There are plenty of small duckboats that can fit your needs for walk-in and retrieving/setting decoys, until you get into the dog world. Carstens, Hellbender, Aquapod, pirogues, etc.... you can match them up to your needs and budget better than we can. Heck, when I was a kid, we had a fishing rod with a Zebco 33 and a piece of foam around a heavy weight, with copper wire ‘grapples’ taped to it, as our redneck duck retriever. There are a million decoys out there. A floating block of wood will kill ducks if you’re on the ‘X’, and so will no decoys at all. You can call ducks in (variables on location) and you can just let them come in all on their own. I’ve seen some regular old ‘pet’ or ‘house dog’ be a better hunter and retriever for than the high $, relentlessly trained, fancy titled, waste of dog food at the other end of the blind. Point is: don’t let us tell you how to skin the cat. You already know the hide needs to come off. Go hunt and figure out the best way for you to get there. It won’t mean nearly as much in the end without figuring out your own needs vs others.
Having said that, one new item for me.....if you use marsh seats, that new Alps with the backrest and mesh triangle seat is the most comfortable one I’ve used, and I’ve stunk up a lot of them.
For some more opinionated generalities....
Keep in mind: decoys without keels move better in the wind and can add a lot more life to a spread, and can be used on dry ground. Decoys with keels stay upright in rough water far better. Two decoys in the right place are better than 100 in the wrong place. Wind at your back is what you’ll hear preached, but then landing ducks are also looking right at your face, as well. Hunt the ‘X’ however you can, damn the wind. Double reed calls are easier to learn and call on. Single reed calls can do more and have more range. You only need two of the fifty calls you’ll want to carry. Listen to ducks on the ‘X’ work ducks in the air, before you decide you know when to call. Small retrieving breeds are easier to handle in small spaces and small boats. Shoot them where they eats, not where they sheets. Dry clothes in a dry bag aren’t worth it, until they are. Keeping your powder dry applies to your duck shells after a hunt. Grease on choke tubes is your friend.
Last edited by hh4whiskey; 11/30/20.
