Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Does anyone use a canoe when they hunt?

I just got a square back canoe last week when they were on special at Crappy Tire. What's old is new again, because I used to have a Coleman Scanoe when I lived in NB.

They are handy for getting to spots across lakes where the hunting pressure is low. Despite having a 800-900 lb capacity, moose calves take a couple of trips because of the size. I've never had the opportunity to transport anything over 350-400 lb. with one.

An added plus is the fishing.

I've only fished from mine, haven't hunted from it yet. Talked to a fellow who drifts a river in his, looking for bears. He gets one pretty much every year, so it must work!

Can be a near-silent approach...

I've used it for ducks as well.

Steve: For years a 20' wood and canvas Chestnut Jock series canoe
was my preferred means of moose hunting rivers in N.E. BC. No motor as this was a double ender and I poled/paddled quite a few moose off of rivers like the Beatton, Prophet, and Peace. Great way to get where river boats couldn't. Done with that now due to age. But, the trips were great while it lasted.

I cheated with this boat and bought a trolling motor. Paddling is fine, but when you get tired it's nice to have something to get you back to camp. Silence is good, whether it's hunting, fishing or just sight seeing.

I've never been duck hunting. I was always scared this would happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpDp3gvapmc

Damn them ducks are nasty. Good beer commercial.

Shot a moose from a 14 footer with a couple other guys in it with me. Rear end was in about 4-6" of cold water. Didn't alter the taste of the moose though. Have also used a 18 foot Grumman.

Forgive me, but if the water was up to your rear end that would be more than 6 inch right?

I still maintain you only shot once at that bull.
Randy

Not when you're sitting on the bottom of the canoe, and I have one of those low aspect ratio butts.

Gigglin'! Great time, that! Too bad Dad never connected.

Thnk like a Dad for a minute. He connected.

We are happier when our kids connect than when we do, right. We were always his boys, Keith.
Randy

Originally used canoes for duck hunting back in the days when I still did that. Later used them for moose hunting. On small bodies of water they are a great way to get around and quiet.

Back in the '70s two of us were bringing out half a moose using an old 1.1 hp motor for propulsion. About 2 miles from our destination they motor conked out and couldn't be re-started. We blew back about .5 mile due to a strong headwind. We finally started to paddle for our lives. We made it in but my arms were like spaghetti when we got there. The next year I used a more modern 6 hp motor mounted on an outrigger hooked up to two canoes. This worked much better.

The next 10 years were spent hunting in Wyoming where boats were not needed. When we got back to hunting in Ontario we were hunting big water where big motorized boats were the preferred method of travel.

Jim

I went on a sheep hunt up in the northeastern part of the Yukon near where the Artic Circle and the MacKenzie Territory and Yukon Territory all come together. We crossed the Bonnet Plume and Snake Rivers many times and it got me looking into accessing those areas via canoe. In the process, I found an outfit that will fly you and your pals along with an expedition type canoe (like an Old Town Tripper) as far up the Noatak River in Alaska as you care to go. From the headwaters it is 2 weeks to Nome and the river is all class 2 which pretty much means "no portage needed." Always wanted to do that. Two or three boats. 4 or 6 guys hunting and fishing. I got into flatwater and whitewater canoeing because of that sheep hunting trip to the Yukon but never did the Noatak. It's going on my "bucket list."

Jaybird

Welcome to the fire. One bit of advice regarding the bucket list. Treat it as a need to do versus a when I get to it list.Life goes past more quickly than you can imagine.

Randy

Last time I hunted out of a canoe was for squirrels as that and ducks are all you can shoot from a boat down here. My boss wanted to go and was seated up front with a shotgun and me in the back with a Ruger .22 pistol. Something about "don't shoot, don't shoot' that igmoe didn't understand so he turned sideways, shot, and we turned a flip. Colder that a welldiggers butt we finally got everything back in after turning it back over. Last time he ever went in a boat with me. Don't even think that my 19 center console is big enough for that ijet..BG

You always were way more philosophical than me, richer and better lookin' too -- almost as good a son as . . . . W , , , , well you know. Still doesn't change my mind about wanting Dad to drop the hammer on a moose with his boys there.

hunted moose and bear from canoes. huge fan.

