ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Dave Church

Dave Church

Well-known member
Saturday was a day that found me unable to make my 1hr trip to my normal hunting grounds so I decided to hunt close to home. A lake nearby has about 10 blinds and all are accessible by foot. Most you can drive up to them and hand your gear out the window. The hunting hear is almost always poor, but it would be fun for my young retriever to just be out there and maybe I could get some decent video.
I figured since it was close, I could get a hunt in before my wife had to go to work. My oldest son was worn out so it would just be me and my dog KC. I arrived at the check in stand where they have a board with nails and you just put an available washer on the nail/blind you intened to hunt. Blinds 1, 3, 5a, 5b, and 7 were available and I took blind three since it was relatively shallow and on a point. I placed the washer on the nail and headed down. Upon pulling into the parking lot I see three trucks and one flashes his lights at me. I pull up and two guys in their mid-twentys get out and say that they have blind 3. I told them that I hadn't seen a washer on the peg and they say that someone must have messed with the board because they had been there since 11PM! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I told them that the rules were very clear that no one was allowed to take a blind before 4am on the day of the hunt. They said they didn't know that rule but would remember it the next time. They said that they had 10 DOZEN decoys on the water. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I told them that this body of water doesn't see 10 dozen real ducks a year. I asked about the other two trucks and they pointed to a flashlight in the middle of the lake where a boat was placing decoys. I said that no one was allowed to hunt from a boat on this lake and you can only launch from the boat ramp which is gated closed until 7am (if the guy shows up to unlock it). ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I wished them well and headed back to get a different blind. They said they doubted that any were left because of how many people they had seen coming and going. When I got to the checkstation, two trucks were there and some guys were filling out the required cards. I asked where they were hunting and they said Blind 6, I said that one was already taken and they said that their buddy had RESERVED it for them. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It takes me a while, but now I'm getting pissed. I explained that there is no RESERVING of blinds and the guys could tell I was a little miffed. One of them said to not get all bent out of shape over it and then asked if it was just me and my dog. I said yes and he said that I could hunt with them because they didn't have any way of retrieving their ducks anyway. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I asked them what they were planning on doing with the birds they downed out of reach of waders and they said that they usually only see Mergansers and they weren't worth retrieving anyway but fun to shoot. I told them to piss off, my dog doesn't work for hunters like them. SOOOOOOOO! In response to a another blog about giving away locations. ATTENTION ALL HUNTERS (preferably unethical) Fellows Lake in SW Missouri is a waterfowlers dream! Ducks by the thousands pour into this lake daily and limits are had within 10-15 minutes (depending on when breakfast is served). Blinds are large, heated, come with complimentary breakfast, trained retriver, internet, phone, TV, cooler with beverages, and free duck cleaning. Game Wardens do not check you, licenses/stamps are optional. Limits are discretionary and usually not recognized. After almost 16 years as a state Hunter Safety Instructor, it still amazes me when I see the low down dirty, rule bending, nonsense that some hunters will pull to hunt an area that flat out ..............SUCKS! This is not an exclusive Eastern Shore waterfowl mecca we are talking about. We are talking about blinds that are made from pallets and washed up lumber, water levels that are unusually high leaving hunters to far back in the brush for good shots. And to top it off.......VERY VERY VERY few ducks. I'm just thankful my son didn't come with me that day to see the REAL HUNTERS of this area. And yes, I called it in.......I'm sure the two wardens for the entire county were able to get right on it! Sorry for venting! dc
 
Unfortunately this type of occurance is all too common.

Be proud that despite the adversity thrown at you, you remained a gentleman.
 
I think you handled that well.
Bummer that people can't play by the rules.

Tim
 
I can play the game, but it irritates me when others change the rules. Or just do not follow them. Way to keep your cool. Let us know if the game wardens followed up on this place.

I thought for the very smart internet scouts that you had to list the exact lake and placements of the blinds.

Tight Lines ... Fred
 
Sounds like a call to the local CO is in order. Why take on all these goofballs yourself? Unfortuantely, they aren't going to listen to you.

