History

Darren Digby

Layout boat hunting allows Lafleur to set up right where the birds want to be, often yielding early limits before sunrise.

Although foreign to many Louisiana hunters, layout-boat hunting is steeped in waterfowling tradition, originating in the days of commercial duck hunting in the lakes and bays of the northern and eastern United States.

Principally designed for targeting scaup ("dos gris" to us down here) and other low-flying diving ducks and sea ducks, these boats proved extremely effective in hiding hunters’ silhouette in open waters without the need for brushing.

The design of the original layout boats followed the widespread use of the outlawed sinkbox, which was similarly deployed in open waters for the commercial harvest of diving ducks.

Though the days of market hunting are long gone, recreational hunters across the country have discovered the boats’ effectiveness in a myriad of habitats. From swamps and marshes to flooded rice and corn, the common theme is concealment beneath the surrounding cover.

Many outfitters continue to offer traditional layout boat hunting in the storied waters of the Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard, just as a Louisiana guide would put you in a boat blind or pit.