Canoes and bowhunting.

Message

Mick Smith · #1 Post by **Mick Smith** » Fri May 27, 2005 8:15 pm

I know at least a few of us enjoy and use canoes for hunting. I'd be interested to see just how many of us own a canoe. I would also be interested in other details such as size, brand, colour and type of your canoe. Maybe even details such as why you bought your canoe and how you use it.

I've got an eighteen foot canadian canoe made by the New Zealand company Currentcraft. Its made of plastic, but has nice traditional wooden gunnels. It called the Explorer model. It a mottled green and brown camo colour. Its almost indestructable, supposedly. Its big, roomy and paddles easily whilst still being nice and stable.

I've used it for many years when duck hunting (with shotgun of course) and lure fishing for trout, bream and bass. I'd love to use it for bowhunting. but really haven't found the right application yet. Its not legal to paddle down a river that goes through private property, taking pot shots at game on the bank, to my knowledge. I've got 2 pretty laminated wooden single paddles and one magnificent double bladded paddle (Mitchell) left over from my kayak days.

In years gone by I have explored many Victorian rivers. I had a passion for whitewater canoeing which I actively pursued for many years. Some trips taking as long as two weeks in totally remote areas. My passion for canoeing is as old as my passion for bowhunting. Surprisingly I have never really combined the two. There's a couple of wild rivers in the Australian Alps that pass through prime sambar country ...hmmmm .. one day I might get there.

What's your canoe like?

Mick

patch · #2 Post by **patch** » Fri May 27, 2005 9:07 pm

my canoe is a 12ft cartopper punt with a minn kota does the job for me

Mick Smith · #3 Post by **Mick Smith** » Fri May 27, 2005 9:51 pm

Patch, a 12 foot punt is a handy stable boat. The electric outboard is nice and quiet. Not so handy on a long though cause it has to be recharged.

There's just that something about boats, eh Patch. They are like a passport to adventure.

I haven't been without a boat for as long as I can remember. Apart from my canoe, I've got a 13 foot Stacer and and 20 horse Yammy, also a handy little boat.

Thanks for sharing with us Patch

Mick

jindydiver · #4 Post by **jindydiver** » Sat May 28, 2005 8:28 am

We have a Australis Swagman (14Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) and a mercury 2200 20# electric. I made an outrigger for it and we take the kids out fishing and use it to get to places we can bowfish for carp.

I have been thinking of canoeing a section of the Murrumbidgee that runs through some properties I hunt on, but with the drought on full swing I think my river trip will be more successful if I rode a mountain bike.

New2bows · #5 Post by **New2bows** » Sat May 28, 2005 9:35 am

Jindy,
Yeah, I rekon we'd be 'rock hoppin' all the way mate!

BTW, thanks again for the hunt and all the things you taught me. I've been going over a lot of the stuff in my head last night and this morning and I rekon I can remember and use pretty much all of it.
Maybe next time you'll be able to show me 'in the flesh' so to speak, how to butcher a critter??

Cheers mate,
Rory

stace · #6 Post by **stace** » Sat May 28, 2005 9:54 am

Mick
Your not filling out survey's on bowhuntin with all this info ?

Mate my canoe is a Pelican three seater (made in Canada by the same factory that turned out the Coleman)15.5 feet long canadian . Installed a bracket for a Minn Kota 55 for both it and a 12' V bottom with 15hp Honda .
Used her for just lure fishing so far.
Its a plastic by the way nice and light so I can get it onto the cruiser oh and its dark green as well
cheers
stace

pedro · #7 Post by **pedro** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 12:33 am

ive got a coleman made canoe too. its called a scanoo. it is 15 foot long and ni\ce and wide but still is easy too padle. it has a transum for an out board motor up to 5hp. it seats 3 or 950lb. the hull is made out a speacial plastic that can take good impacts and will pop back out. it was fairly exy but most good things are.
i have taken in into some prime country on hunting trips but never needed to use it. there was too much game in walking distance. also the fellas i was with where scared of the crocs. i am very keen to go on an adventure in it though. mabee this year ill get to use it.
pedro.

stace · #8 Post by **stace** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:31 am

Hey Mick just remembered I had photo of Ethan and the canoe on its try out of the Electric motor

cheers
stace

jindydiver · #9 Post by **jindydiver** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:50 am

Fishing last november in Lake Jindabyne

Mick Smith · #10 Post by **Mick Smith** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 3:18 pm

Jindy, I reckon you might be better off waiting for a bit of rain before tackling the Murrumbidgee. It would be a great trip though. I've seen parts of the upper reaches of this river and caught a few trout there too, mainly around Adaminaby. It certainly looks canoeable, but I'm told there is some pretty rough country and whitewater between there and Cooma.
Thats a good photo of you and the kids on lake Jindabyne. I've caught lots of trout there too mate, as well as in the Thredbo river nearby. It sure is beautiful country up around there.