Mark W
 
Dave its unfortunate that these days with all the budget cuts there are no wardens to inforce the rules. Here in Illinois I see it all the time. Unfortunately I have to hunt public areas for waterfowl and see this constantly. I just love the guys that come flying in at 25 mph in a no wake zone. Proceed to put out 3 mojo's and sky bust all day all the while calling birds that are working your spread.

I deer hunted a state park years ago. I can still remember bringing in my stand and setting up 1 1/2hr before legal. I had some yahoo come walking in 1/2 hr after shooting time and climb into a stand 50 ft from me! I climbed down and walked over to him and explained the rules of not setting up the day before, etc etc. Waste of time, I just pulled my stand and left. Thank God I hunt deer on private land in central Illinois. But of course there are stands all a long the perimeter of the land I hunt. Seems the local farmer has realized he can charge big bucks for hunters to hunt the edge of the land I hunt. Of course all the stands face my property not his fields.

Oh well what can you do but grin and bear it. This is why I cherish my time in the UP of Michigan hunting spots I did as a kid. This year I was setting up at the mouth of this creek on a small shallow lake. I had just arrived and had thrown out a half dzen decoys when I heard splash splash. I look over and here is a guy wading towards me pulling his boat. We exchanged plesantries and he told me he owned the land around the creek. I offered to pick up and move even though I was perfectly legal. He wouldnt have anything to do with it even tho he was there for only a few days from downstate. I asked if he'd like to hunt with me, he said he would if his other spot didnt work out. Turns out he chose better, he had his limit by noon and I only shot 3 birds. Very nice guy and I hope to hunt with him next year. Just the difference between public yahoo hunters and real hunters who are courteous and real sportsmen.
 
Good call Fred. I will have to make a detailed map with water levels in front of each blind, blind dimensions, GPS points, harvest records for everyday at each blind, wouldn't want the scouts to have to work for anything. dc
 
It sucks when you put in your time to get somewhere and someone else comes in at first light to ruin your day.

I had days at my one spot where dike shooters just ruined it for me. The bird was 70 yards to my right which is too far for me but the guy at 60 or so yards to my left who walked up and shot from the dike felt that is was acceptable to shoot over me at a bird 120 + yards. In the words of Dave Church ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!
 
I can relate. I have to go to the "happy place" in my mind to keep my blood pressure in check while coming to grips with the reservation system and plethora of rules on the South Platte River east of Denver. I totally understand the need for tight regulations and limited hunter numbers on SWAs relatively near a metropolitan area..."relatively near" meaning from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours away. There are definite problems with the way the South Platte regs are written that undoubtedly contribute to confusion on the part of folks who started using the SWAs long before the reg tightening. For example, areas where you can use a boat to set decoys and retrieve downed birds but you're prohibited from using said boat to get to the spot you want to hunt. The reality is that in the two years I've been here, I've yet to see anyone on an SWA enforcing the regs. Rules are of no use if not enforced.
 
I met a guy last weekend that hunted the Four Rivers area of Missouri and said that he had his limit before 8am. He was a nice guy but still pretty green about waterfowling, which he quickly admitted. He said that him and his buddies went thru box after box of shells and he showed me his hand which looked like an inflated rubber glove. He said the recoil of the 3.5 mag load he was shooting tore up his hand. I asked why 3.5's and he said that is the ONLY way to shoot ducks. I told him that I tried shooting a 3 inch about ten years ago and it wouldn't eject properly so I never tried again. He was amazed that I only shot 2 and 3/4 shells when there was much better and bigger shells on the market. I explained to him that if you call well, have good dekes (and set them up properly) that 2 and 3/4 is more than enough. I then asked him if he knew that there were kids out there shooting ducks with 20 ga guns? He looked at me like I was from the future! Sad, very very sad.
 
"The problem with public land is that it is public!"

A wise old duck hunter told me that and I have never forgetten it...
 
