# solo duck hunting, no dog



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

does anyone hunt solo with no dog? i've always hunted with a buddy and his dog, he passed away a few years ago, and i want to try ducks again. my problem , no dog to fetch em. 
the bottom of the lake i would like to try is hard pan in some spots,,,and bottomless muck in the next step. i went out in my waders last weekend to see if i could walk the little bay i have my eye on. but you could get in trouble real fast and i wouldn't want to get in a spot with no help available.
my next option would be to camo out my little 12 foot boat. wouldn't be hard as i would only need sitting and shooting space for myself. that would at least allow me to retreive downed ducks. (thats called optimism)using my electric to get the ducks and return to my anchorage would be quiet .
i have a dozen deeks and a dozen goose deeks. i like to add a couple geese to make the ducks more comfortable and it has always seemed to help compared to not using them. usualy stick one or two in the shallows near by like they are feeding there.
my last option would be fins and feathers, or fishpoint area and the lottery thing. would have to rig up a few items for that, but not much. 
i wonder how that place is during the week days? i probably wouldn't waste my time going there weekends.
any solo duck hunters out there with any ideas or tips?
geese is no problem , have a nice corn field near wildfowl bay to hunt.

going to go to basspro this weekend , there are supposed to be "factory experts" there this weekend that you can talk to about tactics and such.
sure would like to get a few ducks in the freezer for this year,,,i do like eating them.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

oh,,,lol yeah,,,i have a squirrel dog and a lazy old cocker spaniel already so much as i would jump at the chance to get a nice lab,,,,i'm afraid i've grown too used to sleeping next to my wife to be willing to move out to the garage,:lol:


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## GoneFishin (Jan 11, 2001)

A small marsh boat like the Carsten Puddler, kayak, canoe, or small pram would solve retrieval problems. I have used all of the above but the kayak in those situations and they have served me well.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

I'm leaving fowl be this year but did hunt a couple small ponds regular with a grappling hook and a fishing rod kept in the truck. Have a twelve footer at home too if no other retrieving option it could have been grabbed after hunt. Dropped the only bird outside the water.

Would confuse my squirrel dog , he wouldn't sit still anyway.:bouncy:


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## jonesy16 (Sep 19, 2011)

I hunt by my self with no dog often. I usually have a kayak near by or a jon boat. I've been in a lot of lakes/swamps with endless bottoms, you sure can eat up the freeboard on your waders fast.


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## Buddwiser (Dec 14, 2003)

john warren said:


> my last option would be fins and feathers....


I've hunted fins and feathers alone over the years but the last time I went there (maybe 4 years ago), the phragmities (sp) were comparable to a bamboo jungle and I didn't bother trying to machete my way thru them.


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## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

I used to hunt without a dog for many years, but that was the bay shore before we lost our water. The 12ft boat sounds like a good idea to me.
FP during the week is the only time I go out there, the weekends are a zoo.
But with improved conditions this year it could "Really" be busy, especially the month of Oct.
During the month of Nov. the numbers during the week slow down and that's when I'd go there if I were you. And I now have a lab, and yes they spoil you for sure....lol She's on the disabled list right now, only time will tell if she'll be ready. I hunt solo most of the time, send me a pm later on down the road, maybe we can hook up at FP.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

small boat/kayak/canoe. done it many times. chasing cripples, water swatting and paddling is always a challenge.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

My lab is still a tiny pup, and my other dog is an 8.5 year old French Bulldog that literally sinks like a rock when you put her in water (no joke, right to the bottom).... but, believe it or not, she locks on point like a frickin GSP when she sees something she likes. Anyways, what I'm saying is I've been hunting dogless for a while. If you're with buddies, taking turns having a guy sit in a boat a hundred yards away waiting to play bird dog works. If you're solo, a small kayak or canoe works fine. I have a 12' Ascend kayak, and it would work fine but for the fact that it's awkward to get in my truck. I was planning on buying a layout boat that is designed to be paddled a bit as an alternative. That way you can throw it in the truck without a flag, drag it in the marsh or pothole, sit in lit all low, and then use it to retrieve birds with a small kayak paddle. To me, the key with a boat like this is transportability, which is why I think a layout boat would work nicely. 

Another option is getting a decoy retrieval rod. The one I have extends to like 25' or 30', and collapses to about 4', and has a nice hook at the end of it. It floats too. Only trouble would be if you wound a duck and it skittles out of range. Nobody wants to leave a duck laying there. You could use both a layout boat with a paddle, in conjunction with a decoy retrieval rod. 

Other option I've heard guys do, but haven't tried myself, is to bring along a nice long fishing rod with a heavy topwater lure. Might take a few tries, but I've heard of some guys retrieving ducks like that. Gotta be careful of the decoys though.

I guess in sum, I'll say that dogs really help lol. This should serve as a testament to their usefulness and importance in our sport.


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## cronkdre (Sep 11, 2012)

I have the perfect solution. You take me to some of those prime goose fields and I will bring my lab and mud boat duck hunting with you haha. 

