Guides in Minnesota's Northwest Angle provide unique way to harvest ducks

Andy Reaves lies in a boat, his chin upon his chest, shotgun in hand as he scans the sky overhead, waiting for the divers to come in. Before long, they do. Reaves sits up, takes aim and brings down a duck. Maybe more than one, because here on the water, away from shore, he s in the midst of the waterfowls landing site. This is layout boat hunting, a type of duck hunt that Reaves, a lifelong waterfowl hunter from northern Minnesota, especially enjoys. The place is Lake of the Woods in Minnesota's Northwest Angle, not far from the Canada border and one of few places in the state where boat layout hunting is allowed. Reaves says hunting waterfowl this way, particularly ducks, his favorite kind of bird to harvest, has been a game-changer for him. Often, when Reaves is on a layout boat, there are three other similar boats nearby, each also carrying a waterfowl hunter. That s because only one hunter can fit into a layout boat, thus the multiple floaters. A