BAD DUCK HUNTERS

I have to vent. I am still upset from opening day!!I scouted and found a lot of ducks in a small pond. I got to my hole at 4 am before 9 am opening. At 8:45 two guys come walking out yelling at their dog. They flushed every single one of my birds. They then proceeded to set up 50 yards down wind!!!I told them they were too close. They did not move. They then started to shoot ducks that I had working my decoys!!! They absolutely ruined my opener! I dont understand it. I would never do that to another hunter! Its those duck dynasty wannabes!!!!!I just needed to vent!

Duxup, well stated! I'm right there with you for the number of years being out in the marsh and enjoying this sport. Seen a lot of changes in 45 years of chasing feathers. Your comments are correct. Yes, we comment that we have hunted certain areas for years. However, we do show respect to other hunters that may get to one of "our" spots before we do and don't make a big deal out of it and move on. Your comment about teaching and education is also correct. We also enjoy teaching young hunters some of the "in's and out's" of the sport. Thanks for some good thoughts! And yes, we do witness some very ridiculous things out there. It's good to know that there are other O.P's that share the same thoughts!

heard a good one from this am, buddy was out on a larger lake and had 2 kayakers paddle out to a raft in the middle of the lake and blasted away......wardens on it! WHAT a couple of morons!!

Last weekend had someone show up 20 minutes after opener and set up to openwater hunt 300 yards in front of my 150 decoy spread. He knew dam well we were there. I've never seen the guy before. Looked to be his first attempt at openwater hunting...no blind on boat painted green just 3 guys sitting on the bench seats. 200 decoys on long lines. He was on the down wind side of his decoys by 30 yards. Several flocks landed at the very beginning of his spread way to far for him to shoot. He never did move his boat and he never did fire a shot. Of course I didn't either as I was limited as I was hunting from land. I would have done things differently if he would have shown up on time. What is frustrating is...this was on the bay of Green Bay and there was TONS of room for him to hunt but he thought right in front of me was the best spot I guess. I just wished if you are going to do something for the first time you don't mess up others hunting around you. He had the whole bay!!!!!!!!!!!! Dam rookies!!! Luckily for me 25 minutes after he left we started to shoot ducks and limited out by close.

At 56 I'm an old timer I guess, and have been doing this a lot of years. My personal experience has shown me more bad apples in the duck hunter barrel than other types of hunting. I think many of the older guys have the "I've been hunting here for X years and this is my spot" mentality and the younger generation has the "entitlement" mentality. Both are wrong. With the advent of shallow drive motors and boat blinds, the face of duck hunting has changed more than any other hunting sport. Guys can and do go anywhere, which creates problems with the permanent blind builders. I'm a firm believer that permanent blinds on public water needs to end. This would stop much of the trouble. Proper mentoring would end most of the rest. And some common courtesy would end it all. We all know the rules and what is right and wrong, but anger, jealously, and selfishness interfere. Duxup

Let me elaborate what I am saying. There is a perceived "selfish" mentality that comes from that age bracket. I hate to say, they do it to themselves. They also do not benefit from having people teach them the right way. At the same time, duck hunting overall had many selfish, rude, unsportsman like hunters from all age groups. I try to educate the younger generation when given the chance. For example, I ran into a kid about 14 the other day who was thrilled to see someone in camouflage. He ran up to me and asked are you a hunter? I said, yep I was out duck hunting today. He responded, Awesome! My brother took me last week, but I missed a lot. The ducks were really high. So I asked, why didn't you let them get closer. He said, I was worried they would fly to the next guy. So I told him (quickly as I had to go) how to set a decoy spread leaving a landing area so that the ducks will work and that if he is just patient they will work closer. I would have really loved to actually show him what a decoying shot it, but at a gas station I can't really do that. He thanked me and said he will try to wait longer when the ducks start coming. I can only hope that helps him and his brother. But the idea that another guy is going to get my ducks is half the problem out there. Again, it's the problem with all age groups.

And that idea is?

I get where you are coming from Greenhead4ever. I'm not going to sit and continually defend that age bracket, but it is that line of thinking that is terrible for the sport. Look at the story from Grouper. Does my "crew" have sweatshirts, headbands, etc? Absolutely not, but what does that matter to anyone? So you have people who enjoy the sport and they arent like you when you were that age, it's wrong? It's not 1975 anymore and social media, tv, etc has had an impact on the sport and it will continue to do so. That isn't just duck hunting, that's life. I honestly dont even know why I wasted my time with these dumb threads.

Its easy to blame youthful hunters but trust me I have experience poor ethics from all ages. The phrase "it's a public lake" is true on face value. The other day I was looking for a spot to pull my boat in an hour and 25 minutes before shooting. I always find my boat position before I set decoys. Had a guy pull into a bog 25 yards from my boat and shut his lights off. He would have been 35 yards from my boat pull. Needless to say there were words exchanged and he refused to move. I was there 30 minutes before him as well. His response was, "Its a public lake, I've been hunting this spot for 35 years." I moved down 150 yards and out produced him all day long. This is the crap that gives hunters bad names. This guy was in his 40's. Honestly, duck hunters are the worst group of ethical hunters. I've been hunting for 27 years and have had issues in the past. I really wanted to punch this guy out. I had the last laugh in the end with a limit of birds. Good luck, keep your cool out there.

I wish they were anti hunters. The issue would be much easier to deal with in my opinion. They are "hunters". Treeshark, I agree with you. The majority of people I have issues with are in that age range. Now when I was that age I wouldn't think of hunting like some of these crews. I wouldn't be able to stand the thought of my gramps being disappointed in the way I hunt if I acted like these crews. I'm only 31, but I've spent most of my hunting life hunting with guys and women older than me. It's a real quick way to learn respect. I wish these younger crews had the same privilege I did to hunt with some of these tenured hunters. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of younger guys and crews that are really good guys and just want to do what's best by the sport and the ducks. But the bad ones have been raised in the TV hunting, kicks high flying, black cloud generation.

Green, sounds like you possibly ran into an anti-hunters disguised as hunters. They are strictly trying to force all the hunters off this lake. I'd second the suggestion to get all their actions on video and contact your local warden and/or sheriff's department. Shooting every 5 minutes is simply harassment. JMHO.

Treeshark - you got to be kidding with your comments, right? Hunting gangs? Really? So my "crew" and I have roughly 2-3 more years before we give up the sport? Get off your high horse. You mean to tell me that the only negatives in the marsh or bad duck hunters are the younger generation? If thats your opinion, where do you think those bad hunting habits come from? Look at the story from Greenhead4ever below and see how the parent handled that situation. This waterfowl thread is just pissin and moanin about the same things - skyblasting, youth hunt, teal season, and if the migration has started yet. I wonder what percentage of complainers on this site are in your age bracket?

I consider myself lucky....been diver hunting my home lake for a long time, never had any real problem with any of the guys out there. I've seen a few things that made me scratch my head ...but no harm done. That said, I avoid opening day and weekends like the plague. Now that I've said that I'm sure I will run into some knuckleheads in the morning.

I hunt public exclusively and other than opening weekend have yet to share the area with more than 2 other duck hunters. I have yet to shoot a limit but have plenty of action and what I would consider quality hunts.

"but this is public hunting nowadays" Very true. My last five years of duck hunting were on a privately held parcel of land that had a big shallow pond and some adjacent wetland and farm fields. After all of the BS that we encountered hunting public land, it was Heaven not having to compete with any other hunters. When the landowner's grandkids wanted to hunt it as well, he was concerned about crossfire and we got the polite boot. I hung up the waders shortly thereafter.

"Nobody hates a duck hunter more than another duck hunter"