Duck Hunting Boats

A unique collection of vintage duck hunting boats is the centerpiece of a new exhibit at the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum in Alexandria. The duck boats are from private collections around the upper Midwest and represent both factory-produced and one of a kind hunting watercraft. The exhibit’s highlight is a unique piece of local history – a duck boat used in the late 1800s by market hunter Sam Fertig. Fertig hunted Lake Christina and shipped his daily bag of waterfowl by train to markets in the Twin Cities, Chicago and Boston to be sold to upscale restaurants. The exhibit also features a collection of vintage waterfowl hunting photography from 1910-1920 by photographer Walter Thomas “WT” Oxley and a collection of duck decoys. The exhibit will be on display at the museum through the summer.

This is pure bliss for any waterfowling history junkie. The history of early duck boats and waterfowl hunting is a fascinating topic. Ive previously expressed my desire to hunt Barnegat Bay in one of the famous Barnegat Bay sneakboxes and the opportunity to see a wide variety of old ducking boats in the same spot is very cool indeed. Any readers still hunt out of an old-style sneakbox or layout boat?