hunting out of a kayak

[ESP]

Do any of you hunt out of a kayak?  If so, what would you look for in a kayak?  What would make yours better? How are they at maneuvering over beaver dams?  

 I am thinking that a 500+ lb weight capacity Kayak would be nice.  I weigh 250.  With gear, bow and clothes I would be near 300lbs.  If by chance I harvest a deer, then the deer boned out.  Just my logic.

Any suggestions, experiences or observations are appreciated.

[hawkeye n pa]

I turkey hunt out of a kayak in the spring. Usually on the back water from flood control dams.  Half the time I'm actually in the woods at any other time of the year.  For deer I take the canoe.

[John3]

For deer only the canoe.. This 12' Old Town weighs less than 50# and can haul 900+ pounds.

 

[Possum Head]

I hunt from the same model Old Town John3 does. It's light as a Kayak and works for me, my Summit and a slick head.

[Sam McMichael]

I have only had experience with whitewater style kayaks and did not find them stable. I would think a flat bottomed canoe would be easier to handle unless you have a lot of experience with kayaks.

[oxnam]

Weight capacity is a big one.  I like sit on top kayaks because they are generally wider and more stable and they're easy to get all of the mud and blood out because they are self bailing.  If you push the weight limits of a sit-on-top, you'll usually have some water coming through the scupper holes.  Large weight capacity is usually associated with a longer boat which increases the difficulty of maneuvering.

I bought a Malibu Kayaks X-Factor.  Currently published with a weight capacity of 550#, though it was 650# when I bought mine.  I can load it up in the winter with all my gear, dog, and myself (225#) and feel very comfortable.

Ocean Kayaks and Jackson also make large capacity stable boats and have solid reputations.  

Add a bassyaks motor setup and it can really increase your range and enjoyment.

Many will say just get a canoe but I really enjoy my kayak and how easily it handles solo in a wind, compared to a canoe.

[DanielB89]

oxnam,

do you have any pics of you hauling some game with your kayak?

[ChuckC]

My two cents.  Yes, a kayak will work, but sit in's are difficult to get in and out of without the ability to beach it first.  Sit on's make that a bit easier to do but they are generally a fair amount heavier.  You can carry a fair amount on them, especially in still waters.

I think, for what you are asking, a small canoe would be best ( yes, you CAN do it with any of the above). It can more securely hold your stuff, it can be lighter, it can allow you to do more things.  Another option is a small 10' or 12' row boat that you paddle like a canoe.

ChuckC
ChuckC

[reddogge]

Just saw a photo series of a water rescue of a guy on a SOT fishing kayak heavily loaded down in the middle of the Susquehanna Flats yesterday. High winds and temps in the low 50s. Guy was lucky two boats came to his rescue. He turtled it couldn't get it righted or back in it and was in bad shape with hypothermia.

I'd opt for a canoe myself.

[Blackhawk]

My wife and I each have fishing kayaks and love them for fun outings and a little fishing.  However, if going hunting with gear and all, then I want a canoe.  

Yep...bowfishing would be ok, but hunting your method would not be for me.  

Best of luck if you give it a try.

[J-dog]

Check out native watercraft ultimate 14.5 --- best both worlds.

Canoe can always haul more - but the ultimate can haul most any whitetail. When I kill from kayak I butcher on the bank and haul in game bags in backpack; another thought.

I have a 16 foot Old Town Penobscot. Just got to get the weight proper in it when solo. You need to get all the weight up front to keep bow down or any wind is gonna steer you. It doesn't maneuver like that Native will. Also when Lab is on board and wants go swim I can haul him back on board the Native no worries it is so stable. I can stand and shoot out of it as well as it is stable. The 16' canoe is more roomy but I do haul stands, bow and pack in kayak just fine, just little tighter quarters than with canoe.

I love em both! spent all day yesterday with wife and daughter in canoe scouting turkeys and doing some fishing.

J

[ESP]

I was thinking the Ocean Big Game 2.  The two places that I will use it is traversing a series of beaver ponds and a very tight creek.

[Scott F]

I fish from a Hobie Revolution 13.  It rocks and I can almost get a small rooster tail behind me for a short distance while moving -- well, maybe not but it is fast!  This is my ultimate fishing kayak but I don't hunt from it. If I wanted to hunt from a boat, I'd buy a canoe like the Old Town pictured above unless you want to bone out your game prior to moving it to your vehicle.

[J-dog]

Scott those Hobies are very NICE! Stable too!

[Hatrick]

Been looking at the Old Town NEXT 13' hybrid. Anybody have experience with these?

[ron w]

I have a tandem Native Craft......check them out. It's a kayak that thinks it's a canoe.

[maineac]

I would opt for a canoe.  I have carted bow, pack, tree stand and deer with no problem. Avoid the whitewater styles with a rounded bottom, as they wold feel less stable. When going solo I sit backwards on the front seat, which lowers the profile of the front.  I also place my gear such as tree
stand, or a handy rock as far forward as I can.

I tried using my sisters kayaks to go hog hunting down in Georgia once.  They were the small old town style.  It took two to carry myself and all my gear, and I do not know what I would have done if I killed a hog.

[Mike VanBuren]

I have a Nucanoe Frontier 12 which is a very stable hybrid. It has 600 lbs capacity with the scuppers plugged, 450 lbs unplugged. There's plenty of room and it handles the wind and chop very well. It is plenty stable enough to stand and push pole in mud flats. A motor can be added to the small squared transom. The seat can be arranged any way you want to balance the cargo weight. It weighs 80 something lbs. I have no problems loading it into a pickup bed but it would not be easy to portage a good distance.

[eidsvolling]

Originally posted by Hatrick:
Been looking at the Old Town NEXT 13' hybrid. Anybody have experience with these?

Of the eight boat models listed in this thread so far, I used to sell six of them at a large retailer I once worked for. In addition, I currently own a NEXT, a 17' Penobscot, a 13' wooden kit kayak and a 17' wooden kit kayak. In the past I've owned two other canoes and a tandem sea kayak. I spent my childhood vacations with a paddle in hand in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota, and I have spent a few decades since then paddling in Alaska, Washington and New Hampshire.

All that is an introduction to the basis for these firmly held opinions:

1. For deer hunting, "use enough boat" – i.e., a canoe.

2. The NEXT can work for deer hunting, but it has limited capacity for a large-bodied deer. BTW, this boat really needs to be paddled with a double-bladed paddle.

3. Anyone paddling in April anywhere north of the Mason–Dixon Line needs at minimum to be in a full wet suit. I use a dry suit this month and into May here in New Hampshire on inland waters. (The water temperature is currently in the low to mid 40s here.) Dry suit full time on the ocean anywhere I can't buy a mai tai at a shoreside bar.

[ESP]

Thanks for all of your information.  I think I will take a serious look at an Old Town Discovery 133.  Any one have any experience with this particular canoe?

Thanks
ESP