Last day of season

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
As is tradition, I hunted the last day of the northern WI season last Tuesday. I know there are days left in the southern one and in MN but I always have considered northern WI's last day as my last day.

Day started off perfect. 35 mph NE wind, temps in the low to mid 20's, light snow in the air. Just about as perfect as it can get IMO. Was the only one at the launch which made the day look better and no ice at the landing which I was fully expecting to see and fully expecting to turn around and call it a season before putting the boat in the water.. I couldn't see far enough out on the lake to see if it was ice free or not but it was worth a shot to launch the boat and take a short drive to see if I could get to the hunting spot or not. Very little ice to break on the way out and it was all manageable with no butt pucker if you know what I mean.

On the drive out to the hunting spots, I can see spotlights I the distance. This is unusual as the only way to get to this place is from the landing or from accessing the water across private land. The land owners around this lake do not give permission to cross as I have tried for a number of years. As I get to the hunting location, I pick out a spot about 200 yards away from the other group. This isn't a large hunting area so 200 yards is acceptable. I get out of the boat to walk the last 75-100 yards and notice headlamps coming towards from the group a couple hundred yards away. They get within shouting distance and let me know I was too close. I said 200 yards is OK from where they were and they announce the new spot they just walked to was where they were going to hunt. Not wanting to get into anything on the last day, I said I would move. I go 150-200 yards away and start walking to the next site when the headlamps come towards me again. I wait. They once again say I am too close which I disagree and they once again announce that there were now going to hunt the latest spot they just walked to. I figure I could keep moving and the same would happen so I stay put and say we can call the CO and settle this. I also let them know the first question asked will be how they got onto this lake. They back down and go back to the very first spot they were at.

Wasn't much time to set up so I got out about 6 dekes and figured it was enough for this area.




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Got myself all situated. Luckily I had the wind at my back with trees between me and the open lake. Was still a bit chilly.


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Had lots of birds in the air. They weren't cooperating much and seemed to be flying down paths they typically don't. I got a couple early on and was hopeful I could actually fill a bag limit as there wasn't so many opportunities to do so earlier in the season. Got one more and then waited a couple of hours for the last one to come into the dekes and not make it out. I was determined to only shoot ducks that were committed to the decoys and only shoot males for no other reason than just being the way I wanted to hunt that day.



Day ended well and was a nice closing chapter for the 2017 duck hunting season.
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Got home and started putting away everything for the year and begin getting the ice fishing stuff out. Good year, good times and safe. Can't ask for more than that.

Mark
 
Mark,
Sounds like you had a great day. I don't know why you thought you had to hunt that close. It would have been fine if you had stayed 1200 yards away, what were you thinking. Even better if once you saw the spotlights you went back to the launch and choose another location entirely.

[w00t] [w00t]
 
That was too bad they had to be aholes, but good call on the access question and contacting the CO. The DNR is all worried about recruiting more hunters and I think that is a bad idea because then we will have more of these idiots to deal with. That is one of the reasons I travel further to places where there are fewer hunters and those who are there have made the trip for the same reason. Looks like you did make a goodday out of it anyhow. How do you go about catching a limit of ice anyhow? I have wondered about that for some time now.
 
Mark,
This is a great report from an ethical hunter I would be proud to stand alongside any time. Great way to end the season. Enjoy those French ducks.
Larry
 
Mark--I think this is a new low for obnoxious hunter behavior. Does your state have a hunter harassment law? If so, I think these guys violated it. I know the intent of such law was to prevent anti-hunting activists from disrupting legal hunting activity, but these guys were using exactly the same tactics, and the law should apply.

Kudos to you for dealing with it and not letting it ruin your day.

Other than that, nice report.
 
Mark--Just did a Google search on hunter harassment laws, and one of the first hits was an article about convictions in Wisconsin of hunters trying to discourage other hunters from being in "their spot".

You may not want the hassle of this, and your solution probably reflects your better sense than I might have in the same situation, but for future reference:
http://www.outdoornews.com/2010/04/29/sportsmen-can-help-themselves-by-the-knowing-harassment-law/


From a Wisconsin game warden:

“We are seeing more hunter-against-hunter harassment issues,
especially for prime spots,” Schraufnagel said.
 
Looks like a nice way to end the season Mark. It's a shame that people have to be such jerks out there, but glad that it didn't come down to major drama.
 
Were you downwind of their original set-up site? You never mention them again post sun-up, so other than posturing in an attempt to force you out of the area entirely, it would be hard to make a case for hunter harassment.
 
I should have mentioned these were kids. 5 of them. They weren’t bad and weren’t being jerks just unaware of hunting etiquette I would venture.

Wind was from behind both of us and maybe a little cross wind for them. They didn’t bother me the rest of the morning and I didn’t bother them. They shot at most everything seen but it was easy to tell they were enjoying themselves. I considered going down to talk to them old geezer to young adult but decided against it.

I could see them through some trees as they were leaving. They did not have a boat and walked in and out from somewhere but I couldn’t see where. My guess is they parked on a road (which is actually a mile long driveway) and walked in. The owner of that piece of land never grants permission so I wonder how they could have legally gotten into this hunting place? Oh well.

Was a great day and great way to end the season

MRk
 
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