Choosing and Using Hunting Boats
Many different types of boats are used in hunting, from small canoes and pirogues to large, stable boats capable of handling rough seas. The purpose for which the boat is to be used normally dictates the type of boat and its design. Many factors enter into that selection. Some boats are used mainly to transport hunters into an area where they are going to hunt. Others might be used as a gunning platform as well. Many boats serve both purposes, requiring that they handle the load to be carried while providing relatively easy concealment for the shooters. Some boats are designed primarily as a shooting platform, where the main requirements are stability and easy concealment. Most hunters use their boats for a wide variety of purposes rather than being able to dedicate the boat to any single use.
Water conditions, like depth, currents, wind and wave action, and channel widths are part of the choice as well. A narrow canoe that is ideal for sneaking along narrow creek channels would be much less useful on large bodies of water where wind and wave action require a larger, more seaworthy craft. Deep water with big waves might call for the wave slicing ability of a deep-V hull, while shallow water conditions might dictate a flat-bottomed design that draws less water.
Distances to be covered may influence the type of propulsion and the speed necessary to reach hunting areas in a reasonable length of time. Some boats are easily towed or paddled for modest distances, while others require sail or motor power to be efficient. Generally, displacement hulls are slower in the water because they have more surface in contact with it. Planing hulls offer more speed, but they require adequate power to reach planning speed and the efficient skimming of the water surface. They may tend to pound in a choppy sea, while the displacement hull plows through chop.
The loads to be carried may influence the type of craft. If only one or two hunters are to be carried, a relatively small boat can handle a minimal load. Modest loads that might include one or more gunners, gear and a dog require a bigger boat capable of handling the load without taxing its capacity. Where heavy loads must be carried for considerable distances, e.g. camping equipment, food and other supplies plus hunters and hunting gear, a large capacity boat or several smaller ones may be needed for effective and adequate transportation. It is critically important that boats be loaded within their rated capacity limits, since overloaded boats are much more susceptible to accidents.
Access type is also important. If access is by way of an improved boat ramp, even at some distance from the hunting site, a heavy boat can be used. If the launch site is unimproved, the boat may need to be carried a short distance in order to get it launched. Under many conditions, the boat will need to be carried modest to long distances or carried around obstacles several times. In that situation, a light, easily transportable boat, like a canoe, is an excellent choice.
Cover types also may influence the choice of boats. Open water areas like rivers, streams, sheltered ponds, lakes or bays may be covered with many types of boats. Unsheltered marine or inland lakes may require much more boat for safety. Marshes, both coastal and inland, tend to have numerous narrow channels and abundant vegetation that would impede the movement of broad-beamed boats. Canoes, pirogues, poke boats and similar craft are ideal selections for these conditions. Swamps and beaver flows also require a smaller, more agile boat. Rough water is seldom a problem, but getting around in tight spaces is a requirement.
The type of hunting being done also has an effect on bloat selection. Waterfowling, with its demand for gear and dogs, may dictate a more spacious boat than would using a boat to get into an area to hunt small game or upland birds. Big game hunting might demand a cargo capacity large enough to move the hunter and a bagged animal to camp or a pick up point.
Finally, local conditions or traditions and personal preferences enter into the decision on which type of boat to use for hunting. Some people would not be caught dead in a light canoe. Others feel that the canoe is the most versatile hunting boat ever. Often local traditions are the result of trial and error in adapting to local conditions and hunting methods. They are often worth considering when picking a boat for hunting purposes.
Hull Designs and Behavior
The shape of the bottom, sides, bow and stern as well as the amount of freeboard and rocker in the keel all have an impact on the behavior of the boat under a variety of conditions. Flat-bottomed boats tend to pound in rough water, but they are quite stable and able to carry large loads. Rounded or arched bottoms tend to roll more easily, but they slice through waves more effectively with less pounding than do flat bottoms. Semi-V boats combine the features of the flat bottom and arched designs. They are better big water boats, capable of carrying substantial loads with modest amounts of draft or the depth of water required for floating. In all but the choppiest of seas, they tend to cut through waves without excessive rolling or rocking. Deep-V hulls require considerably more water for operation. They are very good at handling waves and chop, although they may tend to rock. Heavy loading may make them sluggish and less responsive, and shallow water may stop them short of a destination. Tri-hulls are usually placed on heavy, fiberglass hulls. These hulls resemble two deep-V hulls connected by a flat-bottom or arched hull. They tend to be extremely stable, but to pound in choppy seas. They have an outstanding ability to carry heavy loads, but they may require considerable power and an improved ramp.
The sides of the boat may be either soft or hard chined. That means that they may flow smoothly from the bottom to the gunnels or they may have a hard angled joint with the bottom. Hard chined boats may have straight or sharply flared sides. Many skiffs are fairly straight sided, as are many jon boats. The shape of the sides has a strong influence on the carrying capacity of the boat, as can be seen by comparing similar sized boats with different hull shapes. The height of the sides determines the amount of freeboard, the distance from the waterline to the gunnels of the boat.