I thought he shot the cow that year. The one down by the narrows on Margaret Lake. Altzheimer's is a wicked thing. That old man gave us a wwealth of rich memories.

Randy

I used a Coleman Scanoe for many years while hunting moose during the calling season in the Cumberland delta in Saskatchewan. Nothing is better for the task. Paddle out sneaky and quiet each morning, and use the 2hp Evinrude motor to zip back to camp for lunch or to haul meat. Too bad we don't have a Sask. resident calling season any more in that region.

Here is some proof positive that a canoe can haul more than half a calf moose....
It was very stupid, and the result of inexperience, but when my buddy David and I shot two bull moose one fine morning we were surprised by the capacity of our Coleman 16' Scanoe to handle the huge loads of meat we were loading into it. We customarily cut moose into 8 pieces, bone in, and place into cotton bags, then lash to a packframe for transport. We packed all 16 pieces to the floating canoe and were amazed when it seemed to handle them without sinking too deep in the water. This was great! it would save us a 10 mile round trip to camp to ferry the meat to where it could be hung. So we just kept packing, and the canoe still had 4" or so of freeboard when we were done, so we pushed off for camp. Unknown to us, the canoe was actually resting on the bottom. When we pushed off into the river, we started sinking until we had only a scant 1" of freeboard remaining - just under the aluminum gunwales. To say we were alarmed is to put it mildly. However, given the nature of the swamp were were in, it seemed like just as big a problem to find a suitable place to unload and cache some meat, so we just proceeded, VERY cautiously, all the way past camp to the main portage across to the Carrot River. Our wake was breaking up and away from the canoe on the gunwales, I'm sure we were actually underwater on the back end as we chugged along on the perfectly calm channel with the little 2HP Evinrude pushing us slowly along at a trolling speed. We made it to the portage without sinking. God looks after fools I guess. This picture is of David with the meat and canoe at the landing at the end of the portage between the Beehive channel and the Carrot River. I gained a whole new respect for the capacity of a canoe to carry freight, and learned to check the canoe for proper loading after that!

NO but as a side note...I had one mounted on top of the trailer I use to go varmint hunting...

Couldn't believe the 10,000 questions I got from everyone asking me "what's the canoe for???"

My response? "too lazy to take it off"

Cool story, thanks for sharing

Yes

Seafire

Are you a relative? That sounds way too familiar. My snowplow came off May 24th. My canoe came off ov 10th about two weeks after the plow went on.

Randy

Duck and goose hunting, moose hunting, incidental bear/deer hunting, and of course fishing. I have a light 14' paddler, and a 16' Frontiersman with a square stern. Paddling is a nice quiet way to get around, and so is an electric motor. A 2 -3 horse outboard will give you plenty of power, and a tank of gas seems to last forever. Not sure of the exact figure, but I know the weight carrying capacity of the Frontiersman is well over a 1000 lbs. Given the appropriate water in moose habitat, a canoe is an ideal hunting rig.

I have a 20 ft grumman that is listed for a 7hp and 1400 pounds. Gear for two weeks in the bush, and a 1000 pound bull moose makes it purr in the water with two paddlers. Without gear you have to hope there is no wind, or you fill it with rocks to keep it down in the water so it does not blow around.

I had an 18 footer that was a good canoe, but a bull and two full size men with gear had me with puckered anus in 12" waves. Ask the_shootist about it and the repairs.

I hunt mostly alone now, and am thinking of buying a smaller one, but they look so tiny now.

Randy

. . . . . . hey! That canoe still holds water good. And the 2HP Spirit motor shoves it along just fine. Teach me to take an axe to it to retrieve the motor.

Half a moose calf???? What the hell do you take out there???

My Grumman 18' has transported an entire! 8 year old (by tooth ring), 56 inch spread Alaska/Yukon bull (a lot bigger than yours- probably around 550 lbs dressed weight)) plus partner, Lab (he was the nervous one), and all our (minimalist) camp.

