Am I too old?

Ed L.

Ed L.

Well-known member
Supporter
I was going to title this post differently but after reading Todd's post that title was taken. I hunt a couple of marshes that are around 1800 acres. I found a Fiberdome Widgeon that has peaked my interest. I'm 64 now and I don't want to be that guy. You know the one they find slumped over in his boat because hey 64 is the new 44 right? Has anyone got any experience paddling a 14' double ender with a couple dozen decoys, gun, blind bag and maybe a turkey chair to keep from sitting in the water. Or should I stay with a motor boat. With hunting getting so technical today paddling through quiet water just seems, I dont know, peaceful.
 
You know what kind of shape you're in and if you think you can handle it, go for it! It does sound relaxing.

My ex-wife kept my kayaks in the divorce and I just finally found another Old Town tandem this summer. I'm going to start doing some paddling again myself. I've missed it. Stuff a handful of decoys under the decks, throw the shotgun in, load the dog and go explore the backwaters that aren't accessible by any other means.
 
You know, That does sound peaceful.

Might be a great way to stay fit too. I guess you could always figure out a motor for it if you needed to, but there is something to said for stealth and simplicity over speed.

Go for it.
 
Ed,
I'm 51 and one of my hunting partners is in his mid 70's. We both use kayaks to hunt out of. For the past two years I switched over to a pirogue. We are able to carry quite a few decoys, dog and gear. Weight is about 70 pounds. Its a nice quite way to move about, good exercise and safe. Although, I can see myself looking for something lighter in the years to come.
 
zane Every said:
Ed,
I'm 51 and one of my hunting partners is in his mid 70's. We both use kayaks to hunt out of. For the past two years I switched over to a pirogue. We are able to carry quite a few decoys, dog and gear. Weight is about 70 pounds. Its a nice quite way to move about, good exercise and safe. Although, I can see myself looking for something lighter in the years to come.
Click to expand...

How much more stable is a pirogue? You guys got me thinking again. Oh no! There's a nice aluminum one for sale in the classifieds.
 
Mike,
I made my own from plans from Uncle Johns http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/

I made it a little wider, 31 inches. It works great, paddles well, weighs about 70 lbs. I pull it up on shore and sit on the bottom in my turkey hunting chair, then pull up some camo burlap and use it like a layout boat. My dog sits behind me and looks over my shoulder. I carry a dozen cork decoys, 75 pound Chesapeake bay retriever, gun bag, folding turkey chair, gun and 2 sheets of burlap and I weigh 215 lbs. Haven't flipped it yet.
 
Good morning, Jim~


When I still lived on Long Island, almost every hunt was via powerboat. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trailering and boat handling and took great pleasure in motoring through some heavy seas with my 15-horse Johnson. Here in dairy country, though, such a vessel is unnecessary - and usually impractical. So, my hunts now involve either chest waders or a canoe at most. I love the simplicity and silence of my canoes - or pirogue - or even my jonboat (rowed). Paddling for a partner on a jump shoot is one of my favorite waterborne "adventures" and whenever I get to paddle downstream - running with the current - is a time to savor. I always marvel at the ability of a heavily-laden canoe to be propelled efficiently with a nice paddle - and no moving parts!



Duck hunting will always involve some hard work, in my experience. I just came across this painting - Chet Reneson's "Pothole Creek" - at a friend's house. I took to it right away because it evokes the occasional labor demanded by our grand passion. The work has always been one of my favorite parts of gunning.



View attachment reneson-pothole-creek-3.jpg



Having the right equipment helps. When canoe hunting in marshes, for example, I have both a paddle and a 7-foot push pole (with duckbill head) to shove the canoe over sunken logs and such.


Here is a pirogue I built years ago - from my own design. Lots of capacity with a flat floor and an uncluttered interior - a very practical vessel.



View attachment Hull Upright in Wildflowers.jpg



It was great whilst I had it.



