Tips or info on hunting with a boat for elk or moose!!!

[jac]

hi there,


I was wondering if some member on this forum hunt with a boat and how well it works. I have a ocean going aluminum boat that I would like to use to hunt moose or elk on some of B.C large lakes. Has anyone used a boat to hunt the shorelines of williston or Kinbasket lake? Also has anyone tried elk hunting with boat access on the upper arrow lake or Kinbasket. Any tips or info on this would be great.

thanks
JAC

[junkyard_g]

shot several moose on lakes and rivers from canoes and a 12ft with an outboard. You can use the road hunter method and just cover as much as you can or what i try to do is park or drift by prime feeding areas. i find the game doesn't know what to make of a drifting boat but they figure out what a motoring boat is pretty fast. Finding secluded bays with a bit of visibility into the timber and calling has been productive in the past. just make sure your motor is disengaged before you shoot. for our 12ft the local CO said to shut off the motor and tilt it up and we're legal. Not sure what would be sufficient 'disengagement' for an inboard would be. also, when at all possible get to the shoreline to make your shot, a shooting stick comes in handy as they are often not many good rests on shorelines. if your drifting make sure your first shot counts as the boats starts rocking from firing and reloading. never hunted elk from a boat though.
ps. don't overload the boat, make a few trips if necessary. almost been swamped a few times by the wind picking up and kicking up waves.

[rocksteady]

I have used my 12 ft aluminum for a couple drift hunts for elk down the Kootenay, been succesful both times....

HERE IS MY ADVICE:

A 12 ft aluminum, with 2 guys and their gear, plus a bull elk, quartered is full capacity for a boat that size... We only had a couple inches of boat left before it was water.... On a lake I owuld suggest a bigger boat/load capacity for a safety factor in case there was any sort of waves..

[J-Man]

for our 12ft the local CO said to shut off the motor and tilt it up and we're legal. Not sure what would be sufficient 'disengagement' .
I was told the same for our river moose hunting. But yea same thing drift and call or run aground and call a bit. Push off with the oar drift some more, for a river we use a short leg plus a mounting bracket the raises it another 6 inches.

[jac]

I would be looking to hunt on big lakes. My boat will be able to handle the weight but is to big for rivers. I hope to find info on williston and kinbasket lake. I would like to camp on the lake in the boat for 4 or 5 nights.

[jac]

I'm in the process of having a new boat built. I do a lot of salmon fishing but I wanted a boat that would also be able to go hunting in. The boat is a twin outboard catamaran with bunk beds in the rear and a sink and stove. The from t deck is 8.5' by 8' so there is a lot of room for a animal or gear. Rivers and really shallow water are out of the question more of a deep water boat. I will have a small boat in the roof to take to shore if its to rough to take the big boat in.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb370/jacjacjac15/79c816dddb2b4587074fe59fb4bd4cf1.jpg

[Sofa King]

I would be looking to hunt on big lakes. My boat will be able to handle the weight but is to big for rivers. I hope to find info on williston and kinbasket lake. I would like to camp on the lake in the boat for 4 or 5 nights.

just remember that these lakes can fluctuate massively overnight.
i've woke up to my trailer being in water and my boat floating out in the lake.(tied to the trailer)
i've also woke to my boat being 5 feet on shore.

kinbasket is my favourite lake.
i don't see how you could go wrong.
good luck getting a clean shot from the water though.
and be careful of the winds and all the debris in the lake.
there are stumps the size of your boat floating submerged just beneath the surface all over the lake.

[BCKyle]

Interesting; I was wondering about his question because a week ago while fishing I saw a nice young bull elk from our boat on the river. Don't have a tag for one but it made me wonder...
I'll throw in a second vote for extra care with the loading and navigation. Stuff goes wrong really quickly in boats sometimes if you mix in waves current and debris. Add overloading to the list and look out!
Good luck!

[jac]

Wow those must be some big trees to have 22 foot stumps! My plan was more to find the animals from the boat then anchor or land the boat and call and hopefully shot from shore. I would think on the the east side of kinbasket lake would get little pressure from hunter. I have read on the forum the wolves were hard on the elk and moose in that area? Williston lake has a bad rep and I would like to try on kinbasket first before I take on the biggest fresh water body of water in bc.

