# ROOST BUSTING



## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

I have never experienced a roost buster. It must be a ND thing. The area I hunt has a decent size lake that people hunt all the time and it is where the geese roost at. I've never seen the geese skip town because of it. They usually just go to the side with houses for protection or they fly to the other roost which is a mile south. Don't see what the big deal is about. I could see if both roosts were being hunted and the geese got pushed off both but as long as the geese have a alternative, I don't see it breaking the waterfowling commandments.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

If you would like to see my other topic that "GRINDS MY GEARS" go to the duck hunting forum under INDENTIFYING DUCKS.


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## wingaddict (Sep 16, 2009)

sounds like you need to get away from your computer and go hunt


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

Dont worry you will know it when it happens. after watching birds for several days and patterning them, getting permission on the field and setting up decoys only to have some guys go in just before first light and bang away on them. Once it happens the birds are gone from there for the season pretty much. It happens in ND all the time, and most times the hunters going into the slough have no clue they are screwing up a hunt for someone else. Was intentional, No, but sometimes in ND boneheads get beat to their field or spot and will go intentionally blow a roost just to screw the other guys over.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

Things must work a little different up there. I've never had it happen. Is it mostly out of staters or would you say 50/50


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

I have seen several of both. I had a group think about it this past weekend because I was setting my decoys in the field they wanted to setup in. Instead of driving up and talking to me or driving to another spot. They turned toward the roost a mile away and drove down the road but halfway there they stopped and turned around and drove back across the road into the field and setup decoys 250 yards from my decoys. It wasnt posted and I didnt own it so I wasnt going to argue with them and since I was setup i didnt care, they could have hunted with me. But back on track, Yes I have seen both Res and NR both bust roosts. And many were intentional because they were beat to a field. Hell I even had one group drive up to the roost in the dark and set off some kind of fire truck siren that scared all the birds out. Some peoples kids........ :withstupid:


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

What I have seen is a goose will come back to anywhere as long as gun fire didn't go off. Usually if they get spooked off a roost they just fly around till the threat is gone and land back down. Just in my experience.


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

I agree but in most cases gunfire is involved and that is why its called Roost busting.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

Man I'm busy jumping around to and from my debates. Couldn't roost busting be considered someone just walking up to the roost to scare them off or driving a boat through the resting birds? Or when people do this do they just shoot into the roost?


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

I would say 99% of the cases I speak of they guys walk in and shoot or drive up and jump out and shoot. Not sneak in and bump the birds out.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

What is your typical roost in ND?


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

Could be a 1/2 acre slough in the middle of a stubble field or it could be a 100 acre pothole or small lake in some CRP or pasture.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

See that the thing with the areas I hunt is that they stick to big water for roosts or somewhere no one in a million years could hunt(ex. a power plant, factory cooling tower, etc) I will have to make it up to this North Dakota for a hunt and have my roost busted and see how it feels.


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

I really have a tough time buying this whole roost bust thing. First of all, do we have some type of scientific data to refer to? I'm the type of person that needs hard evidence. I'd like to see some studies that prove birds leave the area and not just the general area, but the entire state. My guess is they just relocate a few miles away unless the weather pushes them out.

Second, isn't there another way to look at this issue? If the birds leave the state sooner because someone busts the roost less birds will be killed, correct? That means it's possible for more birds to survive until the next breeding season...ie more ducks for next year!


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## Gooseguy10 (Oct 10, 2006)

Okay, I'll take the bait as long as I am killing time.....

Roost busting..... I am not sure the birds leave the entire state at first but they definately change patterns. So if you have been scouting an area, putting time, strategy and money into bettering your chances of a successful hunt only to have a person jump out of a car and shoot up a roost, it might get frustrating.

As far as evidence, I am not sure there is a scientific way to measure it but I am sure there are endless stories from quality/experienced waterfowlers on this site to back up how busting roosts can be detrimental to waterfowl hunting.

But the problem is.....what if the roost you jump is on the X, but you can't identify the birds in the air....then you are really screwed....right slapper?


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## Acemallard (Sep 30, 2003)

I hunt a part of the state the gets hit hard every year. Busting roost pushes the birds to SD and when we go there we hunt close to the ND border and there are a ton of birds that are there. So yes busting roost pushes the birds out of the state.


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

I still don't buy into the "out of state" idea, but I agree with Gooseguy10's point. It would be frustrating to put time into scounting only to have the birds relocate to a new spot a few miles away or change their patterns. Of course the counter arguement is to make sure you have multiple options available. I'm guessing that's something most of us do anyway because it's just as likely or more likely that another hunter could beat you to the spot. Then it wouldn't matter if the birds were still there or not.

Bottom line, I think there's probably some truth to the roost bust theory, but I have to believe its an overrated issue. Plus, as I suggested earlier, _if the birds head south sooner, more live to see the next breeding season_. This is just a theory of course, but so is roost busting.


