Awkward Moment

B

Boyd S.

Active member
I went out goose hunting and had some geese working my spread, only to find out that someone had decided to set up about 100 yds. down wind from me!
Every goose that came to my spread was shot at by those three guys. I was mad enough to chew nails by the time I decided to pick up. I had several geese that wanted to come in to my spread, but these knuckle heads, shot at everything, even geese that weren't in range for them. They managed to walk away with four geese so I guess my spread and calling was working. These guys had hidden in a fence line. The saving grace for me, was that while I was picking up my decoys, a lone goose came in and I got him. When I picked him up, he had a band!
I got my stuff packed up and ready to leave, when one of the guys started walking in my direction. The other two guys were hot footing it out of the area with their geese. When the guy came up to me, I was going to lay into him HARD! But... it turned out to be an old friend of mine that I hadn't seen in ten years! He explained how he had been approached by a "friend of a friend" to take a couple of guys out goose hunting that weren't from the area. They had been set up in a different spot and when they were heading back to their truck, they saw these geese working my spread. My buddy told them to hide in the fence line so they wouldn't mess up my hunt. To his chagrin, they opened up on the geese. He told them several times not to shoot, but they wouldn't listen. He had unloaded his gun and never shot. He was very apologetic. I told him that I wish he had come and talked to me about an hour earlier. I would have let them hunt with me instead of against me. My buddy said that he actually told them that, but they said no and that they got "their" geese anyway. He had no idea that it was me and it took guts on his part to approach someone to mend fence, not knowing if he was going to get decked or not?! The two other guys were pieces of crap and wouldn't even come and apologize. They headed back to the truck. My buddy said that he actually walked off to the truck, but came back when the other guys wouldn't leave. This was on public land, so there was no real recourse that I could take with those idiots.
 
ahh yes the lost art of down winding! I've done it before and had others set up downwind of me too. Why were those guys pieces of crap for not comming to talk to you? Why did you not walk down and ask them to join you if they were only 100yrds away? you could have explained to them that, though legal, it is poor etiquette and they were more than welcome in your spread.
 
I wouldn't question Boyd's actions there, I'm not sure I would have done anything different. Anymore, when someone is too close to me I just move. I go huntng for fun, not to have debates with people about their good or bad manners. I give your old friend credit for coming up to you and apologizing, took some good character to do that. And you got a goose, which you had worked for. And the other two? They aren't worth caring about, because you can bet that if they did something like that goose hunting they probably do stuff like in the rest of their life, and too bad for them, they will miss out on the best things.
 
Matt,

IMHO, it's crazy to think that "down winding" a goose hunter is an art - that's crap! I would never do it. And I would never invite someone that's screwing me over to come and join my hunt. I'd ask them to leave and explain why. I've done it before and have had "down winders" leave my area. It's all about giving the a-hole a chance to make the right decision. If he doesn't, move on.

Boyd,

You showed a lot of restraint and class by keeping your cool. I'm glad you got that band:)
 
I'm sorry, I should have said gutless pieces of crap.
Anyone who is ok with setting up on someone elses spread is crap to me.
Anyone who refuses to apologize or even acknowledge that they were wrong is gutless.
I lugged two dozen full body decoys 3/4 of a mile and sat in freezing rain/snow and got soaking wet so two unethical people could shoot at geese that obviously were locked in on my decoys and calling. These guys had no gear other than their shotguns. They were on a "walk about" hoping to pass shoot at some geese that trade between the lake that is on public land and the refuge.
I realize that it is public land and I have dealt with "downwinders" before. Most of the time, they don't realize what they are doing. This time they knew and were told and still didn't care about anyone but themselves. If someone sets up close to me and especially if I see that they don't have decoys, I will invite them to come and sit with me. That way, I can call the shots and everyone has a chance at getting some birds. I believe that most of the time it's somebody that doesn't do much hunting and they don't know when birds are in range and when they aren't. I am not at all against sharing, but when my hunt is ruined by someone who is totally ignorant and doesn't care about anyone but themselves, it really gets me angry.
 
I am not condoning what those guys did, but just because you had decoys and were using a call does not give you exclusive rights to the geese. I can think of numerous places in MN, ND &SD where people hunkerdown on a refuge line to pass shoot birds. Sure it was frustrating and irritating but they were not illegal and I think unethical is a bit of a stretch. From the way you describe it in your first post, it sounds like the other guys were there first. Also, had they not been there you would not have gotten your banded bird or bumped into your old friend. The object of a hunting season is to kill what you are hunting for in a legal manner, period.

Yes I have down winded other people and hunting goups before. I have sat on a point to pass shoot ducks only to find that at shooting time there is another group down wind of me. I have set up down wind of another group in a posted field becasue I know that I had permission to be there and they did not. I always ask if they are willing to join together. Many times guys are too stubborn to hunt with somone they dont know and would rather do their own thing. The object of waterfowl hunting is to kill ducks and geese in a legal manner.

We are waterfowlers and there are numerous legal ways to harvest the game we pursure. Pass shoot, jump shoot, field decoying, layout hunting, pit blind, water blind, boat blind, sculling, calling, flagging an on and on. We have all been bested by others at times but to call a legal hunter an untehical guttless piece of crap is what I have a problem with.
 
Doesn't Iowa have rules on safe distances between hunters/blinds? In Oklahoma it's 250 yds. We had a similar incident where a couple of out of towners tried to set up too close to us. We told them that they better move because they were in our firing line and shot might be heading their way (not threateningly) and when the birds come.....game on! Anyway, I've had other similar experiences with novice hunters.
 
