Duck hunting from kayak

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Silveragent

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I'm very new to hunting of any kind. I've only gone out once for deer last year. I had an idea just now about going for ducks from a kayak.

My issue is that I have no dog, no big boat, no one really who can help me out. But I could see myself getting a kayak (I am experienced in a kayak) and going from there. In off season i can store a kayak, I don't have room for a big boat or dog. Feasible?
 
Right... I probably can't see myself shooting from the kayak itself but to beach it and shoot while stationary or from ground and then use the kayak for retrieval.
 
I used to paddle through the reeds during midday and jump shoot, no problem and I enjoyed it a lot. Just don't use any form of motorized propulsion, even a trolling motor, and you're good to go. Wood ducks like to snuggle up close to shoreline trees.
 
Silveragent said:
That does sound fun.. have to start skeet shooting now I guess :)
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You can skeet shoot in Pitt Meadows on the south side of the Pitt River Bridge, an duck hunt on the north side of the bridge.

Range and hunting area are literally 5 minutes apart. :)
 
have hunted ducks out of a short kayak - worked out well. pushed the rear end of the kayak well into the reed beds & that gave the necessary sideways stability. the front half stuck out into the open water so I covered that with some cut reeds. shooting out front from your usual sitting position with good back support was very effective if the ducks were decoying well. for a wider angle of shooting & better overhead shooting, also found that sitting on the end of the deck of the kayak was good too. push the kayak well back into the reeds as before but even further so just a few feet of the kayak clears the edge of the reeds. your legs dangle down into the water on each side (waders on of course) & that gives you stability plus the option of jumping off to go get any downed ducks (much easier than trying to climb out of your seat). it was harder to hide sitting on top but cutting a few bundles of reeds/cattails & leaning back into those did the trick. never did try shooting from a kayak in open water but as can be imagined, the odds of a dunking seem pretty high...
the beauty of the kayak was the ease of concealment compared to a regular boat & the ability to go into shallow mud flats that have just a skim of water on top - the mallards were easy to decoy into such places as that's where they really want to be. tough to access without a kayak.
 
I am in Ontario London area to be precise what are the laws on Thames river duck hunting between Woodstock to London l have heard its crown land any one can hunt it as long as your not discharging a gun inside city limits ? Floating the river in a Jon Boat no motors ok ? I have tried contacting upper thames but am not getting a response back?? Any info greatly appreciated Thanks
 
There is nothing like jump shooting birds from a kayak or canoe. Great exercise, time out on the water and hopefully tagged out for supper time. Beauty is you can get right in deep to the gnarliest of weed beds, bull rushes and general obstacles. The one benefit I find to the canoe over a kayak is gear. You have the option of decoys, more gear and room when you come across a gaggle of hot looking swamp women.
 
I have been hunting ducks and geese from canoes and kayaks for 40+ years... it is very efficient and stealthy... paddle into a weedbed and keep a low profile... or access small ponds, lakes, rivers and creeks and then hunt from shoreline cover... I have never tipped over.
 
What type of kayak you choose is going to dictate your available space to be able to hunt from it. Open top, Sea kayak, river kayak. If your experienced in a kayak you also know there a tight fit dressed in light clothing. Wearing chest waders in a kayak if you could get in the kayak wearing them may be a death wish if you roll. Also the type of hull design your boat has will determine how stable it will be to shoot from. In your experience in a kayak where are you going to put your gun while your paddling?? Not much room in a kayak #### pit for a shotgun and still be able to paddle without it getting in the way. Your pretty much limited to a open sit on top kayak.

I am very experienced in a sea kayak. I have fished but never hunted from my kayak as I don't think it is a wise idea. But if I was I would be wearing my dry suit and have the gun on a leash. My advice would be to buy your self a canoe. Something will a flat bottom and slightly flared sides which will give you initial stability plus decent secondary stability. Good luck with this venture.
 
I can never put the paddle down and grab the shotgun fast enough to jump shoot them so I no longer try. I do back into the weeds and put out a couple of decoys but find that the ducks have to come in from a specific direction or I can't get a shot at them. Usually get a few but it can be frustrating at times. It is fun going places that even a canoe can't get too, though.

It is a short sit in kayak (oldtown predator 11). Sea kayak would not work where I go. When I am by myself I find the kayak much more stable than the canoe but we also use the canoe to jump shoot. Front guy shoots, back guy tries to keep the canoe from tipping over. There are only a couple of guys that I trust enough to do this with but it is lots of fun.
 
canmapper said:
I can never put the paddle down and grab the shotgun fast enough to jump shoot them so I no longer try. I do back into the weeds and put out a couple of decoys but find that the ducks have to come in from a specific direction or I can't get a shot at them. Usually get a few but it can be frustrating at times. It is fun going places that even a canoe can't get too, though.

It is a short sit in kayak (oldtown predator 11). Sea kayak would not work where I go. When I am by myself I find the kayak much more stable than the canoe but we also use the canoe to jump shoot. Front guy shoots, back guy tries to keep the canoe from tipping over. There are only a couple of guys that I trust enough to do this with but it is lots of fun.
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I jump shoot all the time by myself... I have four or five creek runs that I hit a few times a season... hug the inside of corners... sit mid canoe, lean the shotgun forward and angled to your weak side... bring two paddles... one stays in the canoe to retrieve the paddle you dropped when you reached for the gun... when a bird jumps, you let go of the paddle no matter where it is...

I also put my son up front to do the shooting... our opening morning spot is a nice beaver run... we usually get a half limit of woodies, blacks and mallards over decoys and then fill our limit by jump shooting the six miles of beaver runs.
 
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