Lake Erie Guided Duck Hunts
Fish and Fowl Adventures is the longest-running Lake Erie Layout Boat Guide Service. Lake Erie is an annual hotspot for thousands of migrating and wintering ducks. Starting in early October, numerous species of waterfowl will make their annual migration and their numbers will continue to build, until the lake freezes. Rather than congregating around the shores, these ducks tend to camp from one to ten miles offshore. The lake bottom is littered with buffets of Zebra Mussels and provides diver ducks with endless amounts of rich food. The Western Basin of Lake Erie provides a smorgasbord for diver ducks and open water hunting out of layout boats is our specialty.
NW Ohio has a long history of waterfowl hunting tracing back to the indigenous tribes of the area. Layout Boat hunting is a unique sub-specialty of old-time waterfowl gunning leading back to the Market Hunters and boat-mounted punt guns. We lean into this history and only use NW Ohio hand-made foam decoys of yesteryear. These large decoys or blocks as we call them help the low-flying diving ducks see them from a distance and tell the waterfowl in the area that the open sign is turned on at the Zebra Mussel buffet! There is nothing like the up close and personal action of Layout​ Boat Gunning on the Great Lakes.
What To Bring:
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Customers will need to bring their own firearms and non-toxic shells
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A valid Ohio Hunting License (with a completed HIP Survey)
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Ohio Duck Stamp
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Federal Duck Stamp(signed)
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Rain Gear
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Waders are highly recommended but not necessary
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Warm Grey, Black or Camouflage clothing (bring one more layer than you think)
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Extra Gloves
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Sunglasses
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Camera
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Binoculars
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Food & Drink
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Motion Sickness Medicine
Our guides utilize layout boat hunting, as it’s the most effective way to bag these fast and exciting waterfowl. This hunting style uses specialized equipment, so most hunters use a guide when doing so.
BIG & SAFE LAYOUT HUNTING BOAT
Our big water strategies start by surrounding our large layout boat with 100 to 200 Magnum and Super Magnum decoys. This large number of decoys provokes ducks to land in these areas, as large amounts of ducks indicate a safe area with ample amounts of food, which the herd of decoys mimics. While calling does help, it’s not vital to success, as the sheer number of decoys is enough to convince waterfowl that the area is safe.
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The tender boat used to transport the layout boat is anchored a distance away from the area to avoid spooking approaching waterfowl. All of our boats are USCG Tested and Approved to assure you feel comfortable and safe throughout your hunt.
Ducks are typically divided into two categories based on their feeding habits:
Divers & Dabblers.
Aside from Mallards and American Black Ducks, most of the ducks you will encounter on Lakes Erie will be diver ducks.
Divers
These ducks have adapted to large bodies of water, like Lakes Erie and St. Clair, and dive to the bottom of lakes for food.
Dabblers
These ducks are adapted to shallow bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, and marshes, and feed by tipping or skimming along the water. They rarely ever submerge like their diver counterparts.
Full Day Guided Layout Boat Duck Hunt
8-hours Dock to Dock or limit
(Game Processing is not provided)
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A 20% tip of your total trip cost is customary
1 - 4 Hunters: $1,400
5 Hunters: $1,750
PLEASE NOTE: A 25% non-refundable deposit is required to hold any date on our calendar. If you must cancel, your deposit can be applied to a future available date.
6 Hunters: $2,100
A complete list of ducks you may encounter during your hunt:
Scaup
Bluebills as they are common referred to on the Great Lakes get their nickname from their grayish-blue bills. There is two sub species the Lesser and Greater. Both use Lake Erie as a winter-feeding ground with your best chance at Greaters, later in the season. They spend their breeding months diving in the Hudson Bay and Alaska waters, but spend the winter months on U.S. and Canadian coasts, as well as The Great Lakes.
Bufflehead
Bufflehead habits are unique. They spend most of their breeding months in Canada, but winterize on the coast with no major population concentration. These divers tend to congregate on large lakes or rivers until they freeze, like The Great Lakes.
Redhead Duck
Redheads breed in northern U.S. and Canada prairies and winter to the east, west and south of their breeding grounds. They are the most common diving ducks in the United States.
Common Goldeneye
Simply put, these diving ducks breed in Canada and Alaska and winter in a vast majority of the continental United States. Similar to the Barrow’s, the Common Goldeneye is named after it’s bright, golden iris.
Merganser
Mergansers breed in Canada, Winter in the middle and southwest portions of the U.S., and live year-round along the U.S./Canada border. These divers feed on invertebrates in both marine and freshwater habitats.
Canvasback
Canvasbacks spend both winter and breeding seasons diving in The Great Lakes, especially during the winter months. Males are known for their beautiful chestnut brown head and mostly all white body for which they are named after.
Long-tailed Duck
The longer the tail, the deeper ducks can dive, and the Long-tailed duck is amongst the best. They can be found on The Great Lakes and the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines when wintering.
Scoter
Black, Surf and White Wing Scoter are large sea ducks that frequent the Great Lakes to feed on mussels on their journey from the great north to their wintering grounds.
Mallard Duck
Other than Daffy and Donald, most people picture Mallards when they think of ducks. These dabbling feeders are found anywhere in North America and are the most abundant of North American Duck.
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According to Duck’s Unlimited, there were over 10.488 million Mallards in the world, more than doubling the second most abundant species.
American Black Duck
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American Black Ducks are found throughout the eastern portion on North America, depending on the season. The dabbler feeders can be found year-round at The Great Lakes.
Ruddy Duck
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Ruddy’s dwell practically year-round at The Great Lakes. They’re known for their fan-shaped tail that helps them dive for food, as well as their copper body and bright-blue bill.
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Ducks breed in Canada and the northern U.S. and winter in the southern and coastal portions along the way. They make annual pit stops at The Great Lakes to dive for food during their migration south.