Hunting from a Kayak

[RockinRam96]

Hey guys. Have any one you had experience hunting from a kayak or a boat?

I don’t intend to shoot from the kayak, but hoping to use it to get to some more remote places. I live in Western NY, and we have plenty of lakes and streams here on public land, plus I go to the Adirondacks at least twice a season. Would love to take my kayak to reach some more remote locations.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I have an Ascend 10T kayak that has a 325 lb weight rating. I am probably 225 loaded with gear and my rifle/bow. I figured a quarter deer is about 100 lbs. be right at that weight limit threshold.


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[WI-Carcosa]

I kayak into hard to get places in Wisconsin and absolutely love it. It has provided a way to get into spots without spooking deer or avoiding long walks in a swamp. I use an old old town kayak (looks like their ascend 10 now), but it doesn’t fit me very well and bow/rifle/gear/deer. What I do to avoid buying a new kayak is hitching a large jet sled to the back and throwing my bow/gear in it and kayaking to where I need to go. The sled can be used to recover deer and has water displacement to haul a deer out kayaking out as well. Eventually I’ll be getting a nucanoe so I can do it all without the jet sled. (Note: Wisconsin you have to take the full deer out, if you can quarter and pack that might change how you do things)

Good luck kayak hunting is a blast!

 

[JDBAK]

I used to hunt Prince William Sound in Alaska by Klepper kayak. They were awesome trips. My double Klepper had a capacity of 900-1000 lbs, and I was solo, so don’t know how relevant that is. I’d go for up to 2 weeks at a time, and could bring back 1-2 deer at a time. It would have fit 3 blacktails no problem. Back when I had time….

 

[Macintosh]

I have an Ascend 10T kayak that has a 325 lb weight rating. I am probably 225 loaded with gear and my rifle/bow. I figured a quarter deer is about 100 lbs. be right at that weight limit threshold.

I have a similar 10' kayak. I'm 200lb, so close enough. I also use a 16 or 17' canoe a lot, and I bought a old 16' aluminum boat with a 25hp engine more or less specifically to do camp/hunt trips out of it on some bigger lakes and rivers. If you have access to a bigger boat consider using that. A canoe is still really easy to transport but has a ton more room. A 14 or 16' aluminum boat will feel palatial by comparison, and gives you some safety margin for staying dry, dealing with some big wind on a lake, current on a river, etc. A canoe or kayak is better for really small water though.

Unless you shoot absolutely gigundous deer, or you leave entirely bone-in, it isnt going to be 100 lb. Not many adirondack deer are even 180lb, with most even good bucks being 160 or less. Boned meat is going to be half that +/-, maximum. I would worry as much about space in that boat than I would weight, as well as getting wet from water dripping off the paddle in cold weather. 75-80 seems more realistic, and there's your 20ish lb weight "wiggle room".

experiment with stowing and paddling with your hunting gear while scouting--take some trips with your hunting kit including gun/bow, and maybe even mock up meat bags in your pack. a rifle in a floating soft case or just strapped into the kayak is easy, but a bow with quiver you will probably need to have a way to attach it so it doesnt slip overboard and doesnt catch on stuff, as it's unlikely you'll want to put anything on top of the bow.

Wear a life jacket and use good judgement, taking an unexpected swim in 35* water while wearing rain pants and boots is not a recipe for a good day, and a tightly packed kayak that is at its weight limit coupled with a tired hunter who just wants to get home is an easy way to take a swim.

Rain pants will be helpful if you want to stay at all dry. Those ring-type splash guards that fit around the paddle shaft are cheap and help a lot, but you'll still get plenty of water in your lap. A big dry bag or even a trash bag for transport wouldnt hurt to keep your stuff dry. 18" high mud boots or hip waders will help a lot getting in/out of the boat.


Have fun, it's a great way to get away from people.

 

[johnw3474]

I have a natvie ultimate 14.5. They call it a hybrid design. I would recomend looking into somethinig like that or the Nucanoe. Pretty useful tool if you have backwater areas that are hard to access. I would also consider a good old fashion canoe. I like the wide open floor space to store gear, meat, etc however you need to.

 

[Cactus kid]

I’d give it a trial run with all your gear and the simulated weight of a big deer before its game time.

Make sure you have a stable kayak.

It’s a great way to hunt.

 

[peaches]

This sounds like a great time.

 

[Born2bhunting]

I feel like i need to start with this. If it dont feel right/safe just stop and figure something else out. With that said I hunt a big river and pretty good size creeks out of jon boat. Its quickly turned into my favorite way to hunt. If I was running a kayak or something smaller I would go into it with the thinking that I am going to quarter anything I harvest. No reason to risk dumping everything in the drink that time of year. Deer will bed way tighter to water than what i ever anticipated. My most productive morning sits this last year were boat in hunts.

