Kayak Hunting

[jrbarnes9972]

Good afternoon,

I am looking at picking up a kayak for river and lake hunting around here. I don't really want to mess with a john boat and think a kayak could be a good option.

Just looking for any tips or tricks or hunting out of a kayak, specifically getting a deer out?



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[fishdart]

Id be looking at a canoe, personally. Much higher load capacity and when you do toss that deer carcass or quarters in, the weight will remain low/below waterline and maintain stability.

Most canoes can be paddled solo by sitting in the front seat, but orienting the normal stern end as the bow. Some aluminum models will have a cross brace behind the bow seat preventing this.

Use a double-ended kayak paddle and you'll be able to keep a straight line, but also be able to turn/navigate current well.

 

[TreeDux]

I’m a fan of kayaks, but my “fleet “ and hence my knowledge is rather dated. In my mind the basics are sit on top, and quarter your deer for the trip out. Dry storage is nice.

 

[hiker270]

Canoe

 

[Jimss]

Take a look at Hobie Pro Angler 14. There is a shorter and longer version of the PA and I would highly suggest the 14 footer. It is EXTREMELY stable and nearly impossible to capsize. I stand up to cast and land fish when fishing. My golden retriever joins me on most trips and she loves it in the roomy back. There is also plenty of room in the back for elk sized game (once quartered). An entire deer should fit fairly easily on the back. I use mine mostly for fishing but it would be great for slow moving rivers or lakes. I use force fins to peddle rather than paddle. It's a great leg workout. I've had mine on large bodies of water (Lake Michigan) and Pro Anglers are used quite often for ocean fishing.

Mine weighs over 100 lbs and I load it in the back of my Tundra and use a fairly cheap receiver hitch setup that I bought at Harbor Freight. I've capsized a canoe before and my Hobie is way more stable than any canoe I've ever seen. The only way a canoe would be as stable as my Pro Angler is to use pontoons on each side.

Another nice thing about a Pro Angler is how quiet the force fins are. No noise from paddling. I actually use mine for getting up close to fish. If you have any questions, please send me a PM. As you can tell, I love my Pro Angler.

 

[Macintosh]

I grew up in canoes, and have both canoes and a kayak. They do different things. A plastic kayak is easy to toss in the back of my truck without having to deal with a roof rack, and I can literally load it up and drag it a quarter mile along the shore instead of carrying it. I wouldn’t do that with any of my canoes. A full size canoe is also really difficult to manage in the wind if you’re in it by yourself, even sitting in the bow seat facing the opposite direction it usually puts the other end of the boat in the air and it functions as a weathervane. Trying to quarter into the wind is about as frustrating as it gets under that condition. I think with two people a canoe is a far better option, but there is something to be said for a 12 to 14 foot open kayak, something like a native ultimate or similar, that is fairly stable, still has plenty of room inside, but really easy to transport and deal with wind. There’s also solo canoes like the 12 or 14 foot discovery models or similar, which sort of split the difference and can be paddled like a canoe or like a kayak. They are pricey, but I sort of drool over some of the high-end solo canoes like this, I think they would be great for hunting. I had a 15 foot solo canoe for a number of years that I sold a decade or so ago, would’ve made a great hunting boat.

Paddling my little kayak with a small pack, a bow, and a deer would be humorous at best. In a bigger boat you can just load it in, assuming you can lift it yourself. Otherwise I’d be tempted to quarter it out before putting it in a small boat.

 

[dribeerfeht]

I hunt public land, often around public lakes. I used to hike a mile or two to craggy areas that were hard to get to. When i killed a deer, i would drag it downhill to the lake and mark it with a chem light. Hike back to my truck, put a canoe in the water, paddle to my deer and float it out. It was easier than dragging it out. Now, KS allows you to document the kill with your phone, break it down, and use game bags for packing it out. No need for the canoe anymore. Here is an old pic
I would not attempt it in a kayak...it would be hard to load on a steep bank without flipping over.

 

[FLswamper]

I've owned and paddled a lot of canoes and kayaks, but never hunted with them.

If you are set on a kayak, I agree a sit-on-top is the best choice for stability. A sit-on-top would be superior to a canoe if you are in the wind. The problem with kayaks is no practical storage for hunting. Also, I cramp up in most kayaks because of limited options to move my body around, but maybe that's just me.

My favorite overall watercraft is a solo canoe, and I would choose that for hunting too. Easy to throw on a roof rack. Good cargo capacity and very maneuverable with a single canoe paddle. It is easy to learn the basic J stroke on a canoe paddle. That will let you steer right or left without the need to switch sides. I recommend against using a kayak paddle in a canoe. The paddler kneels near the rear of a canoe paddling solo - that is the captain seat as it has the bulk of the steering control.

Wind is not your friend in a canoe. I don't paddle in the wind in anything but a sea kayak, but they are very long, heavy and tippy have no practical cargo space for hunting.