We use to paddle or push pole john boats up guts to flush out and shoot Mallards which seem to hide on them everywhere. That was legal but some decided to run their outboard motors instead of paddling and that was not. Game Wardens got smart and started watching from the air in planes. If they saw a motor in use they would call and direct another Warden in a boat to catch them when we came out the gut. Never used a motor but did shoot a lot of ducks that way. I never minded paddling or using a push pole but others could not be bothered. With a hard bottom you could move a boat up a gut just as fast as with a motor at slow idle.
