Canoe or Kayak?

[ethan]

I think it's kind of like asking wich truck is better, opinions are prejeduced. (CANOE) But like lots of other folks have already said, canoes can carry more gear. (GET A CANOE!)  They're easier to get in and out of, (GO WITH A CANOE!) and are more versatile.(DEFINATELY GET A CANOE!!)  But, you've got to look at the info from a non-biased perspective. (CANOE, CANOE, CANOE!!)  

[akbowbender]

I didn't fly in. My buddy and I made camp by this bar a week before season. We saw some strange gouges in the gravel on what we thought was too small to land a plane on. When we came back to hunt, this plane was there and another camp was setup a 100 yards from ours. Turns out that I knew one of the guys. Both camps took a moose on opening day.

My buddy watched them fly out their moose and camp. They had to back the plane up to where the tail wheel was in the water. There was a hill in the take off direction, so as soon as they gained about 75' of altitude, the pilot had to stand the plane on it's wing and make a 90 deg turn to get lined up with about mile long straight stretch down the river. I think floating our moose down the river was a bit less existing!

[akbowbender]

The Greenland II does look nice. I wonder what the hull material is made of. Mine has a heavy Hypalon hull. Very tough stuff. The last moose we got, we had too drag my Folbot over a series of beaver dams to get back too the river. Would have been a pain to pack that moose to the river.

[Tajue17]

I use a Mohawk canoe,, honestly its mostly for flyfishing but I lined the whole inside with outdoor patio carpet and marine contact cement..

it has aluminum rails so for hunting I'd go over the rails with armor-flex like the radisons I think do..

so I guess if its very windy,choppy, white water a Kayak would would work otherwise a canoe is the best choice---> I've seen Ron's pic where they hold deer nicely too!  i guess a Kayak you can float the deer behind you,, canoe you can shoot from your knees which is nice..   okay my minds racing now!

[RC]

How many paddle your canoe upstream?RC

[huntin_sparty]

Welcome to SE MI I live in Rochester north and east of you.  I have a sit on top kayak so not a fair comparison cause unless I had a full wet suit I would want to use it here in Oct. or Nov.  I have a sportspal square stern 14 ft canoe that does a good job of keeping dry and is stable.  With the stablity comes some negatives the width made it paddle like a barge in the wind.  I use thulle bars on top of the durango and strap it up top.  I dont know if you cap can support weight or have bars never owning a set up like that.  I dont know if you have private land hunting opportunities the state land here is going to be probably different than the vastness of out west.  Good luck and enjoy.

 http://www.bwmarineproducts.com/square_stern_canoes.htm

[Don Stokes]

I love my little 9.5' kayak for fishing my 5 acre lake, but I wouldn't want to try to haul a deer in it. It would definitely have to be quartered. Since kayaks are so much easier to paddle and handle, I think a two-seat kayak might be ideal.

I've done a good bit of both deer and turkey hunting from a 17' Grumman. A small trolling motor can really save your arms if you're on a lake. Be sure and check your state regs- in some states you can't shoot a deer from any kind of water craft.

[J-dog]

Not a canoer or a kayaker so take it for what you paid for it!

Dying to get one of 14.5 ultimate - had the chance to try one out and and being inexperienced as I am it was easy to get started, virtually impossible to flip, and was just a blast. When I get my money folded right I am going to get one of these for the same purposes you mentioned. Even with my 70 lb lab in the boat this thing was stable and the dog cant sit still.

I plan on Bhunting, duckin, and some fishin with mine. I think you could really slip along a creek with one of these ultimates and do some damage.

J

[straitera]

RC, I've paddled canoes upstream often. (MOF, most folks say I paddle upstream all the time.) Rather paddle upstream to start the day than fight the current with a load of deer meat coming home. Get nearer the edges where the current is less & it isn't so much of a problem. In my kayak, I scooted across the water directly into a gale wind. It was way impressive. Paddling into a current is huge less an obstacle in a kayak. Trouble is the kayak is too tipsy & you & gear WILL get wet that close to the water especially with a load. Offshore fishing in a kayak is awesome. How many of you Yakers have taken a dive as part of your learning curve especially w/your gear? Once is enough IMO.

