A new all time record - can anyone beat this?
- Thread starter Mark W
- Start date
Charles H.
Active member
I typically have more problems with fishermen, especially early in the year. Duck decoys must have some weird fish attracting property I don't know about. Those guys will troll right up into the decoys and cast away. Always right at prime time too!
Chris Finch
Well-known member
first off shame on you Tod. you should have been out duckin. i thought it was going to be a ducky day too but this was the only bird i saw. lots of geese around though......
i hate having people walk in on me, im always early (my buddies say too early but when you are the one with the boat you get to make the wake up time). i try my hardest to hunt spots that are hard to get too on saturdays or opening day, it might not be the "x" but i rather not deal with people. if someone does set up too close and they dont move (we have a 100 yard minimum in ct) the mudmotor can usually run over decoys pretty well
i hate having people walk in on me, im always early (my buddies say too early but when you are the one with the boat you get to make the wake up time). i try my hardest to hunt spots that are hard to get too on saturdays or opening day, it might not be the "x" but i rather not deal with people. if someone does set up too close and they dont move (we have a 100 yard minimum in ct) the mudmotor can usually run over decoys pretty well
Rick Pierce
Well-known member
Was out on a public area with a group, with two boats pulled up in a timber hole, talking about where we were going to set the rig, the boats, etc.
Guy roars up in his boat, throws out a single decoy and tells us that's his hole because he got his decoys out first.
He wound up leaving.
Guy roars up in his boat, throws out a single decoy and tells us that's his hole because he got his decoys out first.
He wound up leaving.
This thread reminds of a time one day when I was bow hunting for deer.
It was late in the bow season and we had received a heavy snowfall. I elected to take the day off so I could hunt the last afternoon of the bow season. I arrived at a public hunting location to find the (1/4 mile long) driveway into the parking lot drifted in, fence top high, with snow. This was not unexpected and I had prepared for it.
Lacing on my snowshoes I walked across the top of the snow and on into the timber, stopping at a clearing where the timber abutted some crop land. A perfect place for the deer to leave the woods for a late afternoon feeding session.
About 45 mins. before dusk and end of legal shooting time, here comes another hunter walking in my earlier laid tracks. He followed them right up to the base of the tree I was in. Looking up and seeing me he uttered “Oh” as if in amazement that I was there. Mind you my truck was parked on the road adjacent to the drive entrance to which he had just walked down, following my snow shoe trail the whole way.
He then proceeded to ask if I minded him hunting right there (for deer also). Well, DUH, yes I asked him to please move on. He moved on alright, about 60 yards further down the same deer path and a bit deeper into the timber. Any deer using that trail to access the crop land would have to walk right by him before getting to me.
Needless to say I was a bit peeved.
It was late in the bow season and we had received a heavy snowfall. I elected to take the day off so I could hunt the last afternoon of the bow season. I arrived at a public hunting location to find the (1/4 mile long) driveway into the parking lot drifted in, fence top high, with snow. This was not unexpected and I had prepared for it.
Lacing on my snowshoes I walked across the top of the snow and on into the timber, stopping at a clearing where the timber abutted some crop land. A perfect place for the deer to leave the woods for a late afternoon feeding session.
About 45 mins. before dusk and end of legal shooting time, here comes another hunter walking in my earlier laid tracks. He followed them right up to the base of the tree I was in. Looking up and seeing me he uttered “Oh” as if in amazement that I was there. Mind you my truck was parked on the road adjacent to the drive entrance to which he had just walked down, following my snow shoe trail the whole way.
He then proceeded to ask if I minded him hunting right there (for deer also). Well, DUH, yes I asked him to please move on. He moved on alright, about 60 yards further down the same deer path and a bit deeper into the timber. Any deer using that trail to access the crop land would have to walk right by him before getting to me.
Needless to say I was a bit peeved.
It just disgusted me so I left. In 30+ years of hunting the same waters I've never had a "run-in" with other hunters, until a couple years ago (see below). Most of the time when someone does something rude or inconsiderate I just go about my own business because I know if they are rude they are probably unapproachable as well.
Well there was one day a few seasons back where a party of twenty-somethings cut me off at a ramp. I mean just cut in line after asking me if they could go before me because they were ready. I told them no I was ready to launch and waiting on my partner, who had just slid his boat off the trailer and was about to pull away from the ramp. They went anyway. Threw their truck in reverse and blocked me while they unloaded their boat. Blatant disrespect because they wanted to get on a wad of ducks they knew were ready for the taking and I happened to be in their way and might get to the ducks first.
I blew a gasket and unleashed a rainbow of expletives on the driver of the truck. If he had simply cut me off I would have been pissed. But they asked, got a no, and did it anyway. I didn't take it kindly. After a shout fest we went to our spot and had a pretty good hunt. They didn't stick around long and ended up leaving a note on another party's truck. Those guys gave us the note and said they didn't know why they left them the note because they thought they were assholes too, not friends like the note implies. The note still cracks me up, "cause they are so stupid".
