First, I heard the hum of mud motors, then I noticed the flood lights burning by way of the marsh. I had paddled my duck searching kayak right into a backwater spot by moonlight after which spent the final 20 minutes dragging the yak, and all of the gear in it, by way of shin-deep muck to get to my spot.
Days in the past, I had seen flocks of wooden geese, teal, and mallards dive bombing into just a little pool of water that was nicely off the principle channel of the river. I vowed to return again with my kayak and hunt it, figuring that nobody else can be loopy sufficient to slog in there. But as I watched two boats motor in my route, I apprehensive I may need underestimated my duck searching brethren. I flashed my highlight of their route, to allow them to know “I’m already back here, suckers.”
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But I needn’t have apprehensive. They stopped nicely wanting my spot and arrange on the principle channel, avoiding the lengthy slog. And that is the actual benefit of duck searching from a kayak: It means that you can get to locations that different hunters gained’t go. This is extremely essential within the period of surface-drive mud motors, the place seemingly all people and their brother has a shallow-running boat and isn’t afraid to rev that son of a gun into the very again of the marsh.
If you’re an skilled duck hunter in search of a bonus over the competitors, or if you happen to’re a brand new duck hunter simply seeking to get within the sport, a kayak is a good possibility. But duck searching kayaks even have some severe limitations. Here’s what you could know.
Real Talk on Duck Hunting from a Kayak
Kayaks have just a few big-time benefits for duck hunters:
- Quiet
- Lightweight
- Run in extraordinarily shallow water
- Relatively reasonably priced
- Don’t require a trailer
The first three factors are an important. If you’re decided, a kayak will take you into spots that even mud boats can’t attain. You’ll normally have to tug the kayak just a few hundred yards to hit these spots, however the searching will probably be well worth the effort. One factor about hunters who use mud boats is that they’re usually hesitant to depart the boat. Afterall, they’ve put good cash into it, it’s loaded up with an enormous unfold of decoys, and it’s acquired that killer blind to hunt out of—why slog by way of the marsh?
Because kayaks require us to go gentle within the first place, slogging by way of the marsh turns into much less of a chore. Plus, you may slip into these skinny waters quietly, with out blowing out all of the geese in your method in.
But duck searching kayaks have some severe drawbacks as nicely. Those embrace:
- Slow
- Limited vary
- Not for large water
- Hard to shoot out of
- Limited area for decoys
- Require bodily effort
I’ll cease wanting saying {that a} kayak is the final word duck boat, as a result of it has so many limitations. Mainly, it’s not a big-water vessel. Sure, you may take a kayak out on an enormous lake within the summertime, however doing the identical factor on a chilly, windy, and wavy day in November, whilst you’re loaded down with gear, is just unwise.
If you’re a kayak hunter, depart the large water to the fellows with massive boats. Even if you happen to can paddle larger waters safely, you’ll get beat by guys working souped-up duck boats. Instead, give attention to small waters and get your hands on these little honey holes that different duck hunters overlook. This will typically imply spots that don’t have boat ramps.
The Best Duck Hunting Kayaks
I hunt out of a easy 10-foot, Old Town Dirigo sit-in kayak. It’s not fancy in any respect, and that’s what I like about it. I can throw it behind my truck, drag in by way of muck, bounce it off rocks and logs, and never fear.
There are quite a lot of larger, extra steady kayaks on the market that can appear engaging to duck hunters. These larger boats can haul extra decoys and are extra succesful on larger water. But even probably the most sturdy, overbuilt kayak can’t compete with a flat-bottom duck boat powered by a mud motor. So as a substitute of beefing up your kayak, go the other way and take the minimalist strategy. A lighter, smaller, sleeker rig will assist you get method again in there. You’re merely not going to wish to drag a 13-foot boat that weighs a pair hundred kilos by way of muck at 5 a.m. But that’s what I’ll be doing with my little boat that weighs 45 kilos.
Under this philosophy, listed here are some good duck searching kayak choices listed from lightest to heaviest (all weigh lower than 76 kilos):
As for camouflage and blinds, I attempt to by no means truly hunt from the kayak (extra on this beneath). So, a ship blind isn’t crucial, although there are every kind of DIY blind initiatives on the web. If the kayak you want has a crimson or yellow paint job, merely spray paint it tan and also you’re off to the races.
