Layout Blind Hunting Tips with Alex Russo
Brenden Gallagher for SPLIT REED
Although most of us are only lucky enough to hear stories and see pictures of the action in the Dakotas, here are some tricks of the trade from one outfit that will most definitely make you jealous this season. Flatland Flyways is located in Hecla South Dakota, famous for its world-class wing shooting, incredible lodging, and breathtaking views. Owner, operator, and guide Alex Russo has spent years hunting from layout blinds and has a few key principles he operates on when going on a hunt.
Plan Your Hides
“One of the biggest things I've learned, even outside of guiding, is when you're scouting a field and you've got it locked down the first thing you should be looking for is hides. You should have a list of them in your head, write them down or go on OnX maps and drop pins on them. Also, most of us don't go into the field, so visually you don't know if the stubble is actually as tall or as thick as you might think”. Alex points out that you want to identify not only specific hides but specific situations in which you might need to use a hide that isn’t your first choice. Having at least two to three different hide scenarios to account for different things like wind, sun and clouds could make all the difference when you go to set up in the morning and ultimately make your hunt more successful.
The Roost
Knowing where you roost in can be just as critical as knowing where the X and additionally how you set your spread and whether you choose to hunt outside or in the decoys is also important when hunting in layouts. “Know where your roost is at. The number one thing I've found with layout blinds, whether it's ducks, snows or honkers, is that they hate coming over the backside of your layouts. For example, let's say you have a roost that's east of the field you want to hunt and you've got a north wind. What I would do is set the feet of my blinds facing straight south and run almost like a J-hook and I’d keep those decoys away from me out in front. You're going to be side-shooting them, they're gonna come right across the front of your blinds looking straight east and you’ll be looking straight south. However, on a light wind day or if you are side shooting birds some guys will say, hey we need to get in the spread because birds are gonna pick us apart if we’re not in the decoys. Well in situations when you do that, the birds will sometimes follow the arm or that J-hook of your decoys and they’ll ride your blind line and they’ll pick you out. While you can still shoot birds in this situation, only half of the blind line will be able to shoot because once those birds flare, the far end of the blind line is not gonna be able to turn and shoot over people's heads. So you need to know where your roost is because you don't want them coming over your back or down your blind line”.
Cover/Brushing
If you listen to any podcast, youtube video, ask any guide or experienced waterfowl hunter, “why am I not killing birds in this situation or this field?” Without a doubt, every single one of them will ask you what your hide looks like. It is one of the easiest variables to control on most hunts and if you've put in the time and money it takes scouting you need to have a good hide. “One of my buddies once said your hunts are gonna be as good as your worst blind. You can have nine blinds covered unbelievably well and one covered terribly and the birds are going to pick it out, so if you’re gonna wake up at four in the morning and drive sixty miles to go set up a hundred to two-hundred decoys or whatever it is, cover your blind. The decoys at that point don't matter. We run Dave Smith Decoys, some of the best and most realistic decoys in my opinion but guess what? I could throw two hundred DSDs out and if my blinds are half-ass covered it doesn't matter. Every stubble strap should be covered, if you're hunting let’s say a winter wheat field, take a hedge trimmer, go to the fence line and fill a truck bed. Drive it out to your spread and dump it and when you think you've got enough hide go get another truckload. Just take fifteen or twenty minutes to really brush your hide and then take any excess and feather it in between your gaps and plane out back behind your layouts. Also, every time you shoot or after the first few bunches just check, look at your doors and your boot bag or your buddies, and just constantly be fixing your blinds up throughout the hunt.”
“With stubbling, if you know there's certain vegetation or hide in particular you hunt often, the first time you go to brush your blinds bring some zip ties and zip tie the two spots that most predominantly move, your doors and your boot bags. That way you don't have to stubble everything again as much the next time you go to use it. The last thing would be the face mesh, your blinds can be stubbled amazing but you still need to keep that face mesh over your face. On sunny days you get away with a lot more but on cloudy days you can't have your face out, we’ve taken a drone out with us, and when you poke your head out to call you can pick out a face 250 feet in the air. So utilize that face mesh or birds will be able to pick you out”.
Safety
Most hunters would tell you that they are safe and practice proper gun handling. While this may be true for a percentage of the hunters out there, accidents still happen, guns go off and people get peppered or shot. I think everyone that bird hunts has some story or another about one crazy time when there was an accident or there almost was one and while it is in the hands of individual hunters and the people they hunt with to keep each other accountable there are two things that stand out in my mind. Birds make people do stupid things and as was pointed out to me by Alex, complacency kills. “When it comes to safety around blinds some of the biggest things are muzzle awareness, trigger well awareness (i.e. where your fingers are), and then obviously your gun's safety. Out guiding, say we bust into a group of mallards, I will let the clients have their moment hooting and hollering but I'll sit there and look and watch the blind line. The first thing we say before we step foot in front of the blind line is safeties on guns up. We have our clients physically put the butt of their gun between their legs and both hands need to have positive control of the firearm. Sometimes clients want to get up and help pick up birds and we just ask that they clear the action, leave it open and point it away from downrange, on top of that if someone has to use the bathroom we always make sure clients walk behind the blind line and also check to make sure no guns are pointed that direction”. Alex and the guides at Flatland Flyways also all carry guide bags that contain a myriad of first aid and trauma equipment, something that every guide, outfit, and hunter should have and know how to use, it’s not a matter of if an accident will happen, it’s when. So this season be prepared for your next layout hunt. Know your hide, understand the birds in your area, and most importantly- be safe.
For more Split Reed Tips, Articles, Recipes, Interviews, Stories and more - click here!
Click on Brenden to find him on Instagram