by Eric Haynes » Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:02 pm
I know it's different everywhere you go, but I don't care who sees my hunting spots. For one reason and one reason only....you will NEVER get to hunt them without me being there. That is unless you trespass and don't get caught, but the chances of that are very slim. I know not everyone has this option, but I do. The public land I hunt, I usually have multiple spots holding birds, and very few people are ever on the water before me.
It brings up a funny scene from last year that me and my two hunting buddies have laughed about all year. There is a pretty big WMA that we hunt opening day and have an island we always go to that no one ever seems to want to go to. We get all set up and notice someone about 500 yards across the water set up on the shore in the cattails. Shooting time comes and we pounded the ducks. Had our limit in 30 minutes so when we were picking up I noticed a glare coming from across the water. I got my binocs and noticed they were doing the same to us. Needless to say we come back next Saturday..after I scouted it out friday and saw the birds were on the side they were on. I noticed someone on the island we usually hunt, but no big deal although we were there super early. We set up across the water in the cat tails and once again bang out our limit in an hour, and we had 3 extra people. Look across with the binocs and it's the same group from the week before and they never fired a shot the whole time we were there. Tons of birds were moving in there still so we went back the next day to find them back in their original spot, so again, we went back to the island about 100 yards around the side of where we were the first day, and the two of us limited again. This time when we were picking up, they started picking up too. We headed back to the DEC station to sign out and tey pull up behind us, never said a word to me. As I was leaving I decided to ask them how the birds were moving for them, he simply said "Wouldn't know, you guys shot them all on us 3 times in a row" I smiled and said sorry and that was that.
Trying to steal spots gets you nowhere in my opinion. Real scouting is what produces birds.
Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven." Such is the rule of honor.