Hello! Short time lurker here! My name is Kyle Hauck. I live in Rapid City, SD with my Wife, three beautiful kids (BGB) , and 4 labs (YF, YM, YM, CF). I am the owner and operator of http://www.highprairieoutfitters.com . That is my fall job. During the summer I fight fires on a hand crew with the Black Hills National Forest, but we travel all over the western US. I have an education degree in Biology and Earth Science so in the offseason I substitute teach. I also work part time at Cabelas as an archery technician and do subcontracting for finish carpentry. I obviously love to duck hunt! I also enjoy hunting upland bird, deer, elk, turkey, etc. I hate fishing.

I will start by saying in Saskatchewan I HATE hunting water. Give me a dry field all day long! I also hate people that hunt the water roosts where my ducks for field hunts are supposed to come from. That being said, Saskatchewan has spoiled me for duck and goose hunting in western South Dakota where it can be lacking so now I am venturing out to hunt smaller less accessible spots and rivers and really enjoy primitive small spread hunting which brings me here.............2017 I stumbled upon a first model year Alumnacraft Ducker. I purchased it from a local gentleman (for $200) whose Grandfather had purchased it brand new. No oars unfortunately and it looks like it has been duck hunted in for 50 years. That fine with me I bought it for hunting, not a museum piece. I took it out once and it does indeed leak through several rivets. I came here for knowledge and searching as I figure out how to restore it.

Thanks!

I sent you a message on rivets in your ducker
SHE THINKS MY DUCKBOATS ARE SEXY

Welcome Kyle, you have a lot to hate here, a lot of us are not as lucky as you to have nice hard fields to hunt in, we have to hunt in ugh water!!!!!. Anyway if you hate water that much how about selling me that ducker, i'll give you your money back and maybe buy you lunch.
Kidding aside i am sure you have some great stories and info to pass along. Please don't tell me you hunt with plastic blow molded decoys and a spinning wing atrocity.
Sent to you from duckless ohio.

Kyle

Welcome to our cozy little site. Always nice to have a professional in the community and we encourage your participation.

Eric

Welcome aboard!

I'm from NE Ohio, however, my son Steve lives down in Edgemont. He is a Sherrif's Deputy in Custer County. Don't know if you may know him, but he is a member of Search & Rescue out there in the Black Hills, however, now being a deputy, his time is quite limited. Or my Brother-in-law Brian Dail lives up there in Rapid and is quite involved in all aspects of the outdoors, especially hunting, and raising funds for various wildlife organizations. You may not know either if them, but I could almost guarantee you've crossed paths!

Enjoy your time here, but remember, this place is VERY addicting!

Jon

"Each decoy you touch holds memories of, past, present and God Willing, future hunts. The places, birds, men, boats, dogs and days you spent doing what you so dearly love and enjoy"- Vince Pagliaorli

Welcome Kyle,

I've seen pictures of your hunts with Peter Mc Conn & Big Jon, more ducks in a week then we see all season! Big country,where the wind doesn't quit and there isn't a tree in sight,some how I heard you guys even shot a wood duck! Reset those rivets and you'll be good to go.

By the way, a lot of times, rivers can be reset. If you want to try that, let me know. I'll walk you thru it.

Jon

"Each decoy you touch holds memories of, past, present and God Willing, future hunts. The places, birds, men, boats, dogs and days you spent doing what you so dearly love and enjoy"- Vince Pagliaorli

I use thousands of those atrocities and usually have one or two motorized decoys. Some spinning, some flapping..... . I also utilize a lot of sock decoys for a quick setup.

I don't know either but I should! Got a high school classmate who is a Custer County deputy and then your brother in law should know me for help with the DU banquet! I'm the chairman of the Rapid City chapter and could use all the help I can get!

Pete and big Jon! I love those guys! Definitely up there on the list of favorite clients!

Welcome, you live in a very nice piece of "dirt", one of the best pieces of South Dakota to live and recreate in. Nearly relocated out to Rapid City. My wife talked me out of it because she knew I would miss being without access to the Great Lakes, and fishing.

Kyle

Welcome, great having you here. Hope you enjoy this site just like all of us. Look forward to hearing from you.
anthony sr

Welcome Kyle!

reriveting is a pretty simple thing. My dad helped me do it when we reriveted a 14ft jon boat and two 15 ft canoes. It is a noisy process but easy if you have two people.

Basically what we used was rivets, the rivet clampy thingies (not the technical term but basically it's a bunch of clamps that line up all the holes for your pieces you are riveting together), a bucking bar, rivet gun and a little 5200. The canoes needed new ribs and the 5200 was added just around the holes for a little "extra". I'm not sure it was really needed but close to 15 years later, the canoes are both still going strong and mine gets beat up pretty hard.

