Duck hunting?

[Sportland_Bait]

I'm coming out there hunting ducks this fall and I'm wondering if I will need to bring a boat or not? Are the duck ponds really mucky or do they have hard bottoms? And how deep are most of the public wetlands? Thanks.

Jason Erlandson

[Tyler Holm]

I've hunted several waterfowl production areas with a pair of chest waders and done very well. There are several that are shallow and several that you'd need a boat on. Your question is pretty general, but no you don't NEED a boat to get a limit of ducks on public land. I'd make sure you scout the area and check the depth before the season. I've heard of people in waders getting tickets for “want and waste” because they cannot reach their birds due to water depth. Be aware of that. I always bring a fishing rod with a weight and a big treble hook on it to retrieve dead birds that might get into the depths, but normally I try to hunt bodies of water that don’t go over my waders.

I cannot give you an average depth of water on most public hunting lands. It varies too much. Yes, most are mucky in the shallows. I rarely find hard bottoms when I am walking around in my waders. You might find that the ground is a bit firmer the deeper you get. Certainly around rushes and shores, you will sink in a few inches each step on most sloughs.

If you give more specifics on what area of SD you are going to hunt, I may be able to help more.

[Sportland_Bait]

I'll be hunting the NE section. I usually bring a float tube with for retrieving downed birds in deeper water. I just don't like the idea of those cattail slews with a foot of muck with every step. A couple of inches of muck I can deal with.

Jason