Going Light on Duck Hunting Gear
The draw back of those light-weight kayaks is that they’ve minimal weight capability. You’ll be working with perhaps 30 to 60 kilos of accessible gear weight relying by yourself weight. That means you’re going to should slim down your gear choice. I usually run a few dozen of the finest duck decoys, skip the spinning wing, after which pack only a blind bag with calls, a field of shells, some snacks, a headlamp, and my shotgun (in a floating case).
If you wish to run an even bigger decoy unfold, going with light-weight dekes like these from HeyDay is a good suggestion. But even with ultralight decoys, you’re solely going to have the ability to pack so many within the boat (I like to recommend utilizing a floating decoy bag just like the Rig’em Right Refuge Runner). But that’s high-quality. The entire level is that you just’re searching the place the geese wish to be, so that you gained’t want an enormous unfold to attract them in. You simply wish to conceal nicely and use a dozen or so decoys to deliver the birds into gun vary.
Shooting from a Duck Hunting Kayak
Yes, it’s potential to hunt from a kayak and shoot proper out of the boat, nevertheless I don’t advocate this. The small, light-weight kayaks I like to recommend aren’t steady sufficient to have taking pictures expertise. If you go together with an enormous, huge kayak for stability, you’re not going to have the ability to get to the furthest backwaters, which implies you’ll find yourself searching all the identical spots because the mud motor crowd.
Plus, it doesn’t matter what sort of kayak you’re making an attempt to shoot out of, you’ll have restricted vary of movement as a result of you may’t flip your physique or reposition your ft, all you are able to do is pivot on the waist. This signifies that any chook previous 2 o’clock for a right-handed shooter goes to be an especially robust shot.
Always attempt to hunt in spots the place you may get out of the kayak and conceal in cattails or different shoreline cowl. You’ll shoot higher, and also you’ll be capable of conceal higher, too.
If you could hunt within the boat as a result of the water or the muck is simply too deep to get out, then do no matter you may to stabilize your kayak. Slide your self into the weeds or onto just a little piece of floating bathroom. I’ve pushed giant backyard stakes into the marsh on each aspect of the boat after which used straps to stabilize the boat. This labored okay, however was nonetheless not a perfect taking pictures platform.
Kayak Safety
Safety must be your primary precedence in the case of duck searching kayaks. Always put on a life jacket. Don’t launch your kayak into massive, wavy waters or raging rivers.
Kayaks are comparatively simple to flip. Tipping a kayak whereas out fishing in the summertime is a momentary catastrophe that you just’ll giggle about later. But dumping a kayak whereas deep within the marsh on a frigid fall day might be deadly. When it doubt, don’t threat it.
Where to Put the Dog When Hunting from a Kayak?
I’ve a small feminine Labrador retriever who lays on the entrance deck of the kayak (small retrievers are higher for kayak hunters). She doesn’t fuss or rock the boat. She simply lays there till we get to our spot and it’s time to go to work.
The key’s that I’ve been placing her in kayaks since she was a pet. She’s used to it. The morning of opening day isn’t the correct time to introduce your duck canine to a kayak.
You also can have your canine journey behind the kayak. Screwing down just a little rubber flooring mat materials the place your canine will journey helps forestall them from slipping on the moist polyethylene.
Duck Hunting Kayak Ethics
Just as a result of you may get again to the place the geese are, doesn’t imply that you just all the time ought to. If you see that giant teams of geese (suppose 1000’s) are roosting far again in a marsh, don’t paddle in and bust them off the roost. Doing so may blow up searching in all the space. Instead hunt near the roost however not in it. You’ll get extra days of higher taking pictures and hold these geese in your space.
On the flipside, if you see extra huntable numbers (suppose lots of) of geese working an space that nobody else can get to, launch your kayak early and prepare to your finest hunt of the season. That’s simply what I did on that duck hunt after I made my slog again to the “X”.
As the solar got here up, geese began circling my little pool of water. I dropped a teal within the decoys after which a pair wooden duck drakes. I labored a pair of mallards down over my decoys and killed the greenhead. The mud motor hunters acquired some taking pictures too, however nothing in comparison with the morning I used to be having. By 10:30 I had killed my restrict of six geese and was fortunately paddling again dwelling for breakfast whereas the opposite crew was ready for extra geese over their big unfold of decoys.