Some photos at: https://stevenjaysanford.com/lost-found-boat-a-15-foot-pirogue/


The full tale - long, sad story - is at: https://stevenjaysanford.com/the-lost-and-found-boat-the-tale-of-an-errant-pirogue/





I am 66 and plan to enjoy another decade or two paddling and rowing in pursuit of waterfowl.


All the best,


SJS













 
I guess it comes down to how good a shape you are in & where you will be hunting. If you can safely (in regards to winds & waves) paddle a double-ender all over that 1800 acre marsh, then go for it. Liike others noted, if you start regularly paddling in the off season, its a great way to stay in shape and stay on the water. Once the season rolls around, you will be in good shape and know the marsh like the back your hand.
Make sure to get good waterproof pouches for your GPS & Phone.

Or maybe find a motorized kayak type boat.
I've been tempted to sell my 15' semi-v and get a Creek Boats M12 with the digitally controlled trolling motor. These new motors are supposed to be much more efficient. On days you dont need the motor, its easy to pop it & the battery off the boat.
With a small trailer it would be ideal for the backwaters and small bays down here. Might be good for your marsh as well.
 
My father is 66. He plays tennis 3 nights a week, works out, hits the heavy bag and loves to work in the yard. By work in the yard, I mean build walls with an excavator. Even more encouraging is that he really didn't start exercising and getting active til/ he was maybe 62-63?

Pretty sure if my father can do it, you can too.
 
Everyone is different, and ages different.
I'm 67, can still fish commercially, standing up, but getting up and down, or in and out of a layout is difficult, arthritis throughout the body, new hips, and bad everything else. Even the recoil of my 12 guage double is painful.

Not whining, it is what it is, but while I think I can still do everything, my body says uh uh, as a result my duck hunting, which was always solo just isn't as appealing anymore and I used to go hard.

Only you can tell what you can, or shouldn't do.

Like my pappy used to say, "even a train stops eventually" [cool]
 
My biggest concern would be with the weight of the fiberdome. I think they were a wider, little heavier hull which might not be the most efficient thing to paddle any distance. I,m 64 myself with a new left hip but the old arthritis. Picked up a used Old Town Twin heron this fall . It weighs 60 lbs. Room for me, 70 Lb. lab and 8 hole bag of decoys w/gun and gunning bag. Have paddled it a few miles on our local tidal creeks and it moves easily. Very stable while sitting of course and only drawback I see to it is entering it and exiting it in deeper water. Easiest if it can be beached as kayaks quickly become unstable once you try to stand. Several years ago I had a 12' Bobcat Perough that was as stable as a rock but not the easiest thing to paddle great distances. Was nice to be able to stand and pushpole though when needed. So each type hull has its drawbacks and plus,s. What favors you is your particular circumstance. The paddleing isn,t really the hard part. Its the loading, dragging that will give you a workout so take that into consideration.
 
Ed,

Steve was 67 when he died...so 66 last year and we hunted out of my 15' canoe last year multiple times for ducks. I think the biggest thing you'd need to think about is the weight of whatever you're paddling and how you load it onto/into your vehicle. Even at 66, Steve was stronger than me so I have always had to find more creative ways to move my heavy ass canoe by myself. I can't easily put my canoe on top of my truck...even at 66 Steve could (he was tons taller than me so that helps).

When Steve and I hunted together, for some reason he preferred to unload the canoe at the top of the ramp and load the canoe up there and then the both of us pull the whole monstrous mass down together (we didn't travel light together). When I hunt solo, I have always had to drop the canoe at the water and load the boat there.....sometimes not cuz I couldn't move it but because it was just easier on me to do that....plus my aluminum canoe is obnoxiously heavy since in it's previous life it was a boys scouts' camp canoe that someone beefed up big time along the keel and at the ends so the boy scouts wouldn't kill it quickly.

So, don't rule out a paddling boat and sitting in comfort....just think about can you move it around by yourself without hurting yourself? Make injuries worse or make you ache more?

