Hunting from a canoe

[Ron LaClair]

  I will be hunting with a buddy in a remote spot this year, we are taking in 2 canoes with all of our gear. The plan is to use the canoes each day to go from our camp to our hunting spots.....I'm not sure if we will be actually hunting from the canoes though.  

Roger, when you're in the wild whether on the ground or in the water, stay vigilant because you're ALWAYS hunting.
El Lobo

   

[Roger Norris]

Yep.....  

[Ray Lyon]

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
I will be hunting with a buddy in a remote spot this year, we are taking in 2 canoes with all of our gear. The plan is to use the canoes each day to go from our camp to our hunting spots.....I'm not sure if we will be actually hunting from the canoes though.

You and Greg will have a blast. Tent camping and canoes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula hunting whitetails is about as good as it gets.

[Ray Lyon]

Originally posted by Ron LaClair:
 

  I will be hunting with a buddy in a remote spot this year, we are taking in 2 canoes with all of our gear. The plan is to use the canoes each day to go from our camp to our hunting spots.....I'm not sure if we will be actually hunting from the canoes though.  

Roger, when you're in the wild whether on the ground or in the water, stay vigilant because you're ALWAYS hunting.
El Lobo

Hey El Lobo, that's one of those Hollywood 'body doubles' right?    

    [/b]

[Roger Norris]

Originally posted by Ray Lyon:
 

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
I will be hunting with a buddy in a remote spot this year, we are taking in 2 canoes with all of our gear. The plan is to use the canoes each day to go from our camp to our hunting spots.....I'm not sure if we will be actually hunting from the canoes though.

You and Greg will have a blast. Tent camping and canoes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula hunting whitetails is about as good as it gets. [/b]

I think you need to come along Raymond....

[njloco]

I find it interesting that in the picture of the indian in the canoe, he is a right handed shooter, shooting off of the right side of the bow rest, or his hand.

Anyone care to comment on why this would be ?

[Ron LaClair]

Many Indians used a oriental release. Ishi shot that way too.

   

[maineac]

I love hunting out of a canoe.  If you practice you can slowly paddle along without even lifting the paddle out of the water, Just turn the blade sideways and bring it forward, then a quarter turn and stroke back.  I keep a second paddle in the canoe so if a deer appears while I am paddling I can just drop the paddle and get ready with the bow, making no noise.  Do a lot of paddling this spring and summer to get your feel for the canoe and I think you will find them much more stable than people give them credit for.

[BUCK-EYE]

If you have the aug/sept 2014 issue of traditional bowhunter there is a great story written by Daniel Cote. He does a float trip down a creek in the U P. I have read that story 100 times! Very cool! I havent done a float trip like that, we tent it for 8-9 days in the western U P.

[Ray Lyon]

Originally posted by Ron LaClair:


   

Looks like trouble is brewing. Ron's got a spare quiver at the ready. Probably spotted a war party from the Widow tribe traveling on the Armstrong creek.   :rolleyes:    :eek:

[Adam Keiper]

I bowhunted geese from a kayak a while back and managed to sneak up for a kill.  My kayak tastes have gone more primitive since then and I'm anxious to try again from my latest build, which is a semi-replica of an Arctic hunting kayak.

 

[TSP]

Solo canoeing on smaller quiet waters is fun, best to get low and near the center of the boat, kneel for stability, some foam under the knees to improve comfort.  J-stroke or Canadien stroke to reduce wrist strain and noise, left side gunnel (for right handers) tilted toward the waterline for better control.  With bow and quiver on board and daylight breaking there's nothing more enjoyable for sneaking into otherwise hard-to-reach hunting spots.  Or just for some fun on days off.  Very relaxing.

[jhg]

My favorite way to access any hunt terrain is by canoe. Many times the animals do not expect anyone from the direction a canoe allows you to start hunting from.

[string bean]

I would love one but I'm afraid it wouldn't get as much use as I'd like.

[Larry Dean]

Texas is a long way from The BWCA, but on our Quetico and Bdub trips we crossed paths with a good number of people from Texas.  We use canoes on Iowa rivers, got a few ducks doing that and paddling upstream in day light is not so difficult if you follow the upstream side of the eddies. Going down stream in the dark is always a real thrill when the beavers come out to say hello and then wack their tails along side the canoe. It is easier to float a deer a mile back to the car than to drag it. Not real sure what Texas has to offer for huntable water ways.

[Larry Dean]

This is a requirement for all who go on canoe trips with us. That first big lakeisnot the place to learn how to paddle.

[Sam McMichael]

As a younger guy, I spent a lot of time in a canoe, including white water. I would never consider hunting from a canoe. I think it is very dangerous practice. Most of us are not steady enough to do it, and a dunking during hunting season can be deadly. I envy you guys who are good enough to pull it off, though, because a canoe can take you into a lot of places that would be difficult to walk to.

[Larry Dean]

We have gone on spring canoe trips while there was still ice in the bays, we have paddled area rivers that were icing up. One thing to remember very cold water can stop your ability to breathe even if your head is dry. also, you don't float as easy in 39 degree water as you would in 70 degree water.

[Bowguy67]

This is a pretty old thread but since it’s back up I wanna comment about the tippy ness some guys claimed. Certain canoes are no way no how tippy. Old town discovery is one boat I used as a young man. Think it was 168, anyhow I’d paddle with a rod between my legs standing up. Once where I wanted to cast I’d switch rod for paddle. No issues standing the whole time and no issues bowfishing from it.
I’ve since sold that canoe and bought a 158 discovery. Foot shorter but every bit as stable with plenty of room for gear plus a jet sled drug behind allows even more.
Now a discovery may not be tippy with plenty of room for a deer but it doesn’t glide through the water as well as others with its flatter bottom so that’s a trade off. If used in easy water, especially just to access a spot it’s be fine imo but if it is a tippy canoe I’d pass to hunt from

[Ron LaClair]

My wife Nancy and I use to float rivers a lot, it's a cool way to hunt. Deer sometimes bed down close to the river offering a god shot.