Ok guys I'm looking for a kayak to do some duck hunting. Mainly marsh hunting. I need some suggestions from someone with experience. What do you have? Pros/cons?
thanks,
birdbuff
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Ok guys I'm looking for a kayak to do some duck hunting. Mainly marsh hunting. I need some suggestions from someone with experience. What do you have? Pros/cons?
thanks,
birdbuff
A sit on can be easier to work with if you need to get in and out, or work over beaver dams/shallows.Quote:
Originally Posted by Birdbuff
I have no experiences with regards to which kayak to buy; but after having read this article I have been thinking about it myself.
http://www.wildfowlmag.com/gear-acce...ak-duck-blind/
Take a look at the fishing kayaks. The colours are usually shades of green and brown. They are stable and have lots of places for gear storage, etc. Costco sells a couple different models priced from $600.00 to $800.00 http://www.costco.ca/kayaks.html
Rick in Muskoka
I have a nucanoe frontier 12. I bought mine long before the US dollar went up. The cost of the package I have is almost criminal now, but it's an extremely effective and stable boat. Might be alright if you could find one used or without all the bells and whistles. It's pretty awesome to hunt out of, and you can run a motor off the back as well. It works out really well, as I raise my trolling motor and disconnect the battery when I'm pulling up to hunt a rice bed in the afternoon and I paddle my way in, usually manage to bump a couple of loafers and I often get one or 2 birds before I even set up for the evening hunt. Retrieving birds is a snap also, you dump a bird and you can be out after it and back really quick. Have fun.
I've got a Pelican fishing kayak from Can Tire. It's a flat green colour, 10' and very stable. It also has a lash point on the side for the paddle, which doubles quite nicely for a gun in a case.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pe...-0798240p.html
Here is a post that I did a few years ago on Kayak hunting:
I use a 13.5 foot Swift Kevlar kayak. Weighs only 35 pounds so it is easy to get on and off the car. I wanted something light weight because I nearly always hunt alone.
I like the kayak over a canoe because:
- you are very low (essentially sitting on the surface of the water) so it makes jump shooting in the weeds easier
- it requires only a few inches of water to float so I can get back very deep into swamps
- it is covered so I can handle very rough water without swamping
- the cover protects your lower body from the wind so it is much warmer than a canoe on those cold November mornings
- It has two dry hatches. I carry extra clothing, food etc in one and my decoys in the other
- if you do tip it only the cockpit fills with water so it is possible to bail it even in deep water and safely get back to shore
- it's low profile makes it more stable than a canoe and it handles much better in a strong wind
The drawbacks are:
- it is only a one man boat, no room to take even a dog with you
- the storage space is limited. I can only carry about 12 -14 standard sized decoys.
- getting the decoys out of the back hatch requires that you be pretty flexible
- if you lean over the side at all it can tip before you have time to blink. I found that out one cold morning late last October. It was still dark and I putting out my decoys and the next moment I was in shoulder deep water wondering where the heck my gun was!! Not a fun experience, and certainly very dangerous.
- Kevlar kayaks are expensive
If you decide to get one I'd strongly suggest learning how the boat handles earlier in the year when the water is warm. Now the water is dangerously cold.
Jump shooting is awesome. I do a lot of it from my kayak, especially on bluebird days. I only take the shot when the bird is in front of me. Shots to the side are too dangerous. I work my way along streams or through pools in a swamp to flush the birds and take them as they are 10 to 20 feet above the water. This is very tense, exciting hunting. The trick is anticipating where the birds are and being ready to drop the paddle, grab and mount the gun for the shot, all in a split second. In many ways it is the same rush you get when a grouse flushes in heavy cover.
When using decoys I do one of two things:
- I hunt from shore, but I cover the kayak with a camo sheet which seems to fool the birds
- or I back into bull rushes and get the camo cloth over the front on the boat as well as I can. This is a fun way to hunt because you are right in the middle of it with the birds. It is up close and fast action.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l6...-112008050.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l6...-112008108.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l6...Nov1007011.jpg
Sail has them them on sale $300 off regular.
do you lash your gun to the boat, or how do you make sure that you don't lose it if you go over? I would not want to be reaching around in the water for a loaded shotgun!
I would be very worried about that, but think having a kayak for hunting could be awesome! if it wasn't for the family, that would certainly be my next vessel.
Thank you for everyone's advice. I'm leaning towards the wilderness systems tarpon 100. It's only 10' long which I think is advantageous for the marsh. It's a sit on top style which will be easy to get in and out. I think it weighs 55 lbs which isn't too bad. I like that it has a dry hatch right between your legs to keep coffee or shells. Adjustable foot pedals are convenient. What it lacks is: space, it looks like a dozen dekes and the mojo will be tight. It's only rated for 325 lbs so that's not bad, but I gotta be mindful when packing. The real draw back is the awful colour schemes. It looks like a paint job will be mandatory or definitely some mesh tarping or fast grass.
I think I'll pick this one up and kick around with it this summer to get used to it.