There have been several people, lately that I have heard commenting about how they have to hike miles into the territory to find suitable game. They’ve been discouraged by the physical demands, especially in areas that don’t allow horse or ATV access. This tends to be a common theme on public hunting land. With more and more people now entering the hunting game, the pressure on our common game is pushing them into areas we’ve, traditionally, avoided.
Our idea for more hunting land began to take shape
AJ and I have spent considerable time the past couple of years hunting a variety of public hunting lands. We’ve watched the systematic migration of our targets further and further into the depths of these public lands into areas few are willing or able to hike. With our physical limitations, the push to move deeper and deeper into the unexplored territory has become difficult and, in some cases, outright impossible.
A common theme we have noticed, however, is the staunch division between hunting and fishing habitats. In our article, “Kayak Fishing: The Ultimate Adventure” we talk about the advantages of a kayak when wanting to access areas that are rarely or never explored by fellow anglers. But what about hunters?
Your Outdoors adventures don’t have to be restricted to Fishing OR Hunting
We fish, very frequently, in areas that are open to anglers as well as hunters. On many of the waterways we fish, it is legal to park your boat and take a game animal from the bank. We rarely see anyone take advantage of this opportunity. As we explored this phenomenon, we began to consider all the opportunities that could be opened to us.
AJ and I are currently on a mission to catch a Gar of a Lifetime. The scouting and fishing excursions have taken us to exceptionally remote areas. During our trips we, frequently, take time to explore the area to ensure we can be relatively confident in our personal safety. This exploration has lead to the discovery of scat, beds, and tracks of promising size. Of even more importance is the lack of human tracks, trash, and destruction. Our findings got us thinking…
What if we could hunt these areas that are not, yet, pressured?
We started with the most common of research. Federal, state, and local agencies that regulate local hunting typically provide regulations and maps, either on paper or digitally, that can be used to identify legally hauntable land. The rest fell into place just like it does when we’re searching for new fisheries. To get an idea of what I’m talking about, check out “The 3 Rules for Becoming a Successful Angler.” By taking our routine for new fisheries and adapting it to hunting, we have opened up hundreds of acres of hunting terrain we previously believed to be impossible.
Hunting Vessel Project 1…
We spent an entire offseason (non-hunting months) developing modifications, plans, and options for our Jon Boat. Initially, our focus was strictly making it viable for fishing and duck hunting (hence our propensity to refer to the Jon Boat as the Duck Duster). We even build a collapsable duck blind that secures to the boat and transforms it into a concealed, warm, shelter while duck hunting. The more areas we explored, the more evidence of viable game we found, and the more land we discovered to be possible, we knew we needed to expand our options. The Jon Boat became our option for pursuing Deer, Boar, Ducks, Squirrel, Rabbit…You name it. If it was legal in our area, we were going to be able to hunt it.
The big challenge was determining how to get to those targets.
In our article, “15 Musts for Your Ideal Outdoors Pack” we talk about an app called OnX. Now there are a variety of apps we use, and an even larger selection to choose from for anyone interested in pursuing this process, but for the sake of simplicity, I will use OnX and Google Maps to explain our process.
Preparation makes all the difference in the world.
We started with the general areas we already knew. This included lakes, Rivers, Creeks, and other forestry areas that we have fished in and around. Google Maps gave us a good basis for where the easy access points would be, boat launches that we’d be able to use for free or pay a fee to access, and a rough estimate of the size of the potential hunting area. That’s when we turned our attention to OnX. Between Google Maps and OnX we were able to identify waterways that could potentially lead far enough into our target areas that the hike would be maybe a mile. OnX also allowed us to identify the boundaries that would potentially lead to lost game should it run in an unintended direction once shot.
You can never do too much scouting
Our next step was to explore these waterways. Initially, we used the Jon Boat since that was our planned means of travel. Many of the promising waterways resulted in the discouraging realization that our empty Jon Boat was barely able to traverse these shallow waters. Once loaded with hunting gear, we’d be hard-pressed to make even half the progress we’d made while scouting.
What about smaller vessels?
This lead to a whole new idea for us. Have you read “A Female Perspective on the Bass Raider 10e?” We have started modifying these small, lightweight, shallow boats. The goal, originally, was to have vessels larger than kayaks, but shallow enough to fish the small pockets of creek water often overlooked by most anglers.
What we realized in the process was that there are hundreds of more opportunities available. We designed rod lockers to hold roughly 4 fishing poles. These bins turned out to be the perfect size to store our hunting rifles. We planned on using the platforms we are putting at the front of the boat to do bowfishing. The bow stands don’t have to be used strictly for bowfishing. Why not archery season? By having a 3.5hp outboard as well as a trolling motor on the Bas Raiders, we will also have the option to get deeper into the waterways quickly, then quietly approach our final destination with the trolling motor or even our long paddles we always keep on the boats for emergencies.
Never satisfied with “simple” answers, we began exploring even more potentials. While it would be difficult to deer or boar hunt from a smaller kayak that would require massive rowing due to the added weight, the larger kayaks may be an option…Our 3 Waters Big Fish 120s are equipped with trolling motors and easily handle 3-4 inch water depths. If we’re rabbit or squirrel hunting weight, realistically, won’t be an issue. What about the Pelican Catch Power 100? Or perhaps the Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 12. Maybe you have the Old Town Predator 13.
Don’t limit yourself
Many of the hunting areas have time restrictions, hours during which you are allowed to hunt. Outside of that time, what’s to stop you from getting some fishing in while you’re there? AJ and I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible. We also try to explore new adventures whenever possible. The use of our fishing gear for hunting allows us to expand our hunting access exponentially. Perhaps, there’s a potential quest like these in your area?