# Water Hunting vs. field hunting



## jeepguy (Nov 7, 2005)

What is the big deal with people having such negative opinions about water hunting. I come to Nodak and hutn twice a year. I have teied the field hunting and never had any success, and this is hunting with guys who only field hunt. Seems like I hear the same thing every time...."Oh they must not be flying or we are in the wrong spot." I have done this a number of times in Minnesota and Nodak. Then I conversed with the guys I usually hunt with and we brought up a couple good points. If water hunting is so taboo why do they sell water decoys, waders, duck boats, ect? Why are ducks called "waterfowl"? I read on a previous post that if you scare birds up you are busting a roost, well every time you drive down a road in nodak and pass water and birds get up...is this busitng a roost? Now I water hunt the whole time I am in nodak. I find potholes where birds are stopping for a drink of water or to rest after feeding, transitional sloughs, and do my hunting there.


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

jeepguy said:


> What is the big deal with people having such negative opinions about water hunting. I come to Nodak and hutn twice a year. I have teied the field hunting and never had any success, and this is hunting with guys who only field hunt. Seems like I hear the same thing every time...."Oh they must not be flying or we are in the wrong spot." I have done this a number of times in Minnesota and Nodak. Then I conversed with the guys I usually hunt with and we brought up a couple good points. If water hunting is so taboo why do they sell water decoys, waders, duck boats, ect? Why are ducks called "waterfowl"? I read on a previous post that if you scare birds up you are busting a roost, well every time you drive down a road in nodak and pass water and birds get up...is this busitng a roost? Now I water hunt the whole time I am in nodak. I find potholes where birds are stopping for a drink of water or to rest after feeding, transitional sloughs, and do my hunting there.


I haven't seen anyone here say you should completely stop water hunting.We all say....Don't bust the roost.The statement you made above in red is exactly waht we are all saying.Hunt transition sloughs.


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## FLOYD (Oct 3, 2003)

Those were the "good points" you guys brought up? Profound.


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

jeepguy said:


> I come to Nodak and hutn twice a year.


Are you trying to gain respect with that line??



jeepguy said:


> I have teied the field hunting and never had any success,


You dont know how to scout. Please learn.



jeepguy said:


> and this is hunting with guys who only field hunt.


Your second mistake......Releying on others who dont know how to scout.



jeepguy said:


> Seems like I hear the same thing every time...."Oh they must not be flying or we are in the wrong spot."


Just reconfirming my previouse point.



jeepguy said:


> well every time you drive down a road in nodak and pass water and birds get up...is this busitng a roost?


No. You're failing to see the big picture. Failing misserably, And you're confirming my assumptions about your lack waterfowl hunting knowledge.



jeepguy said:


> Now I water hunt the whole time I am in nodak. I find potholes where birds are stopping for a drink of water or to rest after feeding, transitional sloughs, and do my hunting there.


Ok. Thats fine. Just dont bust the roost. But I'm very hesitant to believe you know the difference between a roost, A day loafing area, or a transitional pond.

Sorry if you are upset by my response but I'm sincerely glad I could give you a dose of reality.
Good hunting :beer:


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

If a body of water is large than 15 acres and smaller than 400 acres stay off of it. Thats the way it should be anyway. But it will never happen most people dont care about any one else all they care about is killing there own birds.

I am just a little bitter I had the roost busted twice in one weekend.


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## jeepguy (Nov 7, 2005)

Bloodyblinddoors said:


> jeepguy said:
> 
> 
> > I come to Nodak and hutn twice a year.
> ...


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

They are great sleeping bags, but when you wake up to the sound of birds all the time, they are great. If I was sitting on a pond I would probably be dead from falling asleep and sinking. :lol:


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

You are argueing about nothing since you say in your first post that you hunt small transitions sloughs,which is what we here all say.....so why did you start this thread?If it's just to argue....I might as well lock this now.


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## shiawassee_kid (Oct 28, 2005)

:stirpot:


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## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

You handled my response very respectfully jeepguy, even though I was'nt very repectfull to you. I understand you are just venting a little and I guess thats ok. This is, afterall, the internet. I do wish good hunting to you 8)


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## goosehunter20 (Oct 19, 2006)

If you ask me feild hunting is just alot eisier. Usually when you water hunt you have to put on your waders and walk half a mile with your gun and decoys to get to a good spot. And when you are feild hunting you just drive out in the field drop off the decoys hide the truck and your ready to go. That and retreiveing birds is alot eiser.


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## maanjus11 (Nov 17, 2006)

I agree...I enjoy field hunting a lot more! It's hard to beat a real good field hunt in my opinion. It sounds to me that Jeepguy's failed field hunts are quite possibly caused by roostbusters! or maybe bad luck. I'm sure we've all had that happen to us.

Here's a story for you...this year a few weeks ago I was near devil's lake. Found an awesome mallard field, literally thousands of birds going into this field. It was real close to devils (you could actually see the lake from the field) so I went to the farmer's house and asked permission. To my surprise he allowed us to hunt it. He told me that he rarely notices them in the morning, but evenings it is usually loaded. So we decide to hunt the field the next evening. Well the evening rolls around and we set up and we see around 50 ducks or so. We were pretty ticked! So we load up and head back to where we were staying. We start talking to one of our neighbors to see how they did, and they proceeded to tell us where they hunted that morning (happened to be where our birds were roosting) and that they kicked out thousands of birds and shot a bunch when some started filtering back once shooting hours arrived. They had no idea what they did so there was no reason to really get in an arguing match with them. I guess the next morning they went to the same spot and didn't shoot much of anything and they couldn't figure out where they all went! It was pretty annoying that the entire time we were at devils those idiots stayed right next us but what do you do? We still had a good time and shot a lot of birds.


