Solo waterfowl hunting in a kayak or canoe?

[TheBenHoyle]

Any of you use a kayak to go waterfowl hunting? If so, do you have a specific kayak you like and how do you go about camouflaging yourself/kayak?

I am also interested in thoughts on canoe waterfowling, but it is more likely I will be going out solo so a kayak is more likely what I would use.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

 

[Nick87]

No feedback for you but I'm interested in this as well.

 

[rwc101]

Interested as well.

 

[JosephBrown]

I have a cheap kayak that I use. I painted it green, then took some camo netting and fit it around the kayak and stick some brush from wherever I'm hunting in it. Do not shoot birds straight up... learned that the hard way. I've never used one, but I think a canoe would be great for two people wanting to get in deep on a beaver pond or something

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I have a cheap kayak that I use. I painted it green, then took some camo netting and fit it around the kayak and stick some brush from wherever I'm hunting in it. Do not shoot birds straight up... learned that the hard way. I've never used one, but I think a canoe would be great for two people wanting to get in deep on a beaver pond or something

Do you set up a decoy spread?

 

[mtmiller]

I have a dog, decoys, gun, etc..... Kayak wouldn’t work well for me. Aquapod, awesome for my needs.

 

[JDH]

My kayak is a Wilderness Systems Ride 115X. It's the angler edition so it has a spot to mount a fishfinder. I mainly bought it to fish out of but I also use it to hunt waterfowl. I would be exaggerating if I called it a game changer but it has definitely allowed me to set up closer to the "X" when duck hunting. Last year I hunted an area of a marsh that did not have any cattails so I pulled up next to a muskrat hut and pulled some smartweed over the kayak and was able to take three gadwall. Bass Pro makes a blind for their Ascend kayaks, it fits two or three models, built like a layout blind, that I bought. The kayaks that it is made for are 12' models so I thought I would give it a shot and was able to adjust it to fit my kayak. The public marshes around here are all random draw and solo hunters draw last so most of the premium spots are taken and it helps me have success in units that other guys won't go. It also allows me to set up on the outer edge of cover so when the birds want to land in open water. I don't have a pic of it in use but the pic below was right before season this year with a base layer of cattails.

 

[JDH]

I can fit 3-4 decoys in the hull and 6-8 more along with my blind bag in the back storage area, gun in a floating case between my feet/barrel laying on the front area.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Done quite a bit of it...

For a canoe two people is a must. I typically jump shoot with a canoe, the person in the front shoots, back paddles, you switch when someone gets a shot. Ducks land in the river you deploy your corgi he grabs the bird and swims back to the boat where the paddler hauls him in.

Labs are terrible canoe companions, we tried it a couple of times with epic failures. Petty much impossible to get them into the boat from the water and you will capsise the boat when they leap over the head of the shooter to get the ducks

I have also used the canoe as a mechanism to access spots and use decoys. Those times I had a blind on shore.

For a jump shooting with a kayak I would want something with pedals and a rudder to keep the boat tracking.

I've never-brushed in a kayak but I would imagine that would be the way to go if you were using it to hunt decoys on a lake/pond/flooded timber etc.

There is a great FB group dedicated to the topic https://www.facebook.com/groups/338255616328219/ some cool setups out there.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I highly recommend getting a NOMAR gun case, waterproof and will float with a gun in it.

 

[rwc101]

Alright, I need there to be a corgi hunting show.

 

[Frenchy]

I've used a Hobie Outback kayak for duck hunting with good success. Stick a dozed decoys inside the hull. Blind bag on the back, and the dog stands up front. Never felt un-stable, but my dog is pretty calm and we paddle a bunch in the summer as well. I also use a Coleman Ram-x Scanoe. It is a tank. But I can paddle it across flat water pretty well using a kayak paddle. I can load that thing up with a TON of gear.

Alot of guys are using the Ascend H12 or similar style Kayak. It seems to be like a cross between a kayak and a canoe. I think the redhead Kayak Blind is designed to fit on this particular kayak.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

@Frenchy looks like we were doing similar things on the same river

 

[Frenchy]

As far as camo'ing it up. I've never done much. Just bought a camo netting that I can throw over it, and pull in to the weeds a bit. I either sit on the bow of it once it parked in the weeds and covered with netting, or stash it and hunt away from it.

So typically, how far of a paddle would you be doing. Moving water (stream/river) or still water (marsh/pond)? Would you need to hunt out if it, or could you stash it and hunt away from it once you got to your spot?

 

[mtmiller]

Not a great shot, but handy. I have hauled a dozen goose floaters and two dozen mallard floaters, with lab. Tight, but doable. I usually just stand up and paddle since I rarely go more 1.5 miles one way. This day I was working and we did double digit miles, so I was lazy and threw in a bag chair. Ten foot Pod and light enough I can toss it over my shoulder to transport. They have gotten spendy over the years. I got this one 20 years ago.

 

[Frenchy]

@Frenchy looks like we were doing similar things on the same river

It treated me good a couple of times this fall/winter!

 

[JosephBrown]

Do you set up a decoy spread?

Yes, decoys float, so i just hang them off the side of the boat. It's a simple way of duck hunting

 

[JosephBrown]

As far as camo'ing it up. I've never done much. Just bought a camo netting that I can throw over it, and pull in to the weeds a bit. I either sit on the bow of it once it parked in the weeds and covered with netting, or stash it and hunt away from it.

So typically, how far of a paddle would you be doing. Moving water (stream/river) or still water (marsh/pond)? Would you need to hunt out if it, or could you stash it and hunt away from it once you got to your spot?

Exactly what he does when it comes to camo. As long as there are no flashy colors sitting still is still king

 

[TheBenHoyle]

As far as camo'ing it up. I've never done much. Just bought a camo netting that I can throw over it, and pull in to the weeds a bit. I either sit on the bow of it once it parked in the weeds and covered with netting, or stash it and hunt away from it.

So typically, how far of a paddle would you be doing. Moving water (stream/river) or still water (marsh/pond)? Would you need to hunt out if it, or could you stash it and hunt away from it once you got to your spot?

This is all great feedback. I am not sure if I would need to hunt out of it or not. Most of the public waterfowl hunting in Northern IL seems geared towards water blind sites. But I don't have a boat and don't really want to buy one. So I am exploring the idea of canoe or kayak hunting. I like the idea of pulling it into the weeds and then hunting a little away from it.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I’ve used Poke boats for work for years and have often thought it would be phenomenal for duck hunting. Super stable, takes little water to float it, and light enough to easily carry.