Ideas for mobile/highly portable hide for ducks?

[Macintosh]

Hoping to gather some ideas to put in my toolbox. This was really my first season duck hunting, Ive been a dozen times or so with friends over the years, but having fun with the steep learning curve on my own. Another month to go in our season. Im mainly hunting marshes and rivers off a very large lake, usually via kayak as most spots arent accessible by land, and my tin boat sticks out like a sore thumb. Teal and wood ducks early, now mallards and black ducks after the other birds have mostly all moved out. Zero cornfield-type hunting for ducks so thats not in play. Early season it was easy to tuck me and the kayak into cattails and thick marsh grass and get a good hide. Lately, the ducks have all been on the bigger water around river deltas, and they do see a good bit of pressure. The skittish ducks, far more sparse vegetation and very low water has me tearing my hair out trying to get a good hide thats within range of where ducks will land. Think 200 yards of exposed ground with sparse/low vegetation that is normally “water”. There are some wild rice stands in the water where ducks are landing, but its very low and sparse so even lying in my sit on top kayak in it is very obvious. A few beached logs here and there, but that’s the exception. What have folks done that is highly portable (1-1.5 mile kayak to get to hunting location) to create a good hide in conditions like this? I just ordered a badminton net that I plan to cut to length & attach cattails and wild rice stalks to, roll up with a few stakes and tie-outs, for a fast and easy to set up blind. A layout chair seems like it’d be great in a (very) few situations, but not sure about using one in 6-8” of water. Any other tips or ideas, especially with pictures? Id really appreciate anything you have done that has worked well for you.
Thanks in advance!

 

[OneGunTex]

If by myself or with 1 other person, i have had good luck hiding the boat a couple hundred yards from my spread and hiding myself under a shrub or clump of vegetation. No blind, no nothing. You can keep yourself much lower profile and stiller than a pile of unnatural gear/camo/vegetation.

With 3+ people, I would still hide the boat(s) further away and use a panel blind, brushed in with whatever vegetation you can find (bring it with you if you have to) and sit on marsh seats or similar. Even better than a commercial panel blind is a couple of stakes/t-posts rolled up with some fencing.

If totally exposed like you suggest and in water, perhaps some sort of brush-covered tarp or something that you could drape over your kayak? I think that's a hard.

Overall, I disagree with most folks that an impeccable hide is the most important thing. If you are where the birds want to be, you don't need decoys or calls or a blind or nothing. If you are trying to hunt someplace where 1) the birds aren't naturally going and 2) it's hard to hide, maybe find another spot?

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks.

Thats the issue, I know where the birds want to be, and that’s almost universally where the hardest hide is. Weve had birds coming in quite a lot and flaring just out of range. Even a panel blind—at least the ones Ive seen—is tough to get there in the kayak. I have one of those camo nets, which weve staked up and then brushed in, but half the time you stand back 50 yards and look at it and it still sticks out like a motor-home parked in an empty parking lot… with the water so low there’s only very low, sparse natural vegetation that far from the normal shoreline to begin with, so zero brush or other stuff to hide in most places. Already using a minimal setup, no spinners just some minor motion to a few decoys, and full facemask and try to be disciplined looking… so I think it has to be the hide. Trying to toe the line between being extremely portable, while also actually capable of hiding, and after stepping back to look at it I feel like the hide is by far the weakest link in this case.

 

[Ikmclean]

I've had luck with the backpack style layout blinds, mines a tanglefree ground ghost. I use it mostly on mud flats hunting the river channel when water is low or on open gravel bars without much cover.

 

[dtrkyman]

Use a battery powered hedge trimmer and trim a bunch of vegetation close by that matches the area, then just pack in the trimmings and make a hide.

You can use a couple pieces of pvc for end posts and some plastic snow fence of similar to make a panel.

Youtube should have tons of videos to look at for ideas.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks. Yes, lots in youtube, much of which seems a bit different than what Im doing, and much of the “influencer” stuff that is somprevalent comes off as more of a infommercial so I dont trust it. so hoping to get some suggestions that are real-life tested. That idea is exactly the plan for the badminton net I have on the way.

 

[100percent]

Not sure what you want to spend but, check out four rivers or county line boats for ideas.

 

[Yoteassasin]

I’ve Made panels with hog panels and burlap with natural cover woven in . I use a piece of burlap I’ve tied rafia grass into to hide the stealth boat . Fast grass is nice but gets water logged and heavy . There are always the sheet camo that has stakes built in but it’s too short . Lately I use a pop up 3 side turkey set up with grass tied in .
As long as you stay still and find the x you’ll get them

Tidewe Panel Blind Waterfowl Duck Hunting Blind - Next-EVOS - TideWe

TIDEWE duck blind is designed for versatile use by waterfowl hunters. It can accommodate substantial disguised foliage and vegetation, enhancing concealment.

www.tidewe.com

 

[KurtR]

If by myself or with 1 other person, i have had good luck hiding the boat a couple hundred yards from my spread and hiding myself under a shrub or clump of vegetation. No blind, no nothing. You can keep yourself much lower profile and stiller than a pile of unnatural gear/camo/vegetation.

With 3+ people, I would still hide the boat(s) further away and use a panel blind, brushed in with whatever vegetation you can find (bring it with you if you have to) and sit on marsh seats or similar. Even better than a commercial panel blind is a couple of stakes/t-posts rolled up with some fencing.

If totally exposed like you suggest and in water, perhaps some sort of brush-covered tarp or something that you could drape over your kayak? I think that's a hard.

Overall, I disagree with most folks that an impeccable hide is the most important thing. If you are where the birds want to be, you don't need decoys or calls or a blind or nothing. If you are trying to hunt someplace where 1) the birds aren't naturally going and 2) it's hard to hide, maybe find another spot?

So your telling me if I went to the field with 10000 ducks feeding in it the next morning and just stood out there the ducks would still come land? I only hunt feeds the x right where they want to be on private land all year long and pie facing and bad hides are the number one reason they don’t finish.

 

[OneGunTex]

So your telling me if I went to the field with 10000 ducks feeding in it the next morning and just stood out there the ducks would still come land? I only hunt feeds the x right where they want to be on private land all year long and pie facing and bad hides are the number one reason they don’t finish.

Yeah? If you're by yourself, under a bush, face covered, i'd say you'll kill birds

 

[KurtR]

Yeah? If you're by yourself, under a bush, face covered, i'd say you'll kill birds

How many bushes are out in a corn or wheat field or soy beans. There’s no chance . How often are you hunting fields and just laying in them and killing birds?

 

[Kurts86]

Not sure what you want to spend but, check out four rivers or county line boats for ideas.

I have run a Four Rivers boat since 2001 and that whole category of layout boats works amazing when brushed up in shallow and sparse cover. I will say the mo marsh invisiman’s hide even better since they are only 4’ long instead of 12’ long when brushed in as well.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Buy some pvc 1” maybe 1.5” and make a little take down hide