Duck hunting area without boat on Eastside?!

[bigmac85]

So i have dekes and chest waders but no dog or boat. I active duty stationed here and never needed these items in Northern NV. So now I live in Spokane Valley and am looking for where to go for dekes and wader only areas?! Any help is much much appreciated! I hear Pend river is great but need boat so this is now my dilemma 

[JLS]

Get on Craigslist and find a canoe.

[Broken Arrow]

I would focus on a good dog first.

[Ridgeratt]

You could always focus on some of the DNR land near sprague and jump shoot the creeks. Another thought is to use some ingenuity and build a "PoorBoy Retriever". A spinning rod and some heavy Mono coupled up to a chunk of wooden broom handle with some large homemade trebles built. Huck it across a dead bird and they will come back if in open water. Used to have one before I got dawgs.

[vandeman17]

There are some good spots to go jumping shooting around othello, royal city, quincy, george etc. PM if you want more info and thanks for your service!

[Netminder01]

1. Dog
2. Boat inline with your budget (sneak, Jon, etc)
3. More shells.  :-)

[bigmac85]

If i picked up a cheap little 12-15ft canoe what areas are decent besides fast moving river like PO? Thanks guys

[Brad Harshman]

It sounds like you're currently enlisted.  Owning a dog is likely not an option.   The canoe is a great idea.   You can hunt any open water.  As always be safe avoid crossing big lakes like Sprague.   But at least you could hunt the margins and wind protected sites.  Canoes have great payloads.  You can find them to rent to see what size would fit your needs or see if it's worth commit to buy one.

[KFhunter]

If i picked up a cheap little 12-15ft canoe what areas are decent besides fast moving river like PO? Thanks guys

PO is slow moving and very canoe friendly in most places until the wind kicks up - watch the weather reports and just don't get caught in a wind or at least be in a protected cove.   


Just be careful and wear a life jacket, crap happens when your hunting off a canoe - also get one of those water tight wader jackets with the neck and wrist seals if you can swing it.  It would sure suck to find yourself overboard 100 yard off shore.

[JLS]

Wear a wading belt!

[Brad Harshman]

 
Waderbelt and ALWAYS have lifejacket ON.  Keywords ALWAYS ON.

[Oldguy]

I learned to canoe by paddling in the dark with my decoys and other equipment. Wasn't a smart idea but it worked.
1. If you aren't a canoeist already, do some daylight practice prior to early launches
2. Tie everything to the canoe so a tip-over doesn't get expensive as well as cold
3. Don't start on moving water; wait until some skill is developed
4. Wear awader belt and life jacket and use bags of decoys for flotation also if canoe is lost.
5. Don't try shooting from the canoe for now; sure tip if firing to the side
6. Best bet is hunting where there is enough water that duck will be retrievable using canoe; easy to chase wounded duck and whack with paddle
7. With neoprene waders, don't remove them if you get dunked; they add flotation and will help avoid hypothermia as the water inside will warm up. Take them off and you are trying to warm the pond or lake. Once on shore you can lay down with your head downhill if possible, raise your legs and let the excess water depart; don't forget to remove your wader belt to make it work.
8. Stack the decoys in front and rear of you so you don't have to mess with decoys bags in the dark. The paddle works well to slide the decoys to where you are seated.
9. Spare paddle fasteneed to canoe. I had to paddle with two mallard decoys when I let my paddle fall overboard.
I'm sure I missed some more but someone will add them.

Be safe and have many great hunts!

[BiggLuke]

You can always jump shoot ducks around small ponds and lakes.
or even better find an irrigation ditch going through farm country. You can walk it for miles.
We always used to get a  few doing this when we were kids.... because like you we had no boat or dog. Just shoot the ducks as they jump off the ditch and fly over the field. It's really not unlike pheasant hunting.

[KevinClimbs]

Great tips Old Guy. That is the way I hunt ducks. Also in the summer I practice overturned canoe drills with my hunting gear on and a loaded boat. I also stay as close to shore as possible.

[Oldguy]

Thanks Kevin. I intended to mention that. Staying close to shore makes it easier to recover from a dunking and on that note, keep a dry bag in the canoe with a change of under wear and some fleece to put on when the need occurs.

[Brad Harshman]

You can always jump shoot ducks around small ponds and lakes.
or even better find an irrigation ditch going through farm country. You can walk it for miles.
We always used to get a  few doing this when we were kids.... because like you we had no boat or dog. Just shoot the ducks as they jump off the ditch and fly over the field. It's really not unlike pheasant hunting.

I'm sorry but I have to politely disagree with this recommendation without first advising to get permission from land owners.   Irrigation ditches/canals are not corridors for public access. An irrigation ditch/canal is not waters of the state.  The access road along the ditches canals are on private land most of the time.  The water purveyors have access agreements with the land owners. This should not be confused with public access.  This is what i know from living in the Columbia basin.

[ghosthunter]

I have often thought of using a pontoon float, seen some cheap ones used around.
Very stable.

[HighCountryHunter88]

I hunted over there a lot in college, if you get ur hands on a decent dog you open up a lot of walk in areas

[BiggLuke]

You can always jump shoot ducks around small ponds and lakes.
or even better find an irrigation ditch going through farm country. You can walk it for miles.
We always used to get a  few doing this when we were kids.... because like you we had no boat or dog. Just shoot the ducks as they jump off the ditch and fly over the field. It's really not unlike pheasant hunting.

I'm sorry but I have to politely disagree with this recommendation without first advising to get permission from land owners.   Irrigation ditches/canals are not corridors for public access. An irrigation ditch/canal is not waters of the state.  The access road along the ditches canals are on private land most of the time.  The water purveyors have access agreements with the land owners. This should not be confused with public access.  This is what i know from living in the Columbia basin.

Well yes, of course. You should always get permission to hunt private property. I was simply suggesting one possible scenario where a boat would not be required.

[RailRob]

I'd say find people who hunt also. I live in Spokane and I know tons of people who hunt waterfowl. People on this side of the state are stingy as *censored*. Id even drive and buy beer!  It seems people on the west side are a lot nicer! Jump shooting ducks and pheasants is mega fun! I don't have a hunting dog, or a boat. You can always try to find private land around the area and get some layout blinds and decoys.. no dog needed there!

[L-ofalab]

Please don't get a canoe this time of year! I have had one for 44 years and done lots of stupid stuff with it but I have never tipped over this time of year. You can get a small used boat cheaper than a canoe. My first fiberglass boat was like a Livingston, shaped like a catamaran and very stable for only 12 feet long. That boat was only $150.