Old Sail Boat Turned Layout Boat

North Texas Duck Hunts http://www.northtexasduckhunts.com/


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I always wanted to try hunting out of a layout boat but it just never seemed like it would work well. I decided after reading and looking at the clips to give it a go. So I went on line and looked at the many boats available. I believed the cost was not equal to the outcome I would see. I had this idea, why not find an old sail boat and convert it to a layout. The next step was to go on Crags list and find one. I found a boat in good shape paid around 150.00 and was on my way. This was my first experience with cutting and fiber glassing a boat. To my surprise it was not all that hard to re-do the boat.This is a Phantom style sail boat. I had to cut the center board slid out and patch the hole. Cut the cockpit about 2′ longer and glass the entire bottom just incase I missed anything. I put a hatch on which I ended up removing as I found out I did not need it. Two Rings in the front and rear for anchor lines and paint it.
The cost for the entire boat finished was about 450.00.
We took it out to see if all was well. This boat is very stable, darn near imposiable to roll. I tried everything to get it to roll over. We took it hunting and the boat works. It works on divers it works on all puddle ducks and fools everything flying by. Hope this gives you some new prospective on looking outside the box
 http://www.northtexasduckhunts.com/

This is a Phantom type sail boat

Trying to roll boat. I could not.

North Texas Duck Hunting-How to reduce the weight in you mud boat Pt1

North Texas Duck Hunts http://northtexasduckhunts.com/
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Weight is a big problem in the mud boat. The idea is to use this boat to get into the shallows. When the actual weight of the boat is increased by people and gear this can add up fast. I like to load my boat like I’m loading a plane. Watching and adding the weight to achieve the best performance. This past season I had a dilemma of weight. The drought forced me to travel a minimum of 8 miles of open water to the hunting areas. The boat is just not set up for this. It is a 16×48 john boat with a 23 hp LT. It shines in 3” of water but not open water waves. I reduced 180 pounds of weight out of the boat by replacing the common plastic decoys with inflatable decoys, bag decoys and shell decoys. These decoys worked much better than I ever expected. I had none of the so called problems I read on the forums with the inflatable decoys. I hunt every day for a living and they would have been tossed out at the first glitch. Watch what I have to say in the 2 part clips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da-l5ht5qp4 Part 1

Eye Contact:Training The Youn Pup http://www.northtexasdogtrainers.com/

North Texas Dog Trainers

This is the key to training your retriever. If you can have your pup look up at you like this, as if to say WHATS NEXT DAD you have it made. This is a look of not only respect for the trainer but also one that wants to please. OK you ask how do I get the look? Well you need to be consistent in your commands, show the retriever you are able to control them and yes become a friend. Before every training session while pup is in kennel I stroke, pet and talk to them. Then make pup sit while putting on the training equipment..They my wiggle and squirm but make them sit before they leave kennel This is all the start of control. I always play with pup before the training begins. Throw bumpers or just get on the ground and wrestle and have a good time with pup. Then I throw in a sit...Make pup sit while putting chock chain on.....Do this every time you put equipment on pup......Move right into the training session..Always talk to pup like a friend while training..I reach down and stroke pups head often,tap leg to move pup forward along with a tap with chain. Talk to them..If they do a few maneuvers correctly break down into play be very happy for the success...Then immediately turn to training. Pup will be wanting to pleas after a few sessions of this work play training. They will over time stop in there tracks when you say sit to put on the equipment.. Why? You made it fun and you showed pup you know what you are doing...I use to train up to 20 dogs a day with this technique..I get in and get out with success.. I make it fun for them..They look forward to get to the training. You must not be so military with the slow learner. This can cause problems with the trust of the trainer. Many dog owners that want to train there own pup can have a trust issue. The pup needs to have the training mixed with play. This will break up the drills,while helping the pup trust the training. The new trainer may feel the need to over train. This is the sign of the unconfident trainer. He thinks the dog has to be trained twice a day on one subject. This can back fire and the pup can loose drive and interest altogether. You need to be consistent and if you train it right the first time you can stop at that point. I always check on the attitude of the pup whenever a session is over. This is with a happy bumper. If the pup flys after the bumper I know they are still up for the next training session. The pup that just wants to cow needs to be lifted up somehow. They need a day off and just think. This can work wonders for the pup. Just remember not to over do the training session. You have a long time to work the pup. Take your time.

North Texas Duck Hunts

http://northtexasduckhunts.com/

We had a great 2011-2012 Season..

The drought had everyone very worried about what the ducks or lack of ducks would be like. The duck came and staied for the season where the water was as it turns out perfect for them. I saw more ducks all season than I have seen in a long time. The lakes were at a level that duck love. Shallows were for miles instead of just small pockets. Then the rains came and it rained ducks. Thousands filled the newly flooded areas.
The important part of the season was being able to find the secluded spots. This scouting takes time and a great deal of patience. The hunter needs to be able to look and listen at what he sees to identify the spots.
The important part of the season was being able to find the secluded spots. This scouting takes time and a great deal of patience. The hunter needs to be able to look and listen at what he sees to identify the spots. In my blogs you can read a few tips on how I find the hot areas. Take a look, I hope you find some helpful information.

