Deer season is upon us, and for many of us, we settle into a routine that has been refined by years of tradition.

Perhaps it’s opening day with members of family. Or a week at camp with longtime friends. It may just be taking a day off so you can cut a track after the first November snowfall.

Whatever that time-honored tradition may be, perhaps it’s time to start a new one. Hunting by canoe offers hunters new and enhanced opportunities.

Canoeing offers advantages to a whitetail hunter, and foremost is the element of surprise.

Deer don’t suspect predators from the water. When deer come down to the river, their senses are on alert for sounds and noise from land.

A canoe offers a combination of silence and surprise that can’t be duplicated hunting from land. Drifting downriver, navigating the current with a twist of your paddle, a canoe glides you to your quarry silently, providing the opportunity for a clean unhurried shot.

Canoes also allow you to cover more ground with less effort. Paddling with the current, you can cover two to three times the terrain compared to still hunting or stalking. The one drawback is it’s difficult to backtrack. But you can pull your canoe ashore and investigate an area you’d like to hunt further.

Hunting by canoe also gets you into areas that experience less hunting pressure. Let’s face it, many hunters are unwilling to walk much more than a half-mile from a road. Many times, rivers and streams will meander quite a distance from a road, and water is the only avenue into that area.

It can also provide access to islands, which often are an oasis for deer.

As to the best time to go, early morning and mid to late afternoon are best. But weather, rut, hunting pressure and other factors can impact the best times, so don’t feel constrained.

Of course, any time you are on the water in the cold-weather season, you need to be safe, so keep safety in mind and follow these guidelines.

Hunt with a partner. That’s a good idea anywhere you hunt, but especially in a boat. Not only can one help the other for something unforeseen, but you can take turns paddling and steering, so the bow man can be the shooter.

Wear your life jacket. You are dressed in layers, wearing heavy boots, with cold water. If the canoe overturns, that PFD will save your life. Don’t mumble about constraints or comfort. Today’s auto inflatable PFDs and float coats are comfortable and will save your life.

Tell someone where you are going and when you will return. If you are stranded on a island with your unmanned canoe floating downriver, you will be glad you left a float plan.

Pack a survival kit and carry the essentials. Food, water, first aid, matches, fire starter, flashlight, compass, whistle, rope, space blanket, toilet paper, cell phone; they all will come in handy if waiting for help.

Load your canoe properly. Use dry bags, pack baskets, wanigans or canoe boxes to keep items out of the water that accumulates in the bottom of the canoe. If you are fortunate enough to tag a deer on your trip, make sure you pack it properly in the canoe.

And of course, when you shoot, be sure of your target and beyond. River banks provide a safe backdrop when firing, but open water does not.

Mark Latti is a Registered Maine Guide, and the Landowner Relations/ Recreational Access Coordinator for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

 

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