Duck Hunting From Canoe?

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P-990

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Ok, I know we're about 5 months too early here, but I figured I'd ask: Who here hunts ducks from a canoe or kayak?

I ask because I guess I'm looking for pointers. Just acquired a nice little solo 12-foot Old Town canoe, and have been fishing in it. Of course, I was watching the quackers while reeling in bass, thinking "October, October..." :p

So how do you do it? Drift and jump shoot? Use it to ferry to small water and set up a decoy spread and blind? Some of both? Right now it seems to me the best bet would be to set up a spread and wait from there. But maybe there's a way to drift-and-jump 'em?

Thanks all.
 
I have tried a kayak and scared the hell out of me when I fired the 3 1/2 and almost flipped me over. My son and I use an 18' Gruman aluminum for ducks and geese and love it. We can cary quite a few decoys and other goodies that we need and last year we added the stabilizer outriggers to it to make it safer to use in the Delaware River. It makes you feel alot better on a river with them. We anchor up in an estuary and set decoys and brush the canoe up and we also drift the Walkill river(flows North) and jump shoot them on the bends and inlets. Get some good ultra low gloss Krylon camo paint and go to town. Dont forget to do the paddles. We had a guy show up last year with a nice camo canoe and then he broke out his nice new shiny yellow paddles to show us how good they were:eek:. We almost died laughing and he kept wondering why.
 
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P-990,

I think the canoe is great for accessing shallow wetlands. The draft is only about 6-12 inches. Great to paddle in, get out, and tuck it in the reads. They're pretty darn unstable in the heat of the moment. I used to have one, and could get my 85 pound retriever in and out without a problem. He'd put his front paws on the gunwhale, and I haul him in by the scruff. However, when we jumped a bird, all bets were off. I'd hate to go in frigid water with chest waders, not to mention all my gear dropping out of site.

In the end, I think there's a lot of romance to it, but practically speaking, it's more transport than hunting patform.

DG
 
I wonder if you could rig up some type of outrigger system - something you could clamp onto the boat when hunting and then unclamp and store when paddling. I polynesians used outriggers to stabilize very skinny canoes.
 
Doyal, They sell outrigger packages at Cabela's and I have on mine. They help alot and make you feel better in the rivers and big water and the extra stability when you gotta get up and shoot. You could proably make on cheaper than the one they sell with a little foam and aluminum square stock.
djonathing, Draft 6-12" of water????:confused: Never saw a canoe that even went over 3 or 4" with a load in it. My Gruman drafts only 2-3" loaded.
They have alot of models but I prefer the Gruman 18' because it has a wide beam width and its good in rivers and bigwater chop and even had it in the Barnaget bay once. Another thing is to get a floating gun case and a shotgun leash in case the unexpected happens. Its just an extra step to make sure you keep your gun and it doesnt go to the muck monster at the bottom.
 
There is nothing wrong in starting early planning/learning how to hunt with a canoe.
Good time to find the right PFD that you can shoot with.
I have enjoyed many wonderful hunts jump shooting small rivers.
Corners, sneak in close to shore on the corners and be ready for great action.
If you plan to hunt alone you would do well to practice with some ballast.
One of my hunting partners would use a cooler filled with sand in the front to stabilize it. Think low center of gravity!
Just reading this post brings back some wonderful times with old friends.
Thank you
 
I stand corrected on the draft. I was only estimating. But hey, when you get to the 4" depth, it's time to get out and walk, as paddling isn't so efficient at that point.

For canoe fans, I had a wood and canvas Cheemaun. Absolutely beautiful!

DG
 
To be quite honest, there's nothing like bare feet on a cedar canoe in the summer.

It went to a nice father and son. I think they probably had some really good times in it as well.

DG
 
Okay, so it sounds like it should work about as well as I envisioned. :o I
m thinking paddle kneeling if looking for jump shooting, with some ballast in the bow, and I should be A-OK.

This boat has already got me :D ear-to-ear, and I've only had it out 3 times. I can finally get to those little nooks of fishing water that always looked worth trying. 2 decent yellow perch and a nice 3-lb largemouth proved the concept to me! :cool:

Duck hunting just seems like such a natural extension.

