![]() "I usually position the last decoy on the downwind end of the pipeline about 90 yards from the layout boat-nearly twice effective shotgun range," he says. Brightly painted drake canvasback, redhead, or bluebill decoys are spaced about 15 to 20 feet apart on the pipeline to attract divers trading over open water from great distances. In addition, Rongers sets a 300-foot "pipeline" downwind of the main decoy spread. He spaces his decoys seven to eight feet apart on the downwind half of his spread and five to six feet apart on the upwind half. His typical diver spread consists of four to eight dozen long lines, with eight to 12 decoys on each line. "We rig our decoys on 150-foot lines made of -inch diamond braid or solid braid sinking nylon rope in OD green or black." "Long-lining is the most practical way to rig decoys for hunting in varying water depths," he says. While hunting divers on big water, he deploys decoys on long lines anchored on either end with heavy weights. Like most traditional layout hunters, Rongers' favorite quarries are canvasbacks, redheads, scaup, and other diving ducks. It's what we like to call stealth technology for the duck hunter." We design our boats with a series of concentric circles that radiate out from the cockpit, creating a gradual slope to the water that doesn't cast a shadow. Of course, a good layout boat also has to be low profile. "Since layout hunting is often done offshore, our paramount concern is safety, and all of our boats are built to exceed U.S. ![]() "We have tried to take the best elements of the classic layout boats of the past and improve upon them," Rongers says. His company, The Mighty Layout Boys, manufactures a full line of layout boats and accessories, and their website ( is a popular forum and information hub for layout gunners from across North America and beyond. Although some modern layout boats can be powered by outboard motors, traditional layout boats are typically carried or towed to the hunting area by a larger, more seaworthy "tender boat." Gunners take turns shooting from one or more layout boats and manning the tender boat, kept nearby to retrieve downed birds.Īmong the nation's most experienced big-water layout hunters is Mark Rongers of Hobart, Indiana. Much like the sink box gunners of old, these hunters conceal themselves in layout boats anchored in deep, open water adjacent to large spreads of decoys. With origins dating back to the market-hunting era, traditional open-water layout hunting is still actively pursued by waterfowlers in many regions of this continent. Following is an overview of the most popular types of layout boats and coffin blinds, as well as proven strategies for using them. Today's layout rigs, constructed of lightweight, durable materials, allow waterfowlers to safely and comfortably hunt in a wide range of wetland types. Ducks and geese naturally flock to wide-open places to feed and rest, and this behavior is further reinforced by hunting pressure, as the birds learn quickly to avoid any patch of cover large enough to conceal hunters.Īlthough waterfowlers have developed a variety of tactics and equipment to hunt in open-water settings, layout hunting-in which shooters conceal themselves by reclining inside low-profile boats or coffin blinds-has long been among the most effective. What these habitats may lack in aesthetics, they more than make up for in waterfowl numbers. But the fact is, better duck and goose hunting is often available in open-water habitats largely bereft of vegetation like flooded croplands, moist-soil impoundments, and reservoirs. Given a choice, most waterfowlers would hunt in natural wetlands with plenty of cover in which to conceal themselves, such as flooded timber, salt marshes, or cattail sloughs. Here's how to make the most of these deadly forms of concealment
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