Why I don’t hunt waterfowl in the south

[poorhunter]

I don't really have the time or opportunity, but here's the real reason:



Having been on several hunts like this, just freelancing around North Dakota and Canada, it just feels weird hunting stale, stagnant blinds hoping for a good day killing a few mallards. Those were the days a couple friends and I would just drive around in the evening, find a pile of birds in a field, find the owner, get permission virtually every time, show up in the morning and hunt. Not often did we shout that many different species, but rarely was it ducks only or geese only.

Good times, good memories.

 

[younggun308]

From what I've heard, the days of finding birds and getting near-automatic permission are over—too many people willing to lease and too many people running "guide" operations where they want to have 15,000 acres to choose from so they can move with the birds.

But freelancers still get on birds. Perhaps they just have to knock on 3 doors instead of 1, and look for birds farther away from places like Jamestown, etc.

 

[poorhunter]

From what I've heard, the days of finding birds and getting near-automatic permission are over—too many people willing to lease and too many people running "guide" operations where they want to have 15,000 acres to choose from so they can move with the birds.

But freelancers still get on birds. Perhaps they just have to knock on 3 doors instead of 1, and look for birds farther away from places like Jamestown, etc.

Yep, we noticed those changes coming way back in '99-2000, so we started to just go to Canada after that. We started running into big outfitters who paid farmers not only to hunt but to keep others from hunting. There was a lot of pushback against it where some farmers shamed those that took the money, but eventually money won out and you have what we have today. In the '90's, it was super easy, and I admit I got spoiled. Going back home to Indiana was a total change for me. I completely quit waterfowl there and only hunted when we went up North. My parents grew up in North Dakota, so I had relatives we stayed with for free.

 

[tophat]

I will still be hunting my home state with my family and youth and veterans a lot of folks can't afford to go on hunts like that. Second, it's not all about the killing it's about spending time in the great outdoors.

 

[younggun308]

it's not all about the killing it's about spending time in the great outdoors.

100%

Plus, when I hunt close to home, I get to hunt more—and get to know a place better. See it under different conditions, times of the season.