Saw some amazing stuff this weekend

RUGER

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I know hunting public land is just that, hunting public land.
I also have learned that some of people that duck hunt are some of the sorriest people I have ever seen in my life.
Alot of them are great folks but sheesh......

Why do people shoot swings and even worse skybust?
I guess I am not a real duck hunter because I don't understand it. A duck is gonna go where he wants to go and you just try to make him think he wants to go where you are.
Sometimes you do and sometimes you don't.
If you lost the calling contest and the bird is going on it's last swing and fixing to drop in the hole beside you, why shoot at it? I mean really?
Saw this happen SEVERAL times this weekend. To us and to another blind on the other side of these guys.

If you ain't man enough to call your own birds in and you shoot a swing I can actually live with that better than the skybusting.

Every and I mean absolutely EVERY bird that gets within 100 yards gets shot at, seriously.
Saturday we standing there and 2 birds were coming over. Easily 100 yards high. The closest blind is almost 200 yards from us. The 2 birds flew over the other blind and they (2 guys) unloaded. 6 shots at 2 birds 100+ yards high. When the birds flew over our blind you could see one of the legs on one of the ducks was just dangling where they had broke it.
That one actually made me sad.
Another time they shot one and when they came to get it (wait for it to quit diving) and shoot it again they were literally 20 yards from our decoy spread.
I think I counted 5 ducks that they "knocked down" that they never even got out of the blind to go look for or retrieve.
Guess duck hunting is like everything else, there is sorry arse pieces of trash everywhere you go in life.

I had heard that this guy tried to run the bottom and would shoot at every swing and sky bust but WOW, I have never seen anything like this dude.
I guess he has had this blind so long he didn't like it when the state added spots and put the draw in.

I guess I am just different, unless they are locked up and back pedding, or at LEAST within 30 yards or so, why waste the money and ammo?
 

MickThompson

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I had some guys do this in east TN while hunting with me. We beat them to the spot but figured we'd be nice guys and invite them to hunt with us because the spot only had 1 decent spot. I figured they would mess us up otherwise.

Birds would swing downwind to set up their line to land in the hole 20 yards in front of us, and these boys would shower down on them 80-100 yards out every time. They were panicking because they thought the birds were leaving. Some folks just can't hold their pee, and some are jerks, but I think it's the former more often than not.

I'm with you- if I don't think I can kill them clean, I'm not shooting.


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TNGunsmoke

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Yeah, the blind around the corner from us last year was shoot at ducks so far out that I've killed deer closer. Sure they'd knock one down every now and then, and then spend 30-40 minutes out in the boat looking for it once it got in the corn. And I think they moved and adjusted decoys 2-3 times a day. If there are no birds flying, no amount of moving decoys is gonna help you. The joys of hunting public lands in the Camden Bottoms.
 

RUGER

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The worst part was we saw more ducks Sunday morning than we have since the season opened and from what I heard (lack of gunshots) our little area was the ONLY one doing much of anything.
3 blinds in the area and if all three would have worked together, in which I mean let the birds decide which spot they want, or which calling they like, and then shut up and let them work all three blinds would have limited out by 8:00 a.m. at the latest!!!

Instead, we shot one woodie early and the other two blinds shot in excess of 50 times and I KNOW they only picked up a total of 5 ducks between both blinds.

36 birds (a limit for all three blinds) wouldn't have been ANY trouble but NOOOO let's settle for 6.
Freaking idiots.
 

Mudbone

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A swing is when you have birds working and they are on your corners doing the circling? Sorry for my ignorance on Duck speak lingo.
One of the main reasons I quit duck hunting is because of the exact scenario you described. I never liked the blind type hunting on places like reelfoot cause there is blonde so close to each other that you can hear the other
Guys talking. Everyone screams at every duck, shoots at unkillable dux, etc.
I used to love hunting my little pot holes off the river. Standing in the water hiding in the bushes. It seemed like hunting so much more than the blind/hotels stacked on top of each other like townhouses in green hills.
 

Crosshairy

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I hunted my first close-quarters public land hunt on opening day this year, and saw a little bit of what you described. Basically one hole was being sloppy with shooting them too high before they came in the pocket.

The biggest difference is that these spots are drawn for each weekend at a time (no one claims a spot for a season), so the hunters change out a lot and there are fewer doofuses camping out ruining hunts for folks.

SO FAR, my experience with the 3-day weekend quota hunt system in my area has been very positive. Other than a few spots that were set up too close to each other, it really cuts down on the crowding and over-hunting, and you end up with 2 or 3 days of good hunting instead of a whole week of crappy trips.
 

Mud Creek

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Ruger this thread and your signature kind of reminded me of a Facebook video I watched the other day and enjoyed. I'm far from a computer/technology person guys so I apologize if the link doesn't work I don't know how to directly post the video.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 1422842720

Rabbit hunting public land is pretty frustrating I can't even begin to imagine how duck hunting must be.
 

RUGER

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Mud Creek":2nbyb8sp said:
Ruger this thread and your signature kind of reminded me of a Facebook video I watched the other day and enjoyed. I'm far from a computer/technology person guys so I apologize if the link doesn't work I don't know how to directly post the video.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 1422842720

Rabbit hunting public land is pretty frustrating I can't even begin to imagine how duck hunting must be.

