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Old 03-27-2013, 07:49 PM
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intothewild intothewild is offline
 
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Default Canoe hunting trip ideas

gents,

Me and a few friends are hoping to get out for a 4-6 day hunt around mid september this year, mainly after Elk and a Deer or Bear would be a bonus.
the way we want to hunt is by Canoeing down a river, stopping and stalking every now and then. None of us have never shot an Elk so im looking for a river that would offer an excellent chance at one, if anyone has any info or ideas for me that would be excellent.
Feel free to send me a PM or reply to this post.

cheers,
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Old 03-28-2013, 08:27 AM
rhuntley12 rhuntley12 is offline
 
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Old 03-28-2013, 08:44 AM
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So you are going to have to find a 3 or 4 day trip river with public land you can hunt on all the way. Too hard to try to get permission at every stop. If you are successful you are going to have to butcher or at least quarter the thing and have space for it in your canoe along with your camping gear and food, and you are going to have to keep it at the right temperature for 3 or 4 days. Could get warm.

Sounds fun but a little too complicated for me. LOL Do a 3 or 4 day fish and grouse trip.
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Old 03-28-2013, 09:32 AM
lannie lannie is offline
 
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I think the Grande Prairie area would be good. Little smokie, Wapiti etc.
Many tribs to start from too. That's a great idea and I would think a trip of a lifetime.
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Old 03-29-2013, 06:36 PM
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intothewild intothewild is offline
 
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Yea im been looking at the little smoky, big smoky, athabasca and North Sask mainly.
definately alot of planning needed to keep meat good etc but its doable for sure, im hoping someone on here has had experience doing a trip or two like this and can give some pointers. Definately a trip of a life time if done right!

cheers,
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Old 04-26-2015, 04:25 PM
greygoose420 greygoose420 is offline
 
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I met a really down to earth fellow last year and did a moose canoe trip. It was one of the best experiences of my life. One thing I'll say is you have to have a plan on where you will camp and plan out your hours on the river. We ended up getting a bull moose and then paddled out the next day 11 hours straight which was supposed to be a 2 day paddle. Couldn't lift my arms after. Another thing is to pack your food and gear wise. There isnt much room in a canoe. Especially after you have an elk or moose in there.
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Old 04-26-2015, 04:42 PM
albertadeer albertadeer is offline
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When there's an old channel drop off one guy to walk the bush to the other side. The other guy or two go around the bend to the old channel
Exit and wait. Many bulls get shot pushing bush this way... Just exercise caution and don't do it if you don't feel safe.
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Old 04-26-2015, 04:59 PM
Arnak Arnak is offline
 
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If you are 4 with 2 canoe it should not be a problem packing all in 1 canoe and leave one free for the meat.
Since you will be hunting and might have to spend time butchering and time to let meat cool down and pack, I would recommend you look for a trip that's 2-3 days if you have 5-6 days for it. That way you can do everything right and have time to enjoy the hunt.
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Old 04-26-2015, 05:23 PM
riden riden is offline
 
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Is your plan to spend several days floating the river or are you planning to paddle back to main camp each night?

If you take an elk, how can you keep it cool in a canoe, under the sun?
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Old 04-26-2015, 05:31 PM
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Thread is over two years old gentlemen.
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Old 04-27-2015, 06:38 AM
turbo55 turbo55 is offline
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hmm Isn't that too complicated?
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Old 04-27-2015, 09:58 AM
OWL OWL is offline
 
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Two years old.. So what!?
We are planning to do that in September. Input from guys who did it before very important. Wabasca river. I am thinking about fishing and chickens, but partner wants to get Moose tug, just in case! :-)
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Old 04-27-2015, 10:54 AM
bang_on_sk bang_on_sk is offline
 
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Here's a pro-tip, hunt up-stream, then when you shoot something, you can have the current help you getting the extra weight back to the launch. Also, pack everything in doubled garbage bags and keep an extra pair of long-johns in a doubled zip-lock bag (with a roll of TP).
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Old 12-25-2015, 09:51 AM
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winger7mm winger7mm is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hydro1 View Post
Thread is over two years old gentlemen.
Andd?? Im hoping to do a trip aswell. No better place to learn then from those that did it. If its 2 years old the op has either done it or didnt lol
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Old 12-25-2015, 10:27 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bang_on_sk View Post
Here's a pro-tip, hunt up-stream, then when you shoot something, you can have the current help you getting the extra weight back to the launch. Also, pack everything in doubled garbage bags and keep an extra pair of long-johns in a doubled zip-lock bag (with a roll of TP).
This guy sounds like he's done it before. Me, I put my things in a stuff sack, then double bag it with heavy recycling bags, I suck the air out of the bags, twist the tops up as tight as I can get them, double it over, and seal it with a tight rubber band. I then put a larger stuff sack overtop of the plastic bags to keep them protected. I've used commercial dry bags but in the event of a submersion I trust my own methods more. Keeping your food, a spare set of clothes, and most importantly your sleeping bag dry are absolutely vital at this time of year.

