First post and hello.!

S

Shannon kelly

New member


Just picked up this MLB "classic" I am thoroughly impressed....dont worry I took it off the roof and it's safely stored inside the trailer now

Best regards Shannon
 
Carl said:
Welcome to the DHBP!

Nice scenery, where are you located?
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I live in Florida but , I'm at a trade show in Michigan ..and on the hunt for duck boats

Down in FL duck boats are real scarce

I always scour the Facebook marketplace for boats on road trips prior to leaving ... , last time in Michigan I got a hoefgen duck boat , when I went to Chicago I drove up to Wisconsin and got Marsh Rat etc..
 
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Where abouts in FL?
I'm in Tampa, moved here from Mobile 5 years ago.
Didn't know how good I had it back in Mobile, with great public waters and a good mix of birds.
Havent even bought a license or duck stamp since I moved here.
 
I saw your pictures with the teal decoys and widgeon and wondered if you were in FL.

Welcome to the site from another Floridian! Look forward to hearing about your adventures on the water.
 
Dani said:
I saw your pictures with the teal decoys and widgeon and wondered if you were in FL.

Welcome to the site from another Floridian! Look forward to hearing about your adventures on the water.
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I'm right on the Broward/palm beach county line ... i hunt the Stas quite a bit but things are going down the drain IMO
 
Carl said:
Where abouts in FL?
I'm in Tampa, moved here from Mobile 5 years ago.
Didn't know how good I had it back in Mobile, with great public waters and a good mix of birds.
Havent even bought a license or duck stamp since I moved here.
Click to expand...
I'm below lake Okeechobee, I hunt the Sta's quite a bit

You know I've seen the hunting in Florida since 1976...hunting gets good , then it gets real bad ..then it resurrected itself to epic levels ..then went bad , I think this is the last time and it's going down for the count ...as tough as it is now ...in 10 years it will be WORSE

I hear there is some good diver hunting in Tampa Bay area , but be cautious it can get VERY DANGEROUS

Currently the florida scene it's trending in a downward spiral ,I'll say a few things, that are guaranteed to be controversial

1) people have more money these days ..the availability of Affordable Watercraft like surface drives , longtails and of course airboats had applied CONSTANT pressure on every body of water that can be legally accessed..what do the birds do ? Like geese who frequent city parks , the ducks adapted and went into other areas where the boats can't get to ..people didn't have all these things in such great numbers 30 years ago , my customers tell me there are plenty of good lakes way up north with no ducks on em because of bass boats etc..

2) there are at least 22 million floridians now ...if there is a lake, or any body of waterfront you can develop...its going under a cycle gentrification where it's now cityscape ...they don't like the "weeds" and spray spray , spray ...the FWC is in on it and spends millions eradicating good suitable waterfowl food and fish habitat...

3) the state FWC has completely "sold out " with the issuance of hunting permits ..they treat it like its another tourist trap and try to bilk every last dollar out of it ...any stupid couch potato with zero ability can access the online permit system , take a permit and not go ...and hundreds of quota permits go up each and every day of the hunting season , because they advertise it to much to idiots

They need to go back to the old ways of issuing replacements like they used too , and like what they do in California with the " sweatline"

I'm getting older and opinionated, I know that , but there are thousands of Florida hunters that are so fed up the way things are run ..I am not the only one that feels this way

If we keep doing what we are doing ...we are going to get ...what we are getting... and I dont see any savior for us on the horizon
 
I hear yah. I've looked at WMAs with some "ducky" looking spots but trying to interpret FWC rules is like reading Latin.

Only thing I have see on Tampa Bay while out fishing is greater scaup. I've seen no buffies, no redheads. The scaup show up on the stormwater management ponds right here in south Tampa too. I see quite a few blackbellies in the ponds too.
I hunted big open water back in Mobile, but at least back there we had gadwalls, redheads, cans, buffies, and a smattering of mottled ducks, pintails and wigeon. All within a 15-30 minute ride from the house to boat ramp and then within a 1-6 mile boat ride. And we didn't have to deal with a bay full of kayakers, jet skies, and fishing boats in December and January.
Good thing the fishing is fantastic in Tampa Bay 'cause I think my duck hunting days are over.
 
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Shannon welcome aboard.

Yer last photo with you, boat, decoys, bag and empty hulls (which I'm sure your picked up) made me Smile. Really like the the "sinkbox decoys" or are my eyes playing tricks on me. Your living the Dream far as I'm concerned. Two Thumbs Way Up.

Best regards
Vince
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Yes...I still have those sinkbox decoys

I made a few quickie ones with sloped sides extra low for the optical illusion, one for each side then made some more out of angle hacked black ducks ... it really works !!

I could carry about 100 decoys on each layout ..I would pole out , right onto a sheet water hydrilla ... I would use about 4 dozen decoys right around the boat , and almost touching it then make a looong J hook with the boat right inside the bottom loop the birds would typically drop right in on the loop side

If your left handed you would make reverse j hook , sometimes the birds break the rules and you learn to shoot off your left shoulder or vice versa

I got to say there was a time-frame of several years where open sheet water with plentiful hydrilla was everywhere down here ..I was literally the ONLY guy in my area with a boat like that and I was slaying them ..I would just pole out , say goodbye to the crowds and have a nice leisurely hunt , cherry picking drakes everytime ..it was the golden years !

