Kayak hunting

Joined
Feb 25, 2014
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503
Location
South Dakota
Been an avid kayaker for the past few years and have started to do some hunting out of it as of late. Anyone else here use kayaks to do some hunting? Looking for some accessories to add as well. Trying to find a durable bow mount for the front and also a shotgun mount for waterfowl. Let hear some tried and true experience. Thanks!
 

Conroy

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Apr 14, 2014
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Mukwonago, Wisconsin, United States
I am from Wisconsin and I use a kayak or canoe to hunt deer. We have huge public marshes with a lot of islands and cattail flats that are impossible to get to any other way. I use a sit on top style and bungee my stand, sticks and bow directly to the kayak. I would say I am on the water almost every month, if there’s open water, for something.

There are a few guys here that hunt ducks and geese from them as well. They must be successful because I see some of the same guys quite often.
 
OP
huntaholic123
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Feb 25, 2014
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503
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South Dakota
Im looking for a bow mount that will hold my bow upright so I can have it readily available on the front side of the kayak. Going to see if I can use a mount for a tree stand base if I can’t find something online.
 

hodgeman

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Mar 4, 2012
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Delta Junction, AK
I've done a lot of kayaking and more hunting but rarely combined the two...that's going to change.

Waterfowl is a natural extension- but there's a lot of area you can kayak to that bigger powerboats just can't reach for big game.
 

Loebs

Lil-Rokslider
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Sep 22, 2017
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Florida
We use kayaks down here in Florida to hunt ducks, turkey, and get into a few spots for alligators. Never killed a big gator from a kayak, but a co-worker who was a trapper on the side killed a 10+ a few years back out of a canoe. Keep in mind, we can't shoot them like they do in Louisiana, harpoon and then bang stick.



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Titan_Bow

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Dec 10, 2015
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Colorado
How far could a guy reasonably get in a kayak loaded with gear. Feasible to cover 10 plus miles ?


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Conroy

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Apr 14, 2014
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Mukwonago, Wisconsin, United States
How far could a guy reasonably get in a kayak loaded with gear. Feasible to cover 10 plus miles ?




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That’s a long way to go with all of your gear. My trips are usually no more than 2 miles one way. Most of my spots are usually pretty close, but too far to walk. You’d be surprised how a little water can keep 99% of the hunters out.
 

SHTF

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Feb 4, 2013
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Colorado
Looks like those are out of stock but look what I found on Amazon

Amazon.com : HME Products Universally Mountable Bow Holder : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

You would probably have to do some fabrication on your boat unless you have hard handles to make that work but with a little backwood ingenuity you can get it to work. Maybe take the Bow holder out of the mount and mount it where you want it straight on the boat on the inside right where you need it to be ready.

Looks like the bottom plate is removable from the mount and if your boat has the right thickness you could mount it right to the boat. I don't know what kind of Kayak you have though. this is a good way to get around Id love to do something like this. =)
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
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Cool idea. I looked into this for a moose hunt and haven’t given up on the idea. Turns out you can’t shoot big game from a boat in a lot of places so make sure you check refs where you are hunting. I was going to where waders and try to spot and bail out.
 

awaldro7

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Messages
193
I cannot find it right now but there is a product that you can mount on your bow or gun that is super small and when you drop them in the water it releases a floating string. That way you can retrieve the item. We use them a lot in bowfishing. Its one of those things that you hope you never need but are glad you have it if you do.
 

CutBait

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Aug 12, 2019
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16
Location
Minnesota
Digging up an old post -

I just acquired this kayak the other day. Primary intended purpose is for duck hunting, summer fishing (catfish & panfish), river bottom turkey hunting, and possibly some river bottom deer hunting. I'll have to get a season behind me before I really start to accessorize it with anything, so I don't have much to comment with regards to kayak accessories. But I've already decided its better than my old 10ft Carsten puddler skid-boat!

119385
 

CutBait

FNG
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Aug 12, 2019
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Minnesota
Forgot to mention - the kayak is the Ascend H12. It is a Bass Pro brand, thus it is only available at Bass Pro and Cabela's I believe. There are a handful of guys on the interwebs that use them for duck hunting and have had good success/reviews. Total weight around 75lbs.
 

schmalzy

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Oct 1, 2014
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I’ve used a 14 foot native ultimate to get to a few deer spots and loved it. I never mounted my gun/bow as I didn’t want to have to explain to GW about shooting from a “vessel” under way. Little different than duck hunting from
One as when duck hunting I was anchored.

Keep in mind the weight capacity of whatever you use. A climbing stand, gun/bow and other gear, PLUS a deer adds up quick.

As far as range goes, all depends on how much time and fitness. A 1-2 mile paddle is a reasonable range imho. Strongly recommend a PFD.

It’s a ton of fun and you can really access some
Hard to reach areas. Biggest deer track I’ve seen in my life was in a cove of a reasonably popular lake. Great way to hunt marsh areas as well.


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FLAK

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Jan 22, 2014
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Gulf Coast
I have a 3 Rivers Big Fish. Killed a few Common Gallinule out of it last year down here in Mobile, Bay. I'm not much of a Waterfowler but I do enjoy slippin around in that yak. I would really like to get a Purple Gallinule.
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
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Lowcountry, SC
I have a little 12 foot Pungo 120 sit in kayak I have been taking out to some islands that are WMA land. Scouting only so far. The one "gadget" I got is a completely waterproof rifle bag. It is similar to military use bags. A bit expensive, but keeps my rifle safe, and if I put plenty of air in it, it floats. I tie it off to the kayak. Still working on a good solution for getting a deer back to the landing without a gator dragging it off. Need some sort of float; probably a small inflatable will work.
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
2,660
I looked hard at all of the big name fishing/hunting kayaks and ended up with a NuCanoe Frontier 12. It's been a lot of fun to fish from but I haven't gotten much hunting out of it yet.

I took it on a deer trip last year but my dad showed up and I wasn't able to use it like I had planned. So that will have to wait for another time.

I did make a couple of duck outings with it last year but was really just feeling it out. The seats are rather large so I removed them for hunting and bought a low profile turkey chair from Sportsmen's. I also cut the floor out of my old ghg ground force layout blind so that I could bolt it to the rails.

NuCanoe states a 600lb weight limit and I've had no trouble with myself, my girlfriend, and our 80lb Labrador out paddling around. If the dog jumps out, and he will, I can grab his collar and hoist him back in without tipping.

For a gun holder, I cut sections of a wooden dowel and screwed in U-shaped tool hangers. On the other end, I found inserts at Ace hardware that are wood screw threaded on the outside and machine screw threaded on the inside. These bolt to my side rails. I also tied a section of Paracord about 8' long to a boat cleat and ran that through the sling swivel stud on my shotgun.

The boat has a lot of potential that I have yet to fully realize but it's been a fun project.
 

dubllung4

FNG
Joined
Aug 30, 2018
Messages
52
Location
Michigan
I hunt from a 12' Jackson Kilroy. I find that with the right wind I can sneak into areas much quieter and more efficient. It really opens up the possibilities for access. I also have a GPS on the Kayak, makes a big difference in the dark not having to pull out your phone.
 
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