Using a canoe or kayak to access a stand

[Greta&Gus]

The second part of my current trouble with deer movement and swamps, is trying to find a better access point to hunt our SW 40. Has anyone here used a canoe to quietly get into a stand? Did you do so in the dark? Any tips?

I want to be able to sneak behind the deer and post at the end of a ridge that necks down between a big swamp and the creek.

 

[Rally1148]

No, but I've often thought about it. My trouble is that my swamp gets half an inch of ice over it so boats are out of the question.

 

[Jameson]

Don't have any experience myself in using a boat or canoe for deer hunting. Does the stream get any public canoe use now? If so the amount of sneak needed might be minimal. If you were successful in getting a deer would you be canoeing it out?

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

I would not have any concerns about the dark, I duck hunt and once your eyes adjust you should be fine. I would be concerned if there is much current and you are going upstream going in. You are probably going to work up a sweat going upstream. So I would want to do that on my way out. Next issue is noise. You are going to want a very flat place to land that avoids banging rocks, logs etc. I may think about putting some sort of rubber or other noise reducer where you will put the paddle or weapon. Moving anything on aluminum and even fiberglass can be loud. If the stream is not deep and it is not far could wading it be an option?

 

[sandbur]

I wade the stream for access to 2 stands.

 

[Greta&Gus]

I would not have any concerns about the dark, I duck hunt and once your eyes adjust you should be fine. I would be concerned if there is much current and you are going upstream going in. You are probably going to work up a sweat going upstream. So I would want to do that on my way out. Next issue is noise. You are going to want a very flat place to land that avoids banging rocks, logs etc. I may think about putting some sort of rubber or other noise reducer where you will put the paddle or weapon. Moving anything on aluminum and even fiberglass can be loud. If the stream is not deep and it is not far could wading it be an option?

It would be going in downstream. Noise could be an issue as I have an aluminum canoe. Installing rubber bumpers would be a must. I am not sure about wading, it is shallow but it would be a 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile hike. Now that would get a sweat going.

I have some work to do to get it up to speed but I might do some test runs this fall in the light.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Ya sounds like a decent situation to paddle in. I would do minimal paddling once you get anywhere close and mostly just light paddle/steering. I would also find a good place to land the boat well ahead of time. Hopefully a place with a landmark you can find easily in the dark. While navigating the waterway won't be bad in the dark it can get tough to know exactly where you are in relation to landmarks. So you may need to count right turns or something of that nature the first couple times. Good luck. I love to hear when these things pay off.

 

[dipper]

What's wrong with a magnum headlight, your not invading North Korea or something. It'd take less noise over light any day

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Personally, I never use a light. I have seen waterfowl ignore paddling and banging around near them, the moment a light went on they all spooked. I know ducks and geese are not deer but that has always stuck with me.

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

I did it many times. I would paddle up the river about 2/3 mile in the dark. The walk from the house to the river is 1/4 mile. so my eyes were adjusted to the dark by the time I got to the river bank.

I would load the trees stand , bow,and my pack in the front the canoe. Canoe is a 16" fiberglass Blazer. I use wood paddles.

I would slide the canoe down the bank front end first and get in the rear seat and push off with paddle. Early in the season it was ok, but as it got colder in November with frost and ice on the river bank, and 1/2" of ice on the river edge, I got kind of dicey. Many years by 3rd week in November the river had to much ice.

Paddling up river in the dark was really not a problem for me. You have to know where all the dead falls and snags are. Some days the wind would blow you around pretty good.

If there was fog on the river I would use a light.

No better feeling then coming back down river with a buck in your canoe.