 

[BravoNovember]

I kayak into hard to get places in Wisconsin and absolutely love it. It has provided a way to get into spots without spooking deer or avoiding long walks in a swamp. I use an old old town kayak (looks like their ascend 10 now), but it doesn’t fit me very well and bow/rifle/gear/deer. What I do to avoid buying a new kayak is hitching a large jet sled to the back and throwing my bow/gear in it and kayaking to where I need to go. The sled can be used to recover deer and has water displacement to haul a deer out kayaking out as well. Eventually I’ll be getting a nucanoe so I can do it all without the jet sled. (Note: Wisconsin you have to take the full deer out, if you can quarter and pack that might change how you do things)

Good luck kayak hunting is a blast!

Unless it changed this year, you can quarter deer to transfer out of the field in Wisconsin, the tagging and possession part can be a grey area though. I’m also a fan of a kayak for deer hunting. I wilL say that I’ve seen it become more popular the past few years

 

[Flatland Fit Man]

It’s an amazing tool. You will not be disappointed. Wear a life jacket and leave it at the boat.


Let someone know here you’re going and what time you’ll back. Falling in the water in November can be a dangerous situation. Good luck! Go kill a swamp donkey.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Yes to both, more in the boat lately but sure loves the kayak time. Need to watch the weather obviously if it's a lake with any size. Not sure about the Ascend but my Sea Ghost 130 could easily handle a full sized deer and lots of straps for bows and storage. If you can haul out in quarters it's even easier. As stated always wear the life jacket, never know when a foot gets hung up or something silly if you turtle. Kayaks are nice and quiet, can sneak right up and hunt near your landing spot. Great idea to carry a PLB or some sort of floating non-cellular rescue device.

 

[WI-Carcosa]

Unless it changed this year, you can quarter deer to transfer out of the field in Wisconsin, the tagging and possession part can be a grey area though. I’m also a fan of a kayak for deer hunting. I wilL say that I’ve seen it become more popular the past few years

Correct, I should have been more clear. You can quarter but the whole deer minus guts has to come out, hence why I do the jet sled in addition to the kayak as I couldn’t fit a whole deer with me

 

[RockinRam96]

Awesome!! Thanks for eh positive responses guys and the insight on good practice.

I will be hunting mostly small waters in remote areas where anything bigger than a kayak or a canoe is not practical.

I do have plenty of “storage” spaces on my kayak. Kind of why I bought this one specifically with the open top. I do have reusable game bags and always carry a contractor size garbage bag with me when hunting. So I think, I have meat care covered. Obviously, won’t protect things if I go over but should protect from the splashing of the ores and such while paddling.

Rain gear is a great idea for staying dry. Didn’t think of that one.

I am thinking I will give this a couple test runs with all my gear later this summer or early fall. Securement of gear will be key as well.

I am thinking rubber boots are a must. But I dislike rubber boots with a passion. I’d prefer laces ups and gators.

I am not looking to shoot a monster, but a mountain buck on a kayak trip would be an awesome adventure!


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[coyotekilla]

Id load your kayak to where you think you will be and paddle around a bit before your trip. I'm a bigger guy, and I kayak a bit and I've found they become way less stable as you approach the weight limit. Personally I'd take a flat bottom, but that's just me.

 

[OXN939]

Awesome!! Thanks for eh positive responses guys and the insight on good practice.

I will be hunting mostly small waters in remote areas where anything bigger than a kayak or a canoe is not practical.

I do have plenty of “storage” spaces on my kayak. Kind of why I bought this one specifically with the open top. I do have reusable game bags and always carry a contractor size garbage bag with me when hunting. So I think, I have meat care covered. Obviously, won’t protect things if I go over but should protect from the splashing of the ores and such while paddling.

Rain gear is a great idea for staying dry. Didn’t think of that one.

I am thinking I will give this a couple test runs with all my gear later this summer or early fall. Securement of gear will be key as well.

I am thinking rubber boots are a must. But I dislike rubber boots with a passion. I’d prefer laces ups and gators.

I am not looking to shoot a monster, but a mountain buck on a kayak trip would be an awesome adventure!


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I'd skip the rain gear and look into Xtratuffs. Takes a specific set of parameters for it to be worthwhile, but when everything lines up it's a blast.

 

[Macintosh]

The rain gear isnt for keeping your feet dry, its for keeping your legs and torso dry from water running off the paddle. In warm wx its a non-issue of course, but in november in wisconsin or any northern state, getting soaked could be a much bigger deal. Its not at all a must-do, and some kayaks (sit on top types) are the only issue, its just something to pay attention to now so you can anticipate it and have a solution before you’re in the boat on that 12*f morning and realize it’s not the same as it was in august or september.

 

[BigDuckHunter]

I’ve done it before from a kayak and the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze to me. More than double the amount of gear I had to pack up and unload and the hunting wasn’t much better, worse actually. I know that’s super spot dependent.

Glad to hear some of you guys have had good hunts from a kayak. Be careful though! A buddy of mines brother died in the same lake I’ve hunted from tipping a canoe during cold weather.