Author Topic: Hunting from water  (Read 848 times)

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Offline nealglen37

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Hunting from water
« on: February 19, 2005, 06:29:00 AM »
I found a place on public land that can only be accessed by walking 5 miles around the lake........or using a canoe or kyak to get around the lake, or feeder streams. has any one in here ever hunted from water? What were your results...............

Thanks,

Offline jhm

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Hunting from water
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2005, 05:15:28 AM »
Shooting from a canoe or kyake is going to be difficult at best as you wont have a steady platform to pull off the shot, it would be like standing on one leg to fire while standing.  :D    JIM

Offline savageT

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Hunting from water
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2005, 05:42:04 AM »
....can't help but get this mindpicture of sitting in the back of a canoe, drawing down on a nice buck and squeezing off a shot only to end up ass- over-teakettle in the drink and your nice new super-06mag Remchester at the bottom of the lake swimmin' with the fishies! :oops:


Jim
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Offline nealglen37

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sorry didn't make myself clear
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2005, 06:04:46 AM »
Sorry I didn't make myself clear:
  I didn't mean I was going to shoot from the boat................just use it to get to the area I wanted to hunt.

Offline JPSaxMan

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Hunting from water
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2005, 06:27:06 AM »
Quote from: savageT
....can't help but get this mindpicture of sitting in the back of a canoe, drawing down on a nice buck and squeezing off a shot only to end up ass- over-teakettle in the drink and your nice new super-06mag Remchester at the bottom of the lake swimmin' with the fishies! :oops:


Jim


:)  :-D . I swam wit da fishes once...except I wasn't in a boat  :) . I just fell into a crick, and that's a whole other story.

I've heard the canoe/kayak thing done a lot up North. Probably because a lot of that terrain is trekked with streams and such? Wouldn't hurt to try it...just hope it pays off.  :D
JP

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Offline jhm

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Hunting from water
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2005, 12:36:44 PM »
Well thats a little different than hunting from the water, using a canoe would be no different than using a pick-up/ 4 wheeler / or a horse it is just a means of transportation to the hunting area, extra care would need to be taken as to loading the game if overly large to have a safe trip back, as far as a kayak goes I wouldnt even think about it. :D    JIM

Offline rickyp

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Hunting from water
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2005, 10:17:12 AM »
I feel that a  kayak  would not be the best choice for big game you will not have enough storage space for the animal. now If you are small game hunting then you will not have to worry much about space. just make sure you got a model with built in water tight  cargo holds.

A canoe will work OK but as stated you will have to watch how you place your load and they tend to be hard to paddle when heavily loaded.

You may be better served with a flat bottom 10 to 14 foot john boat with an electric trolling motor.  you will still have to watch the load placement but with the trolling motor you will not have as hard of a time getting back with a full load. With the 14 footer you will have extra room to take a hunting buddy with you.

when getting any boat take into consideration the weight of you (and your buddy) the weight of the gear you take with you. two hunters withe gear can easily over load a small boat with out the added weight of a deer.

One last thing. IF you do use a boat for hunting. make sure you get a very good floating gun case. I would get one of the hard plastic cases with a seal.
   I had some buddies go duck hunting in a  large john boat,  long story made short. the boat tipped over, only one of the guys has a floating case and he was the only one to recover his shotgun right after the accident. latter that day the dive rescue team went out to the spot and searched for the rest they recovered all but 1 shotgun. (being in the fire department has it perks :-D )

Offline insanelupus

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Hunting from water
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2005, 12:14:45 PM »
Reckon I'll throw in my .02 cents worth.  If you have a chance to throw a small outboard or trolling motor on that canoe, (Depending on the distance) it'll help.  But if the distance is shorter than walking, it'll sure beat walking.  I have an old 17' Smokercraft aluminum canoe that is 36" midship, it's very steady, in the water.  I'm 225 lbs, and my wife (God don't tell her I said this) is about 125.  When we go fishing, I do most of the paddling from the stern, she's in the bow, and we have no problems.  I've paddled us a few miles like that and it worked fine.  I would heed the advice on a floating case, (or at the least, get a regular gun case, cut some closed cell foam from an $8 sleeping pad at walmart, and line the inside of the case with the closed cell.  I've never tested it, but I've heard it will work, albeit, you'd still have a wet gun, just not a lost gun).  Try paddling to your hunting are in the off season in the wamer weather and see how it goes.  I have friends that boat in to places quite a bit, and it sure beats walking unncessary miles.
"My feeling is this, give him pleanty of time, pleanty of birds, and a little direction, and he'll hunt his heart out for me.  That's all I ask." 

Offline Wynn

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Hunting from water
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2005, 01:26:17 PM »
I have been accessing remote hunting land for years using a canoe. Sometimes just getting to the other side of a pond or small lake is impossible on foot around these swamps. Two men with 250 lbs of gear in the right craft is no problem. A certain amount of training, conditioning and experience is recommended for lengthy trips of several days. I usually hunt mornings, travel by mid day and choose a campsite, then hunt in the evening. I have also hunted from the craft and taken two nice bucks and countless hogs this way in the past. Game pays little attention to a canoe drifting quietly along a few yards off shore. A added dimension, of course is the fishing when the hunting is off. All of this is in the South. Have no experience away from Dixie but it is fairly common down here.
American by birth; Southern by the Grace of God

Offline tscott

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Hunting from water
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2005, 02:18:49 PM »
I shot some of my biggest bucks by paddling across my hometown small reservoir, on opening day of rifle season. I'd walk 50 yards up a hill on the far side. Other folks would walk in from opposite sides of the pond,
spooking in all sorts of deer in front and behind me. Some primitive areas
of the Adirondacks, are best accessed for camp hunting, with a canoe.