Just to comment, I've done some of the upper stretches of the Little Smokey and would not recommend them in the fall. The river gets pretty low, even on a good year.

BTW Bang on... your location say's "rhymes with fun"... I can only assume you mean "Regina"
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Last edited by Bushleague; 12-25-2015 at 10:40 AM.
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Old 12-25-2015, 10:37 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riden View Post
Is your plan to spend several days floating the river or are you planning to paddle back to main camp each night?

If you take an elk, how can you keep it cool in a canoe, under the sun?
You need to set up vehicals at both ends of the trips, travel downstream only, it is possible to do what SK says but downstream travel will get you to more good spots in a given time frame. If you really know the river going upstream to hunt and coming back down can work.

So long as the tempature is dropping to around zero at night (nearly always is along the river at that time of year), after one night the quarters will be pretty well cooled, sitting in the bottom of the canoe against the cold river water will also help keep them cool during the day. I'd say, even when things are pretty warm, you have up 3-4 days easy. I've never shot an animal that I could not get out in 1-2 hard days though, then I get home and age them in my shed... so they can deffinatly last longer.
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Old 12-25-2015, 11:13 AM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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We used to vacuum pact most of our clothes and food
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Old 12-25-2015, 11:37 AM
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coolpool coolpool is offline
 
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http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=canoe

Here's one post of a few I've put up hunting from a canoe. It's a very rewarding experience and not one to take lightly. Couch potatoes need not apply, lol. A couple of realistic points to ponder:
How are you canoemanship skills? That should decide what type of water you can safely handle with a canoe carrying upwards of 800lbs with two paddlers.

Will you be sharing the water with jet boats? I've met couteous operators and downright a-holes who want to pass you in rapids. Stick to small creeks with lots of beaver dams where they can't go. Your chances of success will improve 100%.

Can you handle roughing it a bit; luckily most hunters can. Moose tip over in the worst places sometimes and you may be camping in less than favourable areas over night. Along with wolves and bears, and other bulls looking for a fight. I've had two encounters with bulls on the river at night which are not fun and create serious pucker factor.

Canoe: unless you can guarantee deep water from start to finsh, the only canoe that can handle the abuse in shallow water is an older Coleman; and I don't mean the ones marked Ram-X. The plastic seems more brittle in those compared to the older stuff. Coleman's don't stick to river rocks like aluminum ones do and are a lot quieter. They handle like bricks in the water but you can load them on dry land and drag them over rocks with out worrying about wrecking them. They also have an aluminum pole running the length of the keel with stiffens them up for added stability. We've had to drag a loaded canoe 800m once due to low water one year. I've only seen us wear out the bottom of one canoe in 20 years of hunting this way.

BTW, this year we got skunked after paddling 80kms over four days. Didn't see anything but wolves and there was little water to be found. That's how it goes!
Good luck and can't wait to see the pics!
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Old 12-26-2015, 12:12 PM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolpool View Post
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ighlight=canoe

Here's one post of a few I've put up hunting from a canoe. It's a very rewarding experience and not one to take lightly. Couch potatoes need not apply, lol. A couple of realistic points to ponder:
How are you canoemanship skills? That should decide what type of water you can safely handle with a canoe carrying upwards of 800lbs with two paddlers.

Will you be sharing the water with jet boats? I've met couteous operators and downright a-holes who want to pass you in rapids. Stick to small creeks with lots of beaver dams where they can't go. Your chances of success will improve 100%.

Can you handle roughing it a bit; luckily most hunters can. Moose tip over in the worst places sometimes and you may be camping in less than favourable areas over night. Along with wolves and bears, and other bulls looking for a fight. I've had two encounters with bulls on the river at night which are not fun and create serious pucker factor.

Canoe: unless you can guarantee deep water from start to finsh, the only canoe that can handle the abuse in shallow water is an older Coleman; and I don't mean the ones marked Ram-X. The plastic seems more brittle in those compared to the older stuff. Coleman's don't stick to river rocks like aluminum ones do and are a lot quieter. They handle like bricks in the water but you can load them on dry land and drag them over rocks with out worrying about wrecking them. They also have an aluminum pole running the length of the keel with stiffens them up for added stability. We've had to drag a loaded canoe 800m once due to low water one year. I've only seen us wear out the bottom of one canoe in 20 years of hunting this way.

BTW, this year we got skunked after paddling 80kms over four days. Didn't see anything but wolves and there was little water to be found. That's how it goes!
Good luck and can't wait to see the pics!
There is some good stuff in here but I'd just add a couple comments. Jetboats are generally pretty easy to deal with. You can almost always out hike the jetboaters, some of them get off the river a little but usually they stay pretty close. You can also outdistance them due to their massive fuel consumption if you have a long distance between launching areas. It sounds crazy but quite often I am covering a lot more river than the jetboaters I meet.

