Body Booting with Charles Jobes

Originated in Maryland, this style of duck hunting is second to none. Shooters are equipped with full body survival suits and hidden behind large silhouette decoys putting them right in the center of the action . Get ready for the hunt of a life-time.

Body booting ranks high on the “extreme ways to hunt waterfowl list,” if there ever was one. Devised by hardy Chesapeake Bay watermen, this style of waterfowling involves wearing a pair of chest waders or a diving suit and hunkering down among a large spread of decoys in knee-to-chest-deep water. Body Booting first started on the Susquehanna Flats back in the early 1950s. It was later adapted for goose hunting when the flats became a major wintering area for Canada geese. Body booting is widely popular among the locals in this area.

About the Jobes

Charles Jobes has been carving since he was seven years old, trained in the art of decoy making by his father, Captain Harry Jobes, he has become one of Havre de Grace's most respected artists and has been carving for over thirty years.

Questions & Answers

What makes Maryland unique?
1. The huge flats below the Susquehanna river provide an abundant opportunity for all waterfowl to start their migration through the Chesapeake Bay. Divers, puddle ducks, and sea ducks call this home for a majority of the winter. While the geese tend to stay towards the agricultural fields a few often end up in our decoys.
What's your #1 tip you can give readers?
1. Wait for the ducks to come! Oftentimes, hunters are quick to shoot at anything passing through. Instead, wait for the ducks to finish. I can guarantee hunters will have a higher chance of hitting their target.
How do you measure success in Maryland?
1. Measuring success varies from hunter to hunter, but body booting is something not many can say isn’t a successful way of hunting. The birds often are so close you can see their eyes.

Body Booting with Charles Jobes

About the Jobes

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