Kayaking, Diving, Skiing, & Surfing Forum. - kayak duck hunting

who tried duck hunting from a kayak? if so, which kayak would you recommend?;cool;

One of my friends just bought a Malibu Mini-X for duck hunting. He says it works great for him. He is a Fla Wildlifel officer and ought to know where the ducks are.

I have a Mini-X that I use for fishing. There is not a more stable small yak on the market. I'll be 68 next week and use the Mini-x several times per week, weather permitting. Tarpon are a hoot in a yak.

Look at the Hobie Mirage kayaks. Maybe the Outback for hunting. I have the Pro Angler. I fish in bay waters and it is great

Get a sit on top yak, Malibu or Ocean Kayak, I have and like both.
A sit-in yak is not nearly as stable.
The malibu is faster but heavier due to it's length.
Both are stable platforms, but I wouldn't stand up in it.
I know a guy that throws a toss net while standing in his X-Factor, and he ain't a graceful guy, LOL!
You can buy the plugs to keep the water out, or just fashion your own from foam.
Costs range from $400 to $1000 depending on what you want.
I'd suggest you find a rental place and try several out before buying.
Heck, they might even have an older model they'd sell you on the cheap.

thanks for the 411, looking hard at native 14.5 seems to have a good weight cap. im 183 30lb boykin, shotgun decoys. but still taking advice.

I have the Magic 14.5 which would make a great hunting kayak because it is self bailing and has tons of deck space for dekes, guns and dogs. It's a big boat though and will take quite a bit of work to conceal it. Just depending upon how far I had to paddle and all the gear I was going to take, I'd probably go smaller for a dedicated duck boat. I have a Hobie Mirage drive and would not recommend it for the kind of weed choked shallow duck waters in this area.

Get a sit on top yak, Malibu or Ocean Kayak, I have and like both.
A sit-in yak is not nearly as stable.


How long can you comfortably sit on you ass with your legs straight out?

Also on a sit on top, where would you put your gun and gear?

IMO, buy a canoe or a sneak boat.

http://www.carstensindustries.com/boats.html

http://www.banksboats.com/

You can put your legs anywhere you want, no limitations.
Depending on the model, you can have lots of storage options.
I would much rather have a canoe for this purpose, but he asked about a kayak.
Maybe he wants to start an Extreme Kayak Hunters club, LOL!!!

How long can you comfortably sit on you ass with your legs straight out?

Also on a sit on top, where would you put your gun and gear?

IMO, buy a canoe or a sneak boat.

http://www.carstensindustries.com/boats.html

http://www.banksboats.com/

I have more places to put my feet and legs in an SOT than a sit inside or a canoe. I don't mind standing up and stretching either. My gun goes in a floating gun case and can either be stowed on deck with bungees or below decks. The deke bag goes in the tank well. Mother nature can piss all the rain she wants to and my SOT will not fill up with water.

I have duck hunted out of a canoe for years, and this past year from my 13' sit-on kayak. I jump-shoot small creeks for woodies, as well as edges of islands in a large reservoir. I worried about losing the shot gun out of the kayak, so I tied a safety line to the rear sling swivel of the stock, but never needed it. The yak has a lower profile, and is easier to paddle, so it is a winner. However, the canoe let two of us float (rear guy NEVER shoots) a stream, and I do miss that in the yak. I really worried about camo-ing the yak, but had geese and mallards pass low overhead when in the yellow kayak without any attempt to camo. Probably wouldn't work in a decoy setting, but did fine pass-shooting.

I`ve done alot of shooting, both jump and decoy set from a Gheenoe. A Kayak would make me nervous in the winter. I do have a buddy who uses a yak to set dekes on ponds and to retrieve if the tide catches a downed bird that the dogs miss. Works well.

I recommend for you Jasper's Duck Acres of North Dakota, One of the best places to hunt Duck.

Awesome! Duck hunting from a kayak is something that I have try also. I do all of my duck hunting out of my wilderness kayak which is very similar to the Lagoon. I found the easiest way to camoflage my boat is a sheet of camo burlap. You can buy a 15x15 sheet at Walmart for under ten bucks.

New WS Commander looks like it would be a good choice

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/recreational/Commander/commander_120/

If you have $5k to spend here's another choice

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/pages/index/products/concepts/commander_120_cx

Tried the Commander at a dealer demo day this weekend and it is very stable. Has a pontoon construction which is stable enough to stand up and fish (I would not recommend standing up to shoot).