[ryanb]

Most marine insurance policies exclude any claims on kinbasket or Williston lakes...something to keep in mind. Check your policy.

[jac]

Yes I don't think that my insurance covers for kinbasket. But if you take it easy I don't see a problem. I know a lot of people that fish on the lake and I really have not heard of any big issues. The worst thing that I heard is the boat launch can be a slick muddy mess. I was hoping to here from someone that has spent time on kinbasket and has seen same animals from there boat.

[xfactor]

Jac. Boat looks great. Would love to see more pics as it progresses. Where is she being built, if you don't mind sharing. Aluminum is the only way to go if you want it to last IMO. Best of luck with her

[jac]

The boat is being built in Sedro Woolley wa by a company called tyler boats. If you go and look to sport fishing bc boats and motors forum I have posted the full build there.

[moose2]

Mcleod Lake a long hi way 97 ( 7-24 ) might be a good lake to try your boat on. There is a good launch at whiskers point Prov campground. Also cabins can be rented at whiskers bay resort and a gravel launch there as well as a meat hanging pole. Calling a long the west shore and creek mouths can be productive. Although most of the east side is to close to the hi way or property to shoot. Its not that big of lake 15 km long and only a km and half at the widest point,and debris will not be a problem. There are a couple shallow spots through the narrows and a long the shoreline bays, but its not to bad. Williston can be very hard on props, and weather can always be a problem on that one.
Mike

[browningboy]

If you have a policy that excludes from a certain body of water then drop them as that's stupid, my policy from JM covers all inland waters including shit lakes like Cultas.

[white moose]

Just looked at my insurance and williston/kinbasket is excluded. That sucks because I wanted to take my boys up to one ot them and fish this coming summer. Not sure why a jet boat would not be covered, lots of other big lakes around. Must be the wind and capsizing issue.

[moose2]

We went through barton in Mackenzie and our policy covered man made lakes including williston and the cost was not much different than other policies. I can't remember the insurance company name though.
Mike

[Sofa King]

Wow those must be some big trees to have 22 foot stumps! My plan was more to find the animals from the boat then anchor or land the boat and call and hopefully shot from shore. I would think on the the east side of kinbasket lake would get little pressure from hunter. I have read on the forum the wolves were hard on the elk and moose in that area? Williston lake has a bad rep and I would like to try on kinbasket first before I take on the biggest fresh water body of water in bc.

you'd be surprised.
i don't mean the diameter of just the trunk.
these things have massive root structures and are quite large.
i have tons of pics if i could only get them to post on this site.

[Sofa King]

Just looked at my insurance and williston/kinbasket is excluded. That sucks because I wanted to take my boys up to one ot them and fish this coming summer. Not sure why a jet boat would not be covered, lots of other big lakes around. Must be the wind and capsizing issue.

that shouldn't apply to jet-boats.
talk to the insurance.
it has nothing to do with the winds, there are plenty of windy lakes.
it's about losing your leg to all the debris in the lake.

[Sofa King]

Yes I don't think that my insurance covers for kinbasket. But if you take it easy I don't see a problem. I know a lot of people that fish on the lake and I really have not heard of any big issues. The worst thing that I heard is the boat launch can be a slick muddy mess. I was hoping to here from someone that has spent time on kinbasket and has seen same animals from there boat.

i've spent many, many days on kinbasket.
and covered lots of water.
most that go there just hang around sprague bay.
and even with all the area i've seen, i've never even seen a deer.
there's lots of bear and moose up there, but they sure don't hang around in the open.

there's no problem at all boating the lake if one keeps their eyes open.
and don't rip around at high speeds.
i slowed to a crawl and putted through the mouth to one of the arms.(that's where lots of debris will accumulate)
i had weaved my way through it and waited until i was a fair distance the other side before i increased my speed.
i still wasn't opening up the throttle though.
i felt a big thunk and killed the throttle.
i knew immediately what it was.
i spun the boat around and where i just passed over, and a huge stump rose to the surface with a chunk missing from it where the leg touched it.
luckily, i had my motor unlocked and it kicked up freely.

