Special River Safety and/or Tips?

[dwest08]

i just bought a 18' Jon, which I was planning on hunting the river a few times this season. I plan on hunting the Kansas River and just need a few pointers

-any special boat prep before taking it out?
-any equipment needed?(besides standard life vest, fire extinguisher, etc...)
-things to look for when traveling up or down stream?
-any problems you guys have come across in your experience


And also on the hunting aspect of it...
-how do you rig your decoys?
-do you hunt out of your boat or off the bank?
-how many decoys you usually bring?

any help will be appreciated, thanks


-Dave

[Geesekiller]

I Don't hunt on the Kansas river but I hunt on the Susky in Pa. Usually during the Waterfowl season the river levels are up a little more then summer time so faster flow of the river logs ice if it's cold enough. I Don't know how big the river is there but the Susky is just about a Mile wide where I hunt so I try to stay close to the banks or a Island when I'm going to my hunting spots. Maybe get your boat service before the season because thing can go wrong quick out on a cold river. Alway bring extra stuff to wear you never know somebody may need it and dry stuff can be a life saver when it cold out.
As for the hunting I have a Gooseview boat blind I use that mostly in the late season but that Blind is great. Sometime we take our layout blinds out there and hunt out of them on a Island.
As for decoys I Use floaters I take duck and geese out with me even if the one is in and the other is not. If I'm hunting off a Island I take fullbody and floaters out to make it more natural. As for rigging them I just use the 6oz flat ones they wrap around the keel when you need to store them. The streach cords are nice but with river flow they seem to get snag and break off so I stay away from them. I have 2 dozen floater geese that I take out pluse a few duck and if we use FB I take out like a dozen or two of them.

[Sean Evans]

Dave,

Please be very careful on that river. The bottom of the river is mostly sand and the river bottom is forever changing. You could be running along in 4 foot of water one mnute and the next you are lodged on a sand bar hidden by 3 inches of water. I will not run an outboard on that river anymore just because of the sand. The waterpump on most onboard motors will pick up that sand and either destroy the waterpump or clog it up. Either way it is not good.

Good Luck
Sean

[Scott Turpen]

Make Everyone Wear A Life Vest!!;)

[Michael Reed]

Don't forget to put the plug in the boat!!!

[Hunter Johnson]

I don't know anything about the Kansas river, but here we have the Mississippi. We have to watch out for floating debris, sometimes in the form of large trees, big chunks of ice and an occassional buick! Also, barge traffic is bad and produce really big unexpected waves. Other hazzards are underwater rock dikes and sand bars. The river is so big that lights do not really help much to navigate, it is alot safer to wait till it is light enough to see. If you find yourself on the river while it is dark, sometimes you can see better without a light..............just make sure that you have a light to warn barges and other boats that you are there. Make sure that you have a dependable motor and a good, big beilge pump. Never get on a big river without letting someone else know exactly where you will be. ALWAYS MAKE SURE EVERYONE HAS A GOOD LIFE JACKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, if you step out onto a sand bar, make sure the ground is solid............it can look solid but you can find yourself waist deep in something like quicksand.

[Geesekiller]

Don't forget to put the plug in the boat!!!

I hate when I do that.

[reel slick]

Wear the life jackets or wear inflatables. Chances are good you will not have time to don a jacket in an emergency situation in a small boat. A EPIRB is a must in my opinion. Don't count on a wet cell phone to save your life. navigation lights are kind of the law if you operate at night. Other hunters might appreciate being able to see your lights and ID your direction.

[Jeff Beltz]

Rivers are totaly different than lakes or any other water way. Life jackets are a MUST!!! If you have never ran a river, I suggest you and someone that has take a few trial runs. The current can be very tricky. There are eddy's that can turn you ever which way but loose. I live in SE Missouri and have ran the Ohio and Mississippi many times. I still get nervous when running them. You have to pay special attention to the River levels along with floating debris. I reccomend taking a cell phone just in case of a problem. Make sure you have some type of paddle or trolling motor or some means to get you to shore if you have motor issues. As for hunting the rivers, it can very rewarding. I would not use alot of decoys. You want to find a pocket or chute where you can get in calm water to tie up the boat and hide. Concealment is priority! You will need heavy weights and long lines. You can hunt out of the boat or on the bank depending upon the terrain. If you get on the bank, be careful if you are wading, for unseen holes.

[Allen Riggs]

I was stuck on a cliff on the snake river a few years ago. The boat capsized and we barely made it to land. We were cllose to the banks as we ran the river. Also, search and rescue took 7 hours to get to us. Fortunately, my gear was in a floating bag that I was able to recover. I had a headlamp on my head and signalled S.O.S. with it. In my blind bag was a propane heater which was very handy as it was the day after christmas and very cold in WA. So, my advice speaking from experience is to get an Avery floating gear bag and keep a headlamp, a portable heater, a lighter, some food and a cell phone in it-among other things. Obviously, wear the jackets and DO NOT overload your boat! Good luck.

[dwest08]

thanks for all your help!

I know safety is the 1# issue, Im just trying to reduce the risk as much as possible...

thanks again
-Dave