Stace, thats a real nice photo of Ethan in the canoe. Nice looking canoe too mate. It looks very well set up for touring and fishing. A nice little rig. I like the outboard bracket. Is it part of the original purchase, or do you have it made up? I'd like one for my canoe too. I think I'd prefer a petrol powered 2 hp outboard motor rather than an electric though, because of the problems of recharging batteries on long trips away from civilisation. As far as a poll goes, I never thought of it and even if I had, I'm not real sure how to do it.

Pedro, I really like the Coleman Scanoo. I very nearly bought one myself. They're very practical and tough. They'd make a very good expedition vessel. Hope you get to take it into some wild places soon mate.

Thanks fellas for chewing the fat on canoes.

Mick

Mick Smith · #11 Post by **Mick Smith** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 3:23 pm

The photo above shows my "Explorer" on the banks of Lake Eucumbene at Providence Portal.

The photo below was taken fishing for bass in the rain on the Hawksbury River.

Buford · #12 Post by **Buford** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:06 pm

Mick,
I want, no. NEED your minn kota!!

stace · #13 Post by **stace** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:49 pm

Mick
I had the bracket made for me Mick ,Its not too bad just about got it in the right place as well.You can still paddle with the bracket in place .
Yep thought about a petrol powered motor but I like the quiet and if I do a long trip I will probably paddle ( maybe)

You look a bit damp in the fishing photo ,get any fish ?

Cheers
stace

WRC555
Whose Minn Kota ?

Mick Smith · #14 Post by **Mick Smith** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 7:02 pm

Stace,

Yeah we got absolutely soaked that day for one small bass. Did a lot better when the weather fined up. It was tremendous fun, we had never fished for bass before (there aren't any in this part of the state).

By the way, that's not me in the canoe, its my brother-in-law. My wife is in the front. I was sitting in the car out of the rain.

Mick

Wareagle · #15 Post by **Wareagle** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:16 pm

I have an 18ft Emu, never hunted in it though.

pedro · #16 Post by **pedro** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 1:26 am

mick, is it just me or is that one very short bow in your avitar.

Mick Smith · #17 Post by **Mick Smith** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:35 pm

Pedro,

The bow in my avatar is a 52 inch Nirk Rebel. If you were interested you could have a better look at it in the Trading Post forum. I had it for sale just recently. Its a great little bow.

Mick

Mick Smith · #18 Post by **Mick Smith** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 2:49 pm

Waregle,

Welcome to Ozbow mate! I've heard of the Emu, but I can't remember who made them.

I reckon the hardest bit about hunting from a canoe is to find the right place to do it. Sure you could just paddle down any river, pull up onto the bank and hunt, but unfortunately most rivers run through private property and you'd be tresspassing.

I'd like to paddle down one of the more placid rivers in the Australia Alps into pristine and unhunted country and being through public land there's no legal or ethical hassles.

Bows and canoes seem to go together like peaches and cream.

Mick

Wareagle · #19 Post by **Wareagle** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 10:44 pm

Thanks mate, the emu is a B-line,I sometime use a 2.3hp outboard, getting lazy as I get older

Pete · #20 Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 2:14 pm

I've got an old fibreglass 16ft'er. picked it up 2nd hand. dont know what brand it is. good fun in the summer.
I have never hunted in it but i have noticed how the wildlife and game tends to take less notice of you as you float past. Rabbits and roos feeding just meters away.

Pete F

Mick Smith · #21 Post by **Mick Smith** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:22 pm

Pete

Living up near the Murray River and all the rivers and creeks that run into it, you must have some very nice flat water touring in the vicinity. If you decided to try combining bowhunting and canoeing what sort of legal situation would you be facing? I know there are huge public reserves on either side of the Murray River. Is it worth trying to hunt in these areas? I'm not all that familiar with the area, but it seems to me that it could be prime country for people with our interests.

Mick

Pete · #22 Post by **Pete** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:59 pm

G'day Mick,
I mainly go up the loddan, pyramid ck or gunbower ck. slong the loddan is mainly private property, which is usually easy enough to get access to for fishing, they may let you have a shot while your there but its mainly rabbits, hares and foxes. sometimes you maight see pigs but there usually on the move.
however there is a number of state forests that do have pigs but they are also open to shooting and dogging.
Gunbower island has good canoeing, camping, alright fishing and plenty of foxes and pigs. there is a large area set aside for hunting activities. I dont really go there for hunting as it is too crowded and there are alot of tourists that bushwalk, cycle, orienteer etc.
I dont go canoeing up the murry as its too hard to paddle back up stream.

The best thing to do would be to get permission to hunt on private property near one of the redgum forests.
Most people wouldn't have problem letting you camp, fish and, you'de probably get laughed at by the farmers about using a bow. but if you act responsibly, most will let you back on.

but hunting in these forests is in danger, i'll post another thread.

Pete F

adam · #23 Post by **adam** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 12:25 am

I'm getting a canoe soon, just so I can post a pic

I have hunted from a canoe with trad gear before. Silently drifting past a old billy goat grazing along the banks then, whack.`Is a great memory I have from a few years back. Very surreal hunting from glass flat water in a silent canoe.