I'd like to share a few of my tips and tactics for better success while hunting out of a boat. I've been guiding for 5 years now and I hunt out of my boat every time. There are several things I do different than most hunters do.

The most critical factor to me is the sun. I hunt with the sun to my back every single hunt if I know it's going to be a clear day. The suns reflection is the biggest deterrent to a duck. the reflection from the brass on a spent shotgun shell can be the difference between decoying and flaring. Also, hunting with the sun to your back casts a shadow over the front of the boat to eliminate any chance of reflections.

Next is the wind. I know i'll get a ton of slack for this one but hunting with the wind at your back can be a mistake. You have to be different. Every single duck hunter out there is trying to set up with the wind at their back. it's true, ducks will land into the wind, and its also true the ducks see whats right in front of them. Hunt a cross wind with the decoys placed upwind. My best hunts over the last 2 years have come hunting a cross wind when a stiff northwester is blowing.

As far as the boat blind, I don't believe the fast grass is what flares ducks. I believe its the shapes and lines that they pick up on. for example: the top bar of your boat blind runs parallel to the water and is a straight line across. Look around in the marsh and see if you see a perfect line of grass like that. chances are you won't see it. the natural marsh is jagged with no rhyme or reason. Try to make your boat like that. This can be as simple as 7 or 8 sticks of cane in the front and back of the boat. Make sure you break them down at different heights and above the top of the boat blind.

And lastly, use a jerk cord. I started hunting with one this year and the results remind me of when the mojo decoy came out. It can be a hassle to set out in a boat but the results have been nothing short of amazing. last hunt I had a grey duck land directly in the middle of my 4 decoys attached to the jerk cord, and these 4 decoys are no further that 3 feet apart.

The key is to be different. and the more aspects you can be different in, the more success you can have. just like most things in life, it's the little things that make the biggest difference. think outside the blind!