[Sofa King]

here's some pics from kinbasket.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170080.jpg
my boat is 14 ft, those stumps get very large.
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170098.jpg
the water rises from the dam closing, these are picked up from shore and washed out into the lake.
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_1324.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_1290.jpg
this one is on the surface, but most of them are sub-surface.
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_1281.jpg

[Sofa King]

if you're lucky, as i have been most times i've been there, the lake will look like this.
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170058.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170059.jpg
the waters are gorgeous.
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170056.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7170063.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7180124.jpg

[Sofa King]

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/P7180127.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_0269.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_0280.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_0306.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_0316.jpg

[Sofa King]

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_0339.jpg
http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w362/deddeer/IMG_1677.jpg
that's enough for now.

[Sofa King]

shot several moose on lakes and rivers from canoes and a 12ft with an outboard. You can use the road hunter method and just cover as much as you can or what i try to do is park or drift by prime feeding areas. i find the game doesn't know what to make of a drifting boat but they figure out what a motoring boat is pretty fast. Finding secluded bays with a bit of visibility into the timber and calling has been productive in the past. just make sure your motor is disengaged before you shoot. for our 12ft the local CO said to shut off the motor and tilt it up and we're legal. Not sure what would be sufficient 'disengagement' for an inboard would be. also, when at all possible get to the shoreline to make your shot, a shooting stick comes in handy as they are often not many good rests on shorelines. if your drifting make sure your first shot counts as the boats starts rocking from firing and reloading. never hunted elk from a boat though.
ps. don't overload the boat, make a few trips if necessary. almost been swamped a few times by the wind picking up and kicking up waves.

pretty sure that's not true.
you can use a motorized boat to get to your hunting area, but you cannot shoot from it.
at least that's what i've always thought.

and to the op.
the east side is indeed prefered.
there's no access to the roads over there except by the logging co's barges.
put a motorbike on your boat and you'd be laughing.
i thought of loading my quad in and doing that.

strangely enough, i've never seen an animal in all my trips up there.
not a single thing.
and those tracks in the one pic are the only tracks i've ever seen on the shorelines.

[sae]

No forward motion with the engine , drifting is ok, lots of moose in kinibasket in spring ,all up high in fall really high.moose start at treeline.....

[BCrams]

I picture you motoring back up Teslin Lake with a couple giant moose racks on top of the roof of your boat.

[GoatGuy]

Moose in kinbasket are down. Spent some time there this fall, one set of old tracks in an area that used to be loaded with moose. Didn't even see any wolf sign.

Buddy has been in there working since May, hunting every night after work. They've seen 3 bull moose, 1 wt and a bunch of bears since May.

[Sofa King]

No forward motion with the engine , drifting is ok, lots of moose in kinibasket in spring ,all up high in fall really high.moose start at treeline.....

so, i can cruise in reverse and shoot something?
that still makes no sense.
obviously there would be no motion at all when you are trying to shoot.
that would just be silly.......or very, very skilled.
i just always thought shooting from a motorized boat wasn't legal.
a boat is a motorized vehicle just like a truck or quad.
drinking laws apply to boats just like cars and trucks, i would think gun laws would be no different.

[sae]

So how would you drift with a jet boat pull the engine out of the water, spent many seasons working and hunting on that lake ,in the spring there are hundreds of moose along the shore ,grizzlies everywhere , as it was said earlier by duallie not much lower in the summer or fall , if you want to fish that lake is unreal ,white tomic plug 6" pink stripe

[sae]

Funny on pg 18 hunting regs ,says to shoot wildlife from a motor vehicle or a boat propelled by a motor,and on pg 4 says motor vehicle does not include wind rails,tracks Or a boat propelled by motorized power, key word is propelled by a motor , might explain all the duck punts and jet boats

[Sofa King]

So how would you drift with a jet boat pull the engine out of the water, spent many seasons working and hunting on that lake ,in the spring there are hundreds of moose along the shore ,grizzlies everywhere , as it was said earlier by duallie not much lower in the summer or fall , if you want to fish that lake is unreal ,white tomic plug 6" pink stripe

i have a secret lure too, but i ain't tellin'.
i was catching real good one day up there, then lost the dang thing.
didn't matter what i put on, even similar colors, they wouldn't touch anything else.
now i always make sure i have several when i head up there.