The shooting of ducks from a boat is often practiced on rivers with very swampy, and therefore impassable shores, on lakes with overgrown islets and bays.
As a rule, two hunters ride a boat, and one of them, with a gun at the ready, stands or sits on the bow of the inflatable boat, and the other leads the boat, driving it. Swimming in the places where ducks are dying or feeding, hunters inevitably raise them on the wing, and the one sitting in front shoots at them. From time to time, the hunters change places.
If an inflatable boat accommodates three hunters, then two shooters sit on the bow of the boat, who preliminarily agree among themselves about the directions in which each of them shoots.
When hunting ducks from a boat, it is very useful to have a dog with you, which serves up dead ducks that have fallen into dense thickets, and also searches for and catches wounded animals.
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What is the safest position?
Shooting ducks from the entrance to the exit is quite easy, and its conditions are almost the same as the conditions of shooting ducks from the exit. It should only be taken into account that you have to shoot from a swinging and moving boat and in a rather uncomfortable position. For some reason, many hunters prefer to lie in the bow of the boat with a gun in their hands on this hunt. True, in this position you get less tired, and you make it easier to push the work, but shooting is very inconvenient. To shoot, you have to rise, shaking the boat and wasting precious seconds for shooting at the duck exactly at the moment when its flight changes from vertical to horizontal. At this moment, shooting is extremely easy: you shoot at a large bird with spread wings, as if sitting or as if motionlessly hanging in the air. Due to the indicated lying in the bow of the boat, you will never be able to shoot as successfully as sitting on the bow, ready at any time to fire a shot at a bird that has taken off, and you will often miss the opportunity to fire a shot at a duck that flew from the side or from behind.
Can hunters on a boat shoot one way?
It is worth remembering that it is forbidden to shoot at a bird in the water, except completing a wounded bird, which is allowed if the territory is visible in the direction of the shot and there are no other hunters on it. Less experienced hunters are recommended to shoot while sitting on a raised seat and do not shoot at one side. Hunters should stand or sit back-to-back and shoot that way. For safety reasons, it is dangerous to turn to one side, because hunters can lose balance, fall into the water, and even overturn the boat.
In order not to violate the safety rules, it is necessary to discuss the hunting strategy before starting the hunt. If you want to get up, change your posture, you must inform your partner about this so that he can take a stable position.
To avoid this kind of imbalanced recoil, both of you hunters should discuss your hunting strategy beforehand. Moreover, when you plan to swing or move, you should also inform your companion about it.
Is it possible to shoot in a boat while standing
No matter how stable the boots, boats, and kulas intended for hunting are in the water, they are always subject to rolling. One sharp movement, a fleeting movement of the hunter to one of the sides – and the boat has already tilted so unexpectedly that it is easy to lose balance while standing in it. This is especially important when there are two or three people in the boat. Their uncoordinated actions very often lead to general unintentional bathing. Shooting while standing from an unsecured boat can only be those who have fully mastered this boat and are alone in it.
Duck Hunting Safety Tips
Hunting for waterfowl can be carried out both by a team of hunters and individually, depending on the internal regulations for the respective categories of hunting farms. When hunting for waterfowl, the hunter must observe general safety rules when handling hunting weapons. Always keep in mind that other hunters may also be located in the reservoir, therefore, when shooting, you must be extremely careful. When hunting from a boat, it is forbidden to shoot over the heads of people in it. On each hectare of hunting grounds typical for water birds, no more than 4 hunters are allowed to hunt.
To make your duck hunt enjoyable, safe, and interesting, follow these tips and do not forget about safety rules.
- Discuss your hunting strategy beforehand.
- Check the weather forecast, it is better to go hunting on cloudy days.
- Tell your relatives where you plan to hunt.
- Check the boat to be sure it is working properly.
- Check the weapon.
- Wear a life jacket and warm clothing.
- Do not get up suddenly in the boat so as not to fall or overturn the boat.
Related Video: 5 Mistakes Duck Hunters Make
All in all
When the boat is fixed on the water (it stands in a hut arranged for it, is driven into a clump of reeds or cattail), its stability increases sharply and you can feel and shoot in it completely calmly. Quite often it happens that two of one boat or boat hunts. For example, when hunting from the entrance, one, being in the stern, drives the boat, the second, sitting on the middle bank shoots ducks. At the same time, the one who is rowing or pushing in no case should shoot – it is extremely dangerous. He is behind the back of his partner, and in this position, any manipulation of a loaded gun is unacceptable. During the hunt, partners can simply change places from time to time – the one who drove the boat changes to the shooter’s place, and vice versa.
Shooting ducks from a boat is a very interesting and beautiful hunt when you swim on a lake with clear water or a deep river. What a wonderful underwater world opens up before the eyes of a hunter!
From the boat, you can admire various aquatic life that swims in the amazingly beautiful underwater forests, grow at the bottom of the reservoir and whimsically fluctuate water currents.
How pleasant it is to swim for several hours in the pond and shoot ducks from a boat, stick to a small uninhabited island and make a fire there under the trees, cook dinner, boil tea, and relax in the lap of nature.