# Float tube?



## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

I was looking on the cabelas website to buy a float tube for fishing a saw a camo one. it says that it's good for fishing and waterfowling. has anyone ever tried to hunt in a float tube or do you think that it would work? I think it would be great if it did.

what's your opinion on this type of thing?


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## Donttreadonme (Sep 11, 2007)

I use a float tube a lot to set decoys and retrieve them on small deep ponds. I would also think that they would be a great way to conceal yourself in 2-3' cover where you would normaly be standing in water. Some folks say you can use them for a "layout" type hunt but I have never seen it done. 

RR did you ever do the "layout" hunt from a float tube?


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## stuckduck (Jan 31, 2008)

I think it would be very hard to retrive a crippled bird in a float tube. to be able to paddle faster than a duck (specially divers) is Impossable. I know there are some on here that say than can do in but I think they are up in the night. That would be my only concern is not being able to retrive all the birds. For open water you would want a tube that is colored more gray than camo. Camo would work better as Joel said in the cover. 

just my 2 cents.


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## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

The method I've seen used were that the guys used a supermag goose deke over their heads out in the middle of a shallow pond. Sounded like a pretty difficult and awkward way to do it...... I've also watched some guys out in Goshen bay give it a whirl when it was icing up. They just sat out in the middle of the decoys. I didn't see how successful or unsuccessful they were, but I watched for about an hour without seeing a bird near their dekes.

I've heard of the F&G interpreting this as being a "sinkbox." I don't know how, but they did. The fine stuck and was paid as well, however I don't see how this could be considered "concealment under the water."


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Joel Draxler said:


> RR did you ever do the "layout" hunt from a float tube?


Kinda.... in an unconventional method. I used mine on a local reservoir to do a late season hunt in the snow before the lake iced up. The arm of the lake I hunted was too deep for me to wade to my ducks and I didn't take my dog so I had to use the tube to get them. I excavated a hole in the snow, took a white shower curtain to put over me and laid the seat all the way back in the tube until my head rested on the V behind me. Worked like a charm... had ducks in my dekes all morning and shot several of my "firsts" for the year because of that idea. Because of the tube and the foam seat, it was actually very comfy. Worst part of the day was when I shot ducks that dropped in the main lake area... it was super windy so some of the retrieves were a little hairy. One thing about my tube... its dark blue and black.... and when I kicked out to retrieve a downed duck, I had several goldeneyes, a couple Mallards and a Ringer that came and landed (within gun range anyway) by the tube while I kicked out... so the plain tube with me in it doesn't bother the ducks that bad.

I don't know how it would work on a high pressure area, but I'm certainly going to give it another shot this season. On Utah Lake this year, I'd imagine I could have some pretty good hunts out of a tube, getting out in the weedlines to areas that are too deep to wade to by the normal foot soldiers and won't be pounded out by guys in boats. The Berry is another idea I'm kicking around because of my success I had elsewhere.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

1BandMan said:


> I've heard of the F&G interpreting this as being a "sinkbox." I don't know how, but they did. The fine stuck and was paid as well, however I don't see how this could be considered "concealment under the water."


Nice thing about a lot of tubes now is they're putting guys in an "above the water" seat, especially in the V tubes that are out now. That right there defeats the sinkbox thing because all that is below the water is your shins and feet. Its not like your out there "body booting" or something like that.... you're definitely above water and yeah, it gets stinkin cold too if you're in the water for any amount of time, even with waders. Make sure you wear a life jacket rated for more than you weigh and lots of warm layers to do this.... that was another adjustment I'll have to make this season... I got kinda chilly but like I said, it was blowing pretty bad on the lake that day. I also had kinda short cords on some of my dekes so that was a handicap as well... make sure your cords are long enough. With the wave action, a couple of my retrieves were for "swimmers", just dekes that the waves carried out of the spread.


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## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

Back in the 80's when the lake came up, I used to take my float tube out below Layton (now the Nature Conservancy). The lake was very close to the parking lot so it was easy to access, and I would float around in the tops of the cattails with about 6 decoys. I shot plenty of ducks that way. I even shot some accidental geese that way. I just hunkered down when birds would approach. It was nearly impossible to chase down a cripple though. Keep in mind that this was with the old stlye donut tube. I would never try it now, but back then I was too naive to realize that I looked like a fool...and the birds were unpressured, so they didn't care how foolish I looked. Ah youth...
R


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

rjefre said:


> It was nearly impossible to chase down a cripple though. Keep in mind that this was with the old stlye donut tube.


I have a hunch, and its just that so far because I'm still kinda playing with this idea.... but when I was in my tube, the birds I did have to finish off seemed a LOT less spooked by me cruising silently up to them in my tube than they've ever been before when I went crashing through the shallow water chasing them down and creating a ruckus. Nice thing too, if that does hold true, that the birds are a lot less spooked by a quiet approach, then tube might not really be a bad way to go, and the shotgun will help with just how far you have to chase your cripples as well. As for looking foolish.... well, I guess if that was a duckhunters main concern, half of us probably wouldn't leave the truck. 8)


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## rjefre (Sep 8, 2007)

True dat.

Example:


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

rjefre said:


> True dat.
> 
> Example:


****, I think I've seen that guy.... he wacks the heck outta some geese though. :lol: Thats a great picture!!


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

I have heard of people floating the Bear (in tubes) and jump Ducks and geese... true ? or no ?
It would seem like you could access some usually private areas...... might make ya feel like a millionaire  not saying I ever did it in the days of my thoughtless youth, but sounds like it might work.


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## diverfreak (May 11, 2008)

Do float tubes work? Yes, are there better ways? Yes. I first started hunting divers on the bear river with my float tube, hand painted flambeaus that i turned into goldeneyes with 25 foot long lines and 1lb anchors. This pic was back in '94 i have progressed and do things a little easier these days!










DiverFreak


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

I have a _big_ camoflage float tube and I have used it on several occasions for hunting ducks. It does work and it is a LOT of work, but I didn't have any kind of boat and wanted to hunt deeper water.

My freaking tube is so big that they would have a hard time pinning a sinkbox charge on me even with a liberal judge hired by PETA.
Not to mention that the idea of a sinkbox is to get you below the surface of the water, dry or relatively so, and out of the line of sight of the birds. 
If you stand waist or chest deep in water in your waders it isn't sinkbox hunting and is perfectly legal. In my tube I am about the same as waist deep.

I even used it on Farmington Bay one year on opening day, and remember getting laughed at by the CO as I went to all that trouble to get out in the middle where the birds were after the first hour or so and was so totally surrounded by coots that I could not shoot a duck without taking a limit of Coots at the same shot. :?


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Been there, and done it. :lol: About 25 years ago we would do it near Salina. Works good! The BAD about it, is when you smack a Goose, and it is heading directley for you, and you cant get out of the way!! They hurt like hell when they SMACK you in the chest!!!!! :roll: :roll:


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

I get to shoot at geese so seldom anymore that I would probably be just as happy to catch one like a hail mary as any other way. :wink: 
Of course my float tube back is so high that all I would have to do is duck and spin aound so the back of the tube was towards the goose, and it would not hit ME at all. Not sure I want to risk the tube blowout with that impact, but... :shock:


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