Take a Ride in the Zodiak!

[Spysar]

I get a lot of questions about the zodiak, and the "boat method" of hunting. Here's a clip of when I was heading back from one of my spots. I suck at editing, so sorry, it's too bad to cause I have a decent amount of interesting, but raw footage.

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBAmrQ2QLk4[/bbvideo]

[RaisedByWolves]

pretty cool ride Spy, I can see how that gives you the edge over other hunters...if you don't mind what does a setup like that go for roughly?

[Spysar]

pretty cool ride Spy, I can see how that gives you the edge over other hunters...if you don't mind what does a setup like that go for roughly?

HeHe, mine went for $25 at an auction. The reciept was with it, and all the paperwork. It was around $1500 new. My friends saw what I was doing and they found them on craigslist for around $300.....

My motor is brand new and cost $700, but now I want a bigger one. I think I gonna add a bigger motor to the setup, and keep the little one. The motor weight is what concerns me. The heavier it is, the less poratable it is. I just have myself to get it in the water and go.

[RaisedByWolves]

wow what a steal! My friends parents used to have one for when they went boating on lake michigan, they would bring it with so we could go fishing for smallies...they called theirs a dingy! It would prop up on the back of their 28' Sea Ray, i think it had a 9.9 horse..... How big is your current motor, and what makes you want to go bigger?

[Spysar]

I have a 2hp two stroke, and a 2.5hp four stroke. I bought those cause of the weight. I want a 5hp 4 stroke so I can overcome strong river currents faster, and just go faster in general. If I can go faster, I can go further too.

[kenn1320]

Spy I saw a motor for sale that had a built in gas tank. That seems like a pretty slick idea. Also with all this talk about scent, nothing smells worse then a 2 stroke outboard, plus they aren't as quiet as a 4 stroke. Seems for anybody contemplating this, a 4 stroke would be the way to go. The down side is 4 strokes are typically heavier.
Could you pull up an aerial pic for us and give an example of an area you could use your boating method? As an example even though there are "islands" in the cattail marshes, the deer tend to bed off those and stage on them. Your going to actual islands surrounded by water, so whats the strategy for those and where do the deer typically bed on them?

[RaisedByWolves]

i would love to see some boat strategy as well Spy!

[Beason]

wow, im surprised how well that thing holds up in those conditions. gives me goosebumps just watching it.

[kenn1320]

wow, im surprised how well that thing holds up in those conditions. gives me goosebumps just watching it.

You should of been on the 19ft boat with us salmon fishing in Lake Michigan when we had 8ft rollers. You go up, see shore, you go down, see the perfect storm wave about to fill the boat, process repeats every 15 seconds or so.

[Spysar]

Spy I saw a motor for sale that had a built in gas tank. That seems like a pretty slick idea. Also with all this talk about scent, nothing smells worse then a 2 stroke outboard, plus they aren't as quiet as a 4 stroke. Seems for anybody contemplating this, a 4 stroke would be the way to go. The down side is 4 strokes are typically heavier.
Could you pull up an aerial pic for us and give an example of an area you could use your boating method? As an example even though there are "islands" in the cattail marshes, the deer tend to bed off those and stage on them. Your going to actual islands surrounded by water, so whats the strategy for those and where do the deer typically bed on them?

Most of the time I'm not on islands, but there are plenty of deer on them, and deer are more than willing to swim to and from them.

And I don't know how to find an ariel and post it up here....

[kenn1320]

If your not hunting islands, what are you hunting with the boat? What is the advantage of the boat if people can walk where your hunting?

You said you scout using aerial photos off the net. just do a print screen and paste it into microsoft paint or similar. Then you can mark it up and save it. Then host it on a site like photobucket and then copy/paste the image link.

[Spysar]

If your not hunting islands, what are you hunting with the boat? What is the advantage of the boat if people can walk where your hunting?

You said you scout using aerial photos off the net. just do a print screen and paste it into microsoft paint or similar. Then you can mark it up and save it. Then host it on a site like photobucket and then copy/paste the image link.

The only person that can walk to that public land, is the guy that owns the land all around it, or a guy with a boat. The advantage is getting where others can't get. Sometimes I go miles in the boat. It would take forever to walk that.

How do you do a print screen.?

[Zap]

Good stuff, Spysar.

[BackWoodsHunter]

Neat vid Spy! I like the method of the boat and would love to see an aerial photo. I am going to search for some spots to use my boat now!!


Have you ever looked at the briggs and stratton air cooled 5hp motors? Here is one in camo for $999 they also come in black and are cheaper I believe. If you live near a Basspro shops they sell them! Anyhow they are 4stroke air cooled engines and from the review or two I read online customers really like them. Good luck!

http://www.wisesales.com/briggs_motor.html

[Beason]

print screen should be a tab key on your computer a few keys above the "enter" key right side of key board. Control Print screen then you can paste into microsoft paint, etc.