What a Dive!

Spent yesterday bobbing around Lake Erie with my buddy Mike Schultz, one of his friends, and Capt. Brian Meszaros owner of the Diver Down Crew guide service. As this was only my second time out for ducks, and my first time hunting from a layout boat, it was highly anticipated.

What a totally cool experience! The layout boats resemble a shorter, wide kayak. After setting the decoys, each guy is dropped into one layout boat. You scrunch down flat to be invisible and start watching the horizon. Within a few minutes, Schultzy and I had some action, though we both blasted through three rounds with nary a hit.

If you haven't hunted diver ducks, they are FAST. Capt. Brian said bluegills can easily hit 60-70 mph on approach. The challenge is waiting until the very last second, quickly acquiring your target and letting fly. That, and leading them a BUNCH!

I had one confirmed kill, with Schultzy picking up the balance. Afterward, I got a quick lesson in cleaning ducks. Surprisingly simple, actually.

A couple of gear reviews will be forthcoming - this was the first hunt with my Remington Versa Max, and my Browning Hell's Canyon jacket kept me toasty and pretty dry. Great experience! I think I'm going blind hunting in Canada in a couple of weeks, so should be a nice duck season!

-Sean-