kayak hunting

I do a lot of my hunting from an aquapod. I especially use it when I'm down in south jersey along the Delaware bay. Some places you just can't get a boat into and by Monday morning after opening day those places are where the ducks want to be. I would not recommend using a normal kayak for duck hunting. Most are not very stable and trying to get into one with many layers and waders could be a deadly combination once the temperatures drop. I would strongly recommend an aquapod or monarch or similar type boat that is specifically made for duck hunting. They also have way more storage and ability to attach grass so you can hunt right from them.
 
My best friend and I hunt primarily from our kayaks in the marshes and backwaters here in Connecticut. Allows us to get in way skinny water and is quiet. It takes a bit of practice 'jump shooting' from them, but it can be very worthwhile when turning corners in backwaters surrounded by Phragmites. Build up a bit of speed, put the paddle down and pick up your shotgun. Leaning can make the turns without the paddle in you hand.

ALWAYS pack dry clothes and a flare. The flare will start a fire quickly to get you warmed back up.
ALWAYS be very careful getting in and out.
Travel light!
Small sets of decoys can pay off in big numbers of birds.
 
Been hunting out of a Hoefgen Duckboat for many years. Don't k ow if this one qualifies as a kayak or not. Just bought late last year a Poke Boat. This qualifies as a kayak. In tend to use it the same way as I did the Hoefgen but much ore of the time. Hoefgen weighs 65 lbs and the Poke 22lbs. The Poke I can bring anywhere.

On e you start hunting with one of these and you start going places others can't because of the size of their boats, you will begin to really enjoy it.

Mark W
 
I use a kayak for some of my hunting. Some seasons a lot some seasons not much. I have aqua pods and marsh rats. You aren't going to paddle 14 mile in one of them without a good current. In a kayak I can do the 14 mile float. As for being tippy, it all depends on the boat. My kayaks are not tippy. I can shoot out of my kayaks and my dogs can jump out with no upset. I can haul my dog much easier in my kayak than in an aqua pod or marsh rat. Sometimes I hunt from the kayaks other times they are just to get me to a spot. I like big sit inside kayaks with large cockpits. Old Town K140 Predatoor, Tandem Loon or Otter, Twin Heron, Percertion Keowee tandem. If I need to haul more gear a big wide canoe works well.
 
My buddy and I have been hunting out of them for a good many years now. He uses a Jackson BigRig sit-on-top and that boat is incredibly stable. I use a Native Watercraft Ultimate FX15. It is also a very stable boat...you sit in it like a kayak but it is totally open like a canoe. Both are available in a camouflage plastic pattern. I will be switching to a BigRig before next season. I like the fact it is self draining and you just can't sink it. They are so heavy that they take 2 people to handle them and so we built a trailer for them a couple of weeks ago, but you can slide them into the back of a pickup without too many issues. They paddle nicely but you aren't going to set any speed records in them. The BigRig is very stable and very easy to get in and out of wearing waders. It is stable enough to sit on the side of the boat to get situated and it won't flip.
In the off season we don't put them up...we fish with them often and even do wildlife photography out of them.
 
I have hunted out of one for years,I even taught my small lab to ride in the back compartment. You can cover alot of ground in one. I like the traditional type sit in with a spray skirt. Sitting with your hips at the water line is the most stable to paddle,if you get into weather you can just paddle out of it. I now added a DP Momarsh to the fleet which is very stable but I don't count that as a Kayak.Perpception sea Kayak 17,Wilderness Systems pimlico tandem 14. I mainly access spots from them I don't shoot from them .
Bill Stahl is on this site and he has hunted alot of big water from them but he is Bill Stahl.
 
Much the same experience as what's been said already. I use a sit on top mostly for access put have hunted from it on occasion. If you are considering I would just make sure that you don't attempt it for the first time opening day. Load the kayak with what you intend to carry, put your waders on and go for practice runs. Much easier to learn the hard way when the waters warm.
 
I guess some guys have found some nice stable kayaks. If you end up with a regular kayak or a purpose built kayak I would strongly recommend investing in a floating gun case as well
 
Yep, some kayaks are better than others. You trade off stability for ease of paddle. There are certain hull shapes that lend themselves to a compromise. Look at the Hurricane Santee (the open cockpit one) or the old Wilderness systems Chesapeake Pro, or the Poke Boat (original). they all have the same hull shape (there is a name for it I just can't recall). They are more stable than a typical rotomolded recreational kayak and yet paddle much easier than a kayak more dedicated to hunting and fishing. Always a trade off.


Mark W
 
This was 1st yr kayaking , I can tell you can get yourself into some great spots with a lot of success . I would highly recommend it . My only recommendation would be is to get yourself a sit on top kayak in case you go over , and don't shoot broadside .
 
I hunt from my nucanoe frontier 12 with good success. They are pretty versatile, and can get into some tight spots!
 
I have an Old Town Predator 13'8, which I think is no longer made. It's big enough for me at 280, a half dozen cork decoys, and as much ammo as I want to carry. It's plenty stable by my standards, but I'm a guy who pretty much grew up in canoes, so I'm pretty tolerant. I have hunted out of it, but generally prefer to hide it (hides much better than a canoe) and hunt from shore.
 
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