# Hunting Etiquette



## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Hey Guys I have to tell this story and get your opinion. I scouted a field the night before got permission from the farmer. I usually get to a field very early, I figure if I am going to get up to hunt the last thing I want to be doing is setting up when shooting begins. I arrived and set up my spread with 20 minutes to spare and after ten minutes another truck pulls up to the field we are in and two guys start setting up their spread 150 yards away! With what happend in northern Wisconsin I did not get confrontational but I did let them know what they were doing was poor. Then to top it off the first flock of mallards that came in circled our dekes and these two morons try calling them away from us. What grinded me the most was the fact that they were crippling birds and making no effort to go after them. I have been hunting for years and have never seen anything like this before. What the hell is happening to hunter's attitudes. I go out to relax and enjoy not to have my blood pressure raised by idiots like this. If there are any new hunters reading this remember your actions in the field will be remembered for a longtime!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Question: Was I taught different then most? When if comes to a field that someone is set up on do you still move in? I know it depends on the size of the field but this was not a large field by any stretch of the imagination.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

No it does not depend on the size of the field. You just move on!


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## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

Most ND boys move on, if you can't get your *** out of bed you don't deserve to hunt the field. Not to laugh or anything but being set up with 20 minutes to spare isn't getting there that damn early.


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## Marlo (Oct 9, 2004)

870 XPRS said:


> Most ND boys move on, if you can't get your a$$ out of bed you don't deserve to hunt the field. Not to laugh or anything but being set up with 20 minutes to spare isn't getting there that damn early.


20 min, well getting there early to my buddy means to bring a pillow and an alarm clock because we'll have about 1-1/2 before shooting time once we're all setup lol


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Well I was not there and don't know what holes are in your story but first were you by yourself? If so you could not go over and say hey I am over here do you wanna join me? How many birds were in the field? Not enough for 3 guys to join up? Only enough for you? Maybe you should go read Snowhunter's post about how he got to the field and ended up making some new friends. One of the guys also posted thanking him and it sounded like a lot more land might be open to Snowhunter as a result of being nice. Hmmmmm fancy that being nice.

Also as 870 said 20 minutes to spare is not early. And if for some reason someone does that to me I welcome them to call, flag or whatever at every flock. How do you know your good if you don't get competion from time to time. Its healthy as long as everyone is playing fair. And if they were crippling birds and that was visible and they were not retrieving them then you have a duty to turn them in because my rule book says every effort should be made to retrieve game. If you let it slide then your just as bad as them.

Also if I see someone in the field I move on. If I don't have another field I will see if I can join up. If I can't then I find a field about a 1/4 away up wind so if they get to shooting some left overs may come my way. Better than going back home.

Like I said I was not there. Only going by the info provided.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

I would never set up in a field that somebody is already in...I don't care how big it is. Sh*t like that just ****** me off, we had idiots due that to us pheasant hunting last week. We were walking a quarter and they decided to go in and start on the other end. Those hunters are amatures that have no respect for anyone or anything...So No, you are not wrong to be mad!


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## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Well - I have calmed since I posted that. I usually get to the field atleast an hour early - I don't set up a huge spread but I enjoy my cup of coffee and conversation. To give more specifics I was with a buddy and I did walk over to talk with them. I was invisible when I walked over they both kept setting up while I was standing there. Neither one wanted to say a word. I was as polite as I could be at 6:00 AM and told them instead of competing for the birds we could hunt together and the response I recieved was "we didn't know you were here!" and then nothing. Pretty tough not to see us when we had our headlamps on and the field is only 80 acres. The way I figure it is they got up late - did not have a backup field- and just decided the hell with it! They did not care who they upset. I was taught if someone is in the field stay out unless it is a Very large field that can hold two groups. Still it comes down to simple respect . RESPECT for the game and RESPECT for your fellow hunters.


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## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Hunted again this weekend and samething happed but with a different result. Two hunters wanted the same field so we hunted together which is the rule of thumb. I have no problem hunting with fellow hunters. And when it comes to being polite - I understand completely my actions in the field are remembered for a longtime. I always give the individual the benefit of the doubt. I hunt the same area year after year and the reason I keep getting permission is because of how I treat the owner and my fellow hunters. To restate it comes down to RESPECT! I am not there to compete my skills against anyone else or see how many birds I can kill compared to anyone else I am there to enjoy the experience not have it soured by those that have no consideration.