That was awesome and he definitely speaks the truth.
Skybusting, hero shots and then many are probably just chunked off in the ditch on the way back to mamma's house. :(
 

TheLBLman

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Would the best attempt at a solution to these kind of problems maybe become for TWRA to focus more on the quality of the hunting rather than the quantity of that hunting?

What I'm suggesting is spacing the blinds much farther apart,
You would get drawn less often.
But when you did, maybe be so far away from the assholes that their unsportsman-like tactics only harm themselves. And maybe by watching real sportsmen from a distance, these rookies might learn how to duck hunt. Or at least, their disrespect for other hunters would be negated by the distance.

Part of what has happened over time is that too many are too new to the sport (whether it be duck hunting or deer hunting),
and they've never had good mentors show them what is considering acceptable vs. what is not. In fact, SOME of the sky-busting is because they are so inexperienced they can't even estimate the range very well.

Thanks for reminding me why I quit duck hunting.
 

RUGER

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TheLBLman":35b0aosq said:
Would the best attempt at a solution to these kind of problems maybe become for TWRA to focus more on the quality of the hunting rather than the quantity of that hunting?

What I'm suggesting is spacing the blinds much farther apart,
You would get drawn less often.
But when you did, maybe be so far away from the assholes that their unsportsman-like tactics only harm themselves. And maybe by watching real sportsmen from a distance, these rookies might learn how to duck hunt. Or at least, their disrespect for other hunters would be negated by the distance.

Part of what has happened over time is that too many are too new to the sport (whether it be duck hunting or deer hunting),
and they've never had good mentors show them what is considering acceptable vs. what is not. In fact, SOME of the sky-busting is because they are so inexperienced they can't even estimate the range very well.

Thanks for reminding me why I quit duck hunting.

The biggest problem with this guy seems to be that he has had that permanent blind for a very long time. I guess he was grandfathered in when the wma went to a draw system, like Reelfoot did.
He wants nobody else in the bottom.
I figure he hunts every day of the season and he very well could just do stupid shat like this on the weekends when he has competition but I dunno.
I think he is just an azzhat.
Kicker is, he is old enough to know better.

Basically he is just a Richard Cranium.

Buddy of mine probably had the best idea, and I know he will do it.
Boat ride over to their blind and just calmly ask if they wanted to talk about it and work out a plan together and everyone kill ducks or does he want our blind to shoot their swings like they do ours and nobody will kill anything.
That or he will just sit in the blind and fire off the 10 gauge every time a duck gets within 200 yards of them. :rotf:
 

Grnwing

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I m convinced on some of the more crowded waters, some just go to shoot and ruin the hunt for those around. I hate watching skybustsers unloading on high birds. I do think TWRA could do a better job of patrolling some of these waters and citing the blatant groups that continually do it. It can really ruin a good morning for several blinds.
 

scn

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Grnwing":19o8em5f said:
I m convinced on some of the more crowded waters, some just go to shoot and ruin the hunt for those around. I hate watching skybustsers unloading on high birds. I do think TWRA could do a better job of patrolling some of these waters and citing the blatant groups that continually do it. It can really ruin a good morning for several blinds.

Just curious on what regulation that TWRA would cite these people on. I'll hang up and listen.
 

RUGER

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scn":3tclcpk1 said:
Grnwing":3tclcpk1 said:
I m convinced on some of the more crowded waters, some just go to shoot and ruin the hunt for those around. I hate watching skybustsers unloading on high birds. I do think TWRA could do a better job of patrolling some of these waters and citing the blatant groups that continually do it. It can really ruin a good morning for several blinds.

Just curious on what regulation that TWRA would cite these people on. I'll hang up and listen.
Can they write a ticket for being an azzhat? Hee hee

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Grnwing

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If there wasn't a law being broken they could do a thorough check. Checking for lead, plugs, liscenses, duck stamps, life jackets whistles and maybe a frank conversation about their azzhat behavior. It's amazing how folks shape up when they know the law is watching. In very few states do i ever see a gw out patrolling during a hunt, rather most wait back at the ramp. I know the TWRA has limited resources and patrols take time, money and manpower that is often spread way too thin. I hope my previous post didnt come across as bashing the TWRA, as i have not met a gw that wasnt professional and courteous.
 

scn

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Big Ben":2w5wshqx said:
Maybe on state draw hunts put a limit on the number of shell's each hunter can take to the blind. I have heard of places with a 10 shell limit, and you are checked for more before you go out.

That type of reg would certainly help. Many years ago I hunted up on Ballard WMA in KY every year for geese. There was a 2 bird limit most years, and you were allowed to carry in four shells. It definitely cut down on some of the bs. The officers/WMA personnel also had observation points out on the area. We had one walk into our blind one foggy morning to tell us that the birds we were letting fly by were close enough to kill. We immediately took his advice and quickly filled out our limit.
 

Grnwing

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The shell limit is a good tool to help reduce skybusting, I know in Arkansas they have implemented the shell limit(15) and reduced the mallard limit from 4 to 3 to help reduce all the nonsense that occurs in heavily hunted WMAs ( Bayou Meto). Several wildlife refuges also use the shell limit the excessive shooting.
 

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