Deer hunt by canoe

I am finely going to get to do a deer hunt by paddling to my area on a slow moving river. I should be able to paddle/pole back up river without much trouble. Stealth of course is key to success so here are a couple things I have done to help with that. I have made foam pads on the gunnels to set my paddle and gun on when they are at rest. I can fit everything in my pack for the days hunt so I’ll be sure to have it all in there when I first load the canoe so I won’t make undue noise getting out. I’m taking my 16’ stripper. The noise of my boots rubbing the hull will send a deaf buck head for the hills. My thought is to get a piece of thin outdoor carpet to put in my area so no matter if I am kneeling or sitting the carpet will cover the bottom.
So Any thoughts on the carpet idea or any other suggestions for the hunt will be most appreciated.
Norm

 

Of course pictures of your hunts by canoe would be most appreciated.

 

A possible alternative to carpet and boots --

Light-weight galoshes over moccasins are comfortable and quiet, water proof, and easier to move around in than regular boots. If your canoe is dry and weather permits, you can slip the overshoes off once paddling for even more comfort. And heavy socks or sheepskin- or fleece-lined mocs can take care of foot warmth in cooler conditions. I have found this combination quite satisfactory on week-long canoe camping trips.

Totes used to make a very light-weight overshoe, but don't seem to any more (though not very durable, they were perfect for this purpose, working well with ordinary LL Bean double-leather soled slipper mocs. I now have a pair of no-name overboots that are made of slightly heavier material, and are serviceable enough. There are several overshoes around that could probably serve the purpose. Googling "galoshes" will lead you to a number of overshoes that might serve -- such as

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...DHJ7V&linkId=a8b050794d88014eea5c12fee603c431

https://www.italianmotors.com/products/black-waterproof-rain-boot-over-shoe

Or if you are OC enough abut keeping things dry, real moccasins would do, of course.

http://www.arrowmoc.com/7.html
http://www.arrowmoc.com/mocasins.html

 

Great ideas Greg. If nothing else it give me a shift in thinking of just covering my boots instead of the canoe.
Thanks

 

Son Brendan got his first deer via canoe. He had to be about 16 years old at the time. It wasn't a very big deer, but he managed the whole process by himself. He used my older Chestnut Bobs Special for transport.....

 

Oh heck yeah! That had to be a great day for him. I know it would be for me.

 

WOW, reminds me of a Pittsburgh ( N.H. ) hunt along the Androscoggin . That hunt will stay with him forever. If you call, Fitz, I'll go.
Dave

 

The first deer is always special. However, I hope his next one was/will be bigger than that tiny fawn - barely larger than the paddle!!
Al D

 

Reminds me of the old Old Town catalog photo from the late 1960s and early '70s. Once in a while you still see those plaid red wool pants offered in eBay auctions.

 

Oh, boy, I'm in trouble. I have those same old Woolrich pants and indeed, the red suspenders as well and neither are yet ready for E-Bay listing.
I thought fawns had spots, but what do I know. I once saw a roofer/carpenter throwing half the nails over the gutter remarking in disgust that so many of them had the heads on the wrong end.
It is what it is, I guess.

 

"Any thoughts on the carpet idea . . . will be most appreciated."

Another thought -- carpet can be fine, until it gets wet -- then it is heavy, and it usually stays wet for quite a while, especially if the weather is damp and rainy. I have found the thin closed-cell anti-fatigue matting that is cheap and widely available (Harbor Freight sells a 2'x6' roll for $9) to be effective for easing wear and tear on knees while paddling, it does not soak up water, and weighs almost nothing.

 

I tell my archery students that any deer with a bow is a trophy. QDMA be damned. In the area where we live the deer population is a serious problem. A pair of deer can become a mini herd of 0ver 40 in 5 years if they are not managed. The key to controlling the population are the does... in this case a nice yearling doe. I say well done to have success with the canoe. I've yet to manage that but not for lack of trying.

 

Greg, I’ll check out harbor freight.
MCG, I’m with you. I feel the same about getting to use a canoe to help get my deer, I’d be very happy with a doe. The area we are going to hunt has a at least 4 points on one side or 15” spread limit
But I have found another spot I can float into and take anything. The idea of it all just makes the hunt so much more for me.

 

Well I’m going with the mat idea. I found some yoga mats at Wally World for 5 bucks. I got a few funny looks from the cashier but I didn’t bother explaining. They should do the trick. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the input.

 

Yoga mats work really well too. We use them for our dogs and our knees. They roll up pretty tight. Another option would be the use of a Thermarest or other lightweight backpacking mattress. That way it could be used for double duty.

 

After I bought a Thermarest I cut up my closed cell pads and started to use those in my canoes. They roll up nicely, stay dry and offer nice protection for the knees when you are paddling while kneeling. Thermarests are easy to puncture.
I may try the yoga pads if I can find a pair of lulu lemons that fit my lower quadrant.

 

Sorry, I meant these https://www.thermarest.com/sleeping...erest-classic/ridgerest-classic.html?srd=true

 

Not a bad price. I think these would hold up a lot better than the Yoga mats

 

Interesting...that's like one of the ones that I cut up.

WRT the Lululemons, it has been brought to my attention that they are available in mens huge...regardless I'm sticking to my cut up sleeping pads.

 

Well the hunt is over and it was one of my most enjoyable hunts I have ever had. Weather was somewhat cold, lows in the 20’s highs in the 40/50’s. Rain the first day the clear the next two. Sharing camp with my son and son-in-law was really great. Hunting using a canoe is perfect for me. I get bored easily so sitting in a stand doesn’t work well and I’m to clumsy to be stealth enough to stalk hunt, being in a canoe takes care of both of those things. I never got bored and I was stealthy. The yoga mat was still a bit squeaky but not to bad. Oh, no deer but that’s nothing new.
Thanks for the input.
Norm