Motors sure are noisy...but maybe an electric motor would be your ticket to kinda peaceful and not so strenuous :)
 
Thanks everyone for their input. Reading your responses give cause to sit back and reflect. I had a Carstens Mallard which is a double ender. Huntin Dave and I met at a small marsh in Iowa to hunt one day several years ago and I remember not being able to paddle in that marsh because of the vegetation and he had to pull me around with his Carstens Canvasback and a mud motor. I was much younger then. I also remember having a Wilderness Commander 120 when I lived in Florida. I hunted out of that when I went hunting with Dani. That was a great kayak but heavy. I remember it was hard to get on the roof of my Jeep. I also was reminded by my wife that a shoulder injury while paddling that kayak eventually cause me to have neck surgery to relief nerve damage caused by that injury. Then again that's how I got to a place where nobody else could go and I got my first Mottle duck! The Fiberdome Widgeon is a large vessel at 14' and 36" wide. This is why I was considering it but then the thought of horsing this thing around with a weight of somewhere between the advertised weight of 75lbs and the actual weight which I was told is more like 85lbs or 90lbs make me thing hmm, That is as heavy as the Commander was. Then 240lbs of me, 20lbs to 40lbs, of decoys, 7lbs gun, blindbag, chair, camo blanket of some sort. Perhaps I am to old now.
 
One thought: you can always put a canoe or Carstens on a small boat trailer vs. carrying it on a roof / hand launching.
 
Ed, what a way to go though...doing what you love.
I?m 72 and still actively sculling. It?s why I bought the Company.
I recently hosted and sculled a fella in 20 mph winds in Muscamoot Bay.
I stuck with wind shadows & marsh grass but had a ball.
The fella I hosted, Jeff, is 80 years old and still active...working on his 2nd bucket list.
Coming us in January, I will be down at his place in Arkansas, hunting flooded timber.
Embrace life and give it all you?ve got.
Lou
 

Ed,

I have used a fiberglass, 14 foot, double end, decked, Appleton marsh boat since 1985, and found it to be a very good duck hunting machine.

Do to a back injury, it has not been in the water for a few years. I cannot wait to use it again. In a few months God Willing I'll be 70.

Peaceful and stealthful it is.


This is what I have learned early on, concerning it's proper use.

1) Everything in the vessel must be kept at a low center of gravity. This includes YOU.

2) A boat with stake holes, fore and aft is the only way to go.

3) Always carry 2 paddles, and have at least one secured with a line and snap swivel.

4) Make a gunning box (instead of a blind bag) to carry what you need out of the wet, and to cradle the shotgun in a safe position.

5) Wood and cork decoys make very good ballast. 2 giant Canada geese, and eleven duck, and coot decoys are all that is needed.

6) A wooden backboard, and a float cushion for yer butt, keep you out of the wet, and are better than a seat. Plus you will need the cushion for your knees when you paddle.

7) Lightweight camo netting, over the cockpit and you is all that is needed for very good concealment.

8) Everything in the vessel has it's proper place, before and after setting up.

9) Always carry s large sponge, and plastic scoop bailer.

10) In cold weather nothing beats 5mm neoprene waders, Hot Hands Body and Hand Warmers, in all the right places.

11) Wet heavy snow is to be taken very seriously, if you value freeboard, and your safety.

12) A good thermos with a piping hot beverage, soup, or chowder, and a container of water, cuz you will get a good work out.


You will have fun, and some of the most enjoyable, and quiet (except for your shooting) waterfowl hunts of your life.



Best regards
Vince
 
Hey Ed -

Couple of things I have learned over the years of owning a few kayak type vessels.

1. It is never light enough. I have a Hoefgen Duck Boat (65 lbs, 15' long 36" beam). Once in the water it paddles like a dream. While I enjoy the paddling, 1600 acres is a lot of water to cover. Don't think I'd want to be paddling anything in in a marsh that big. This boat is my all time fav for paddling. Problem with it isn't the paddling and cruising around the water part, it is the hauling it in and out of the water, over obstacles, putting it onto the top of the vehicle etc... I have bought a nice small trailer some time back (Yakima Rack and Roll) which makes loading and unloading easier. While this solves one problem, if this boat has to be dragged anywhere, it is hard to do, especially going uphill in snow.
2. AlumnaCraft Ducker. This thing did not serve any purpose very well for me other than is was very cool hunting from a craft that had so much history behind it.
3. Kevlar Poke Boat - 12' and 22 lbs. Great little kayak to drag anywhere but I believe Steve Sutton called it a widow maker once and I can understand why. It is not stable and I don't think I would ever shoot broadside from it.'

What I have learned is that is you are going to paddle, it is so nice being able to sit on the rear deck and do so. Couldn't do this with the Ducker nor Poke. Sitting in the cockpit made paddling harder and required a longer paddle to clear to sides of the Hoefgen.

15' long and 8' of cockpit sounds like a lot but it doesn't take long to fill it up. I think anything less spacious is too little. I'm mainly speaking about hunting up here where it is cold and extra gear required to handle the weather.

I think a perfect boat (which was just sold by Ron Shuna) would be the 15' Hoefgen Kevlar duck boat. I think it weighs in around 40 lbs and has all of the good characteristics of mine but 1/3 lighter.

Sorry for the ramble. And man o man, you are old.....

Mark
 
Lou Tisch said:
Ed, what a way to go though...doing what you love.
I?m 72 and still actively sculling. It?s why I bought the Company.

Embrace life and give it all you?ve got.
Lou
Click to expand...

Thanks Lou. You're right of course. I don't want to die sitting in my recliner staring out at the river telling myself you should have gone. I'm glad your still sculling. Although my great uncle was a sculler when I was young he had to quit before I was old enough to have the opportunity to learn. Enjoy yourself in Arkansas. That, I have done. The first time you have Mallards sitting in around you in the timber the first thing you want to do is cover your head or at least that's what I did! It's a sight to behold. It can be deceiving and you'll wonder how did I miss at 15 yards. Aim for the feet!
 
Mark W said:
Hey Ed -

Couple of things I have learned over the years of owning a few kayak type vessels.

1. It is never light enough. I have a Hoefgen Duck Boat (65 lbs, 15' long 36" beam). Once in the water it paddles like a dream. While I enjoy the paddling, 1600 acres is a lot of water to cover. Don't think I'd want to be paddling anything in in a marsh that big. This boat is my all time fav for paddling. Problem with it isn't the paddling and cruising around the water part, it is the hauling it in and out of the water, over obstacles, putting it onto the top of the vehicle etc... I have bought a nice small trailer some time back (Yakima Rack and Roll) which makes loading and unloading easier. While this solves one problem, if this boat has to be dragged anywhere, it is hard to do, especially going uphill in snow.
2. AlumnaCraft Ducker. This thing did not serve any purpose very well for me other than is was very cool hunting from a craft that had so much history behind it.
3. Kevlar Poke Boat - 12' and 22 lbs. Great little kayak to drag anywhere but I believe Steve Sutton called it a widow maker once and I can understand why. It is not stable and I don't think I would ever shoot broadside from it.'

What I have learned is that is you are going to paddle, it is so nice being able to sit on the rear deck and do so. Couldn't do this with the Ducker nor Poke. Sitting in the cockpit made paddling harder and required a longer paddle to clear to sides of the Hoefgen.

15' long and 8' of cockpit sounds like a lot but it doesn't take long to fill it up. I think anything less spacious is too little. I'm mainly speaking about hunting up here where it is cold and extra gear required to handle the weather.

I think a perfect boat (which was just sold by Ron Shuna) would be the 15' Hoefgen Kevlar duck boat. I think it weighs in around 40 lbs and has all of the good characteristics of mine but 1/3 lighter.

Sorry for the ramble. And man o man, you are old.....

Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks for your insight Mark. Especially " Sorry for the ramble. And man o man, you are old..... " LOL I always knew I'd get old but never thought it would be this quick! I'll be picking up the Widgeon in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to next season all ready.
 
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