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## malspeck (Nov 21, 2005)

Why do people have to be idiots? I'd never heard of roostbusting until I found this site and we were stationed in NODAK and sometimes people don't read forums to gather information just pamphlets or magazine articles. I respect the roostbusting idea and agree with it but until NODAK comes up with a law then you'll have people who have no idea what roostbusting is. Print pamphlets, write magazine articles in outdoor magazines, write an article on the game and fish site so outsiders will know this about what a roost is and how valuable it is to hunters, because again not all hunters that come to NODAK go on forums to gather info.

Back to topic, I enjoy water hunting. It's all in one's preference and one is not better than the other!


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## coolrider (Sep 28, 2007)

Tough to write a law, because it is tough to define a roost. 50 birds that spend the night is a roost? Should water hunters pick a slough with no birds on it? Tough call.

It ends up being a topic more about NR and Resident. Local resident has the ability to scout more, find permission, and pattern the birds. The Non-Resident is usually on a 3 or 4 day hunt which is tough to pattern the birds in that time span and try to get some hunting in too. With land hunting, the NR may stumble across the X AND may get permission. With water the NR can drive to a spot with a better chance of success knowing ducks will want to be there. Fields change constantly and water stays in the same spot.

Busting a pond with a couple thousand mallards should give one a clue that that is the roost. However, a hundred or less are you sure it is a roost?

Tough call


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## maanjus11 (Nov 17, 2006)

well put


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

I think its more about the body of water than it is the number of birds.


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## Goon (Apr 3, 2005)

malspeck said:


> I respect the roostbusting idea and agree with it but until NODAK comes up with a law then you'll have people who have no idea what roostbusting is.!


The thing is its not illegal nor will it ever be. That is just the way it is, and will continue to be... Cabellas makes millions of dollars selling decoys. If you hunt divers on the big lakes the only way to hunt them is basically on the water.

To each his own...


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## malspeck (Nov 21, 2005)

Goon said:


> malspeck said:
> 
> 
> > I respect the roostbusting idea and agree with it but until NODAK comes up with a law then you'll have people who have no idea what roostbusting is.!
> ...


I'm a water hunter also. My point is that alot of hunters from out of state only read the laws before coming and their is no mention of roostbusting or roosts as far as I have read. Alot of hunters don't come on outdoor forums to gather info so how is a hunter to know what a roost is! Like I said growing up in La I'd never heard of a roost! I'm not saying it should be a law (which would be ridiculous). Most people read the laws and get most of their info there. The point of my post was that hunters of NODAK need to get info out there about this other than calling people idiots or being ****** at NR's who never heard of roostbusting. IMO, I'd rather hunt water anyday over the fields except at this time of the year field hunters have the advantage because it's hard to float on ice.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

There is usually a lull in the field hunting after the first couple of weekends. I hunt some water during that time. Field hunting starts getting good again in late October when it gets colder! I also love field hunting, but Monday I had a kick a** water hunt where waves of Mallards kept coming into a small slough that was freezing up! Tough to beat that as well! I agree with the roostbusting concept in theory, however I think the constant "pressure", 7 days a week is what scatters and moves out ducks more!


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## Hockeyhunter99 (Oct 11, 2007)

my buddies and i have been water hunting for years always saying the field guys are dumb (hence the name waterfowl), until one of the guys went on a field goose hunt two years ago. he said we needed to try it and last year we went in the field for the first time. it was amazing. you primarily find mallards or widgeon or teal. NO spoons and no coots (mostly). i have always loved the smell of slough and the coffee while sitting and waiting. but after limiting out before 9am with 17 drakes, 2 widgean and a hen mallard (4 of us). i am convinced of field hunting. sure i still water hunt but have found a love in field hunting that matches the slough. and their is a greater chance of getting geese and ducks in the field IMO.


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## IAduckhunter (Oct 29, 2007)

I am just so sick and tired of hearing about roost busting! Believe it or not not everyone that hunts water are busting the roost. Let it go!!!


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

IAduckhunter said:


> I am just so sick and tired of hearing about roost busting! Believe it or not not everyone that hunts water are busting the roost. Let it go!!!


This is a good topic if it doesn't get nasty.....if you don't want to participate......don't read or post on this thread. :eyeroll:


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

I think it would be a good push for some people to get a "Roost" defined some how in the regs. Like others have mentioned people read the regs and with this little bit of knowledge could help a long ways.


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## ff1101 (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm a NR, This is not Just a ND thing it's an experiance thing. We own several small (less than 5ac) pot holes in our home state, when we hunt them and we knock birds off in the a.m. are hunts are never as productive as when the birds are not roosting there. So we do here in Ohio as we always do for our week in ND. When you find a water hole you want to hunt, sit on it to see if the birds leave, and stay there for another hour to make sure they don't return. You can't define a roost by size, depth, or shape ( it can be a clue ) But rather whether or not the birds are spending the night there.

We all need to try and have some respect for each other, I don't like the flack the NR catch here, but I can defintly understand why the R get Mad. If they came into any of our states and did these things to us, we would be the one's upset. If your one of the individules saying" no I wouldn't "
Then you just don't get it and probably never will.

Good Luck 
Shootem in self defense, then you no there close enough


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