Scott Johnson,
W Kayak Big Game Bow Hunter
Minnesota


-"I got the W out the night received. I took it to a small lake. It was windy.  Really liked being in it - felt safe and easily stood and paddled. It took me more time to get used to lean turning.
The second time I had the Wavewalk out for a short paddle though on a small lake I landed along a steep rocky drop-off, had the Wavewalk in water sideways to the edge, extremely impressed how stable it is getting in and out, this would have been a nightmare landing in a kayak.

I have owned a fishing and diving sit-on-top kayak, a sit-in recreational kayak, canoes and a small plastic bass boat, so I know what their shortcomings are. I got rid of them all.

Safety first always - I take dry clothes, towel in waterproof bag. I also have a wetsuit I either wear or have with me. To begin with I just float along with the current and I don't try going over any submerged logs or anything risky.  The reason it is practical to hunt with the W is because the deer like to bed right along the edge of the river and they are not used to any predator or hunters on the water.
I planned to catch a big whitetail buck snoozing, taking a shot most likely in the riding position, but it's nice to know you could stand if necessary. 

I tell people the W is genuine fun, and how many things are actually fun anymore anyway?

I wasn't sure I'd shoot a deer right away but I knew it would be fun to try.
Trophy whitetail hunting is a pretty tough sport, in average one big buck about every six years, so they aren't easy to come by. 

Along with bow hunting my license allows me to hunt with a muzzleloader, starting the weekend before Thanksgiving and running 15 days, that's when it's starting to freeze along the edges but not the main channel.  By then the river level gets quite low, thus making it much safer. 

I like to go down a few miles of river with my recurve bow, no sights. A recurve bow can be shot very quickly, just relying on your instincts for aim.  With a little positive thinking anything is possible.  

My dad said when he was a boy you could skip a rock across the river, some of the places now are over a hundred yards wide. 
The high water has really eroded all of the banks and what's left is very muddy in most places.  The W tracks great in the current and holds its own against the strong northwest wind. 

I take my W paddle and a push pole."

Photo: Scott Johnson, MN Photo: Scott Johnson, MN

-"I came around a bend and heard water rushing, once again I was able to work my way on top of the obstacle, walk forward and slowly slide the WW off the dam and safely on my way!" -"This tree across the river was no problem, all I had to do was paddle up on it as far as I could, slide forward and away I went!"

"What a way to hunt, the deer have no idea what's up.  This is where the Wavewalk outshines all other crafts you can hunt of.
My last outing was 4 hours and my back felt great.  If I'd been in either of my old kayaks, I would have had a hard time just trying to stand up straight."

Photo: Scott Johnson, MN Photo: Scott Johnson, MN

-"Twenty years ago when I was young this was my cabin in the woods down by the river. At least 30 feet has eroded just in the last five years, unfortunately it got flooded and it's full of mold.  The old farmer who hauled the granary down in the woods told me -"Johnson, It will never flood that cabin", he was wrong." -"My better half won't let me have my deer heads upstairs, so here is my 'room'..."