[maineac]

I am a canoe advocate.  I don't know if Mich. is the same as Maine, but we have to check a whole deer, quartering is not an option.  I have had to use the small kayaks when visiting my sisters place. I tied a gear kayak behind the one I was paddling to be able to carry my bow, seat and back pack.  An additional bonus is you can shoot out of a canoe, which I think would be tough in a kayak.  I took my first archery deer out of a canoe.

[Dan in KS]

I own both kayaks and canoes---both have their place.  For two-three day tripping, hard to beat the kayak.  For carrying a load and extended hunting/fishing trips, the canoe is a better option.Have spent over a week in the Boundry Waterways with a partner and gear in a canoe.  A majority of kayaks would not have carried the load.

DB

[Vesty]

I've been using a Mad River kevlar Explorer for 15 yrs. now. Light(53lbs.) yet has a cargo capacity of an astounding 1100lbs.

[Fisher Cat]

I would get a smaller sized, square stern conoe with a small 4 horse outboard.  You don't have to use the motor, but it sure is nice for getting to your area quickly as well as for trolling while fishing. - John

[Canadabowyer]

Floating up on a bull moose is one of lifes greatest pleasures. If you have a hunting partner or even just a paddler a small canoe is the way to go.15' Bob's Special ceder strip. 50 lbs. Its amazing how many moose are around if you carry that canoe 200 or 300 yards off the road to a "moose puddle". Bob

[abbatoys]

I have an old town 15' canoe and it works out well for hauling gear and I have duck hunted from it. I also have an old town Angler 10' kayack that has a very large cockpit and it is easy to get in and out of. I use this for marsh hunting ducks and fishing. Each has its own fot for me.....

[sawtoothscream]

my ocean kayak trident 11 is extremely stable. i would really really have to try hard to flip it. cant stand right up in it and has alot of storage.  if you go the kayak route buy a sit on top and not a sit in, sit ins are not very stabile at all IMO.

but for your needs a canoe might be better do to more room to take gear and a deer with you.

[ChopOH]

Check out winona canoes.  Mine is a 16.5' solo canoe that is a dream to paddle, handles cargo easily, very stable and flies on the water.  Also have some kayaks for the kids to play with, 10' Old Towns.  But for a hunting trip the canoe wis much better choice.

[jhg]

Originally posted by Longbow1953:
... Could anyone who's done it before tell me how stable it is to hunt from a canoe...

I loved hunting from the water and spent many years as a wilderness river guide, both canoe and raft (some kayak on the ocean) I always preferred a guide canoe, ie one that actually was designed for various waters like open lakes/rivers that saw rough water and/or quickwater, sporting bottoms that seemed "tippy" but actually had great secondary stability (shallow v or rounded bottoms vs flat). You really do not want to find out just how performance limited a flat bottom is in rough water, with wind, with dark coming on and the lake temp at 42*.

My own personal test was if I could almost (slowly) tip the canoe rail under the water and still not flip it over, paddle around that way. well, thats the one I preferred. I could trust it to save my life by allowing me to use its full potential to avoid disaster whether a over cresting wave, a pour-over rock pulling one rail under or some other happenstance.
I don't know, I just always prepared for the worst and so always came out  ok. Trying a smooth water flat bottom canoe side by side one as described you will quickly see for yourself how one is actually super forgiving (and like a good longbow) predictable while the other is a snake waiting to bite...
My 2 cents.

Joshua

PS: Buy a good $ life vest and wear it. Always. Its too late when you are in the water. Seconds count.
There is no shame wearing a vest all the time. During the advanced river rescue training I took, we heard many, many true and very sad stories of husbands, brothers, Dads and dear friends who lost their lives needlessly- either out of ignorance or in the service of vanity- by not WEARING a floatation device.

[mjh]

I'm a dedicated canoe guy!  If your going to be doing more solo but some tandem canoeing look into some in the 15ft range maybe 16ft, or if mostly soloing get a solo canoe.  Roylex is heavier than kevlar but for river travel vs cost it might be a better way to go, take a look at canoeing.com for reviews and info and then craigs list for what available used in your area, I like canoes at 60lbs or less

[BearAddict72]

I use a canoe for fishing, hunting whitetail and bear. Its a 17' madriver and it works awesome. we put a 55# thrust trolling motor on it to keep work to a minimum and you can sneak around quiet as a mouse. it hauls 2 people, tons of gear and bear bait with ease.