Hunting Kayak

PlanB

Well-Known Member
Looking for some advice on a hunting kayak, will be my first kayak! I’m 6’ about 165 lbs, no dog, float hunting mostly small to medium size rivers. Most likely get to LPB, LSC at least a couple times a year so will need decoy space. i‘ve done a bunch or research online but looking for some real world advise. Main question is 10 or 12 feet long. Like the 12 for storage space, like the 10 for transport. Wondering if anyone has experience with either or both sizes for hunting? Thank in advance for any feedback.
 
Personally I would go for the 12 ft. More space , more stable to get in and out of , great for fishing as well. The tens are great for little floats but not much room for gear. If you like the lighter kayak and need space you can tow a jet sled behind for decoys. They are great !
 
Thanks for the response, makes sense, I’m leaning toward the 12 footer. Might be more versatile in the long run!
 
Hello Plan B,

I bought a Wilderness Systems 12 foot Pungo (sand color) in 1996 for hunting at Presqu'ile Provincial Park from 1996 to 2003 ... a wise choice.

I moved to Port Rowan in 2004 and have used it to visit every blind and shooting point within A Zone (including the 5 blinds in Big Creek) at Long Point ... hunting at several of them with it ... no problems.

I could easily carry 8 regular mallard decoys and 4 tipper mallard decoys along with all of my regular gear without any problems.

Jerome

PS I have also used it to hunt B Zone near shore.
 
Thanks for the input. I do a lot of drift river hunting in a canoe with a buddy. Put in at one bridge out at another downstream. Want to do this solo with the kayak that’s why I was kinda considering the 10 footer, no decoys required. Any thoughts on the maneuverability of a 12 on small to medium rivers?
 
Thanks for the input. I do a lot of drift river hunting in a canoe with a buddy. Put in at one bridge out at another downstream. Want to do this solo with the kayak that’s why I was kinda considering the 10 footer, no decoys required. Any thoughts on the maneuverability of a 12 on small to medium rivers?
I use my 12’ on many creeks and rivers. Never had a problem. They maneuver better than a canoe. But any log jam can be a night mare.
 
I spent two years hunting with an Ascent H12 from Bass Pro before I got a dog and would recommend it highly with some provisos. I bought mine for $600 used and they can go significantly cheaper than that. (Matter of fact, mine's probably for sale. Which isn't why I'm recommending it.) They're super stable and have a ton of room for gear and decoys. I routinely brought out 24 decoys in mine. They're also bullet proof: the hulls are tough. As for a blind, I put the Yak blind on it, and it worked well, though without the flaps, which just got in the way when chasing cripples. It was a nice boat to just slip into some reeds and hunt out of. It was also surprisingly comfortable. I'm a big guy, 6'3" and it worked well for my frame.
The downsides are the boats weigh a ton, somewhere around 80lbs, so heaving it onto my car, solo, after every hunt got really tired. (There are good loading devices that can make that far easier, but I never got one.) They're also not fast boats: they're slugs, basically. That's the trade-off for the stability and capacity, I guess. It's not so bad that you couldn't paddle out to blinds 21/27 in 30 to 40 mins or so, but you'd definitely be sweating by the end. I did that all the time. (In the boat I've got now, a carbon fiber pack boat, I come in for lunch without thinking twice. It's a very different, but waaaay more expensive proposition.)
Also, they're definitely cheap boats, so the seat, for instance, takes some annual maintenance to ward off rust, etc. But for a cheap and versatile way to get out there, it was excellent. Good luck with your search. Kayak waterfowling, especially in early to mid-season, is highly underrated.
 
Thanks everyone for the input. Sounds like the 12 is the way to go. Right now it will go in the back of a truck, so should be able to manage a heavier kayak. Down the road will likely have to huff it on top of a popup truck camper. Hopeing I’ll have an opportunity to try some out this spring, Covid permitting, before buying!
 
Hello Plan B,

My 12 foot kayak weighs 49 pounds but I still use a small boat trailer with a home made kayak bunk that sits below the regular boat bunk on the trailer for my 12 foot aluminum boat.