Bow shapes come in a variety of designs that tend to blend into each other. Square bowed boats offer a stable platform forward, but they tend to pound heavily in even a modest chop. They are also difficult to push through vegetation. Narrowly pointed hulls are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They slide easily through vegetation, but offer very little in stability or buoyancy. Many hulls are rounded or wedge shaped at the bow, compromising the characteristics of the pointed and flat or square shapes. Some broad beamed boats have a short wedge-shaped bow to aid in handling choppy conditions without sacrificing the stable fishing or shooting platform on the bow.
Stern shapes are similarly variable. On craft that are easier to be poled or paddled, having a pointed or narrowly square stern and bow makes handling easier. Tapered, square sterns tend to be more streamlined for movement through the water, while broadly square sterns tend to add stability and load-bearing capacity. Rounded sterns may be found on some sailing craft.
Rocker refers to the profile of the bottom of the hull from stern to stern. Craft with very little rocker are excellent for carrying capacity and stability as well as minimal draft in shallow areas. Adding rocker makes the craft more easily maneuvered. Lake canoes, for example, are often flat; while those intended for use in rivers are curved for quick turning.
Matching Boats and Conditions
General-purpose boats are most often a compromise among a variety of uses. Some of them are selected for the most common or frequent use and the most frequently encountered conditions. These will be at their best for these purposes and conditions but less useful when either the conditions or the purpose change. Others may be chosen for the most demanding use or conditions, perhaps being “over-built” for the more common ones or even restricting some fairly common activities because of design elements for the most rigorous conditions under which to use the boat. In addition, it may not work well for other potential uses. A 14-foot jon boat with a 15 horsepower motor is not an ideal selection for towing skiers, but it might be just the ticket for fishing in lakes or rivers, ferrying decoys and a couple of hunters to a blind or drifting a river for squirrels. The big, gaudy ski boat on the other hand might be a little heavy for unimproved launch sites, hard to hide near the duck blind and much too heavy for maneuvering among the rocks in a river.
Special purpose boats are usually ideal for the purpose for which they are intended. The pumpkin seed shaped Long Island Scooter or layout boat is a wonderful gunning boat for waterfowl. It has a low profile and amazing stability, but it is nearly impossible to row, paddle or motor to a hunting area. It requires another boat to tow it to the hunting site and to serve as a tender. A lightweight canoe is an excellent choice for small creeks and marshes where it must be carried to the water and slipped quietly through narrow channels. Heavily loaded in heavy waves or a strong chop, it may be a very poor selection as a watercraft. Two hunters, a hundred decoys and a Lab may be a maximum load, even for a big freighter canoe.Basic boat design enters into the selection process. The construction materials and the design determine the handling characteristics of the craft. They also contribute to the size and weight of the vessel, which determines when, where, and how it can be operated. All of these things also contribute to the cost of the boat. While a fully equipped sport fisherman designed for offshore operation might be great for hunting big game fish, it is not likely to give back its cost in benefits to the landlocked hunter who is interest3ed in working relatively small rivers and marshes for waterfowl. Consider the uses and the costs as selection takes place, and you will have the best choice from among those available for your purposes, area and enjoyment.
Safety Afloat
Boating accidents claim more lives every year than do hunting accidents. They key to accident prevention when using watercraft is the same one necessary when using firearms. It all starts with using your head. Forethought is one of the most vital components in avoiding accidents or problems afloat. Make sure t6hat you use a rational approach to assessing the potential danger rather than planning on coping with it. Where conditions are excessive for your equipment, find something else to do or a different approach that will not expose you to those conditions.
Make sure that you avoid overloading the boat. Trying to get too much gear or too many people into a boat is an invitation to a boating accident. Where that accident takes place under the conditions common to hunting, merely getting wet can pose a life-threatening problem. Most boats contain a Coast Guard plate listing the capacity of that boat. Do not exceed it.
Balancing the load is also vital. Properly loaded, the boat should float level with ample freeboard. The balance of the load affects handling, steering, ability to adjust to waves and much more. Remember, too, that water or ice in or on the boat adds considerable weight to it and has a major impact on handling characteristics.
Safety Equipment – Safety equipment for the boater begins with a personal floatation device or “life jacket” for every person on board. That device should be Coast Guard approved for the size and weight of the individual and in proper functioning condition. Fiber filled vests should be checked to make sure they have not become waterlogged, and any PFD selected should hold your head above the water. Closed cell foam vests have the added advantage of adding a layer of insulation next to the body. In cold waters, that can make the difference between survival and death to hypothermia. Regardless of the type of PFD chosen, it must be worn to be effective. Cushions crammed under seats or vests buried under a sack of decoys do little good if a sudden dunking takes place. Make it a practice to wear your PFD when under way or in a situation where going into the water is a possibility.