Offline longwalker

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canoe hunting
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2005, 10:09:31 AM »
If you have a canoe already you know how they work. I hunt in some large sloughs here in SD, By using a Canoe. Saying that shooting out of one is maybe left up to the stunt man in the movies. We load it up with decoys and dogs and and and. I am 100 % confident with them as a transport.  Two people and a deer would not be a problem if you are talking about a 16 or 17 foot canoe.

I know of some that float down rivers and shoot from the canoe but it is strictly a one man operation.

One big up side of the canoe is you can carry more "comfort items", and if the weather turns bad you have a ready made shelter that is strong and very easy to assemble. Those Boy Scouts did know how to do things right.

Longwalker

Offline nealglen37

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kiak
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2005, 05:05:14 PM »
I think I will go the kaiak rout..........they are short and light..................how will I get the Deer back home you ask..........this sounds odd but I think if I get one......I can put a life vest on him and float him a few yards behind me............odd but I think it will work.

Offline insanelupus

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Hunting from water
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2005, 06:16:37 PM »
You might want to rethink you're life vest on the deer theory, depending on several variables.  If you simply field dress this deer, then wrap a vest around (through the front legs, or maybe midsection?) you will have a problem keeping the other portions afloat.  I realize that part of that deer will float, BUT trying to drag a non aerodynamic, non cooperative, half submerged corpse through the water, might not be the easiest thing to do.  May I make a second suggestion, if deciding to go with a kayak, watch the local papers and try to come up with a reasonable (or cheap) kayak to use as a towing kayak.  Maybe one that is an open top, versus having just the one port to sit through.  A second option might be to find a kayak (I'm not real familiar with all kayak terms), that I would call a trekking kayak, one with places to lash gear on top towards the bow and stern.  Then you could quarter the deer, and though it would take two trips, it would be much less hassle than trying to drag the deer through the water.  Not only that, but water logging you deer meat may not be the best way to care for the meat.
"My feeling is this, give him pleanty of time, pleanty of birds, and a little direction, and he'll hunt his heart out for me.  That's all I ask." 

Offline Woodbutcher

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Huntihg from water
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2005, 07:13:18 PM »
Gentlemen:
 There are some areas that get pretty cold in hunting season. Falling in the drink is a real eye opener in the winter! Been there, done that! (I was fishin at the time, and it was slippery.) Gettin ashore ain't always the problem, surviving afterwards is! If you're close to the car, there's shelter, and you have a heat source. And a good laugh, with your friends. I was so cold that I was absolutly unable to turn the key to unlock the car door. Add distance and solitude, different story entirely.
 I don't know of clothing that would protect from a tumble in winter water. I'd be interested in finding out. Would a wet suit be the answer?
                                                                       Woodbutcher

Offline JPSaxMan

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Re: Huntihg from water
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2005, 05:00:50 AM »
Quote from: Woodbutcher
Gentlemen:
 There are some areas that get pretty cold in hunting season. Falling in the drink is a real eye opener in the winter! Been there, done that! (I was fishin at the time, and it was slippery.) Gettin ashore ain't always the problem, surviving afterwards is! If you're close to the car, there's shelter, and you have a heat source. And a good laugh, with your friends. I was so cold that I was absolutly unable to turn the key to unlock the car door. Add distance and solitude, different story entirely.
 I don't know of clothing that would protect from a tumble in winter water. I'd be interested in finding out. Would a wet suit be the answer?
                                                                       Woodbutcher


Amen, amen. Except I fell into a crick. I was actually laughing because I related every time into falling in to a funny event. So...yea...I was gunless and wet and cold, had to go back to camp  :cry: . No deer that day :evil:  . :D
JP

Attorney: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in
his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

Doctor: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Offline myronman3

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Hunting from water
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2005, 08:36:49 AM »
i used to use a canoe alot, now i have a kayak.   i hunted out of the kayak this year a little and it was o.k.  i didnt have a chance to shoot a deer, but if i did i figured i would not dress the deer, just drag it in the water behind me.  
given the choice between a canoe or kayak, i would take the canoe.  the kayak is less tippy, because your center of gravity is lower.  a canoe with the right design is pretty solid, too.  even more so if you sit on the bottom of the canoe instead of on the seat.   canoes have space availible for bigger animals, not the kayak.   kayaks cover water quicker, canoes are easier to manuever.   i love my kayak, and i love canoes.  peace and solitude.  lots of times i paddle right on up to animals.  lots of fun.

Offline nealglen37

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you all make good points
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2005, 03:21:56 PM »
you all make good points.................................but think of the stories to tell....."yea boys got a big buck"..........."Shot him then put him in a life vest"...........I kids inflatable toy would be the best.....could you imagine the looks on peoples faces when you rowed up to the dock......with a dead deer tied to a big inflatable toy........................the story alone would be worth the trouble.

Later Boys,