Sinkbox

A sinkbox is a specialized hunting blind used by waterfowl hunters. It consists of a weighted, partially submerged enclosure large enough to hold one or more hunters and suspended from a floating platform. It is placed into calm water so that the hunter may wait with the waterline at approximately shoulder height.

Sketch of a sinkbox.

Sinkboxes were typically used by market (rather than sport) hunters for duck or other waterfowl in both the United States and Canada.

Current use

In 1918 below-waterline hunting was banned in the United States by authority of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior with the passage of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918.[1] Sinkbox hunting is still practiced in Canada, but is largely a relic of the past.

As antiques

Cast-iron sinkbox decoys — often painted — were used as ballast, to disguise the sinkbox, and to attract game close to the hunters. The cast-iron decoys are popular among antique collectors.

References
  1. "16 U.S. Code § 704 - Determination as to when and how migratory birds may be taken, killed, or possessed". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
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