# Putting the boat away.....



## duckilla (Nov 20, 2014)

I have decided it's time to throw in the towel for the boat this season I will wait for the freeze if it ever shows up and hit my favorite spot. I'm also selling my mud motor if anyone is interested.


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## blackdog (Sep 11, 2007)

Good idea, now maybe you'll start killing birds.


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

duckilla said:


> I have decided it's time to throw in the towel for the boat this season I will wait for the freeze if it ever shows up and hit my favorite spot. I'm also selling my mud motor if anyone is interested.


I'm casually looking at boats and mud motors. Whatcha got?


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## duckilla (Nov 20, 2014)

Dodger said:


> I'm casually looking at boats and mud motors. Whatcha got?


It's a 16hp duromax with a aftermarket mud kit motor has 30 hrs on it.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I wonder sometimes if the heyday of mud motors is coming to an end. At least, we seem to have reached the saturation point. I talked with the owners of two boats recently. Two guys in one hunted the Turpin, each killing one shoveler. They shot them simply because they saw no other ducks. The other guys didn't even launch at PSG because there were no birds. Maybe it's just a weird year, but it's not clear that MMs offer much advantage any more.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

paddler213 said:


> I wonder sometimes if the heyday of mud motors is coming to an end. At least, we seem to have reached the saturation point. I talked with the owners of two boats recently. Two guys in one hunted the Turpin, each killing one shoveler. They shot them simply because they saw no other ducks. The other guys didn't even launch at PSG because there were no birds. Maybe it's just a weird year, but it's not clear that MMs offer much advantage any more.


 They don't offer any advantage over someone willing to walk, ride a bike or paddle to get to where the birds are. They do however make it much easier to transport people and gear to get closer to where the birds are.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> They don't offer any advantage over someone willing to walk, ride a bike or paddle to get to where the birds are. They do however make it much easier to transport people and gear to get closer to where the birds are.


I agree. Most of the boats I see on the Turpin are parked at the very end. But in doing so, are they making the Turpin a desert? Or is it just the funny weather this year? In any case, there doesn't appear to be any reason to stop and actually hunt Turpin itself.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

paddler213 said:


> I agree. Most of the boats I see on the Turpin are parked at the very end. But in doing so, are they making the Turpin a desert? Or is it just the funny weather this year? In any case, there doesn't appear to be any reason to stop and actually hunt Turpin itself.


 Turpin was a desert in October, the hunting was fantastic in November until it froze for 3 days. December has proven to be much like October. It's difficult to say what happened this season. The youth hunt was even tougher this year depending on what unit you were on at Farmington Bay. IMO the ducks got here later (first week of November) this season, and when the bays froze up (late November) it pushed the majority of the ducks out. Unit 1 (rest area) has a lot of ducks on it right now, but they don't move off of it.

I will say this much about mudmotors and boat traffic. 
I don't see any reason for the WMA's to open the gates to boaters before the youth hunt, or any reason to keep them open for boats up until the regular opener. I am a mudmotor/boat owner and I just don't see why guys need to go "run the marsh" for 3 weeks prior to the regular opener. If a guy needs to test his boat he can go to Rockport, Jordanelle, Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Strawberry, or the GSL. IMO there is no reason to be running boats on the WMA's until the youth hunt and the general opener.

Another thing I have noticed with mudmotors is the exhaust systems (mufflers or lack of if you will) Some of these motors are so damned annoying and don't belong on a hunt. Utah's boating laws has an allowable decibal limit, but I guess it doesn't apply to mudmotors. Again, I am a boat/mudmotor owner and this won't be popular with a lot of people, but there should be a noise limit with those motors too. When I'm out there I'm trying to hunt, I don't want to listen to someone's exhaust.


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## duckilla (Nov 20, 2014)

Fowlmouth said:


> Turpin was a desert in October, the hunting was fantastic in November until it froze for 3 days. December has proven to be much like October. It's difficult to say what happened this season. The youth hunt was even tougher this year depending on what unit you were on at Farmington Bay. IMO the ducks got here later (first week of November) this season, and when the bays froze up (late November) it pushed the majority of the ducks out. Unit 1 (rest area) has a lot of ducks on it right now, but they don't move off of it.
> 
> I will say this much about mudmotors and boat traffic.
> I don't see any reason for the WMA's to open the gates to boaters before the youth hunt, or any reason to keep them open for boats up until the regular opener. I am a mudmotor/boat owner and I just don't see why guys need to go "run the marsh" for 3 weeks prior to the regular opener. If a guy needs to test his boat he can go to Rockport, Jordanelle, Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Strawberry, or the GSL. IMO there is no reason to be running boats on the WMA's until the youth hunt and the general opener.
> ...


Couldn't agree with you more fowlmouth well said.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> I will say this much about mudmotors and boat traffic.
> I don't see any reason for the WMA's to open the gates to boaters before the youth hunt, or any reason to keep them open for boats up until the regular opener. I am a mudmotor/boat owner and I just don't see why guys need to go "run the marsh" for 3 weeks prior to the regular opener. If a guy needs to test his boat he can go to Rockport, Jordanelle, Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Strawberry, or the GSL. IMO there is no reason to be running boats on the WMA's until the youth hunt and the general opener.
> 
> Another thing I have noticed with mudmotors is the exhaust systems (mufflers or lack of if you will) Some of these motors are so damned annoying and don't belong on a hunt. Utah's boating laws has an allowable decibal limit, but I guess it doesn't apply to mudmotors. Again, I am a boat/mudmotor owner and this won't be popular with a lot of people, but there should be a noise limit with those motors too. When I'm out there I'm trying to hunt, I don't want to listen to someone's exhaust.


Agree. If you want to harvest ducks, you need to minimize disturbance until the season opens. The decibel limit is 88, not sure how that's measured. You can't have muffler cutouts or bypasses, either. Airboats are exempt, I think.

Maybe it's just the weather this year combined with the low lake levels. I've never seen Turpin, PSG or SC look so bad.


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## silverkitten73 (Sep 20, 2007)

I have a alumacraft with a 15hp Yamaha - aka - no mud motor. We frequently head down Turpin and get decent hunting. However - walking in Turpin through the swamp can be an ankle twisting experience from all the deep ruts in the mud from the mud motors. Alot of the time we park at the bottom and walk down into the Doug Miller and Crystal units. I will tell you that the November issue of Wildfowl Magazine - in the article the guy wrote about hunting the GSL - he mentioned how loud all the boat motors and airplanes flying over are. And he is correct. How many of us who hunt in boats - have had a group with a big mud motor - shooting a rooster tail out the back - come flying by or the airboats - with the motors that sound like your at the drag races? 

I will stay with my boat and hunting away from the crowds. However I am starting to swing more to upland game hunting, hunting waterfowl in Canada and North Dakota (when I can afford it), and fishing.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

This year just sucked. slow start and then the freeze when birds showed up. Lake to low flat out right there. Hunting out of boats you need to know what you are doing and not sky bust. That has alot to do with the Turpin unite are well. people dpnt want to let the birds work and want to sky bust.


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