They do have to walk in, they drag in their canoes. Ask Bill Gilbertson for areas to explore as he hunts smaller waters and the MN river bottoms once in a while.
Not a bad idea though to walk the river bottoms, maybe jump shoot something as you are exploring/scouting for future hunts.
Some misinformation here. There are plenty of places to walk in down there without needing a boat. Im not even sure where the long dragging of canoes that you're talking about happens down there. If you have low expectations, it can be good.
Al, you should know from your GPS tracker that I haven't been down there in a few years, since I tore my Achilles. With the warm weather and the shallows melting, I might have to check it out next week as a true test of my recovery. Agree about the low expectations.