diy dog stand for duck hunting
DIY duck blind dog stand
When constructing and preparing land-based duck blinds in the marsh, we go to great lengths to ensure the hide is both comfortable and functional. But adding a retrieving dog to the mix brings additional considerations and challenges. The dog must be integrated into the hunt, but in a safe way that also hides him from circling birds.
The commercial hunting equipment market has long offered specialized dog stands to fill this need, with the primary function being to get your trusty retriever out of the water when its not working. On a slow hunt, it also functions as a place for them to lay down while you and your hunting partners stare at the empty skies. The primary downside to these offerings, however, is the price tag typically $100 or more. And needing a stand at multiple locations can get cost prohibitive in a hurry.
But a little time spent with a saw and basic lumber supplies can get you in business for a fraction of the cost, with the added flexibility to customize the stand for your particular dog (size) hunting location.
What youll need
For our coastal marsh blinds, Ive had great success with a stand approximately 24 by 36 inches. This includes a -inch plywood deck, and 2 X 4s for legs and 1 X 6s for support to minimize weight. Though heavier and more expensive, using treated lumber will help the stand last longer out in the elements. That said, I usually store mine indoors during the offseason to maximize service life.
The parts are assembled with 3-inch screws, and the deck is topped with a basic welcome mat to help the dog gain traction once the surface is wet and muddy. The mat is affixed to the deck with either short screws or staples. The stands leg height and angle is up to your own preference and habitat type mine are about 16 inches long, set at about a 70-degree angle from the deck.
Out in the field, the stands are placed immediately to the side of the blind (never in front), to protect the dogs hearing and prevent shots from being taken over its head. When brushing the blind, the stand is also brushed to cover the sides and rear , leaving the front largely open so the dog can observe decoying birds.
At minimal cost, these stands can keep your four-legged buddy comfortable and safe during the hunt with the ability to customize each to fit your favorite hunt location.
diy dog stand
#1 http://fourcurlnation.com/archives/1421I am trying to make this dog stand but it doesn't tell the angles to cut on the PVC tees. Anyone have any guesses? The stand will be in the blind so I don't want the legs angled out too far but I want it to be sturdy.
#2It probably doesn't matter much. My buddy made a stand with 4 toilet flanges screwed to the corners of a piece of plywood and 3" PVC for the legs. The legs go straight down and the stand is solid.
#3Yeah, I winged the angles and it works just fine. Especially if you are going to be putting it in soft, marshy ground, the angles not being exact won't matter much.
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If Youre a DIY Duck Hunter Heading to Canada, Dont Waste Your Time Field Hunting
Every September (except last September, due to the Canadian-U.S. border closure) duck hunters head north to the western provinces of prairie Canada. Typically, theyre driving the biggest jacked-up truck youve ever seen and pulling a 30-foot trailer full of field decoys and blinds. They bring all this gear because field hunting in Canada is the ONLY way a majority of folks hunt up north. Hell, most Canadians dont even own a pair of waders. But if youre going with a small group of buddiesIm talking four hunters or lessthe best way to hunt Canada is to focus on water.
That probably sounds like blasphemy if youre a crusty old codger who has been going to Canada longer than Ive been alive. But I promise: Its the ideal way to hunt the vastness of prairie pothole country, particularly if you want an experience that doesnt make you so tired you need another vacation after your DIY trip. Heres why and how you should only hunt ducks over water the next time youre in Canada.
Dont Take a Trailer-Load of Decoys
Other than crossing the border into Canada, the biggest pain in the ass for DIY field hunters is towing a trailer of decoys. First you have to drive it there for 20-plus hours, and once you arrive, youre always hitching it and unhitching it depending on whether youre hunting or scouting. Why not leave it at home? Just throw a dozen tor two floaters, a stack of mallard silhouettes, and a few spinning-wing decoys in the bed of your truck and call it good. Thats all you need to kill ducks over the water in Canada. Plus, you dont have to wake up early to set dozens of field decoys in the dark. Just toss out the floaters 10 minutes before shooting time and have at it.
Go Late, and Dont Go to Saskatchewan
Everyone wants to go to Canada in September. It makes sense. None of us have cut a feather in months, and with liberal limits across the border its a great place to kill a duck. But I like to wait until October. By then, a good portion of the hunters have cleared out, the weather is turning cold (disclaimer: you do run the risk of a hard freeze), and the drake mallards are starting to turn green. It feels more like fall, and you have most of the prairie to yourself.
If you do have to go early, stay out of Saskatchewan. There are plenty of ducks and geese in the iconic waterfowling province, but also if you ask 10 American duck hunters where theyre going in Canada, all 10 of them usually say Saskatchewan. There are other provinces where you can have just as good of a hunt, and I highly suggest you go to one of them. For instance, southeast Ontario is one of the most underrated locations to hunt in Canada (more on that later).