Safety does not stop with a PFD. Wise boaters will include adequate navigational equipment when it is called for. Navigation equipment can be as simple as a compass and a map on small waters or as complex as Loran or GPS systems on larger ones. When landmarks are the key to navigation, fog or other weather can leave you without reference points. In that situation, the compass or other navigational aide can be vital. A flashlight or lantern is also critically important if the trip will include any early or late movement. Not only can it be used to read the compass or locate landmarks, it can also serve as a visual signal to other boats.
Some vessels are required by law to carry signaling equipment. Others are not. Even for canoes, jon boats and other small boats, carrying some type of signaling equipment can be very important. The flashlight or lantern can serve as a visual beacon, but flares are much more effective when the situation calling for them arises. A mirror makes an excellent signaling device when the sun is shining. A whistle or air horn might be a lifesaver in dense fog, snow or other conditions where visibility is limited. The sound can alert others to your presence and help in avoiding collisions. Finally, those who venture onto larger lakes, bays and coastal areas may want to have a marine band radio so they can communicate with other boats and shore stations in the event of an emergency.
Hazards and Avoiding Them – The air and the water combine to create several major hazards encountered by the boating hunter. Cold air and water combined with wind and the resultant waves can pose serious threats to both safety and enjoyment. In handling wind and waves, each person must know their limitations and those of their boat. Learning to handle the boat needs to take place under less trying conditions, not when cold, wind and waves conspire to make mishandling dangerous. Cold, particularly when combined with wind and water, pose a real threat of hypothermia. Staying dry and shielding the body with waterproof clothing while staying out of the wind as much as possible can reduce that threat to a minimum. The elements that affect our bodies can also have a disabling effect on equipment. Freezing conditions can disable motors once allowing ice to form in the shaft or lower unit of the motor shuts them off.
Navigational hazards also must be recognized. Underwater structures like reefs, sandbars, rocks, hidden stumps or rubble can bring a trip to a halt in a hurry. Knowing the area and consulting charts can keep such surprises to a minimum. Falls, rapids and other hazards of moving water may seem too obvious to deserve mention, but too many hunting boaters do not consider them before plunging into the currents. If any doubt exists, move the boat through the obstacle using ropes or carry it around the obstacle. Where rips or other currents exist, be aware of their potential to influence the movement of the boat or to create powerful turbulence, even on calm days. Further, coastal hunters should be aware of tides and tidal currents as they influence water depth and current conditions.
Hunting From Boats
Hunting from boats requires understanding of numerous laws and regulations. All boating laws and regulations must be met. All state hunting and wildlife laws must be understood and followed. Federal laws must be followed when migratory birds or other federally protected species are involved. In addition, agency or local regulations may impose additional requirements. You are responsible for knowing and obeying all those regulations and laws. Note, too, that many of these laws may not translate from one state or locality to another. Drifting for ducks, for example, is against the law in some states while being a technique of choice in others. An unwary hunter who crosses state lines may not realize that a favorite technique is forbidden in the neighboring state. Federal laws forbid shooting waterfowl from boats that are under the influence of sail or power operation until all motion from those power sources ceases. They also prohibit harassing or hazing waterfowl with a boat in order to stir them up for hunters. Normal movement by boat to get to and from blinds or to fish is fine, but motoring into rafted waterfowl to force them to fly or to push them toward hunters is illegal.
The basics of hunting safety are just as important in hunting from boats as they are in any other type of hunting. In fact, the confined space of boats may add some considerations for the hunter. All the fundamentals of safe firearms handling must be followed, including keeping the firearm empty until it is ready to be used, keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times and keeping the finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. In drifting or similar situations, only the forward person should have a loaded firearm. The other person is just the means of propulsion and cannot safely shoot. Where regulations prohibit the possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, firearms must remain unloaded, preferably cased, while the boat is under power. Only after it is stationary can it be used as a shooting platform. Getting into and out of boats is sometimes a bit tricky. Firearms should be unloaded and handled as in any other hazardous area during that process. Zones of fire must be carefully outlined and rigorously followed in any boat or blind. Finally, the hunter must recognize the potential of ice as either an obstruction or a gun jamming influence. Mud, sand, and similar materials can have the same influence under warmer conditions.
Shot selection and shooting positions can have a strong influence on safety. Shooting in canoes and similar narrow craft must be done from a seated position. Shots may be taken standing and abeam of the boat only when it is carefully secured to prevent capsizing. Taking an unbalanced shot, standing in a canoe to shoot or similar actions can subject you and your hunting partner to a quick and very unwanted ducking under conditions where it can range from an inconvenience to a life-threatening situation.
Boats can greatly increase hunting opportunity. With that opportunity comes the responsibility to exercise necessary caution and wisdom in the use of boats, firearms and wildlife resources. If all of them are combined, the experience for the hunter can be both positive and fruitful.
