How many of you hunt from a kayak? Ive been looking at kayaks for the last 2 years. I have a canoe that hangs in the garage. My wife says the kayak will just hang next to it and will never get used. I did build some outriggers for the canoe last spring for bow fishing, so that was used a little more. I could use a kayak more in my area because the flow of the local rivers are slower. I've been told that a kayak is easier to paddle up river. I would use it more to fly fish for small mouth bass, I could paddle back to my truck.
The kayak hangs in the garage with the canoe at my house also. I do use the kayak more because its only twelve feet long, so I can just carry it in the back of the truck. I haven't hunted with it yet, but I do use it to access hard to reach areas for scouting.
I kayak alot for fun..you could bowfish out of one if your careful, I can stand up and shoot out of it but its pretty easy to fall, i wouldnt suggest it in the winter or after a storm.
If you get up close to the edge of the river/creek there is alot of backwater and it flows the opposite way or at least not as hard so that makes paddling upstream easier..if you buy a kayak I suggest a sit-in because the center of gravity is alot lower. Good luck
ck the youtube vids on canoe poling. I need to practice/learn just that technique to get to a couple of spot in my own canoe. Maybe you need a new skill and not a new boat.
God you guys are good. I have trouble standing up in my tree stand. Let alone a kayak.
I am buying a nativecraft ultimate 14.5 for my own Christmas present. They come in camo. Super stable - so I am not afraid to take wife, daughter with me, or my main hunting partner a 70lb black lab.
Plan on using it for hunting, fishing, trapping. No expert by any means but cannot wait to get out in it. Been in alot of boats and building my own 23' custom. Have only ever tried friends kayaks and love those things, they are a blast - very quiet easy to poke around.
J
Check out the Hobie sit down models. Some have fins that you work with pedals. I have read they move right along. One thought here is how will you transport a large deer on a kayak? I would think a small minkotta and a battery would make the canoe a lot easier to use and would cost less than a new kayak. Plus you can transport a deer in it.
I have a spot that I have used a kayak to get to. I never hunted out of the boat itself.
I was interested in the nu-canoe, but found a site to make your own pirogues, canoes, etc and now that got me thinking...
I have two Native Watercraft Ultimate 12's that I primarily fly fish from. They're stable and with a bit of practice you can stand in them but I don't make that a habit because i'd simply rather sit. None the less, they're made for standing and you can easily use a bow from them with a bit of practice....in warm weather. The U-12 or the U-14.5 as mentioned above, are great boats, easy to portage and have a great re-sale value should you decide it's not for you.
I have a number of canoes and kayaks hanging in my garage and have never taken a kayak hunting. A canoe is just more practical. Getting in and out of the boat is much easier and so is gear storage. Also, as Ragnarok Forge mentioned transporting a large animal out would be interesting.
I see one guy going down the river alot with his, he has a 2'x3' sheet of plywood bolted on top of the kayak in front of him with his bow on it
I have both a canoe and a Wilderness Systems kayak that I use very often and I'd take the canoe for hunting every time. It's less wet, hauls more, stable, and easier to portage. I think kayaks are the rage now because they are easy to transport, most are fairly cheap, and they are single person friendly. Perfect for the Kay-beering crowd. But I do perfer the kayak for fishing and duck killin.
The Native Craft and the Wilderness Systems hybrids are both great but not light unless you go with Kevlar ($4500). I'd pass on the sit ins and sit on tops for hunting unless you plan on big water trips where a big sit in would be needed. One other tip, you can buy new kayaks on-line at really good prices drop shipped free to a recieving center close to your home or trucked to your door for maybe $50. And no taxes when you buy on-line
Roy it could be the same guy I see, not sure were you see him. If it is he has been hunting out of his for 10 years with great success. He practices shooting from his kayak with his bow laying horizontal right in his yard.
shot my first moose cow out of a canoe this past october. Remember to adjust for the canoe moving if you shoot at a stationary target while the canoe is still moving. My shot was about 8" behind where i was aiming cause i did not account for canoe moving.
I own a kayak for redfishing and would think one could hunt from it...may not be as stable as a canoe but with a little practice im sure you could master it.
Michael
I have a Native Craft Magic 14.5' It is an open hull design which allows for lots of gear storage. Can easily load and transport a deer if I am ever lucky enough to get one. LOL
I would use the kayak to get into some away places. I would not hunt from one. I purchased one this morning (Black Friday deal). As in one of the earlier posts, I will probably use it for scouting new areas and fishing in the summer. I will definitely bow fish from my canoe with the outriggers.
I have a kayak that is 11 ft. I hunt out of it sometimes, and it is like anything, has good and bad points.
Mine is dull green and is real stealthy, the spray skirt is camo. Sometimes I have mud smeared all over it too. Animals seem to just ignore me in the kayak, and I can come right up to one on shore if I don't paddle too aggressively. This is real good for bears that are poking around on shore, not paying much attention to me.
Mine weighs about 30 pounds, so I can throw it on one shoulder and portage across shallow spots and keep going easier and quieter than with a larger canoe.
Kayaks are better than a canoe for shedding wind, and I stay warmer and dryer in it.
Down side is getting in and out of it on the shore, and if you put a load in the bow and stern, they are even more squirrely until you are all the way into the seat. To get in, I straddle it and squat down, using the paddle held against the ground for support.
Do not try to carry weight on top of them, that makes it worse. Put the weight inside and low as you can. Canoes are way better at hauling a load, but it is not impossible...
The other thing is if you have a longer bow, you may have interference with the lower limb to watch out for, either with the kayak itself or the water. I have a Bear KMag (52")that works good in the kayak, being so short. Still have to cant it a bit. A longer bow works too, but the short bow is easier.
If you add a paddle leash that is clipped to the kayak, when you want to shoot, just lay the paddle into the water alongside, and it won't float away from you. That is quieter and quicker than trying to stow the paddle in the kayak.
If you don't know what one is, look into a paddle blade float. It lets you get back into a kayak while in deep water if you overturn it and do a half eskimo roll. I keep one clipped inside the cockpit. (And of course wear a PFD!)
A bungee elastic with a snap hook is handy for securing the bow on deck and it comes free when you need it. This is another time the short bow is easier to deal with.
I use my kayak off of my bigger boat, both for hunting and just poking around after we are anchored up. I get in it off the swim step of the boat, and I came up with a secure way to do that. I permanently mounted an eye bolt in the kayak, just alongside the cockpit, with the eye sticking up from the deck. (Careful not to put it in the way of paddling.) On the boat swim step, I put another eyebolt with a carabiner shackled to it, pointed down toward the water. I float the kayak into place so the two eyebolts line up close together, and snap the 'biner onto the kayak; then it can't roll over, no matter what. I step in and get seated, roll my hip to take the weight off the biner, unsnap it, and off I go. When I return, I just reverse the procedure.
Hope there is some good in all that for you or somebody. My wife and I have a lot of fun with our kayaks!
Be safe,
Walt