# Hats Off to the Foot Soldiers



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

My trailer tire had a flat this morning so I decided to head out on foot..... Holy [email protected]$#t did I walk a long way. I checked my GPS and it showed 8 miles round trip packing gun a decoys and my back pack. How you fellas manage it every day of every weekend is beyond me, but my hats off to you.


----------



## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I think being a foot soldier is crazy hard, but I guess it makes success all the more sweet knowing how hard I worked that day to get them. Not saying you boat guys dont work for what you get (heck you had to work to buy the boat!), but I guess its just a different kind of work.


----------



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

I canoe around it isn't much easier, I think its a pick your poison situation.


----------



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Do you trailer your canoe?


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Dang it! I dropped my boat in the water in 3 different places today and still couldn't manage a duck anywhere. It was the toughest day duck hunting I have ever had. My first set up there were a handful of ducks that flew over high, on my second set up after 3 hours of nothing I decided to move. I case my gun and start picking up decoys and wouldn't you know it a flock of 11 geese come over the dike about 20 yards off the water and head right over me. SOB! I head back in load the boat and drop in a different unit for the last 3 hours. NOTHING! I think those folks hunting center dike at Farmington are on to something. That was the only shooting I heard all **** day and a lot of it. At the end of this next week I think there will be a lot more foot soldiers. The freeze is coming!:sad:


----------



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

paddler213 said:


> Do you trailer your canoe?


 I do trailer my canoe, for a while all I had was my suv to move it around, didnt have a cargo rack, but had a trailer. I have a pick-up now with a short bed, but it makes me nervous driving around with 7 feet of canoe hanging out of the back.


----------



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

I saw a couple of layout setups at FB yesterday. It was pretty quiet. Some guys wearing lanyards bristling with Toxic calls were tending a Unit 1 layout, the other setup was on the Turpin. I thought maybe it was Noorda? I was on my bike, and never fired a shot. Talked to four guys who shot a total of 14 birds. Jason said it's been real slow out there. I'm still looking for a good open water hunt myself. Bought a bike trailer for my canoe, we'll see how that works out. Good exercise, probably not much more.


----------



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

There was a good bit of ducks flying right at daylight, nothing the rest of the morning.

I agree there will more than likely be alot more dike hunters, I dont know if the guys on center dike at FB killed alot, or if there were just a bunch of guns. There was a group on the far east end that looked like they were getting into them pretty good.

I walked up and almost set up 80-100 yards off of them, didnt realize they were there at first, then one started calling so I headed off for another spot. Managed 1 duck.


----------



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

paddler213 said:


> I saw a couple of layout setups at FB yesterday. It was pretty quiet. Some guys wearing lanyards bristling with Toxic calls were tending a Unit 1 layout, the other setup was on the Turpin. I thought maybe it was Noorda? I was on my bike, and never fired a shot. Talked to four guys who shot a total of 14 birds. Jason said it's been real slow out there. I'm still looking for a good open water hunt myself. Bought a bike trailer for my canoe, we'll see how that works out. Good exercise, probably not much more.


I've honestly never seen a bike trailer...well other than the smaller ones for pets and such. Where did you find one of those?


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Oh, and If the duck hunting wasn't shi++y enough, the mosquitos were out in force today too. December 1st and still dealing with those blood sucking bastards.:?


----------



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

dixieboy said:


> I've honestly never seen a bike trailer...well other than the smaller ones for pets and such. Where did you find one of those?


This is the one I bought. Maybe worth a try:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.js...g&matchtype=&gclid=CLWV4dTGkLsCFeNxQgodzjYAEQ


----------



## N8ON (Oct 7, 2010)

Can I ask you guys some questions on canoes. We have a couple of canoes around and I have thought of utilizing them for duck hunting.
Do you need lights on your canoe? Can you skim around in the shallow water with them or do you need to stay in the deeper water? Did you paint them camo? Do you just paddle or do you have a little motor? If a motor, what do you have?
I have thought several times about using them, but always wondered how it works.


----------



## SuzanChaffin (Nov 26, 2013)

I have a tandem kayak... I was not fully commuted to camo so I plasti dipped the boat and then spray painted. Worked well. No motor, just two paddles. We can drag the boat through anything. Super light is great and works well in all conditions so far.


----------



## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

N8ON said:


> Can I ask you guys some questions on canoes. We have a couple of canoes around and I have thought of utilizing them for duck hunting.
> Do you need lights on your canoe? Can you skim around in the shallow water with them or do you need to stay in the deeper water? Did you paint them camo? Do you just paddle or do you have a little motor? If a motor, what do you have?
> I have thought several times about using them, but always wondered how it works.


You need lights before daylight and after dark, especially in high traffic areas. I can paddle in shallow water, maybe 6" or less depending on load. You can get one practically anywhere, your only limitations are range and wind. You can even break a bit of ice. As a general rule, if I can't paddle through it, I can walk on it. Hard on paddles, though. Mine is green outside, tan inside. It blinds up easily, so I haven't painted it. If you put a motor on one you need to register it.


----------



## dixieboy (Jul 26, 2013)

Mine's the same green out tan in. I paddle everywhere as well, and absolutely hate windy days! Unless, the wind is in my favor (at my back) if it isnt i usually hug the dike until i get close enough to wade the rest of the way to where i want to go. As far as blinding it up, I cover it with some camo netting shove it in the reeds. I dont hunt from it much anymore, I have better luck if i get out and wade out away from it.


----------



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

dixieboy said:


> I've honestly never seen a bike trailer...well other than the smaller ones for pets and such. Where did you find one of those?


My FIL built one out of the deer recovery wagon doohickeys, it seems to work ok. He places one of the ice fishing sleds on top of the trailer to place all of his equipment in there.


----------