Now what is really interesting, I recently learned, the driver who cut me off had his hunting license revoked after getting caught by the feds for being over the limit, way over. Even more interesting is he was one of the guys busted for stealing Jason Russell's hand carved decoy rig a few years back. He also hunted with Derek Bendell a couple seasons ago and came back bragging about the hunt on another forum, as if he freelanced Tree ducks in Florida on his own. Never gave Derek a bit of credit. I could go on, but we all know there are some folks who think they are duck hunting heroes above the law and will do whatever it takes to get some sort of internet glory for their kills.
The one time I chewed on someone's ass I got it right.
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Bill Burkett
Active member
This story sure got the blood pressure pumping around the country...with the advent of laser sighting devices(I'm assuming here;coulda been a Star Wars weapon that vaporized the evil doers leaving behind no forensic evidence) we may have a whole new category--my jerk was closer than your jerk.
new
When I was a teenager on a Florida lake (before lasers were out of sciencefiction books) I did in fact have people come up in rental rowboats and park in the reeds to shoot over my decoys. I guess I should have charged a guide fee. But my brother, he of the newly discovered vituperative vocabulary, fired straight up. Pellets came raining down on the interlopers--they shouted--he answered--leaves on trees withered and burned and the water steamed. They left...
But worst were the fishermen. On the Susquehanna behind Highspire, I had a smallmouth fisherman park his glittey boat at the tail endof my toller line--no precise measurement, but he it went black duck--black duck--bass boat like he was on the trawl. Hey he yelled, doin' any good?
Maybe next time you should send the guy a bill for guiding services--after taking some pictures for court evidence,making sure you get bow numbers. Or take a special, carefully marked extra Thermos--half decaf, half ExLax--and hospitably offer them a cup or two...
new
When I was a teenager on a Florida lake (before lasers were out of sciencefiction books) I did in fact have people come up in rental rowboats and park in the reeds to shoot over my decoys. I guess I should have charged a guide fee. But my brother, he of the newly discovered vituperative vocabulary, fired straight up. Pellets came raining down on the interlopers--they shouted--he answered--leaves on trees withered and burned and the water steamed. They left...
But worst were the fishermen. On the Susquehanna behind Highspire, I had a smallmouth fisherman park his glittey boat at the tail endof my toller line--no precise measurement, but he it went black duck--black duck--bass boat like he was on the trawl. Hey he yelled, doin' any good?
Maybe next time you should send the guy a bill for guiding services--after taking some pictures for court evidence,making sure you get bow numbers. Or take a special, carefully marked extra Thermos--half decaf, half ExLax--and hospitably offer them a cup or two...
Neal Haarberg
Active member
About 5 years ago at a walk or boat in spot on the COlumbia just outside of Portland I had this happen to me. In this area there a the coveted "point" that usually gets most of the shooting. I got up early made it to the spot before anybody else on a weekday before work, sat and waited for shooting time with a flashlight on so people would know I was there and go to there plan B. Well about 5 minutes before shooting time 2 guys walk right in front of me without saying a word after they get maybe 15 yards away start throwing out decoys. I honestly couldn't believe it. Birds wanted to work the decoys and with the weather I knew it was going to all be over within 30 min from shooting time with empty skys and I would be off to work. After a group of widgeon skirt the spread and a small group of mallards. I get up and make the big 15 yard walk to these guys and kindly suggest that they just hunker down with me and we shoot some birds while the getting is good. They kindly decline and so I insist that they stop setting up, as it now shooting time, and join me. They begrudginly join me. We shot a few birds that my dog retrieved (they had no dog) and then I went to work after the first flight. Either these guys were just jerks or ignorant. On that note when I first started duck hunting I had no mentor and was self taught. On one my first trips out I setup right next to a group of guys and had no clue that I was being a jerk. Looking back I see more that one thing I have done that I would consider completely unacceptable now and just plain rude. I did none of this intentionally and was just ignorant. Because of this when I see younger guys now I look at it as an opportunity to educate them in duck hunting etiquette because maybe they just don't know any better.
Capt Rich Geminski
Well-known member
Been there too... Pull out the fishing rods and start casting...
Tod
You nailed it. If I had known that day he was involved with the theft of Jason Russell's hand carved rig I would have thrown it in his face. I would love to have seen the look when he realized we knew he was a piece of shit thief.
Eric
You nailed it. If I had known that day he was involved with the theft of Jason Russell's hand carved rig I would have thrown it in his face. I would love to have seen the look when he realized we knew he was a piece of shit thief.
Eric
Mark W
Well-known member
Eric - that is priceless. So these brain surgeons saw you in your truck when the launched and then left this note about you on the other group of hunters truck. Wow, LSD in the duck blind. That's a new one.