When we reriveted the boats, we drilled the old rivets out, cleaned both surfaces really well that were going to be mated back together, added a little bit of 5200 around each hole, put the pieces together using the rivet clampy thingies to line up all of the holes and then started with one rivet...me on the bucking bar (back side of the rivet and at least for us in the most uncomfortable position) and my dad on the rivet gun. We moved from rivet clampy thingy to rivet clampy thing, tossing each one into a little bucket of cleaner to get any 5200 that might be on them. It was loud obnoxious work but pretty easy. I don't know how you would do it with one person and I am SURE someone here knows how to do it.

Anyway, welcome.......

Dani

 
Welcome aboard.

Lots of good folks here with experience, along with many varied and valid opinions. Just like any passionate lifestyle


You can have the fields in Sask. and other places (did that way to much), and all the BS that goes with it. Sooner or later we realize the sweet spot is between the fields & roost, and a lotta dead birds is not the goal. Then less is more.











"Art does not reproduce what is visible - but makes things visible." ~ Paul Klee, artist, 1920

Welcome Kyle,

I two hunt Saskatchewan once in September and then again in late October. We never hunt the roost, birds will leave the area if no place to rest and sleep.

Love you Ducker, great way to get to the back channels.

Also, good selection of Labs.

Dennis S.
Rio Rancho, NM

PS: 1400 mile one way to the North Promise Land, someone has to do it.

 

PS: 1400 mile one way to the North Promise Land, someone has to do it.[/quote]

As my late great gunning partner said.

"If it were close, and easy to get to, and hunt it would not be worth a damn."

I tip my hat to you, cuz it ain't a easy drive.

Howz about that "jet lag" misery, the 3rd day after the long drive after arrival. Hunting partners don't even say good morning. They just grunt and snarl...

Takes a week to settle into being HOME. Then the fun begins.











"Art does not reproduce what is visible - but makes things visible." ~ Paul Klee, artist, 1920

So true, drive 1400 miles, scout, unpack, wake up at 3:00 AM, put out 1500 + Snow Decoys (socks, full bodies, flying machines, e-caller), harvest birds if lucky, pack up, drive to house, clean birds, eat, scout, eat, bed time, wake up at 3:00 AM and do it again.

After 6 days, pack for home and hit the road at 4:00 AM (late start)

Try to be at the US border crossing when it is a shift change, most of the time the process goes easy.

Not even out of the drive way heading for home, the only person awake for the next 1400 mile drive is ME

Hard to believe that when I get home, I start to repack and say hello to the family to head back to the Promise Land again in the next few weeks.

Someone has to do it.

Dennis S.
Rio Rancho, NM

The hole clampy things are called clecos (clekos to some people)

Riveting can be done by ones self if you are able to comfortably reach around the piece to shoot the rivet and buck it too. It is easier with two people though.

I am a aircraft sheet metal/heavy structures guy so I've done thousands of rivers from a small #40 to hard monel 3/16". The ones you are going to deal with won't be bad but follow Dani's advice on using 5200 or some other sealing application, it will help prevent any corrosion from forming between the layers.



Teach someone to love something, and they will protect it. -Will Primos
Benjamin Pendleton
Northeast N.C.

Clecos! That's it! My dad is an aircraft mechanic and it drives him nuts when I call them hole clampy things MAYBE I will remember now

Nice ducker. I bought one several years ago from the Grandson of the founder of Ducks Unlimited (or so he said).

Like you, mine was used heavily and its last few years were spend sitting in the muck the entire season - left in the elements. So, like you again, I had many leaking rivets. I ended up taking a different approach that was quite easy to do and held up as long as I owned the boat (I since sold it). I learned online that West Systems GFlex adhesives work great for resealing rivet leaks. Pretty simple to use. Mix Part A and B together. Place mixed product over the leaking rivet (I did it on the outside, could probably do it on the inside as well - I don't know). Do several at one time. Then take a heat gun nd heat each rivet where you placed the adhesive. You will watch the metal heat up and the adhesive flow right into the rivet hole thus sealing it forever.

Just sharing an alternative to resetting rivets.

Mark

Try 2200 miles from Va. Beach 3days by myself. 17hrs. first day 14 2nd day 51/2 to 6 3rd day. I do stay for a month when I get there

A month is a good stay, and takes the sharp edge off the long drive. Gives a hunter plenty of time to enjoy and relax with less pressure.

As weeks pass, the drive home creeps from the background into the foreground.


Returning to the Rat Race is never easy after a good trip.

After your home a few days, it's as if ya never left, and should have stayed away longer.

Then you begin to prepare for the next trip...


Best regards
VP











"Art does not reproduce what is visible - but makes things visible." ~ Paul Klee, artist, 1920

Very well said

Thank you.

It takes one to know one.

We that cannot resist our migration to where we need to be are kindred souls.

Best regards
VP











"Art does not reproduce what is visible - but makes things visible." ~ Paul Klee, artist, 1920