Some guys watched what I was doing and tried to build something similar, I was guarded and rightfully wanted to keep a monopoly on the practice in my area , I had two glass over wood boats and I could make one in a weekend ..after a few years the wood and glass would need repairs..so I just made another real quick....I was so paranoid (I had hunters all over my neighborhood) and that someone would steal the discarded boats out of my trash , I would saw them up with a chainsaw and drive over it several times with my truck to crush it - true story
 
Carl said:
I hear yah. I've looked at WMAs with some "ducky" looking spots but trying to interpret FWC rules is like reading Latin.
Click to expand...
That's my biggest gripe with duck hunting today. Too damn many regulations! The feds keep it simple and consistent. It is the states that feel the need to make things unnecessarily complex. Further down your post I saw you say you thought your days duck hunting were over. I hate to hear that but suspect leaving Mobile isn't the only cause. Trying to hunt a new area with a whole set of complicated rules does not encourage someone to continue their career in a new area. Honestly, I've had my fill of states locking and blocking access. I have no doubt it is a big part of duck hunter numbers declining.
 
Shannon kelly said:
I'm below lake Okeechobee, I hunt the Sta's quite a bit

You know I've seen the hunting in Florida since 1976...hunting gets good , then it gets real bad ..then it resurrected itself to epic levels ..then went bad , I think this is the last time and it's going down for the count ...as tough as it is now ...in 10 years it will be WORSE

I hear there is some good diver hunting in Tampa Bay area , but be cautious it can get VERY DANGEROUS

Currently the florida scene it's trending in a downward spiral ,I'll say a few things, that are guaranteed to be controversial

1) people have more money these days ..the availability of Affordable Watercraft like surface drives , longtails and of course airboats had applied CONSTANT pressure on every body of water that can be legally accessed..what do the birds do ? Like geese who frequent city parks , the ducks adapted and went into other areas where the boats can't get to ..people didn't have all these things in such great numbers 30 years ago , my customers tell me there are plenty of good lakes way up north with no ducks on em because of bass boats etc..

2) there are at least 22 million floridians now ...if there is a lake, or any body of waterfront you can develop...its going under a cycle gentrification where it's now cityscape ...they don't like the "weeds" and spray spray , spray ...the FWC is in on it and spends millions eradicating good suitable waterfowl food and fish habitat...

3) the state FWC has completely "sold out " with the issuance of hunting permits ..they treat it like its another tourist trap and try to bilk every last dollar out of it ...any stupid couch potato with zero ability can access the online permit system , take a permit and not go ...and hundreds of quota permits go up each and every day of the hunting season , because they advertise it to much to idiots

They need to go back to the old ways of issuing replacements like they used too , and like what they do in California with the " sweatline"

I'm getting older and opinionated, I know that , but there are thousands of Florida hunters that are so fed up the way things are run ..I am not the only one that feels this way

If we keep doing what we are doing ...we are going to get ...what we are getting... and I dont see any savior for us on the horizon
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Shannon,
Not controversial at all. Same thing in Michigan. I started hunting open water many years ago to get away from the crowds and still have virtually no one in my area hunt like I do. The Bass boats are here as long as there is open water. The ducks never get a chance to rest.
RVZ
 
Eric Patterson said:
That's my biggest gripe with duck hunting today. Too damn many regulations! The feds keep it simple and consistent. It is the states that feel the need to make things unnecessarily complex. Further down your post I saw you say you thought your days duck hunting were over. I hate to hear that but suspect leaving Mobile isn't the only cause. Trying to hunt a new area with a whole set of complicated rules does not encourage someone to continue their career in a new area. Honestly, I've had my fill of states locking and blocking access. I have no doubt it is a big part of duck hunter numbers declining.
Click to expand...
If I had the time to learn new areas and drive 2-3 hours, I could probably find decent hunting. It took me 3 years of scouting and hunting 30+ days a season to get in the groove in Mobile. By time my last season there, I knew the areas so well I really didn't even have to scout to have a good hunt.
But the real big factors for hunting Tampa Bay is the the low limit on bluebill, lack of other ducks and the incredible amount of boat traffic, even in winter.
 
Too damn many regulations!

Isn't this the truth. It is absolutely ridiculous. On top of the regulation, think about all of the paperwork you need to show you are in compliance with them. Here is what you need to carry in NJ if you are hunting out of a boat.

NJ drivers license
registration for your vehicle
registration for your boat
registration for your trailer
hunting license
state duck stamp
federal duck stamp
HIP certification
NJ Firearms card(nobody ever checks this or asks-at least yet)

At least the state fish and game has finally put several things on your license to help cut down on the number of pieces of paper you have to carry. And I am not an anarchist by any means, quite the opposite. It just seems a bit much at times.
 
"I have reached the conclusion that ducks are the most protected species on the planet. In the USA ducks are the most protected and overly regulated entity in history." - Phil Robertson
 
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