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

This is the spot I launch the canoe from.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

i haven't ever tried it but know a few guys that have a lot of success doing it. I used to do a lot of paddling, both canoes and kayaks, if you are going solo in a canoe consider doing what MAVT suggests and add weight to the front of the canoe. The weight is going to make the canoe track straighter and will help mitigate any issues from a head wind. The straighter you track the less paddling you have to do which equals less sweat and less noise. I would consider a sand bag or two, if your not packing in much weight like a tree stand, back pack etc. It may also be wise to keep a change of dry clothing as close as possible should you end up wet. if you can pack dry clothing in some sort of waterproof bag and keep it with you thats even better. other wise at least having dry clothing back at the launch site may be sufficient. absolutely take a few dry runs, get the kinks worked out ahead of time. prepare a landing site and be able to ID it in the dark. Make sure you have enough room to pull the boat up out of the water so it doesnt end up floating away, and/or have some rope to tie it off. I would try to get the boat out of the water so that it isnt able to float at all even with it tied off....otherwise you could be stuck listen to the boat bang off rocks, logs, or grinding on the bank. Also if you have some old carpet or rugs lay them down in the canoe to help deaden the noise from gear on the inside of the boats.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Good point about the weight in the front. Canoes are tough to handle if the nose is riding high, especially in a wind. Using rugs is also a good suggestions.

You are probably not going to be able to step directly onto dry land when you get out so you are going to want to make sure your rubber boots are high enough. Otherwise you are going to need hip boots to land the boat.

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

I forgot to mention but when solo I sit in the front seat facing the rear seat . So rear seat in front and front seat in back. I usually wear knee high lacross boots.

 

[j-bird]

Use reflective markers to mark your route both ways - as it can all look the same in the dark! I prefer a green filtered light over a plain white one. I have one I use around water that is mil spec - the kids actually play with it in the pool! I agree with the dry clothes and maybe even some basic emergency supplies (materials to start a small fire) at both launch/landing sites - should an emergency arise. I fell thru the ice on my place once one winter I was roughly 1/2 mile from home and that isn't that far, but it was much easier for me to start a small fire, warm up and gather myself than trying to walk that far soaking wet in freezing air temps (that was back before cell phones). I didn't cheat death I'm sure, but I didn't have to try and that is my point! I would cut your passage ahead of time as well - last thing you want is branches and the like dragging the side or bottom of the canoe or smacking you in the face. I would otherwise travel as light as possible.

 

[*Hawaii5joe*]

I was working on the HVAC system up at the Bad River Casino. Talking to the natives there, a lot of them like to use boats still and float the river. Along with the spot light and rifle.

 

[SD51555]

Personally, I never use a light. I have seen waterfowl ignore paddling and banging around near them, the moment a light went on they all spooked. I know ducks and geese are not deer but that has always stuck with me.

I've had the same luck with deer. Multiple times in my life, I have walked within 25 feet of where deer were bedded and they never spooked because it was still pitch dark. I've watched them stand up right next to where I've walked in and I've had a buddy watch them stand up where I was hanging a scent wick for him an hour earlier.

In all fairness, those were opening morning deer that hadn't been shot at in a year.

 

[Gator]

I did this once. Everything was perfect until I got out of the canoe in the small drainage, grabbed my bow, started on my 10 yard walk to the slight little ridge to the stand when I jumped the buck bedded directly under the stand with his back to the creek. Scared the ever living piss out of that buck as I snuck in on him like had obviously never happened to him before.

 

[WTNUT]

It would be going in downstream. Noise could be an issue as I have an aluminum canoe. Installing rubber bumpers would be a must. I am not sure about wading, it is shallow but it would be a 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile hike. Now that would get a sweat going.

I have some work to do to get it up to speed but I might do some test runs this fall in the light.

Had lots of friends who use to access property around a large lake via canoe and boat. I don't think the sound of you going upstream will make the first deer concerned until you do something to cause them to associate danger with any noise created by the canoe. While unrelated, I will tell you with 100 percent certainty that accessing stands with a mountain bike is downright deadly. No scent. No sound for all intensive purposes. No sweat unless going up hills (I use lots of tricks to avoid up hill rides). I would have to think a canoe would be just as deadly.