Didn't even shoulder the gun but the guys down 20 yards had a good hunt. The part that bothers me the most is I took time away from work this morning knowing I would be working later into the evening on a Friday. Not exactly how I want to spend Friday evenings but my boss is a great guy and has said he trusts I'll work a standard day (like I have any of those around here) should I take a couple of hours off on a morning. I'm not going to betray that trust he has in me. Look for my next post on how th ehunt ended.
Mark W
Didn't even shoulder the gun but the guys down 20 yards had a good hunt. The part that bothers me the most is I took time away from work this morning knowing I would be working later into the evening on a Friday. Not exactly how I want to spend Friday evenings but my boss is a great guy and has said he trusts I'll work a standard day (like I have any of those around here) should I take a couple of hours off on a morning. I'm not going to betray that trust he has in me. Look for my next post on how th ehunt ended.
Mark W
Mark
A first party arrived at the ramp and found it iced solid with 2-3". The second party (the ones I had the confrontation with) arrived shorty after the first party and discussed the situation with the first party and decided to leave and try another nearby ramp. While the first party was breaking ice they kicked up a big wad of ducks that we speculate the second party saw and rushed back to the ramp to launch knowing there was now a path through the ice made by the first party, and a lot of ducks. Problem for them was we had arrived between the time when they left and came back and my partner Tom Ryan already had his boat in the water. That's when they decided to hell with the guy waiting to launch his boat we have to get out there now to get the spot. After the hunt was over the first party gave me the note and wondered why the second party even left it. They didn't really know them and thought they were assholes to begin with.
Clear as mud?
A first party arrived at the ramp and found it iced solid with 2-3". The second party (the ones I had the confrontation with) arrived shorty after the first party and discussed the situation with the first party and decided to leave and try another nearby ramp. While the first party was breaking ice they kicked up a big wad of ducks that we speculate the second party saw and rushed back to the ramp to launch knowing there was now a path through the ice made by the first party, and a lot of ducks. Problem for them was we had arrived between the time when they left and came back and my partner Tom Ryan already had his boat in the water. That's when they decided to hell with the guy waiting to launch his boat we have to get out there now to get the spot. After the hunt was over the first party gave me the note and wondered why the second party even left it. They didn't really know them and thought they were assholes to begin with.
Clear as mud?
When you get old you will find that you need a day off here and there
. does the mud motor have a shear pin? Wouldn't be embarassing to tear through someone's deeks to wrap a line and spin your hub or shear a pin and be sitting there with them pissed.
My lightest lines are #96 tarrred nylon, so that would wrap a prop good, then again were someone to run through my decoys it woudl get ugly.
Tod
Guy was maybe 150 pounds with his waders on. He made some comment about me cussing in front of my kid over a bunch of ringnecks with a tone of voice that ringnecks aren't even worth shooting. Odd how something that isn't worth shooting is worth cutting someone off to get to them. Well we did end up getting the spot we intended to hunt that day. We shot some lowly ringnecks that day and some big ducks too, like pintail I seem to recall. In addition to leaving the note they wrote in the snow around my truck "Fuck you", "Pussy", and "Asshole". Ahh, gee, where is the concern for my son's exposure to profanity that you earlier expressed?
Guy was maybe 150 pounds with his waders on. He made some comment about me cussing in front of my kid over a bunch of ringnecks with a tone of voice that ringnecks aren't even worth shooting. Odd how something that isn't worth shooting is worth cutting someone off to get to them. Well we did end up getting the spot we intended to hunt that day. We shot some lowly ringnecks that day and some big ducks too, like pintail I seem to recall. In addition to leaving the note they wrote in the snow around my truck "Fuck you", "Pussy", and "Asshole". Ahh, gee, where is the concern for my son's exposure to profanity that you earlier expressed?
Lets see, worrying about teaching a kid something... Not cutting in line ranks pretty high in my list of basic rules - has all kinds of important messages there.
I'm not one to think that strong language is to be reserved for only special occasions, but to write it in the snow is so odd.
Tod
As unpleasant as that experience was it doesn't hold a candle to the fun we had in Arkansas two years ago. I'll spare all the details other than to say we were harassed by a local, had undercover wardens hunt with us the next day, and the guy was eventually convicted of violating state hunter harassment laws and that conviction had major ramifications on the WMAs in NE Arkansas. Those two hunts are the most memorable in my 30+ year career.
Eric
As unpleasant as that experience was it doesn't hold a candle to the fun we had in Arkansas two years ago. I'll spare all the details other than to say we were harassed by a local, had undercover wardens hunt with us the next day, and the guy was eventually convicted of violating state hunter harassment laws and that conviction had major ramifications on the WMAs in NE Arkansas. Those two hunts are the most memorable in my 30+ year career.
Eric