Hunt WaterIts More Fun
When I was younger, I loved going to Canada and hunting twice a day: geese in the morning and a duck shoot in the afternoon. But thats also a lot of scouting and decoy setting, mixed in with only some hunting. And if you field hunt, theres a chance that you can get skunked because of a weather change or birds simply hopping fields. (Rain can really screw with geese in Canada because they will sit in a field all day and feed, and then may not even fly the next morning.) Youre also going to face more competition from hunters and outfitters strictly looking to hunt feeds.
Hunting ducks over water is far more relaxing because youre only hunting once a day and you can count on ducks to come to water if youve scouted it right. You can scout in the afternoons and hunt in the morning (or vice-versa). A few years ago in Alberta, 10 of us field hunters took an afternoon to shoot ducks over water. We shot damn near 80 birds, in ones and twos, right in the decoys. The hunt lasted two hours (long by Canadian standards) and went down as one of the best shoots of our hunting careers. Id rather do that every afternoon than run my ass all over western Canada wearing myself out trying to kill as many ducks and geese as I can for an entire week.
Focus on Small Wetlands That Are Close Together
One thing the pothole region haswhen its not in a droughtis small, temporary waters that are in close proximity to one another. Ducks will trade from one body of water to the other, mostly to loaf and get a drink in between feedings. These areas are the best places to target puddlers. What you dont want to do is hunt a larger wetland that is holding big numbers of ducks and geese. Leave those roost waters alone so you dont ruin the morning for field hunters.
Even now on the drought-stricken prairie, there are still parts of Canada that have enough water for this type of hunting, its just harder to find. Thats good for water hunters because most folks will look for the big watersheds and focus on the fields that surround them. Meanwhile, youll be on smaller water shooting unpressured ducks.
Setup on Wetlands with Smaller Spreads and Available Cover
How you choose to hide and the amount of decoys you use will vary depending on the size and location of the wetland you hunt. Ive hidden in cattails, found a stand of willows to crouch in, used brushed-in layout blinds on the edge of the water, and hunted out of A-frames. Whenever there is natural cover, I use that. No sense in brushing a blind if you can stand behind a tree. If its a small pond in the middle of an ag field with no cover surrounding it, I just brush in a layout with whatever chaff is leftover from the harvest.
For decoys, you can get away with four to six floaters and a few spinning-wing decoys. I like to use eight to two-dozen decoys with a few species mixed in. It doesnt really matter what you choose. I use mostly puddle ducks on small potholes, but you can throw redheads or scaup in if you like. The white on their backs is a good visual for ducks to key on. You should bring mallard silhouettes as well, and plug them in along the bank.
Motion is what will attract most birds. There are so many juvenile ducks that havent seen a spinner yet that they cant help but come in for a look. If you take three spinners to Canada, thats plenty. You will kill ducks over them. I also like on-water motion, so a Wonderduck or Mojo Flock-a-Flickers are good additions to the spread.
Bring a Retriever with You
Many of the potholes you will be targeting have a false bottom, which means you can sink down to your waist in mud with each step even if the water is only ankle deep. I once had to crawl out of a marsh on my knees near Lake Winnepeg. Caked in mud and my waders full of water was not an ideal way to shoot ducks. Its much easier to wade out a few steps, throw your decoys, and then send the dog every time you kill a duck.
Read Next: Our Obsession with Greenheads Is Ruining Duck Hunting as We Know It
The Best Places to Hunter Water in Canada
- Southeastern Ontario: If you live in the Midwest, this is an easy trip that will cost far less than driving to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Alberta. I crossed into Ontario at Sarnia, and drove about 90 minutes north. Its all farm country up there with a lot of swamps, ag fields, and small, shallow rivers. Its also wood duck heaven, and you can shoot six a day. Find a field with some sheetwater or a small runoff ditch running through it (this wont be hard), set up an A-frame or layout blind, throw out a dozen or two silhouettes and two or three spinners, and you can have the best woodie hunt of your life. This is a hybrid field-water hunt, and theres nothing like it anywhere else in North America.
- Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba: There are innumerable acres of marshland around Lake Winnipeg (the largest lake in Manitoba), and you can shoot multiple species of puddle ducks and divers there. Green-wing teal are abundant in early October, and it can rival any Texas blue-wing teal hunt you will ever have. Also, if youre in that area, might as well head south and hunt the famed Delta Marsh on Lake Manitoba.
- Southeastern Alberta: If you stay south and east of Edmonton and hug the Saskatchewan border, there are infinite small wetlands to set up on. Almost every pothole I saw in this area had at least a four-man limit of puddle ducks on it. There are also some larger watersheds holding rafts of divers. Not many folks go to Canada seeking redheads and canvasbacks, but theres no place else you can shoot eight bull reds or cans (or a mixed bag) on the same hunt.
