DIY Publicland swamp

[bowjunky39]

I use a 17 ft canoe with a 30 lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor. Can't go wrong with canoe if you don't have to carry or drag it far from truck to water. Plenty of room to haul gear and stand or step ladder if there's no trees to hang a stand.
In my experience I can get where I need to, a mile in the swamp a lot quicker and quieter with the trolling motor than with a paddle. I really do enjoy the canoe hunts.

Any suggestions on canoe? This is a rather large creek that feeds a main reservoir, I could wade in spots but most will be to deep.

[Twenty Up]

So a sit on top is more stable than a sit inside. Only gear I will have is stand and sticks with bow and pack

Wading is really spotty... we duck hunt creeks a lot in kayaks. Water level fluctuates, there's always those random holes that could swallow you up. Stumps to trip over etc....

You also have to worry about trees blocking the creek, sand bars, shoals etc.... daytime it's no problem, becomes a chore in the dark though. Especially if you're paddling a fair piece in when it's dark. I put a light bar on my kayak for this reason and those 3k lumens made those 1+ mile journies so much more bearable now compared to moon light or an old headlamp

I use a 10' 29" wide perception kayak with no issues. Granted I've never taken it deer hunting only fishing/ducks.... I'd shoot for a 12-14' kayak and as wide as possible for stability. Sit on top preferably as well with a good light source if you're going somewhere narrow and thick.

Yes. I'm thinking with the end in mind hear say you shoot a 200# buck and you're 200# plus gear floating a yak with a 350# weight limit. They become extremely tippy once you exceed that magical number. Regardless if it's 1' deep or 10' it's not worth the risk, especially once it gets cold out.

Sit on tops also have scupper plugs to grain water, sit ins do not. Sit on tops are easier to enter/exit than sit ins..

[Bonecrusher101]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/kvwpfb5rp/

I've got an old town think it's 15.6 ft, with a flat back or transom, that I use sometimes to hunt and fish out of. I actually was able to kill a doe and put a dead deer in my canoe for the first time this last season. I also went with another friend with my canoe this season, and he was also able to kill a doe and he and I and two deer stands two gun cases and a dead deer were all able to fit in my canoe no problem.

The canoe is heavy for loading and unloading at around 100 lbs. I have a hitch extender that I made that braces the canoe in my truckbed. so it's manageable for solo hunting, and it's very stable, it's not a technical canoe and it honestly steers like a log. I can put my gear in the back and sit at the front and I am able to see and steer it better that way. I actually paddle up current with it. it's very hard to get it to tip and have banged through some Rapids and hit trees in rivers and never felt like I was gonna swim or lose gear. I don't want a canoe that's gonna be scary, stability with cost you manueverability and weight, especially when loading and unloading.

Remember if you slap a motor you need to get it registered. Get ready to Forego the trouble of finding a serial number on a canoe and deal with strange looks from the women at the dmv.

It was dark and foggy when I snapped the pic but the doe is between the front two seats and my stand is towards the back.

[Bonecrusher101]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/kvwpfb5rp/]

[Tsom]

I use a 17 ft canoe with a 30 lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor. Can't go wrong with canoe if you don't have to carry or drag it far from truck to water. Plenty of room to haul gear and stand or step ladder if there's no trees to hang a stand.
In my experience I can get where I need to, a mile in the swamp a lot quicker and quieter with the trolling motor than with a paddle. I really do enjoy the canoe hunts.

Any suggestions on canoe? This is a rather large creek that feeds a main reservoir, I could wade in spots but most will be to deep.

Mine is an older Indian brand that I picked up used many years ago. Made of polymer that is really rugged. I heard they sold out to old Town but not too sure. I just bolted a a piece of angle aluminum across the rails for a motor mount. I think the polymer is a quieter canoe than an aluminum one. A friend of mine has a Radisson that seems to be high quality and really light. The flat back setup would probably be nice for the motor like bonecrusher showed in his pic tho.

[Tim H]

I would also recommend a canoe. If you could take a sheet of neoprene and apply it in the bottom it should quiet things up a bit. Plus with a canoe you have more room for your gear and also the giant slob you are hauling out! I would look into the Old Towne canoes.

[Rlgeraets]

Use one boat in and two boats out. One small, maneuverable and easily moved/carried kayak for you and your stand/sticks/bow on the way in, but also pack in a small inflatable raft that you only inflate to hold your deer if you tag out. “Tow” the dinghy behind you on the way out with the buck in the inflatable. The inflatable raft packs down small and it keeps you more maneuverable, plus you can avoid transporting a larger/heavier canoe...and remember your life vest!

[Tufrthnails]

I've been yak shopping but in the meantime borrowing my brother 10' cheap Walmart sit on yak. 10' is absolutely the smallest I would go. I've not drug anything out with it yet but stand stick and small pack and me at 190# is a lot for it. I would absolutely try to float a deer out but we got critters here in FL that might grab your deer so in shopping for a 12' fishing yak.

[hambone]

I prefer my old 17' Coleman canoe for water entries.

[Octang]

I use a 17 ft canoe with a 30 lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor. Can't go wrong with canoe if you don't have to carry or drag it far from truck to water. Plenty of room to haul gear and stand or step ladder if there's no trees to hang a stand.
In my experience I can get where I need to, a mile in the swamp a lot quicker and quieter with the trolling motor than with a paddle. I really do enjoy the canoe hunts.

Any suggestions on canoe? This is a rather large creek that feeds a main reservoir, I could wade in spots but most will be to deep.

I bought a Old Town Discovery 133 canoe for deer hunting last year. It does a good job hauling gear, but it was really a pig to paddle solo. I am thinking about selling it this year. I really wanted to use it to reach spots 3/4 mile up a river, but I couldn't feasibly use it for anything more than paddling a few hundred yards if by myself. It would be awesome if I hunted with a partner though. Adding a trolling motor to it would make a big difference. I would recommend doing that if you go with a canoe.