We all get frustrated and I know I vented, but my main intent was just to voice my opinion and maybe get everyone to think about how we go about our hunts and how we showcase our sport. I am not the poster child for waterfowling ethics, but I do know that I WILL NOT stand in front of a bunch of new hunters and teach a class about ethics and then get caught over the limit, shooting lead, baiting, hunting without a license or stamps or any other illegal activity. But besides the Federal rules, I WILL NOT teach my kids the wrong way to be a sportsman. We all have things that we have decided is ethically right or wrong. I DO NOT shoot ducks on the water unless it is to "finish" them off. Several states allow you to shoot them on the water, I choose not to do it. That's my decision. Breaking the rules at this pathetic little public duck hunting lake amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I just wonder if this goes unchecked by any of us that are trying to the right thing, (as laid out by the rules), can we say that we have a right to gripe about it. I do not like rules, but I like structure. I understand why there are rules and it makes me mad to see people break them. I want to hunt as bad as the next guy, I'm just not going to cheat so that I can hunt and he can't. I have shared my blind with many hunters that I did not know so that we both had a chance to hunt. I met a guy at the boat ramp one morning in Maine at about 4am. We talked for a few minutes and he said that he was new in the area and that he was wanting to find some areas to hunt ducks. He had on a camo hat and coat and said that he couldn't sleep and decided to come down to the marsh to watch the birds fly when the sun came up. For some odd, reason, I had two guns with me that day because I was going to try out a pump I had recently picked up but still brought my faithful Remington in case the new gun didn't work out. I asked if he had his license and he said he did. I gave him the invite and we both shot our limits that morning, laughing and heckling each other like we had known each other for years. Great day. I never saw him again. I guess it's the mornings like this that I need to remember instead of the "crappy" ones. dc
 
You are speaking to the choir when you posted. In my area, you are stepping on hunters and "permanent" duck blinds every where. I try to stay away from those situations because it kills the enjoyment, which is why I woke up to go hunting. I hunt many public areas and have watch other hunters (using this term loosely) constantly showing poor ethics. It use to piss me off, and mess my day up. Now I just go out to hunt and enjoy the day, I won't let what others do effect the way I hunt. I like decoying birds, head shots, and a good retrieve. I don't worry about the things I can't control (like the guys skybusting a 100 yds away) and I won't worry about the things I can control (like my own attitude on duck hunting and what it means to me).

I've shared my duck hunting thoughts with many over the years in the areas I hunt. Some caught on, others will never get it-- they see it as a competition. I hear what you are saying Dave, all you can do is what you know is right and stick to your ethics.

Good luck with the situation, and hopefully the good guys will win-- (like you described in the good morning story)


Regards,
Jack
 
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Dave, is the check station you mentioned (by the nail board) manned? (I have a reason for asking).
 
Dave,

I had a morning like that once on the Snake in Idaho. Bumped into 2 people (one man, one woman) that wanted to hunt the same area so we agreed to share the same blind. The ducks didn't decoy very well, but we had a good time and took turns with each flight that came in for who was to shoot. The woman had a great dog along but my lab and her dog didn't see eye to eye but we worked around that.

So yes there are some decent folks around that can agree to get along...

Matt
 
Dave, No, the check station is not manned. Just like most things lately, it seems that we will try to let people do the right thing rather than pay someone to MAKE them do the right thing. dc
 
Dave its unfortunate that these days with all the budget cuts there are no wardens to inforce the rules. Here in Illinois I see it all the time. Unfortunately I have to hunt public areas for waterfowl and see this constantly. I just love the guys that come flying in at 25 mph in a no wake zone. Proceed to put out 3 mojo's and sky bust all day all the while calling birds that are working your spread. .
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Is it just the guys with the mojo's that do this? Funny how I've seen guys with handcarved decoys do the same thing. Those carvers must all be the same huh? I've also been hunting where guys have come up ask if it would be OK with me (they didn't want to interfere with my hunt) to set up "over there". They then proceeded to put out a spinner. Never had them call my ducks, sky bust or anything. decent folks actually. Funny how there are considerate "spinner" users as well as jerk spinner users. Mark W
 
Mark wasnt trying to start a debate about spinners. I think a spinner has its place in certain areas at certain times. Just like flagging or any other tool. Do I like seeing them at every public blind on the lake, no. The point is there are some that have total disregard for the sport other than the kill. I have friends that I deer hunt with that I consider ethical deer hunters. These same friends have sent me pictures of there hunt in Nebraska and they are clearly over the possesion limit. I give them hell about it but until they get caught they will continue because the guys they hunt with there do it. All i can say is be true to yourself do the right thing and just enjoy this wonderful sport that God graciously allows us to do.
 
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