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## Forky (Sep 22, 2004)

We had a very similar thingk happen to us in North Dakota last year. We spend a week there every year and during our scouting the first three evenings I followed the ducks out to feed and there is a pickup already there watching the ducks. So we continue scouting and find different ducks and all is well. The fourth night, we are set up watching a field where the ducks have just started to use and here comes this pickup that I had seen the previous three days. He watches a while and then leaves.

The next morning we are there early, I mean completely set up and drinking our coffee with an hour and half to shooting. 40 mintues until shooting a set of lights comes to the field goes down wind about 250 yards and sets up. We are flashing our lights and everything, not yelling or cursing or anything but trying to let him know someone is already in the field (which he would have know because he would have drove past our vehicle which was back on the road).

Well my buddy can't take it and he walks over there to inform him that we don't think what he is doing is right and low and behold it is the guy from the last three nights.

We come to find out he is a guide from the area plus it is the same guy I had seen the last three nights. I think the thing that most disappointed me was that when I followed the ducks to a field and he was there I let him hunt it but when I was first he didn't provide me the same courtesy.

Oh well, the good news is we killed out in nine minutes that morning. SO I guess there is some justice. But will someone please tell me that he should have know better.

Thanks for suffering through the long post,

Forky


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## born to hunt (Mar 13, 2002)

I have had the exact same experience. And a guide to boot! These guys must really need the money!


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Maybe I am missing something. An 80 acre field is not big enough for two groups of hunters to hunt in?? I wish we had is so bad. . I agree that If you were already set up in the field they could have moved on and found somewhere else. There is that luxury up there. Our public hunting areas cram blinds in every 200-300 yards. 80 acres to share with one other party would be great.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

> Maybe I am missing something. An 80 acre field is not big enough for two groups of hunters to hunt in??


No its not big enough and neither is a quarter. When in Rome.......


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Wow. Man I need to move up there. Complaining about having to share 80 acres. Simply amazing. I understand it is very different (only been there 4 times and love every minute of it) but an 80 acre field is plenty of room. No idea what a quarter is so I guess I can't comment on that.

On another note, after reading about all you guys' great hunts, we are only 9 days away from our opener. (finally) Starting to finally see a few birds trickleing into the areas. Saw a few groups of mallards and a few gadwalls flying around yesterday. Still having highs in the mid 70's and almost reached 80 today. Time for the heat to go away. Good luck and good hunting for the rest of the seaon. :beer:


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

Well, we are not Illinois or MN or WI. We are ND and 80 acres is TOO SMALL for two groups. Please don't tell us we should be happy and compare ND to your state. We are not your state.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

A quarter is 160 acres......1/2 mile square.

I wouldn't want another field setting less than that minimum.Especially downwind.


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## dgyer (Sep 10, 2004)

Once again I have calmed since my first post. I know hunting the same field is not illegal and when it comes to permission or public land all hunters have the same rights. But in the same breath it does not mean it is right or ethical to treat fellow hunters that way. I love to hunt and spend time in the outdoors. If asked my most memorable times with my father and brother 99% time would be hunting. Personally I would never do that to another individual but then again we were all brought up differently when it comes to hunting and respecting the rights of others.


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## BigDaddy (Mar 4, 2002)

You know, I never had the problems described here while hunting in MN or WI. However, both MN and WI have a posting law requiring you to ask permission before hunting private land. Therefore, you always had a given field to yourself as long as you asked the landowner for permission.

I have had similar experiences described in this thread while hunting private land in ND that wasn't posted. Therefore, I focus my scouting on posted land because I know that I will be able to get permission more times than not if I simply ask politely. I also know that I will be able to show up and not have to deal with other hunters.

This will fly in direct conflict to the views of most people on this board, but I would love the posting law in ND to be changed so that all hunters were required to ask permission.

If we put limits on commercialization along with changing the posting law, I think that all freelance hunters (NR or resident) would benefit tremendously. Remember, all you gotta do is ask...


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Well, fortunately I am still free to state my opinion. Yes I realize that Nd and Illinois are far from the same. And yes, I readily admit I am very jealous of the oppurtunities that you all are free to enjoy.


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## Oldducker (Apr 14, 2005)

If everyone had permission to hunt the field I would not have a problem with others there. However I too from a logical sense would have invited them to make it a mutual hunt instead of a competitive shoot. 
Here in my part of Canada it is the law to make every reasonable attempt to retrieve game. Not to do so is against the law and is reportable. I would have reported them for as you said not even bothering to chase down the cripples.
Often fellas that are too lazy to collect there birds and ignorant not to see the benefit of a combined hunt will tire easy and move on shortly into it.
They may shoot up the field and ruin yer day but perseverence will win the day in most cases


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