Do any of you use a kayak to get back to some hard to get to hunting areas?

I don't because I don't have one. Seems like a good idea to get in, but not sure how you would get a deer or hog out.

I would if I lived anywhere that I could. I actually prefer my canoe, though.

I agree with the canoe done a bit with the canoe , and works great-have a sea kayak that I play in but the canoe more practical

A kayak would get you in, but what about bringing a critter out. A canoe would be my choice for space and stability.

Makes sense. Im not use to getting deer though. Lol. Canoe sounds good. How long of a canoe would you use or what about flat. Bottom john boat

I hunt out of a canoe a lot. A canoe can take you places where a flat bottom boat can't go. Make sure that the one you choose will accommodate the weight of yourself, your gear, and your kill. I have a fifteen foot Old Town guide that works well for me.

I used to use a 12 foot canoe to get back in the Normanskill back in the early 80's. That was before people started posting everything and could care less if ya hunted their land. Shawn

I have a 16' Old Town that is rated at 800 lbs. Some of the freighter canoes will double that easily.

I have a Poke Boat that I have had since 91 and it will float on a tumble of water and can stand in it, quiet as a mouse. The only problem my son takes it for duck hunting when I want to use it.

I have a Grumman canoe and do use it, its great if your just crossing a be body of water to hunt. But being aluminum it's noisy to actually try sneak paddling during deer or turkey season. So I like the kayak, it's extremely quiet. I do a fair amount of hunting on flood control dams and back water.

I use an old 18 foot Coleman canoe. its very useful in getting deep in the river bottoms far beyond what most other hunters would dare plus, I can carry all my gear and game with ease,

Yes.

Some of my most memorable hunts have been from a kayak or canoe, and I have more planned.

I have 2 old whitewater racing kayaks..could probably get there fast, but have a hard time getting the deer out :)

forgot the picture

Well, I guess it depends on what kind of kayak we are talking about because we hunt out of our kayaks every year.

My wife and I have the Ascend 12T sit on top kayaks. We paddle a couple of miles to a hard to reach spot each season that is easier to get to by water than by land. Lots of animals are waiting for us when we get there! We never had a problem getting an animal and our gear back out. The animals are always quartered.

Our kayaks are pretty darn stable though. Stable enough that we stand up in them and bowfish out of them.

There are a few SOT's with the capacity for you and a deer.But little else.I had a small Jon boat before I switched to kayak.I'd get a canoe.

I have a Jackson Big Tuna.....it could handle me and a deer/pig no problem and it is a kayak. I just took it downriver yesterday with my wife and 2 kids through rapids with no problem.

I have a Mad River 14' Osprey Royalex 54 Lb. model that is VERY easy on my 80 year old body to handle. LOL. I've used it for Fishing, Hunting Ducks, etc with NO problems.(I bought it new in 1999 in O.D. Green color.) One of my better decisions in life.LOL.

I have a Mohawk Solo 14 canoe that weighs in under forty pounds. It is fast and fun to paddle, but its total payload of passenger and gear is 375 pounds. I weigh 225 and might have thirty pounds of tree stand and gear with me. It performs fine - but I am pushing its limits if I kill a big deer or hog. A tandem canoe, paddled solo and backwards, works better for me. Kayaks are easier on your back but I can't get in and out of them too well.

I just picked up a 12' Golden hawk canoe this winter for this very purpose.

It'll get me through this season but during the winter there's a few divots in the gel coat I need to repair. Just 3 starburst cracks about the size of a quarter. Fortunately it's only in the gel coat, not in the fiberglass. However I was able to use that to really talk the seller down. And overall it's in great shape.

If I were looking at buying a boat for hunting out of, I'd go straight to a canoe. And I say that as a guy who has done more sea-kayaking than canoe-tripping...

A good sea kayak - mine's a 17-foot Greenlander with a 21" beam - is a Thing O' Beauty in high winds, big waves, and on long passages (my biggest adventure was an overnight from Grand Portage to Isle Royale, which is about 17 miles of COLD, open water).

Some touring boats have pretty good-sized hatches (my largest being all of 8"!), but even the largest will have storage capacity on par with a really large backpack. A canoe has the capacity of a pickup truck -you just have to decide if you want a compact, full-size or super-duty, and how many doors.

You also need to think about whether it's your Hunting Rig or your daily driver.