The heavier you load a canoe, the more stable but ungainly it gets. (It helps to tuck a poly-tarp tight in against the load to shed water coming over the gunnels).

You got something against 8" of freeboard???? If you do, 4 inches of freeboard should be avoided...

Yeah, I'm not a fan of 4 inches of freeboard. Getting the thing properly loaded is the key. I'd rather make the extra trip. Years ago, a close family friend used to take moose out using a canoe. He laid green branches across the gunnels and loaded the carcass across it. Some old family pictures showed that thing riding barely out of the water.

I've been capsized in a canoe when there was a foot of snow on the ground and ice around the edges of the lake. I didn't think I would ever warm up again. Also lost some valuable equipment. Now, I don't go out in a canoe unless it's warm enough to go swimming.

There is no cold like wet cold, that is for sure.

Randy

How about the rollin' in the muskeg type of cold? Does that compare?

I prefer a warm cold. It's a comfortable cold that's appreciated in the summer, unlike the cold heat that's uncomfortable in the winter - except if you're in Accapulco.

I know this is a Canada site but I hope you don't mind if I respond.

We float hunt for deer every year on the Allagash, St. John, and Aroostook Rivers. Tons of fun and as an added bonus, short drags.

JDK,

I have often thought about using that technique up there. How has your success been any stories or pics you can share.

Not to hijack the thread, but it might add some good value.

CLB

We have always done well later in the season (usually the last week of rifle season). The deer tend to yard in the river bottoms and oftentimes it is the best way to get them. We really like it when there is pressure from roads and the deer get down into the thick green growth.

We have had success two ways, just drifting along and getting out and hunting. I don't know what it is but the deer seem far less spooky than if you were hunting them on the ground.

Thanks,

gonna have to talk with my pard and see if we can't get a canoe and give it a go. Seems like a very interesting way to get into places. i'd also say there is an advantage of getting to places you might not be able to get to on foot.

Some of the places we hunt would be a 2+ mile drag mainly uphill to the road. With a canoe it can be as liitle as 50 yards or if you are really lucky 2 feet. .

Well, there are canoes, and there are canoes!

Twenty foot Chestnut freighter my friend owns.






Twenty-two foot Teslin freighter I have used for the past twenty seasons. First trip I took it on, it brought home two moose.



It will haul three moose, along with three guys and their gear, with no problem at all. Draws about ten inches with that load.





Me running Three Mile Rapids on the Stewart River, in my old 22 foot Faber freighter canoe........



....thirty-five years ago! Even had dark hair back then.

If you look closely, you can see the blue tiller extension in my left hand and the 61" moose horns ahead.

The Fabers were the lightest freighters ever built, but tough as nails. Handled like feathers when empty. Two guys could paddle this one easily.

Notice the distinctive bow with no recurve. I owned four of them over the years, two 22s and a 20, and a 17 foot paddling canoe I bought for my wife. The three freighters are still going hunting every Spring and Fall.

If you ever find a Faber in good shape, don't hesitate to buy it.

Ted

Ted,
Glad you posted your photos....love to see em.

And you haven't changed a bit in 35 years

fly fished out of mine and one river moose trip [no moose]

we were cleaning,and making portage trails in the Nitnat Triangle [vancouver Island]
in my 18 white water freighter we had 5 guys ,sleeping gear ,chain saws ,gas,oil axes,food for to days,6" of freeboard ,all 5 paddling, just keeping up to 2 people in a 16' canoe ,,close to 15-1600 lbs, fun weekend

Usually the roling in muskeg gets the laughing started which gets the warm going.
Randy
aka muskeg champ

Seen that a few times.

I have a Gheenoe [square back fiberglass canoe] and plan on taking it hunting this fall.
It has an 8hp nissan 2cycle on it - good for about 18-20mph and a new 2.5hp yamaha 4stroke [spare] it won't quite plane off -kind of wallows along at maybe 7-8mph.
There is no difference in speed from half throttle to full throttle -it needs a lower pitch prop -i think that will also up the mileage.With a 10mph tailwind and the 2.5hp motor it will go 11-12 miles on a QUART of gas at 1/3 to 1/2 throttle.Crazy i know.
I love the little thing -cost $1200 new [hull] and will float in 3" of water and run in 12-14" of water.
Great thread here been watching it -great pictures guys -a canoe seems like a true wilderness machine -handy and efficient.

http://gheenoe.net/thirteenft.html

Canoes can go damm near anywhere.Canoes can carry damm near anything.Canoes can damm near tip anytime.