Jerome
 
I love my perseption overflow tjat veing said a 12 or even 15 foot canoe is way more versatile. You have plenty of space for decoys and a gun and a heater, plus you have the option standing up and punting through the marsh. I have abour a dozen different boars for different applications if i had to choose only one boat it would be a plastic 15 foot canoe
 
I have been thinking of the old town canoe hybrid pictured below, light and lots of storage. I have a 15 foot canoe now that I use with a buddy drift hunting rivers for ducks and deer, also pictured below, I have added 70D008BC-0423-4ADE-82E7-A5D9578A3CA1.jpeg9DA492B5-8B72-4EFA-AE44-3107D07E1AA3.pngfolding seats front and back on my canoe. It’s great for 2 on the river as well as marsh hunting, it’s a pain to solo in especially on the river, that why I’m thinking the kayak would be great but am considering the hybrid.
 
I guess everyone hunts a bit differently. I have an Old Town Next which is the 13' version of the hybrid you pictured. I love it for the way I fish the Grand River. I like to fly fish and wade but the hybrid canoe/kayak gets me from spot to spot quickly. It is very fast and easy to paddle even upstream. I like that it is open to quickly and easily access gear, lunch etc. However, I have never considered using it for ducks. I could never get myself dog and what I consider even a minimum amount of gear and decoys into it for a days duck shooting. I use to hunt exclusively from a canoe but I used a 16' Prospector style. It would hold what I would consider a minimal amount of gear and decoys and if I loaded it properly it was not hard to paddle alone even in pretty brisk winds.
 
Thanks for the comments Singlemalt. 90% of my duck hunting is jump shooting on the river, downstream bridge to bridge. For this I need little gear and unfortunately I do not have a dog! My biggest concern is spooking ducks with the kayak style paddle, think I would take a standard paddle as well. How does your Next handle with a canoe style paddle, think the next has a bench style seat so maybe easier to canoe paddle over the fixed discovery seat. If I’m solo marsh hunting, which would be rare, would consider a tow behind as others have suggested.
I’ve also given some thought to a pedal style kayak for the river hunts, hands free sounds excellent. The rivers I run can be shallow with some bottom scraping and dragging so kinda ruled pedals out.
 
Thanks for the comments Singlemalt. 90% of my duck hunting is jump shooting on the river, downstream bridge to bridge. For this I need little gear and unfortunately I do not have a dog! My biggest concern is spooking ducks with the kayak style paddle, think I would take a standard paddle as well. How does your Next handle with a canoe style paddle, think the next has a bench style seat so maybe easier to canoe paddle over the fixed discovery seat. If I’m solo marsh hunting, which would be rare, would consider a tow behind as others have suggested.
I’ve also given some thought to a pedal style kayak for the river hunts, hands free sounds excellent. The rivers I run can be shallow with some bottom scraping and dragging so kinda ruled pedals out.
I am a canoe guy at heart so am more comfortable with a standard canoe paddle. I would say I use a standard canoe paddle in my Next about 80% of the time. It has a fixed seat with backrest similar to the Discovery and I don't find that a problem. You can generate more power with a double blade kayak paddle but I find I only really need that when facing a strong headwind or going against the current in a river. For moving quietly downstream a canoe paddle would be perfect.
 
just came in a couple weeks ago, ordered in February from otter valley paddle sports. Going to texas rig a couple dozen decoys over the summer, hope to slay them in the fall! Thanks for everyone’s input!A15EFE9F-8725-4F2A-AA12-67293373D9F5.jpeg
 
Personally I would go for the 12 ft. More space , more stable to get in and out of , great for fishing as well. The tens are great for little floats but not much room for gear. If you like the lighter kayak and need space you can tow a jet sled behind for decoys. They are great !
So, quick note...length is not stability, width is. Length is tracking (keeping a straight line) and speed. Length:Width ratios are the balancing act for what you are using the yak for....so be candid with yourself. Myself, my Cuda 14, while I troll the big lakes with it and with 33' width, it is more than stable enough AND because of the length (14'4"), speedy and straight.....I also use it for duck hunting carrying 14 duck and 4 goose dekes plus gear on the deck behind the seat. Granted, I don't drift hunt but no reason this size wouldn't work; the draft of yaks are all pretty minimal. I'm also a big guy (6'4", 235) and the size and style of me yak is no issue for virtually any use it challenged it (and myself) with.