There are plenty of canoes that will withstand getting chewed on by rocks for many years, the Coleman is simply the cheapest one.

I used to run a lot more distance but these days I usually spend 7-10 days hunting a section of river I can do in 4 days maximum, usually closer to 2. I study the topo maps and pick 4-5 key spots that I think will hold good numbers of animals, with practice and experience this can generally be done with a high degree of success. This year we had 9 days and a section of river that could have been done in 2, I had 4 key areas I wanted to hunt. It could have taken the whole 9 days to thoroughly hunt all these areas but we hit jackpot on the first one. We hunted the first area for 5 days, made a kill, and paddled out on the 6th. If we had not made a kill on the 5th day we would probably have moved downriver to a different spot. You always want to be close enough to the take out that you have time to deal with an animal and get out on time in a worst case scenario.

IMO beyond the basics of running moving water and safety the three most important things on a canoe hunt are as follows.

1, make sure your bushcraft and survival skills are well practiced.

2. Make sure your gear is absolutely waterproof

4. Manage your hunting time effectively, nothing ****es me off more than getting to the end of a trip without an animal and knowing I didn't hunt as hard as I could have.
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Old 12-29-2015, 08:55 AM
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I caught canoe hunt bug rather recently, paddling bug a few years earlier and here is my fresh observations so far.

...Don't take a brand new canoe on a fall river trip or small streams. It hurts.
... Skid plates make it easier to survive pain
... I stay away from cheap boats, or as I call them 'canoe shaped beer coolers'.

Personally I'd rather buy a quality canoe used, there a lot of 'beaters' can be found under 200-500 or even below 100, (in need of some repairs, of course). Late winter to spring is the best time to buy.

As of Coleman and alike, I'm not fun of them at all. Due to that 'keel' they drag on rocks way more that flat bottom ones. In the fall, on low flows, it does matter. It steals at least an inch of depth (and often that's all you will have) and wears out a hull material under it. It may take years as stated above, or happen faster - I just don't want to test it; yet to see a well used Coleman with hull (keel part) intact or in a good shape I'd be comfortable with on an extended trip.

To me the easy handling boat is the part of the pleasure on the trip. And I found that bigger boats seat higher and this equate to less worries on shallows. Wind is bitch tho.

I also would rather use something I can patch up in the field easier, but maybe I'm just a newb.
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  #21  
Old 12-29-2015, 10:39 AM
calgarychef calgarychef is offline
 
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We've done it before and here's my observations. One canoe per person gives room for gear and moose and there's less fighting about the steering. I'd never share a canoe. Learn your strokes! I don't use the j-stroke too much,I pry the paddle on the edge of the canoe it corrects faster and doesn't compromise speed. This became apparent quickly because I can easily out distance my partner who does use a beautiful and traditional j-stroke.

Canoeing is nicer than back packing because you can bring a bit more gear (like a lantern.) Getting out of some rivers sucks because of the mud on the edges, bring rubber boots for sure. Finding a good camping spot near a river isn't easy so be prepared to move up the bank far enough to camp (bring a pack frame). Have a small tarp to put over your gear to keep water off your stuff, those drops of water falling off your paddles add up. I get plastic bread trays and put 2 on the bottom of the canoe to keep my gear off the bottom and out of the water. Bring a kneeling pad for your poor knees, they'll thank you about day two. Bring a sun hat, repellant, some gloves for paddling, etc. Bring a nice thin and long pole about 10' with a brass bushing on the end, it's great for poling and won't slip off the rocks and will dig into the ice if you need to scoot over ice. Ropes on both ends of the canoe (for sure!). Wearing runners in the canoe is more comfy than your rubber boots.

Keep survival gear on you at all times, knife, matches and shoes. Imagine walking out with no shoes. Lashing an inflated inter tube or two onto the top of your loaded canoe can help in the case of an upset. If you have extra buoyancy like that then it allows you to lash your backs well into the canoe and it'll all stay together if you flip....don't flip! I definately lash my hiking boots onto the canoe.

Canoeing on the water in late fall is cold! Leave your cotton clothes at home, wool and fleece only and quality rain gear. I keep a set of cotton sweat pants, a t shirt and wool socks for sleeping in. Just leave them in your sleeping bag, it's nice to crawl into semi clean clothes before turning in.

A 5 gallon bucket will be Your best friend, for sitting on, and hauling water and it becomes a good place to put your daily possibles. Bring a good water filter and use it...the bucket is good for letting the water settle before filtering it. Topo maps show where game is likely to be, being one for sure.


Really, really think things through before you leave because there's no paddling back. Did I mention how hard it is to paddle upstream? Try it first before thinking that it's possible with a loaded canoe, it's not really.

There that should get the brain juices flowing
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