Wind is the enemy of canoes on lakes,even more so than a small boats.

I have a 16'6" Mac Sport by Clipper,a 18'6" freighter with two feet cut off for a square stern.We have used it on two moose hunts and 16' Springbok type aluminium on one.We missed the moose paddling up stream. Both out pack my 12' Harborcraft. That scarcely would make me an expert.My skill levels do need some honing.More so, going up steam underpower.

The owner of Clipper hunts out of 18'6" square stern Mac Sport.He has a neat custom gun rack.


I went with a 16'6" kevlar as the 60# would be easier on me,both packing and going over beaver dams.I'm using a 4.5hp Merc and that's maybe too powerful.Certainly can be very fast and scary on a lake.

Problems; a gun rack for my canoe rifle,a BSA P-17 sporter 30-06,a life jacket that you can sholder a rifle with,bowman steering skills going upstream.

Lifejackets designed for paddling work fine for shooting. Of a truth, I seldom wear one when hunting streams and lake edges. I have lost quite a few family members to drowning though, but considered it a genetic anomaly.

Randy

When I was up in Chetwynd in northern B.C. during the early 80s,there was a couple of accidents, on the same lake even,different years, with overloaded canoes, wind and cold water.

I saw one fellow had one of those 35# SportPals on top of his camperette,and thought, in a country of pot hole lakes ,he was on to something.

Ted,
I might be lying if I said I recognized you right away in that picture of you in the rapids but, make a poster out of that picture, I'll hang it on my wall. That's a great photo. GD

I just got a lovely 18 ft Chestnut freighter dropped off at my place. It is in great shape, has a 44" beam, 36" flat wide stern for mounting a motor, and is 18" deep. Perfect for two guys on a moose hunt.

It will be for sale as soon as I check it out, probably later today. A 15hp two stroke should be about right on it.

The fellow took home one of my 22 ft Teslin freighters, and is hoping to put a couple of Coal River moose in it this Fall.

Ted

A real asset in areas where relative small scale waters effectively limit access. Like the run from Jackson to Alpine Wy on the highway beside the Snake River. With any sort of craft, one can get across the river and gain access to some excellent elk habitat.

Don't have canoe, but I will be using my whiter water drift boat if I ever draw my Oregon sheep tag.

I've got a 14' Sportspal that I've hunted the poo poo out of.

If you are in far enough to get away from other hunters you are in far enough that you've got your work cut out for you if successful.
Let's say you are 4 lakes in... 3 portages. The problem is the # of portages you need to make to get the bugger out. I usually double portage when camping out there (one trip with the canoe, another with the pack).
That means every portage is 3 trips. Now add a fair sized bull. You just added 5-7(+?) loads of meat. Let's say 6 loads for round numbers. That means you have 8 loaded pack trips accross (with the canoe & backpack) each portage.
That = a total over & back of 15 trips per portage. Thus each short, say 1/4 mile portage becomes 4 miles tolal walking. 3 portages = 12 miles total, 6 of them loaded. Then figure that you have to load & unload the meat from the pack frame a total of 15+ times. Load & unload the meat from the canoe each time.... Lots of work ahead of you.
But I keep thinking about it

Have a friend who used one to slip passed private land to get to public that was surrounded by the private. He got a real nice Mule Deer for his efforts.

I've used canoes for a number of hunts in the past.

Drifting a slow river for puddle-ducks in northern Alberta was something I tried a couple times. First time was a bust, the ducks would take off as soon as they saw the canoe. After that, we rigged a screen about 6' wide on the bow of the canoe, chicken wire on a light wood frame with cattails woven through the wire. Worked pretty good, we were able to sneak up on ducks nicely. Only the guy in the bow can shoot, though.

