August, 1921 
FOREST AND STREAM 
345 
pears to be some object drifting with 
the wind or current. I have had singles 
comei in and light, or attempt to do so, 
while I was sitting up in the boat sky 
gazing, but I wasn’t moving. An object 
doesn’t really mean much to a duck until 
he sees it move. Many good shots at 
birds have been lost by hunters who 
could not sit or lie still until the bird 
came within range. I once had a good 
trap shooter but a novice at duck shoot- 
ing out hunting with me. I marked a 
mallard heading straight in though still 
a long way from the decoys. I cautioned 
my friend to be ready, telling him that 
“a duck is heading in.” He raised up 
above the blind and, taking aim, waited, 
or started to wait for the duck to fly 
right up to him and give him a shot: 
maybe he thought he was at the traps. 
He didn’t get a shot but I gave him a nice 
little lecture and a few words of ad- 
vice. When I got through he told me 
that he didn’t know there was so much 
to learn about duck shooting. 
There isn’t such a great deal to know 
law covering the subject one hundred to 
one hundred and twenty-five makes a 
good sized flock. The shooting ground, 
as in layout shooting, should be on the 
feeding or bedding ground, or in the line 
of flight. The flock may be mixed, using 
blue-bill, red-head and canvasback to- 
gether, though it is not a bad plan to 
keep the different species by themselves. 
They should be set either in square or 
rectangular form with an open space 
eight or ten feet running through the 
center through which you guide your 
boat when coming down. 
The types of boats vary in general 
design; they are fifteen or sixteen feet 
long and from thirty to thirty-six inches 
beam and from eight to twelve inches 
above the water line. The cockpit is 
roomy as usually two men hunt from the 
boat and there must be space for the 
decoys also. The boat is pointed at 
both ends for, when “lying back” the 
boat is anchored from the stern. 
Next in importance to the boat and 
decoys, and that which really makes 
holes should not oe cut until after blind 
has been finished and set up in boat and 
you have gauged the proper place for 
them by taking the position you would 
use in watching the flock as the man 
paddling brings you down on the birds. 
They should, in any case, be cut low 
enough so that the observer’s head will 
be down behind the blind. The blind I 
am about to describe is of simple con- 
struction but it will be serviceable and 
will answer the purpose. After having 
built this blind and used it you will, no 
doubt, see room for improvement and 
alterations to fit your particular boat. 
As mentioned before, there is no standard 
pattern; each hunter building his blind 
to fit his boat and to suit his own ideas 
without departing from the primary idea 
of the purpose for which it is intended. 
F OR the blind that I have in mind all 
that is needed are two yards of can- 
vas, two pine edgings % x 1%" x 
6', one piece of ash or oak %" x 2" x 2', 
one medium size strap hinge, one hasp 
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but a man must be patient and, above 
all, must learn to keep down until he is 
ready to shoot. 
Sneak shooting is all action but, as 
in all forms of duck shooting, all move- 
ment must be concealed. Sneak shooting 
is a game for the veteran hunter. It 
requires plenty of hard work, good 
judgment and quick action. 
Before going further a few words on 
the equipment necessary will be in place. 
T HE decoys should be much larger 
than those used for other forms of 
shooting. For comparison, I will state 
that I have canvasback decoys as large as 
live wild geese. The ducks will hold better 
with the larger decoys. The bottoms 
should be flat and well weighted, or fitted 
with a metal or wooden fin, or keel, to 
prevent them from rolling in roughwater. 
It is not absolutely necessary to have 
the larger decoys but they answer the 
purpose better. The larger your de- 
coys, of course, the fewer you can carry 
unless you have a launch to take you to 
your shooting ground. The number will 
necessarily vary according to the laws 
of the state in which you hunt. In 
Michigan, as before stated, the legal 
number is fifty, but where there is no 
sneak shooting possible, is the sneak 
blind. This, usually, is made of canvas 
and extends twelve or fifteen inches from 
each side of the boat and is from twelve 
to eighteen inches high, depending on the 
depth of the cockpit. The canvas is 
trimmed on the bottom of blind to fit 
the shape of deck and extends to the 
water to hide any. movement of the 
paddle. Perhaps a description of a type 
of blind would be of interest. Since 
these blinds are mostly home-made af- 
fairs, built to suit the fancy and type 
of boat of the hunter using it, there is 
no real standard shape or size. The 
type shown in drawing is one that can 
be easily made in an hour or so at a cost 
that ought not to exceed two dollars. 
Consider that the blind is intended to 
conceal you and your movements when 
paddling or steering your boat and you 
will not have much trouble in designing 
it to fit your boat. Determine just how 
wide you want to make the blind by judg- 
ing how far over the side you will reach 
when paddling. The height can best be 
judged by the depth of the cockpit. It 
should be high enough to cover the head 
of the gunner in the front of the boat, 
who should be kneeling and leaning for- 
ward or on hands and knees. The peep 
and staple, some screws and tacks, and 
three or four pounds of lead which can 
be melted and poured to form two strips 
to be used as weights for the canvas 
flaps that extend to the water on each 
side of the boat. Determine how high 
you want your blind by the depth of 
your cockpit and height of combing at 
the bow of your boat, remembering that 
the deeper the cockpit the lower the blind 
should be, but make it as low as possi- 
ble. Lay strips at desired distance apart 
and screw on upright directly in center. 
Fasten on hinge so that joint will come 
on bottom edge of bottom bar. The can- 
vas can then be tacked on, leaving sur- 
plus on bottom to be trimmed when 
blind is set up, to fit around combing and 
deck and for the flaps that drop to the 
water. Saw through upright from in- 
side to meet joint of hinge. 
Two small blocks will have to be 
screwed on inside of upright, just above 
and below bottom bar, to bring it flush 
with lower bar so that the hasp and 
staple can be fastened on. The hasp is 
used to hook up blind with lower part of 
upright to keep blind up when going 
down to your decoys. When up to the 
decoys and ready to shoot, the hasp is 
(continued on page 370 ) 