http://youtu.be/gqwwUCZI3HQ

North Texas Dog Trainers

Puppy Head Start

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHiML-NWFHA

Mud Motors In North Texas

16x48

23hp Go-Devil LT in 4" of water

If you ask 10 people you will get 20 different answers to which is the best. A long tail (LT) or the surface drive (SD). I would hazard the young very new hunter has never driven one and has never had the thrill of the stand up ride. I have had both a 35 SD and I have a 23 LT. The SD was matched to the boat by the manufacture and the LT is on a 16x48 all weld john boat. If I could get away with it I would have a 36. Both of these have good and bad points as there is never anything perfect. The SD was great and hated to part with it but it just did not preform well in the hard clay of Texas. The issue with the prop guard was the last straw. It made my clients and myself get out and push one too many times. The speed and ease of travel was great and the open water travel could not be beat. The boat was a tank and it pushed through cover well. The guard just killed the deal. No matter what anybody wants to think the power of physics comes into play. Once that prop is out of the water there is nothing that's going to get that boat to move, short of pushing or the winch. All you can get out of it is about 6" of water and then your stuck..Yes you can motor like a bat out of hell in six inches of water or less but Lord help you if you have to stop. The water will no longer be sucked to the prop and your high and dry. Like I said I do not think one is better than the other it just did not work for the conditions I hunt in 99 percent of the time. The LT is not easy to drive at all in open water. It is much slower and very unmaneuverable. In tight spaces it is like a barge and you have no reverse available. You can bash your face on the bar and you must stand to drive. All this said it is the real 4x4 of the marsh. It is like the Defender Land Rover compared to a heavy duty crew cab in the outback. Which one would you want to be in. It can travel in much skinner water with a full load. Please do not say "no it can't". Like you all know you can not dig a hole in hard mud with a SD after you loose the momentum and stop your in a mess. No prop no move. The LT has 6 feet of reach so you can put the prop in the water a full 180 deg,when the boat is high centred on stumps or logs. It also well knock most dead timber out of the way. The torque can not be beat it powers you out of most anything in skinny water. If you hit a unseen river or creek bank while going slow. The reach can save you after the boat comes to an unexpected stop. All this said I wish I had the larger boat and the SD this past year. Most of the runs were 8-9 miles of open water and wind. It was a not only a pain but dangerous. Once there it was gravy. When it's all said and done to each his own. Good luck to all and be safe.

North Texas Duck Hunting-scouting part 2

North Texas duck hunting can be a challenge on public waters. You need several tricks up your sleeve to be in the right spot or the X. Proper scouting is the foundation to finding these areas and bringing home a limit of ducks. In my first part of this series I showed you how to find the lake itself, the lake authority, ramps and the satellite links to see these lakes. Now I will discuss how I find the secluded areas that hold ducks.
The lake has been chosen and were off to find ducks.

(1)Now to see where these honey holes are we do not get to the lake at noon. The time of day you plan to hunt is the time you scout. The first visit you obviously do not know the lay of the land.

(2) I am ready, boat in water at the glow on the horizon.

(3) I have my GPS on and continually marking my progress. This next little practice separates the scouts from the boaters.

(4) You motor slowly from the ramp and LOOK at the sky. I find a vantage spot somewhere that I can see a large piece of horizon and shut down. I beach the boat then WATCH AND LISTEN. I am scouting not boating. I do this to see the ducks heading to the feeding sites. You must be very patient to do any scouting. I can sit up to an hour before I decide to move to the area I have chosen to look at. If the vantage point is not working of course you move. I decide on a spot to head to. You need to keep track of these birds as you move to another vantage spot. You just keep moving closer and closer. Stop every 200 yards or so, watch and listen.

(5) Once you spot the area of feeding get out of the boat and walk into this spot. Stopping, looking and listening. If you motor in you will scatter the ducks before you get closer than 300 yds. Keep sneaking up to them. Stopping every 50 yds to watch were the bulk of the birds are landing. If your close to the X you will know it. Then just sit there and watch the show.

(6)The listening part of scouting is very important. Ducks are very vocal if the spot is a true honey hole. You can hear ducks feeding for miles. The people that just tear around the lake a warp speed never hear this. I can always hear people passing these secluded spots while I watch hundreds of ducks feeding. Remember, stop, watch, listen, mark, and kill.

(7)This next scouting tip is a sure fire way to find most all the areas ducks hold up in. Once you know the lake and can venture out in the pre dawn darkness ( two hours min before sunrise) use the same drive and sneak tactics. You can't see the birds but while you sit Quietly on the water you can hear them feeding. Zero in on the feeding areas by noise only. NO LIGHTS or motor can be on as you get within 300 yds of these birds. You must walk the boat or walk in yourself. If the water is too deep paddle or troll motor in. If the water is shallow I start the walk in at about 2-300 yards out. DO NOT USE LIGHTS as you walk in. Your eyes will be accustomed to the darkness so seeing is not a problem ( USE A REAL WALKING STICK). Find something to sit on and be prepared to sit for a few hours.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbBpiZ3SD88

(8) If the birds are coming into the area the last hour before sunrise it is not a night roost but a feeding area or morning roost of birds coming back from feeding at night. Each is where you want to be. As dawn hits watch to see were the true X is in the feeding area and sneak to the spot. Mark and get out to find another feeding area on the lake. Using the same method. There are my 8 key ways to success in finding the birds good luck.

Richard has 33 years experience hunting waterfowl. He owns North Texas Duck Hunts and North Texas Dog Trainers and has trained working retrievers for the past 18 yrs. His knowledge of waterfowl brings his clients to the birds. This is not a part time job but a year long endeavor both training and keeping his eye out for better lakes to hunt http://northtexasduckhunts.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkZuhTOhwps Do not watch this one if you do not like hunting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zn0j0sy8oA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d34n55ZS2DA