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 looking 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 a little bit pool of water that was nicely off the principle channel of the river. I vowed to come back again with my kayak and hunt it, figuring that nobody else can be loopy sufficient to slog in there. However as I watched two boats motor in my course, I apprehensive I may need underestimated my duck looking brethren. I flashed my highlight of their course, to allow them to know “I’m already again right here, suckers.”
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However I needn’t have apprehensive. They stopped nicely in need of my spot and arrange on the principle channel, avoiding the lengthy slog. And that is the true benefit of duck looking from a kayak: It lets you get to locations that different hunters gained’t go. That is extremely essential within the period of surface-drive mud motors, the place seemingly everyone 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.
Should you’re an skilled duck hunter on the lookout for a bonus over the competitors, or in the event you’re a brand new duck hunter simply trying to get within the recreation, a kayak is a good choice. However duck looking kayaks even have some severe limitations. Right here’s what you must know.
Actual Speak on Duck Looking from a Kayak
Kayaks have a couple of big-time benefits for duck hunters:
- Quiet
- Light-weight
- Run in extraordinarily shallow water
- Comparatively reasonably priced
- Don’t require a trailer
The primary three factors are a very powerful. Should you’re decided, a kayak will take you into spots that even mud boats can’t attain. You’ll often have to tug the kayak a couple of hundred yards to hit these spots, however the looking might be definitely worth the effort. One factor about hunters who use mud boats is that they’re usually hesitant to go away the boat. Afterall, they’ve put good cash into it, it’s loaded up with a giant unfold of decoys, and it’s obtained that killer blind to hunt out of—why slog by way of the marsh?
As a result of kayaks require us to go mild within the first place, slogging by way of the marsh turns into much less of a chore. Plus, you’ll be able to slip into these skinny waters quietly, with out blowing out all of the geese in your manner in.
However duck looking kayaks have some severe drawbacks as nicely. These embody:
- Gradual
- Restricted vary
- Not for giant water
- Arduous to shoot out of
- Restricted house for decoys
- Require bodily effort
I’ll cease in need of saying {that a} kayak is the last word duck boat, as a result of it has so many limitations. Primarily, it’s not a big-water vessel. Certain, you would possibly take a kayak out on a giant lake within the summertime, however doing the identical factor on a chilly, windy, and wavy day in November, when you’re loaded down with gear, is just unwise.
Should you’re a kayak hunter, go away the large water to the fellows with huge boats. Even in the event you can paddle larger waters safely, you’ll get beat by guys working souped-up duck boats. As a substitute, concentrate on small waters and get hold of these little honey holes that different duck hunters overlook. This can usually imply spots that don’t have boat ramps.
The Greatest Duck Looking Kayaks
I hunt out of a easy 10-foot, Outdated City Dirigo sit-in kayak. It’s not fancy in any respect, and that’s what I like about it. I can throw it at the back of my truck, drag in by way of muck, bounce it off rocks and logs, and never fear.
There are a number of larger, extra steady kayaks on the market that may appear engaging to duck hunters. These larger boats can haul extra decoys and are extra succesful on larger water. However even probably the most sturdy, overbuilt kayak can’t compete with a flat-bottom duck boat powered by a mud motor. So as an alternative of beefing up your kayak, go the wrong way and take the minimalist strategy. A lighter, smaller, sleeker rig will show you how to get manner 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. However that’s what I’ll be doing with my little boat that weighs 45 kilos.
Beneath this philosophy, listed below are some good duck looking 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 under). So, a ship blind is just not essential, although there are all types 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 Gentle on Duck Looking Gear
The draw back of those light-weight kayaks is that they’ve minimal weight capability. You’ll be working with possibly 30 to 60 kilos of accessible gear weight relying by yourself weight. Which means you’re going to must 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. However 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 Proper Refuge Runner). However that’s tremendous. The entire level is that you simply’re looking the place the geese wish to be, so that you gained’t want a giant unfold to attract them in. You simply wish to disguise nicely and use a dozen or so decoys to deliver the birds into gun vary.
Taking pictures from a Duck Looking Kayak
Sure, it’s attainable to hunt from a kayak and shoot proper out of the boat, nonetheless I don’t suggest this. The small, light-weight kayaks I like to recommend usually are not steady sufficient to have a great taking pictures expertise. Should you go along with a giant, huge kayak for stability, you’re not going to have the ability to get to the furthest backwaters, which implies you’ll find yourself looking all the identical spots because the mud motor crowd.
Plus, it doesn’t matter what sort of kayak you’re attempting to shoot out of, you’ll have restricted vary of movement as a result of you’ll be able to’t flip your physique or reposition your ft, all you are able to do is pivot on the waist. Because of this any chook previous 2 o’clock for a right-handed shooter goes to be a particularly robust shot.
All the time 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 disguise higher, too.
Should you should 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’ll be able to to stabilize your kayak. Slide your self into the weeds or onto a little bit piece of floating bathroom. I’ve pushed massive backyard stakes into the marsh on each facet of the boat after which used straps to stabilize the boat. This labored okay, however was nonetheless not a really perfect taking pictures platform.
Kayak Security
Security needs to be your primary precedence in terms of duck looking kayaks. All the time put on a life jacket. Don’t launch your kayak into huge, 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 simply’ll chortle about later. However dumping a kayak whereas deep within the marsh on a frigid fall day may very well be deadly. When it doubt, don’t danger it.
The place to Put the Canine When Looking 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 secret’s that I’ve been placing her in kayaks since she was a pet. She’s used to it. The morning of opening day is just not the correct time to introduce your duck canine to a kayak.
You too can have your canine experience at the back of the kayak. Screwing down a little bit rubber flooring mat materials the place your canine will experience helps forestall them from slipping on the moist polyethylene.
Duck Looking Kayak Ethics
Simply because you may get again to the place the geese are, doesn’t imply that you simply all the time ought to. Should you see that enormous teams of geese (assume hundreds) are roosting far again in a marsh, don’t paddle in and bust them off the roost. Doing so would possibly blow up looking in your complete space. As a substitute hunt near the roost however not in it. You’ll get extra days of higher taking pictures and preserve these geese in your space.
On the flipside, once you see extra huntable numbers (assume a whole lot) of geese working an space that nobody else can get to, launch your kayak early and prepare on 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”.
Because 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 obtained 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 house for breakfast whereas the opposite crew was ready for extra geese over their big unfold of decoys.
