Try Bellyboating for Duck Hunting

Bam! Bam! Bam! Off to my right, duck hunting afloat, half-hidden by the willows, Friend Wife swung and fired on a small flock of incoming woodies. I didn’t have time to note her success or failure. At the sound of her shooting the bird I’d picked backpedaled, turned, and swooped off in a new direction. I had to check my swing, reverse it, lead through the duck---which had suddenly become a multi-colored jet fighter---and see if I could down him.

When the smoke cleared, two woodies lay on the water. I won’t say who dropped them, but all I’d done was punch a nice hole in the autumn sky. Even so, I was particularly pleased with the evening’s duck hunting, because it represented that best of all outdoor experiences---a theoretical solution to a problem that proves out in the field.

I’d first noticed these woodies on an opening-day dove shoot. As we sat cleaning the doves in the gloaming of an early evening, movement over a nearby farm pond caught my eye. Wood ducks were strafing the water. Must have been a dozen or more of them. Kentucky’s special early wood-duck season would be opening in a couple of weeks. That acre-and-a-half pond, I thought, would be a perfect place for duck hunting.

There was no trouble gaining permission hunt it. My host at the dove shoot owned the pond. The logistics of duck hunting that water, however, were troublesome.

For starters, I was between dogs. This meant I had to figure a way of retrieving any birds we’d harvest while duck hunting. An acre and a half doesn’t sound like much, but it takes on the proportions of Lake Michigan when a dead duck is floating out in the middle and the water is 10 feet deep.

Then there was the cover problem. Other than a couple of willows overhanging the water, there wasn’t any. None! Nuthin’! Nada! Grass grew to the water’s edge, and the farm manager kept it fairly well trimmed. There wasn’t time to build a duck blind. Nor, frankly, did I think it worth the trouble just for a couple of days duck hunting. Finally, there was the matter of security. Whatever I did had to convince the ducks it was safe to continue their overflights.

It took a fishing trip to suggest an answer. We were flyrodding for smallmouth bass in a flooded quarry, using float tubes, when it struck me. Why not use the tubes---called “belly boats” by most anglers---to set up outside the willows? The tubes would keep us low to the water’s surface, where our presence wouldn’t be noticeable. Although not traditional duck hunting weather, it was chilly enough for camo jackets, adding to the illusion of our being some flotsam caught in the branches. A handful of mallard dekes, and maybe a heron as a confidence builder, would take care of the security.

Sure enough, opening day of the early season found us hunkered against the willows, suspended by camo-patterned belly boats. I towed a mesh bag of decoys behind me, and laid them in a random pattern about us. Only used five of the cork blocks I prefer. Over near shore was a heron, standing tall and broadcasting a message that nothing around here was dangerous.

Everything went exactly as planned, except that Barbara limited out while I got skunked. But I wasn’t unhappy, because I had solved the problem. We’ve since used bellyboats in numerous duck hunting and waterfowling situations, ranging from popping puddle ducks on backcountry potholes to diver shooting on big lakes.

Float tubes, if you’re unfamiliar with them, are plastic bladders (originally they were truck innertubes) enclosed in a nylon cover. An auxiliary air chamber is located at the rear, serving as a backrest, and a strap-and-webbing system creates a seat inside the tube. You sit in the tube, propelling it with swim fins.

During waterfowl seasons you wear hunting waders because half your body is, essentially, in the water. This allows some stealthy movement, usually unnoticed by game. I prefer neoprene chest hunting waders, because of their insulation value. But breathables, along with poly long-handles, work just as well.

In addition to the float tube there are some accessories you might consider that make bellyboating safer and more convenient while duck hunting. First and foremost is a personal flotation device. Many float-tubers prefer them, and in some jurisdictions they are required. Best bet here is the CO2 cartridge type, which fit flat and out of the way until needed. Then a quick pull on a cord rapidly inflates them. Given the stability of float tubes you’ll probably never need this extra protection. But PFDs are always good insurance when you’re on the water.

Anchoring devices come in handy, and there are two types to consider: scaled-down traditional anchors, available commercially, and brush anchors you make yourself. These are large alligator clips on a length of rope. Decoy anchor line is a good choice. By snapping the clips to brush, stick-ups, or other such features you remain in position more easily.

Backpack straps are available for most tubes, and they make it very convenient to reach small, out-of-the-way ponds. You’ll have to carry your gun separately, but all other gear fits into a small daypack that rides inside the tube.

While ideal for small lakes and ponds, belly boats can be used on larger waters. You don’t want to be out in big, open water when things get rough. But on calm days a bellyboat is safe enough. Protected bays and the arms of impoundments are good bets. Indeed, when the waves kick up out on the lake, the bays and inlets become more attractive to waterfowl anyway.

Under the right conditions, float tubes even lend themselves to goose hunting, as they provide the flexibility to move around when birds become savvy to permanent hunting blinds and pits.

All in all, bellyboats open numerous opportunities for duck hunting and waterfowling. Give one a try and discover some of those new horizons for yourself.