A few years ago I got tired of fighting the crowds on public land during deer season in WI. I found a couple spots that I could get to by paddling for 30 mins or so, and that got me well back from the roadside entry points. Flat water meant I didn't fight current in or out. Shot a nice fork buck one time and a doe the other. It was really nice not having to drag or pack the animal all the way out... just to the canoe.

Now that I'm down in watery country again, here in south Texas, I may use my canoe for duck hunting again.

I've hunted with canoe also one time. We shot an elk along the river but once we loaded it in the canoe we only had 1 inch of freeboard and swamped the canoe 2 times getting back to camp. Talk about a nightmare.

Something about a dead member of the deer family in a canoe that stirs the soul. I used to float-hunt out of my canoe quite some when I lived in AK. Had a 13', 3 seater old town with oar locks. Very nice on the rivers. Now I have a 13' 2 seater Mad River but havent come up with any local do-able float hunts yet.

Yes don,t hang around Ted has a way of influencing you, bought a 21 Ft Hudson Bay canoe and a 9.3 X 62. After being around Ted!

what a bad influence that man is lol ...

i have also a 9.3x62 and a freighter canoe ....

Those big canoes must be brutal when the wind picks up.

(Those big canoes must be brutal when the wind picks up )

No they are very stable in big water, a little wet but fine.

The stern on the Hudson Bay is a wineglass shape and following seas don,t bother it. Like any long narrow boat would not want to get sideways in the trough in big waters.

Buddy and I went across interior lake in heavy winds other boats turned back but we did fine got wet though.

Scott brochure used to state that the Scott Hudson Bay was made for open water crossings.

yes with good fishing rain gear you wont be that. and i agree with KK if you sail good there is not that much than can stop it.

2 years ago on frances lake we were the only boat still sailing and went home safe ...

In our rough water adventure went from 14 to to 15 MPH to 2 plowing through the big waves.

The bow sticking up in the picture looks like a nightmare in high winds.

You don,t run them MT in big water, load the bow down and they do fine. The neat thing about the big canoe is the 21 ft Scott will carry 2000 lbs with a 20 HP about 18 MPH light load or about 12 MPH to 14 heavy load. 20 Gallons of fuel will go for long ways.

Here,s a thread I started a while back on AK Outdoors about the Scott Canoe
http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/34344-Scott-Freighter-Canoes

I've used canoes a couple times, but don't own one any more. If i go in by water it will be in my 14' aluminum rowboat and 5 hp motor. It will sip a gal of gas for a long time.
I am also interested in going in and out by abandoned rail. I am collecting parts for a solar power rail cart. The rails are engineered for the smoothest ride and best grade already. An electric cart would be nearly silent, and recharge even as it is being used. . Roof will be solar panel and a trailer behind foe gear and deer will provide a second panel.

My 22 footer with a 20 hp on it carried 1000lb 32 miles across Frances Lake, and burned 9 litres of fuel doing it. That's two gallons.

I have had two moose, a spare 15hp motor, three hunters with a complete camp, and a 10 foot Zodiac inflatable aboard, and travelled in less than a foot of water.

Ted

Got this one for fishing. It's a 16' Navarro Otter.

That canoe is a work of art!

Yup.... I canoe hunt for moose here in the Yukon as a preferred method. Either the old Tripper or the Scott 21 foot with a Surface Drive motor from Louisiana. Great shallow water rig and the lawn mower sound doesn't seem to worry moose too much. Here is our October results with both the Scott and the Old Town Tripper in the background. Extra style points with the 348 Winchester Model 71 used to dump the moose where he stood.



You can see the Surface drive here and the Model 71. We brought the Tripper in the Scott to portage into some connector Lakes that see little traffic but we saw Mr. Moose on the way. The Big Scott will carry two moose and has been a great boat over the last 16 years. I used to use a Honda 4 stroke but the surface drive opens up more country and allows me to jump beaver dams.




The first 10 seconds of this video explains the ability of the canoe and motor combo better than words can I think. Sort of an All Terrain vehicle for small streams through big rivers and lakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrEkDAxpdA8&t=88s