Contributed by Cameron Simot
We’ve all heard of kayak fishing by now, right? But, have you ever heard of kayak hunting? Using a kayak to hunt waterfowl is just as beneficial as using the same kayak to fish from. Many of the benefits you see using your kayak for fishing, double as benefits for hunting with your kayak; ease of transportation, accessing those spots that are otherwise impossible to reach, price, and most of all, stealth. What are the essentials of using your kayak for waterfowling you might ask? Well, here it goes.
1.) Camouflage: You want that kayak to blend into the surroundings as best as you can, ducks have surprisingly good eyesight. There is many ways to camo out your ride. I prefer to first, cover the kayak in a duck blind camo burlap from front to back, and down the sides. You want the burlap to hand down AT LEAST to the water line, ideally, a little farther. This is really going to help lull down the color of your kayak, whether it be bright orange, or a sand color. Next you want to cut down some nearby vegetation, and use this on the front, back, and sides of the kayak, so the kayak looks to be part of the swamp, marsh, or wherever you’re hunting. Having a dark colored kayak will help, but is not necessary; I hunt from a red kayak, and you wouldn’t know unless you got a look under the burlap. Last but not least for camo, you, the one sitting in the kayak also has to be head to toe camo! A good, warm pair of camo waders, and a warm, waterproof coat are key.
2.) Stakeout Pole: The stakeout pole has two uses. Pushing yourself back into the cattails, and then holding you in place while you hunt. I use the yakattack ParkNPole in the 6ft. version. This shouldn’t have to be camo-ed out like crazy, but wrapping it in some leftover burlap won’t hurt.
3.) Comfortable Seat: Trust me, sitting still for multiple hours can be brutal without a nice comfy seat in your kayak, so pay the cash, and get a nice seat.
4.) Somewhere Dry: You need somewhere to keep all your things that need to stay dry. Whether it be a hatch, a dry box, or a dry bag. This dry area should be easily accessible. I use my center hatch, and keep shells (in a waterproof shell box), extra gloves, hand warmers, flashlight, wallet, phone and keys. It’s best to keep your wallet, keys, and phone in another separate box or bag, for when you open the hatch and water drips in. During a day of duck hunting a lot of water gets into the kayak, from rain, moving/setting decoys, climbing in or out, and retrieving wet ducks. It is very important to keep these items as dry as possible.
This should cover all the essential, most important parts of having a smooth, and successful day waterfowl hunting from your kayak. Don’t be afraid to give it a try, you wont regret it!