
Back then, it was still used as the office in the summer, and the back room had a lot of junk in it, so we just used the front and had cots, etc..., to sleep on.
View attachment hanging out before the remodel 3.JPG
After a couple of years we got a heater and put in some carpet to keep the gaps between the floorboards from drafting when there was a breeze. It was a lot warmer in cold weather. This picture is taken from the doorway, to the right is a bathroom and to the left is where the tv was.
View attachment shack before remodel 4.JPG
Behind the guy standing on the right was a counter, and there is more room back there which is separated from the bathroom by a wall(thank God!). But it was really wasted space, it tended to get cluttered and you couldn't sit back there or the counter would be in your way.
View attachment looking at the marsh 5.JPG
Above is a view from the front door looking out over the marsh. It is about 3-1/2 miles out to Delaware Bay looking straight out, all salt marsh.
 
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View attachment shack end of season 2011 before paint 5.jpg
Here is the shack at the end of the 2011 season. The paint is getting a little worn, and I am hankering for some changes in the upcoming year.
View attachment road side green 7.jpg
So I decided to paint the place. Magically, everybody else was not around to help! But it got finished, and the owner of place loved it(we rent this joint-don't ask how much, you would think it was 1910). Now it was time to change the layout inside.
View attachment more hanging out 2012 12.JPG
So I ripped out the old counter and cleaned out everything back in there, and one of the guys built a galley style kitchen and some cabinets. You can see where the tv is now, it really opened the place up so people could sit around and watch or just jawbone. It is much more comfortable and friendly this way. We can get 8 people staying over on a busy Friday night. There is another room (you can see the door in the back) with 4 more bunks, so everybody has a bed.
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Then came late October, and Hurricane Sandy. We were all pretty worried about whether or not our shack would survive.
View attachment outside 3 rear view after hurricane 9.jpg

The bay came pretty much all the way up, and brought a load of different stuff with it.
 
Nice pics Greg!

Im glad for you guys that she made it through Sandy.
The paint job looks great! Wheres the hot tub???
 
It was a little bit of a mess inside.
View attachment inside after hurricane 10.jpg
We got about a 16-18's by the door, but only about 6 at the back end. We lost some stuff like the heater and the water cooler/heater, and other assorted things that you don't really know about until you go looking for them a month later, but not bad. And none of the beds got wet, they are all at the back(high) end.
View attachment laying carpet after the flood 11.jpg
A little elbow grease, some shovels and brooms, get rid of things you can't identify any longer, and pretty soon we were back in business.
View attachment looking out front after the clean up 12.JPG
A neighbor and friend of the owner had a backhoe, so with that and a couple of dumpsters, most of the junk is cleaned up and we have our view back again.
View attachment back to normal 13.jpg
Now everybody is happy and hunting again.
View attachment sunday night football 12.JPG
As Faith Hill ushers in the last Sunday night football game, all is good along Delaware Bay.

The End
 
Greg, Great post. The shack is one of those places that makes the huntng experience even more enjoyable than normal. A nice place to warm up after a cold day. Most of the company is first rate, but there are a few ner-do-wells that give the place some real character! ;.)
 
Your duck shack is just like our duck camp - but we're in tents without football. Duck hunting is the best time of the year! Get pics and thank God you didn't loose it in the storm.
 
So close to home and i have yet to stop in . One of these weekends during the season im going to pop in and introduce myself. My kinda place and in a great area for ducks .
 
Daym who's that hansom fellow! I remember that morning. That's when the train derailed . Had to spend the day at the shack.
 
Daym who's that hansom fellow! I remember that morning. That's when the train derailed . Had to spend the day at the shack.
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The red beard sorta blends in with the local foliage! The pink face could use a mask or some sunblock perhaps
 
Super job, Greg. That sure looks like a wonderful place to go hunting. I, too, enjoy seeing the different parts of this country that we all hunt ducks in. Thanks so much. By the way, great paint job on the "shack"!
Al
 
Greg - Great post, you are very lucky to have a nice place like that and I'm glad it survived Sandy.............looked like that was close.
The owner must be A-1.
sarge
 
dang... seeing those pics, and getting the update kinda makes me choke up and miss you bunch of mooks....
You guys did a nice job renovating !
 
Thanks for all of the great replies and glad you enjoyed this. We have a lot of fun there event though Mike,B has left us to fend for ourselves in New Jersey. Mike, you were there before the carpet, before the flat screen, before the bunks. We even have a pizza joint in Port Norris that will deliver now.
 
[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]and plenty of parking with a full bar

[/font][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]And no cover charge!
[/font]
 
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