So JMO, start with the number of people who'll normally be in it, but even if that number is One, do you really want to limit yourself to where you can't take a second person (or even a good-sized dog)?? If you're a dedicated soloist, OK - especially since you can get into quite a bit more weight if you add a foot or two.

But most Solo canoes have 1 seat in the middle, which means that if you have a heavy load, you'll have to split it in two in order to trim the boat.

And you also have to think in terms of total load; one guy on a day trip with (occasionally) a big deer, you can get by with about #500 capacity, depending on the water. Two big guys on a week-long, cold-weather outing where you might run into rapids or a long, windy crossing on open water, and you need closer to twice that - if not OVER. Even if you DON'T tag a coupla monsters. 2 people fishing in anything much under 16' is a nuisance.

Best thing about canoes, though - whatever you wanna do, somebody has built a boat for it.

And I know that a lot of people love them, but JMO - a sit-on-top is the worst of all possible worlds. They're slow as molasses, they're heavy as sin, and they're all but impossible to carry Solo; they don't track for squat, but their maneuverability doesn't begin to make up for it. And you're gonna get Wet. In cool weather, that sucks. And in cold weather, that'll kill you.

If you really want to go Hybrid, you're better off with something like the Old Town Loon 16' tandem.... I don't even know if they still make them, but you could get that one kitted out with a spray cover and even a rudder, if you thought you needed it. Has to be something similar out there still...

One last thought....

Can you shoot while parked flat on your butt?

I cannot. Well, strictly speaking, I don't know if I can or not because I've never even tried it that I can recall. But if you can shoot either sitting or kneeling, you can shoot from a canoe while under way; depending how & where you hunt, that might be the deciding factor all by itself!

I think it would work great...right up to the point where you actually shot a deer and needed to haul it home. I've used a canoe many times, especially for bear hunting, but most the kayaks I've seen look like an accident waiting to happen with much of a load.

Blackstick above hit nail on head as did Shawn. Im 220# & w/gear can hit 300# easy. Already youll stress a kayak. Add big hog, deer or whatever & youll get wet. Shorter canoe can & will do the job w/room to spare. Own a 17' Old Town now, but my 14' Mohawk was best. Btw, ive owned 5 canoes & 1 kayak.

4 wheeler or Rokon would be better

My hunting canoe is a 16' 4" Madriver top of the line kevlar, they no longer make that model. They sold for $2500 12 years ago, I got mine for almost free, it had a small hole punched in it. A couple of silver dollar sized kevlar patches, one inside and one outside, and it was good to go. A canoe can be solo paddled very nicely with a kayak paddle. These folks know how to get it done. https://redrockstore.com

I use a 12 foot Old Town fiberglass canoe occasionally. Hauls me and a deer easily. Our two OT kayaks won't do it.

I have read that you can bring a PFD for the deer and tow it behind you. It ain't happenin'. Seems like a good way to get wet. I'll stick with my 16' Grumman.

-Joe

I found a few Old Town canoes and a couple of Radissons that intrigued me on Craig's list. I'm looking for the widest most stable canoe I can find used for 500- 600 bucks... With a weight capacity of about 800 pounds. Can anyone give me any opinions on Radisson canoes ??

slow, stable is a nebulous term when it comes to flat bottomed wide canoes. they react less to what you do in the canoe, but react more to waves or boat wakes that hit the canoe.

Ocean kayak made an ambush boat. stability better than a canoe with wt capacity of 800lbs and the interior was open like a canoe. The hull was like a ghenoe. Very hard to tip over, and can be used with an electric motor. I don't think they are made anymore.

I have used canoes many times.....sold it unfortunately but my kayak, Jackson Coosa HD has a good payload and can carry a field dressed critter no problem to get out of the marshes or swamps. That said, I prefer a canoe for big game hunting...but the kayak is nice for flooded timber and marshes for ducks or marsh hens with a dog.

keep em sharp,

ron herman

pre wwii inuit and other abo folks up north in the treeless tracts made skin on frame kayaks from bone hide antler and driftwood. no metal fasteners. no animal husbandry, no fires, they were real hunters and the kayak was their vessel.

There are canoes for different purposes... Recreational, white water, wilderness tripping, touring, freighters - and the list goes on. Check out paddling.net. They have lots of good information on kayaks and canoes.

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