Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
As I’ve gotten older what I have learned is not what I should have learned. Be smart, travel light, and be prepared. Instead, as a plan B, I tend to bring everything I might need to the marsh and field. For the most part though I do know better and have a few thoughts on getting into the hunt burning the fewest calories.
Table of contents
Hunters Have Lots Of Gear
Whether by land or water, how you get the necessities in can make or break a good hunt. Let’s start with the big haul aside from plain dragging it all in with your pickup truck. When hunting with some distance to travel a walk carrying several dozen decoys is a tough way to start the day.
Add in your guns, shells, and perhaps your waders and maybe even something to eat and you get to a large load pretty quick. Nothing like arriving at your favorite honey hole being soaked in sweat, legs wobbling, and half your wardrobe already shucked along the route.
Haul It All On Your Back
Most times when I hunt with friends we divide and conquer the load, whatever we have to get in when a walk of a mile or more is required. Often the walk will require hauling in waders to ease the walk. A good mile walk in will humble most folks trying to carry stuff without some form of cart. What really gets you is the haul out when you have 4-6 ducks that were not in the haul in, but regardless the mark of a great hunt. Looking up the road in the daylight and seeing the truck a mile away is very much different than the walk in while dark with nothing to reconnoiter your position. In the light you see how far you really have to walk.
Boat In Instead of Carrying It
A boat-in requires less planning, but eventually, all the stuff you need has to get to the duck hole if levees, low water, or other physical barriers are left to hurdle. It is hard to leave stuff behind. Do you really need extra batteries for your motion, or maybe even a large battery or generator to run an ice eater? How many decoys are needed? How much do they weigh?
READ MORE: Field Test: Badlands Vario System
Boats do indeed make the haul so much easier and whether it is a 14’ boat full of gear, or a one-man layout boat the stuff you can haul in is impressive.
Overhead Haul
Finally the over-land haul using whatever it takes to get your equipment in safety. I know for a fact a UTV can haul a load, and often in fields where no trucks are allowed this is the only way to get in without tearing up the farmer’s land. It always seems that a one-haul load is the best, but that does not always work. As well, things fall off along the way so you never quite get it perfect.
