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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cI\u2019m already back here, suckers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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But I needn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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\u2019t afraid to rev that son of a gun into the very again of the marsh.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an skilled duck hunter in search of a bonus over the competitors, or if you happen to\u2019re 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\u2019s what you could know.<\/p>\n
Real Talk on Duck Hunting from a Kayak<\/h2>\n
Kayaks have just a few big-time benefits for duck hunters:<\/p>\n
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- Quiet<\/li>\n
- Lightweight<\/li>\n
- Run in extraordinarily shallow water<\/li>\n
- Relatively reasonably priced<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t require a trailer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The first three factors are an important. If you\u2019re decided, a kayak will take you into spots that even mud boats can\u2019t attain. You\u2019ll 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\u2019ve put good cash into it, it\u2019s loaded up with an enormous unfold of decoys, and it\u2019s acquired that killer blind to hunt out of\u2014why slog by way of the marsh?<\/p>\n
With the correct perspective, a kayak can take you into backwaters that no different hunters can attain. Alex Robinson<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 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.<\/p>\n
But duck searching kayaks have some severe drawbacks as nicely. Those embrace:<\/p>\n
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- Slow<\/li>\n
- Limited vary<\/li>\n
- Not for large water<\/li>\n
- Hard to shoot out of<\/li>\n
- Limited area for decoys<\/li>\n
- Require bodily effort<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I\u2019ll cease wanting saying {that a} kayak is the final word duck boat, as a result of it has so many limitations. Mainly, it\u2019s 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\u2019re loaded down with gear, is just unwise.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a kayak hunter, depart the large water to the fellows with massive boats. Even if you happen to can paddle larger waters safely, you\u2019ll 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\u2019t have boat ramps.<\/p>\n
The Best Duck Hunting Kayaks<\/h2>\n
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I hunt out of a easy 10-foot, Old Town Dirigo sit-in kayak<\/a>. It\u2019s not fancy in any respect, and that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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\u2019re 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\u2019s what I\u2019ll be doing with my little boat that weighs 45 kilos.<\/p>\n
Under this philosophy, listed here are some good duck searching kayak choices listed from lightest to heaviest (all weigh lower than 76 kilos):<\/p>\n
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<\/a> on the web. If the kayak you want has a crimson or yellow paint job, merely spray paint it tan and also you\u2019re off to the races.<\/p>\n
Going Light on Duck Hunting Gear<\/h2>\n
This is all of the gear you could hunt geese from a kayak. Alex Robinson<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The draw back of those light-weight kayaks is that they’ve minimal weight capability. You\u2019ll be working with perhaps 30 to 60 kilos of accessible gear weight relying by yourself weight. That means you\u2019re going to should slim down your gear choice. I usually run a few dozen of the finest duck decoys<\/a>, 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).<\/p>\n
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