The other consideration in whatever you're thinking about is sit on top or sit in. For duck hunting or big water yak fishing, sit on top yaks always. Easy in and out...literally sit down, swing your legs in...and your off. Swing your legs out, stand up...and your off...which is great for when you are wearing waders. I see also in the various posts, variations of canoes...and those are great BUT.... I used to hunt from canoes including big water hunting in Manitoba including guiding from them. Yes, for the most part, very stable and lots a room...and most times, manageable in strong winds with 2 persons. SOLO in wind....if you get caught out....you are f'd badly. Too much surface area above the water. NO slight on canoe hunters....but on those windy days, I will have comfortably have hunted the windy, gusty evening and be back at my truck, loaded and leaving with my yak...while you struggle to keep track crossing any big water to come home. Safety first people!

I hope this helps.

King Joe Outa Here!
 
Thanks for the comments Singlemalt. 90% of my duck hunting is jump shooting on the river, downstream bridge to bridge. For this I need little gear and unfortunately I do not have a dog! My biggest concern is spooking ducks with the kayak style paddle, think I would take a standard paddle as well. How does your Next handle with a canoe style paddle, think the next has a bench style seat so maybe easier to canoe paddle over the fixed discovery seat. If I’m solo marsh hunting, which would be rare, would consider a tow behind as others have suggested.
I’ve also given some thought to a pedal style kayak for the river hunts, hands free sounds excellent. The rivers I run can be shallow with some bottom scraping and dragging so kinda ruled pedals out.
So, nothing saying you can't use a canoe paddle with a yak....really, in some ways, best of both worlds. For me, I'm a paddle yak fisher. To get out on the big lakes, I use the yak paddle. At depth/distance, I stow the big paddle to the side of the yak, set rods and troll with a canoe paddle. The yak paddle is for sustained speed...while the canoe paddle for easy and compact paddling. Duck/drift hunting....there ya go. Run both.

Ya, pedal won't work for shallow rivers/creeks. Also, the pedal is louder than a single stroke and drift with a canoe paddle as described above.

King Joe Outa Here!
 
It’s definitely not a big water boat but I think it will be great for drift hunting and small marshes like Hullet and some LPB blinds. Definitely packing a paddle for the rivers and getting in and out is still a bit of a concern! Gotta pick your spots especially on the river, have enough trouble with 2 guys in a canoe sometimes! It 32.5” wide with a weight capacity of 300lbs. I’m only 165 so got some room for limited gear. Gonna rig it out with a bling and gun holder, probably a paddle line as well so I can drop and shot!
 
Hullet is my primary duck spot! In the solo canoe days, I have been caught coming from 20 trying to get back to the channel in a south wind....I was f'd and had to literally walk the shoreline around the bay to the channel to get out of the wind....and at night. Since the yak, NEVER had an issue...ever. MY only yak vs. wind issue is...with my big bag of dekes on the deck behind me, that can work a bit like a sail and try to turn me sideways...so I have to tack harder on one side; 2 strokes to 1 type of thing to keep tracking. Just sayin'....sit on top, bigger yak....and you've got it all plus safety.

That said, I guess I'll see you out there/Hullet this fall...and, for a small fee....pull your stalled canoe-ass out of the swamp...HAH.

King Joe Outa Here!
 
Haha, I may take you up on that If this hybrid is more canoe than yak! Hunted that blind last year in a canoe with a buddy! Was a nice day and 2 guys so no problems, but was a long haul! I’ve done my share of nasty canoe days 3 paddles forward 2 back picking shorelines in the middle of Algonquin park. Couldn’t imagine doing that solo, though I see lots of solo guys out there every year! 1 year we built a sail out of a ground sheet worked awesome!
 
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