Blind or Wading?

[Mike Belt]

Which way would you rather hunt... out of a blind or boat or by wading flooded timber? Not much of a duck hunter here but when I did some of the coldest I've ever been is on the boat ride going in to the hunt. I can remember thinking that I was literally going to freeze by jumping into the water and breaking the top layer of ice to wade around. Surprisingly, that wasn't as cold as being on top of the ground or water. It dawned on me real quick that if the water under the surface of ice wasn't frozen then it couldn't be below 32 degrees while everything above was below freezing.

 

[MudIslandMemphis]

I always prefer timber but it can be a lot of competition around you, especially if it's public land. Could take a couple seasons of scouting the same area to find a hole that the birds like to land, and good luck beating someone else there in the morning. Last two seasons I've hunted out a of a rice pit with nobody close to hunting around us so it's been good, especially if it freezes up and you can bust open a hole.

 

[CBU93]

Blind hunting is not my favorite; much prefer hugging a tree.

 

[MickThompson]

Count me in the crawl up on the bank crowd. I don't care much for permanent blinds. They are comfy, but it takes some of the "hunt" out of it for me.

 

[Crosshairy]

I've really enjoyed hunting flooded timber, but I've had a few hunts with some awful walk-ins that wreck you before you get to the spot. That can steal a lot of your joy...

I took my 14-foot jon boat on its maiden duck-hunting voyage on Saturday, and the motor had trouble starting, so walk-in timber spots seemed even better then :bash: