Curious to know if anyone has hunted from a Poke boat.....

Ed L.

Ed L.

Well-known member
Supporter
Pros and Cons? I was talking to my brother last night and he has found one where he lives. He walks into beaver ponds where he hunts and is thinking about it. He says it's Kevlar and weights 22lbs. I've loooked at the website several times though the years. To me the boat looks to be to tippy to be a hunting platform.

Thanks,

Ed L.
 
You mean the widowmaker?

I have heard from many, though not experienced, the trials and tribulations of hunting from one of these. I have heard they are tippy and dangerous. Please remember Ed, this is only hearsay and not actual experience. I have also heard from some who hunt from this boat and love it. There are not as many of the "pro" Poke Boaters as there are the "con" Poke boaters.

When I was looking for a small duck boat I was seriously interested in this boat. After much research, I was convinced this was not tht eboat for me.

For what it is worth.

Mark W
 
Hi Ed!
Back in KC several guys in the group that I hunted with regularly, had Pokes. They used them primarily for transport of decoys, and as a layout blind. Keep in mind they were using them in marshes like 4 Rivers or Maris Des Cygnes, where they needed something to get across the Borrow ditches, then something dry to lay in once to their site (once they crossed the barrow ditch they pulled the boat behind them while wading). For portablity they are great. They are tippy, and there isn't much room for gear. But if you need something to get to a remote marsh, transport a little gear across a short distance of deeper water (barrow ditch or something) they work great. In shin deep water, once decoys are deployed they are serviceable for a hunting platform, though cramped, tippy, and pretty pricey (for what they are) to my way of thinking.

All in all, I think they have limited applications for ducking. If you have the money to spend on a Kevlar Poke to pack in somewhere with little deep water and use it as a "shuttle / layout blind", it might not be a bad choice. For anything else, I think I would look at a MoMarsh or something.

Have a great day!

Chad
 
best piece of waterfowling equipment i have ever owned.hunted out of one for over ten years.imo, they are not tipsy and will go where no other boat will.we paddle our out alot of times and once decoys are set, we simply sink the boat near us to hide it.or we just sit in it....
 
Ed

I have an Old Town Otter which is even smaller. Traversing flooded timber in it is a lot of fun and in recent years it has done double duty as a kid transport when the water is over the tops of Thomas's waders. They are a nice boat to have in the arsenal. One note, I don't recommend repeated dragging over railroad tracks because that's been known to wear the keel all the way through. I've seen it happen twice, huh Blake.
 
I love mine and travel overland with a set of tires. I use it in small creeks and shallow marshes.I've never shot out of it in deep water though.
 
I copied all this and sent it to my brother. I use to hunt out of a 10' Aquaterra kayak when I lived in AR and Mo. I told my brother that the Poke is a bit wider than my kayak which was 28" so I didn't think it could be any more tippy than the kayak. I have shot over the bow of my kayak but I never considered firing off the side.

Ed L.
 
It's VERY tippy! I tried the poke before I got the gheenoe. Here is a local lightweight boat manufacturer that's comparable to the poke.
http://www.caimanoutdoors.com/boats.html
Click to expand...

I really don't think this boat is comparable to the Poke. Wider beam (43" vs 32"), has a transom, and even in the lightest weight is 3.5 times as heavy (70# vs. 22#).

Even though I don't personally have a use for a Poke Boat, I can imagine some situations where one would be handy to have. Your brother may be suited for a Poke, and it would probably be better than the boat from Caiman Outdoors.

Chad
 
Ive been hunting out of a poke boat for 18 yrs , 90 percent of my hunting is done from one , the best $800.00 dollars I every spent , its very stable , I hunt salt marsh , it slides right in to the grass and hides perfectly. I can carry the boat in one hand and the gun and a decoy bag in the other and off I go.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top