Boyd, I'd be wary of that "buddy" of yours, myself.

Lots of interesting comments/responses here. I always let someone who does it know my displeasure if they do it to me. If you hunt enough you see it all in regard to these things and I've had my fill. I hunt the edges and fringes to keep away from these yapper-heads.

T
 
Unless i'm hunting a private spot where no-one else hunts, im on the river. And that happens all the time. I've lost tons of shot because of guys hunting close by. But if they are out gun range its hard to say anything. An ethical hunter will leave a wider area between him and another hunter but not all hunters think that way. They go where they think they can shoot ducks and if a guy is in their spot, they get as close as they safely can. I'm not saying its right but its atleast the norm when hunting the river. Yeah it sucks but its just a part of duck hunting. Way to go on getting the banded bird though.
 
It is never OK for anyone to set up 100 yards downwind of another hunter. It is not the responsibility of the hunter they set up on to invite them to hunt with him. In many states setting up like that could be easily looked at as hunter harassment. Yes hunters can harass other hunters. I bet that happens more often then anti hunters doing the harassing.

I'm all for hunting by any legal means, jump em, pass shoot, decoy or scull. Have a good time doing it the way you like but setting up on purpose downwind of someone so you can shoot the birds they are decoying is gutless. Not even close to the same as setting up to pass shoot along the edge of a refuge. I can see how it happens in the dark and you don't know until some calling is done or shots fired but that is not the same as seeing birds approaching and moving to cut them off. Yeah they might have been there earlier but if you set up a respectable distance from them then there is no reason for them to cut you off.

Who cares about the ethics of it that is just plane rude. Getting the banded goose was not because of them but in spite of them. I'm glad your buddy was good enough to come apologize to you, he knew it was wrong what the others were doing, while they scurried away so I think that says a lot.

Tim
 
Interesting thread here! To me, no excuse for the behavior. INMHO we as a nation have become way too tolerant of rudness and bad behavior. The right thing to do is leave and not ecalate it. But you also want to educate the unknowing and unwilling. It is tough. I admire you for your self control. Guard that band its got good Karma.
 
I am not condoning what those guys did, but just because you had decoys and were using a call does not give you exclusive rights to the geese. I can think of numerous places in MN, ND &SD where people hunkerdown on a refuge line to pass shoot birds. Sure it was frustrating and irritating but they were not illegal and I think unethical is a bit of a stretch. From the way you describe it in your first post, it sounds like the other guys were there first. Also, had they not been there you would not have gotten your banded bird or bumped into your old friend. The object of a hunting season is to kill what you are hunting for in a legal manner, period.

Yes I have down winded other people and hunting goups before. I have sat on a point to pass shoot ducks only to find that at shooting time there is another group down wind of me. I have set up down wind of another group in a posted field becasue I know that I had permission to be there and they did not. I always ask if they are willing to join together. Many times guys are too stubborn to hunt with somone they dont know and would rather do their own thing. The object of waterfowl hunting is to kill ducks and geese in a legal manner.

We are waterfowlers and there are numerous legal ways to harvest the game we pursure. Pass shoot, jump shoot, field decoying, layout hunting, pit blind, water blind, boat blind, sculling, calling, flagging an on and on. We have all been bested by others at times but to call a legal hunter an untehical guttless piece of crap is what I have a problem with.
Click to expand...

what a bunch of crap...shooting someones swing is as low as it gets, you sir are a shooter not a hunter.
 
For the record, I was there first.
I know it's public land and thus, the birds are not "mine" exclusively.
They broke no laws, but I am merely talking about what is right and wrong. They were wrong in my book. I would never do that to someone else. They were headed back to their truck, by my buddies own admission, when they saw the geese working my spread. He even told the other guys to hide, but not shoot, so they wouldn't spoil my hunt.
It's just the way it is on public land, I realize that. These geese were coming with wings cupped and losing altitude, I'd say that they were working my decoys, not just passing over. To use an analogy: It would be no different than if, let's say, I saw you out pheasant hunting on public land and you were working a promising piece of cover and I stopped, got out of my truck and ran into the end of the cover and flushed birds and shot them. Then, before you got to the end to chew me out, I jump back in my truck and drive off with my limit of birds. Oh yeah, you shot a really cool black rooster, but since I was stupid and infringed on your hunt, it sort of took away from your whole experience.
There doesn't seem to be much honor left in hunting anymore these days. Too many guys are worried about how many they kill. I enjoy the way in which I make the kill rather than how many. It's all about the hunt, the kill is merely the climax. It's about matching your skill against your quarries instincts. It's about good dog work. It's about being outdoors. It's an honorable sport, not a numbers game.
Anyone can think or say what they want, but I know what is right in my mind.
 
Last edited:
He even told the other guys to hide, but not shoot, so they wouldn't spoil my hunt... These geese were coming with wings cupped and losing altitude, I'd say that they were working my decoys, not just passing over.
Click to expand...

Heck, even IF the geese were just passing by, if I took the time to set up a decoy spread, and if these guys started pass shooting, I'd be pissed.

There doesn't seem to be much honor left in hunting anymore these days.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there isn't much honor left in much these days...it's not just hunters, but our society in general.

Chuck
 
Thanks for letting me vent fellas.
I am glad that everyone, for the most part, saw things in a similar light as I did.
There's too much "ME" Generation stuff out there anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top