And yes, the draft is only about 3", less with just me and a rod actually. It's handy over those mucky bottoms where you'd just have your wading boots sucked off! ;)
 
Shooting from Kayak

I don't have any experience shooting from Kayaks, just Kayaking through 1-3 level whitewater and stillwater. I would definitely expect to be able to comfortably shoot from a good kayak without flipping. I am talking about a Necky or even a Hydra touring boat excess of 15'. One of the ten footers you buy at Dick's would be a bad idea. One with a more bladed bottom versus the traditional flat/round bottom. You could get one of the outrigger systems, but I imagine just buying a decent kayak to begin with would be a comparable price and much simpler in the long run. Plus they usually have thicker plastic etc for durability.
 
I've fished out of the 12' Pack Old Town. I think this is the 30 something pounder you have (I like it better than a kayak because it carries a lot of weight and is easy to handle). Take it out without any gear and find the tip point - once it goes it is gone. I don't know if you have the cane or plastic seat but I know people lower the seat in order to increase stability. I would do that if I were hunting out of it (I haven't). Get a 230 or larger kayak paddle - more efficient than a canoe paddle with a j-stroke.
 
My dad and I hunted from a Coleman canoe for years. We would wait for the ponds to freeze, forcing the ducks onto the river. We would then sneak around the bends and jump shoot them. We took turns with the one in the front doing the shooting. Since the recoil is more or less in line with the long axis of the boat, we didn't notice any instability. As an adult, I've used an Old Town 16'9" Discovery to access backwoods swamps, pulling it into the bushes and hiding it with brush.
 
I've fished out of the 12' Pack Old Town. I think this is the 30 something pounder you have (I like it better than a kayak because it carries a lot of weight and is easy to handle). Take it out without any gear and find the tip point - once it goes it is gone. I don't know if you have the cane or plastic seat but I know people lower the seat in order to increase stability. I would do that if I were hunting out of it (I haven't). Get a 230 or larger kayak paddle - more efficient than a canoe paddle with a j-stroke.
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You've got the boat nailed. That's the one, with the web seat, not the kayak seat. I didn't like the kayak seat because it was too low and prevented kneeling. And you've also nailed the reasons why I got it over a kayak; it carries gear more easily and is easier to carry.

Once the water warms up I do plan on taking it out and tipping it and practicing re-entry. I've found the "instability" to be overblown IMO, as it went away after the first 15 minutes or so on the water. Of course, I bicycle, ice skate (sort of), have done rock climbing, kayaking, and have canoed some in the past. I can stand in an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 without tipping, so I imagine this canoe will be fine.

FWIW, I currently work at a sporting goods store, so I have test paddled various kayaks and this canoe before. We also sell firearms, ammunition and fishing equipment! ;)
 
I use a plain old canoe and sit in the bottom of it for stability. It is my mode of operation. Carry along a piece of burlap for camo and good hunting.
 
That's a sweet little canoe. I might mount a shotgun holder up front - http://crowwingkayaks.com/index.cfm/pageid/39
or build something to hold the shotgun off the bottom of the canoe inside on the side. I know I get water inside of the canoe all of the time. I keep $1 dollar spring clamps front and back on my canoe from Home Depot - they are fast tie downs to brush or sticks (usually where I am fishing). I use 7mm cord and attach to the canoe with a prusik (fast length adjustment). There are already holes in the clamps which just happen to be about 7mm.
 

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Once the water warms up I do plan on taking it out and tipping it and practicing re-entry.
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Open water practice is great, but don't forget to practice in a slough.
I dumped a canoe in a mucky backwater and it was an incredible experience. We couldn't move in the muck. Did lots of hollering. We got out by pulling every weed we could reach making a pile on each end of the canoe. then stepping onto the weed pile we were able to get it afloat by that time we were neck deep in muck again.
I haven't liked canoing since.

I use 7mm cord and attach to the canoe with a prusik (fast length adjustment).
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+10 on the Prusiks, I use then all the time. They hold my boat blind sides and roof. We use them with safety lines on deer stands also.
 
Mohawk also makes a nice canoe for duck hunting, the Sport 14. You can even get it in with molded-in camo from the factory.
 
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