Columbia River Duck hunt exchange

[vandeman17]

I would love to learn more about hunting the Columbia river within a reasonable drive of Wenatchee. I don't have a boat but my uncle's have a nice boat that they NEVER use and I have free access to it if I want it. Are there any guys out there that would be willing to exchange some of their river hunting knowledge with me in exchange for use on the boat, all my gear etc. I would be fine with picking up the lunch tab afterwards or whatever as well. I hunt in the Othello, Royal City areas as well as Tri Cities so I am looking for something a little closer to home.

[gasman]

HEY, I will go with you and we can learn together.



 










Sorry, could not resist 

[vandeman17]

Haha of course! Just need a starting point and then we could figure it out. The new pup loves to swim so I bet she would have a great time.

[Feanix]

I will let you know if we have someone bail and have an open seat. My buddies and i hunt above Rocky Reach.

[Brad Harshman]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

[vandeman17]

I will let you know if we have someone bail and have an open seat. My buddies and i hunt above Rocky Reach.

That would be awesome. I have been duck hunting for years and have all the gear, just want to learn the river.

[vandeman17]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

My folks actually own a place at Crescent bar so I know how the water level goes. I have never actually targeted divers before but I have heard they are a blast to shoot.

[Brad Harshman]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

My folks actually own a place at Crescent bar so I know how the water level goes. I have never actually targeted divers before but I have heard they are a blast to shoot.

Have you hunted the area then?  Have you had success with the dablers? 

[vandeman17]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

My folks actually own a place at Crescent bar so I know how the water level goes. I have never actually targeted divers before but I have heard they are a blast to shoot.

Have you hunted the area then?  Have you had success with the dablers?

I have never hunted it but have heard people banging away in the mornings there before. The year I had the boat over here I ended up working a ton and didn't get much of a chance to get it out on the river. 

[eastsidemallard74]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

Question about the water level, what do you do , tie the boat on a lead, and let it float freely? I live in Moses and have never thought about hunting the Columbia unti this year. I have a 19' Smokercraft so that would suck to try and push out

[vandeman17]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

Question about the water level, what do you do , tie the boat on a lead, and let it float freely? I live in Moses and have never thought about hunting the Columbia unti this year. I have a 19' Smokercraft so that would suck to try and push out

I have hunted the tide flats with a buddy a couple times and we just put a stick in the water in front of us and watched it. When the water started to go down we went and moved the boat back out deeper and when it started to come back in we pulled it back in. Not the most fun thing to do but you have to do what you have to do.

[ducksdogsdownriggers]

Close to wenatchee?  Id start hunting around crescent bar.  River pretty simple to learn within a coiple miles upstresm and downstream of the boat launch.  Hunting is good but competitive.  I thi k alot of guys from wenatchee come down to hint it.  Do yourself a huge favor and come down and learn the river and scout around.  There are a ton of blinds already built no need to make any more. 

Best advice I can give you - be careful with the changing water levels the reservoir can fluctuate 12 VEHICLE feet.If you pull you boat up in shallow area it doesn't take very long for the water to drop enough to leave your boat high and dry.   Many times all you can do is wait for the water to come back up.  IT CAN TAKE DAYS!!!

You like sitting divers - area holds a lot.   

Question about the water level, what do you do , tie the boat on a lead, and let it float freely? I live in Moses and have never thought about hunting the Columbia unti this year. I have a 19' Smokercraft so that would suck to try and push out

Best to go and learn with someone experienced...

[Brad Harshman]

Nice pic!  Great example of learning the hard way.    The stick idea is simple but requires attention and a lot of moving around.  When I tie up I look for deep spots first.  Also many guys will tie of the stern with those bungee anchor ropes. Then loosely tie the bow to shore . It will constantly pull your boat to shore pretty slick.