In all honesty, I would invest in a kayak or canoe. I did the whole 12' boat with a troller thing when I was in college, and although it is doable a kayak is much more convenient. I'd prefer the sit on top kind for hunting just because it's much easier to quickly hop in and out with waders and gear.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

Lamarsh said:


> My lab is still a tiny pup, and my other dog is an 8.5 year old French Bulldog that literally sinks like a rock when you put her in water (no joke, right to the bottom).... but, believe it or not, she locks on point like a frickin GSP when she sees something she likes. Anyways, what I'm saying is I've been hunting dogless for a while. If you're with buddies, taking turns having a guy sit in a boat a hundred yards away waiting to play bird dog works. If you're solo, a small kayak or canoe works fine. I have a 12' Ascend kayak, and it would work fine but for the fact that it's awkward to get in my truck. I was planning on buying a layout boat that is designed to be paddled a bit as an alternative. That way you can throw it in the truck without a flag, drag it in the marsh or pothole, sit in lit all low, and then use it to retrieve birds with a small kayak paddle. To me, the key with a boat like this is transportability, which is why I think a layout boat would work nicely.
> 
> Another option is getting a decoy retrieval rod. The one I have extends to like 25' or 30', and collapses to about 4', and has a nice hook at the end of it. It floats too. Only trouble would be if you wound a duck and it skittles out of range. Nobody wants to leave a duck laying there. You could use both a layout boat with a paddle, in conjunction with a decoy retrieval rod.
> 
> ...


 actually i do have a 20 foot telescopic fishing pole that would work for pulling them in if they were that close.
lol back years ago we had a perfect spot to hunt, out on a point that for some reason the ducks seemed to use as a guide. they would come screaming in right over our heads on the first pass then swing around to land. we parked my old ford custon station wagon behind us in a clearing and it was amaising how many times we hit that old wagon with a downed duck. we never got our feet wet there. went passed that spot last week and its so overgrown you couldn't ge tin there with a bull dozer.
i think i'm going to work up a little boat blind for my 12 footer. i have about 20 foot of camo burlap and with a little more i can make a small hide for myself and my gun, and just camo out the rest of the boat. 
i did scope out a cool floating blind on the wwwinterwebnet. on you tube they show it. a muscrat den blind mounted on a float tub. stupid thing looks brilliant except for the part where we live in michigan and you would freeze your dangly down bits right off.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

Here's a pic of my Ascend 12'. They're only about $500 new at Bass Pro. Wouldn't be a bad way to go. 











Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## JMSparty08 (Sep 20, 2012)

Just use the little boat or kayak for retrieving and setting decoys. No need to go all out and buy a full rig. I often hunt alone, but I do so in the managed areas where it's flooded fields. No need for a boat there (unless it's Shiawassee). Problem with solo hunting in managed areas though is that there are only very few fields you can take if you're by yourself. Hook up with someone on here and go together. You may be lucky enough to meet a guy with a boat too.


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## Duckiller (Mar 26, 2010)

Take your wife dog shopping. If it comes home in her lap she will love it forever and you may get limited hunting priviledges. I am 72 with an 8 year old lab. Once she passes I am not sure I will replace her. My sons would have to take any dog that outlives me and we are not sure where they are going to be in the future. A adult rescue dog, lab , Golder, Weim, Visla may solve your problem as would a small kayak. Godd luck and happy hunting.


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## jonesy16 (Sep 19, 2011)

If you are going to spend 500$, get a new carstens puddler or find a used one, I was looking at one on craigslist right now for 350$, very versitle boats, easy to get in and out of. Sit on top kayaks are okay for retrieving stuff but if your going to spend the money you might as well get something you can lay out in too. I have a Native 14.5 Ultimate that I use for laying out in, its perfect for my tall ass.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

jonesy16 said:


> If you are going to spend 500$, get a new carstens puddler or find a used one, I was looking at one on craigslist right now for 350$, very versitle boats, easy to get in and out of. Sit on top kayaks are okay for retrieving stuff but if your going to spend the money you might as well get something you can lay out in too. I have a Native 14.5 Ultimate that I use for laying out in, its perfect for my tall ass.


I totally agree. I wish I had something like the Carsten's Puddler over my kayak. I've been thinking about putting it up for sale and trying to get a puddler.


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## Puddler-Hunter (Aug 25, 2010)

jonesy16 said:


> If you are going to spend 500$, get a new carstens puddler or find a used one, I was looking at one on craigslist right now for 350$, very versitle boats, easy to get in and out of. Sit on top kayaks are okay for retrieving stuff but if your going to spend the money you might as well get something you can lay out in too. I have a Native 14.5 Ultimate that I use for laying out in, its perfect for my tall ass.





Lamarsh said:


> I totally agree. I wish I had something like the Carsten's Puddler over my kayak. I've been thinking about putting it up for sale and trying to get a puddler.


X3.......I bought a Carstens Puddler last year for those smaller backwoods potholes/marshes especially if they just have a mud launch and they almost always have too soft of bottoms to wade in. No need to get out of the boat just make a backrest so you can layout comfortably. It hides extremely well and you can easily paddle out to retrieve your ducks and quickly get back to your hide. Even when I don't hunt solo I've convinced my hunting buddy to get one because it's a better choice for those areas.


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## cronkdre (Sep 11, 2012)

Lamarsh said:


> I totally agree. I wish I had something like the Carsten's Puddler over my kayak. I've been thinking about putting it up for sale and trying to get a puddler.


How much you want for that yak?

Shoot me a PM if you're serious.


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## pikemaster789 (Aug 21, 2008)

I do the vast majority of my hunts solo without a dog. I have a kayak I use on water boat accessible and a regular old float tube for ponds too far to bring the boat. I can be a little bit excessive attempting to carry a bag of dekes, gun, bind bag, and a float tube back a ways into the woods. Paddling out with waders on isnt for everyone either. Gotta be careful of logs and poking a hole in the tube. But it gets the job done.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

Lamarsh said:


> Here's a pic of my Ascend 12'. They're only about $500 new at Bass Pro. Wouldn't be a bad way to go.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 not a bad idea really, i have been wanting something small i can throw on the truck when we go camping anyway. wife sleeps in till 9 or so and i get up at 4 or 5. that way i could go fishing rather then trying to stay quiet so as to not wake her.
this could fit that plus fetch downed ducks. 
can you shoot from it? or do you get out and into a blind?


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