Does anyone here use a kayak to do any duck hunting? My wife told me to pick one out and I want to get some input. I'd like to use it to get into some places to duck hunt that are otherwise inaccessible and I'd also like to use it to fish when not hunting. I'm just not too sure about kayaking with a gun, waders, dekes, etc. The thing that concerns me is flipping the 'yak with waders on. Anyways, I'll just put it out there for yall...

i read someone saying once, if you plan on Yaking, Get plenty of paddle time in during the warm season. Train with waders and a heavy gun-weight log/stick, Tip it over, learn it's nuiances and get a feel for it. I'd never learn to Kayak with a bag of decoys, a gun, and a bunch of other crap, while cold, dark, and wet. Just my .02. Good luck!

I have a Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT that I use for both duck hunting and fishing. This Kayak provides a lot of room to store plenty of decoys, your gun, backpack, and other belongings. I have shot all directions while on it, and remained very stable.

Im sure sniperjohn will chime in here in a bit... im pretty sure he hunts and fishes out of a kayak.. i could be wrong but im pretty sure he uses one alot... and i bet he could steer ya in the right direction

A-5 if you plan to shoot from it be ready to do some corrective paddling. I have a friend that hunts from a Water Mocassin Pirogue boat. http://www.watermoccasin.net/products.htm
He has a friend that hunts with him that shoots a 10 gauge. They say the boat does 360's every time he fires his shotgun. On the other hand the these little boats have a lot more room for more storage than a kayak. They are built just south of Shreveport off of I-49 in a little town called Stonewall??? We are planning on buying one, possibly two to navigate the Sulphur River System.

I brought up this topic some time ago. From what I understand kayaks have been used to jump shoot duck in the Southeast. I was wondering if they could be used effectively in the coastal marshes. IMHO if you don't have an airdrive you're at a decided disadvantge there. Kayaks could be a good way of getting onto some of those big rafts of duck that hang out off Port O'Connor.

A-5, is price the driving factor here? Or do you just want a yak?

If price isn't the factor, you may want to look around a bit. There are plenty of alternatives to the kayak for a few dollars more.

http://www.mackspw.com/Item--i-OTT1200S

http://www.pokeboat.com/

http://www.banditmarine.com/products.html

http://www.bobcatboats.com/

http://www.watermoccasin.net/products.htm

But if you want a Kayak, then I'd agree with quackwacker58 on reaching out to Sniperjohn. Send him a PM. He has multiple yaks.

I've been tire kicking this idea around for sometime. I like the idea, but think when the wife isn't looking I'm going to pick up a used 14' flat and invest in a solid motor.

Let us know what you end up with, and how it works out. I think even if you get it, and it doesn't work the way you want, you'll be able to sell it and not take a loss.

Cobra Fish-n-Dive. I have the only camo one that they ever made. Love it for fishing and hunting. 650 pound capacity works well. Floats my 325 pound butt in about 3 or 4 inches. Very quiet. Has a jump seat up front for a little kid like my 6 year old. Cavernous storage below decks. Great hatches. Large battery compartment behind main seat allows for dekes. Don't need many this far south. Dekes above a dozen spook the birds IMHO. Don't really need a retriever with a boat like this, but plenty of room for them as well if you want to take them. Get a good sling and a synthetic gun like a Nova. Ought to work real good.

For fishing, this boat is so quiet that I have litterally slipped up on catfish, redfish, bass, etc. without them realizing I was there until I was right over them in real shallow water. I have caught some of my largest bass from it.

My only complaint is that they never made a rudder system for the Fish-n-Dive like they do for the Wilderness Systems boats.

I have an ocean kayak prowler 13 and it is great. Both for fishing and hunting. Make sure you get a good kayak cart so you can wheel it down to the water, best piece of gear I have for my kayak.

I hunt out of an old 12 ft canoe. It's tippy as hell, so I built some outriggers for it out of 3" PVC. Now it's stable enough for me, gun, dz dekes, and a wet, semi hyper lab. For trips less than a mile, I love it.

I hunted pout of a 14 ft pelican the first half and early eal, now it has a leak that i need to fix so Im walking in. But Yes kayaks rock your socks off!

Thanks for all the response. I'm looking at the Pelican Castaway. It's $399, looks like a good "entry level" kayak. It's not as nice as the ones I'm used to, as I used to be a outdoor guide at a place called Team Trek in Arkansas, but I think it'll do.

Buy some inflatable decoys, thats what we take when we kayak in. Also, try to plan you route before hand so when you paddle back you are not fighting those costal winds. If I am echoing an above comment, my bad.

I am thinking of getting a paddle boat that way hte boy can help get us there. and it is way more stable than a kayak.