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## gooseslapper (Feb 4, 2009)

See and people are saying I'm a troll. We just had an entire conversation about the most argueable topic known to man. Nobody freaked out and it didn't get locked. We can get along and handle touchy subjects.


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

I agree with most views, but Sleeri its not so easy after doing the time scouting and getting permission to hunt ans setting up only to have bozo one and two go jump the ROOST its not that easy to relocate to one of the multiple other locations. I always try to have several viable options within reasonable driving distance of each other, but its not easy if yuo set up ten dozen fb goose decoys or 600 sillosocks and then relocate. That is the witching hour of most Roost busting, right about first light theose first few minutes and BOOM BOOM BOOM. The birds may not relocate very far. heck maybe a mile or two over, but it still sucks because the entire pattern had just been shifted, flight patterns fields everything.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

There is a reason the #'s on Sand Lake refuge in SD jump significantly during NR opener every year. Not trying to pick on NR's, i'm a MN resident, its just the way it is when much of the water birds have been resting or roosting on since summer gets shot up.

On another note, ive had a harder time finding good feed fields this year with the # of flooded fields. Transition slews (usually flooded fields for us right now) have been a great option. That might change now as smaller stuff is freezing up.


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

cgreeny, hard to argue with your last point. You are screwed if your decoys are out and someone busts the roost, but that isn't the focus of my argument. I'm disagreeing with the view point that the birds just get up and leave the entire state. I think it's far more likely they find another spot a few miles away or maybe worst case the next county...and again, if they do take off, there will be more ducks for next year...

Guess I've just never been in a situation where I setup in a field and someone busted the roost. Maybe its just one of those things that has to ruin your day before you understand the situation.


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

> There is a reason the #'s on Sand Lake refuge in SD jump significantly during NR opener every year. Not trying to pick on NR's, i'm a MN resident, its just the way it is when much of the water birds have been resting or roosting on since summer gets shot up.


Isn't it just as likely they are fleeing to the refuge because they're being shot at over someone's decoys? I think this is where we need hard, cold evidience. I don't think you can just assume all those birds came to the refuge simply because their roosts were busted. That's quite a leap of faith. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but you need to rule out a host of other variables before you can state that as a fact. Could be the sudden burst of hunting pressure in general, could be the normal migration, could be weather, could be a farmer picking his field, could be anything that spooks the birds. Again, I'm not saying it isn't possible, I just need a little more evidence before connecting the dots.

Interesting topic. Lots of good points. I think someone could make a career out of researching this issue!


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

Agreed, most will not go very far right away, but after enough pressure in an area they will and do pick up and move from say DL to SE ND or along the way there. I have a farm there and just because there is a ton of water, come the middle of the season the birds just get tired of constantly relocating and get up high and high tail it in a south easterly direction. :beer: :beer: :beer:


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## sleeri (Oct 9, 2006)

LOL, this is kind of like arguing about who the greatest football player of all time is... it could go on forever... :beer:


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## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

The SD refuge thing always gets me....

Do people think that early goose seasons put pressure on ducks (a month of seeing decoys spreads)? They may not be getting shot at but they are not able to land in fields to feed or water to loaf, roost, etc (where it is legal to hunt early geese over water). They are getting pushed around. Then you have a youth season (just another example of pressure). Then you have the Resident season (pressure # 3). Then you have the Non-resident opener (pressure # 4).

So to recap.... Early goose, youth hunt, resident season, then NR opener. So that is four different seasons where pressure increases as each season comes along. Then you add into the fact that when the NR opener happens weather is starting to shift into colder temps, food sources are starting to get depleted (other than wet years where standing crops - this year). Plus migration also at this time of year starts to kick in.

But with the roost busting I see peoples frustration like mentioned. You scouted, have the field lined up, set up all the decoys.....then first light...boom...boom...boom.

Not to start another huge debate.....but wouldn't a trespass law stop most of the roostbusting where people jump out of car and shoot? And before people go off on that....I understand the pros and cons of this debate. You can't always find land owners, farmers don't want to be bothered, etc.
But it is just food for thought.....could be away to nip it in the bud is all I am saying.


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

Chuck Smith said:


> The SD refuge thing always gets me....
> 
> Do people think that early goose seasons put pressure on ducks (a month of seeing decoys spreads)? They may not be getting shot at but they are not able to land in fields to feed or water to loaf, roost, etc (where it is legal to hunt early geese over water). They are getting pushed around. Then you have a youth season (just another example of pressure). Then you have the Resident season (pressure # 3). Then you have the Non-resident opener (pressure # 4).
> 
> ...


I think you have hit the nail on the head.

Sure I fully understand that the birds will leave that particular roost if it is busted but I don't feel they go very far.

I think many people "think" they leave the state due to roost busting but I feel it is more than likely caused by your above mentioned combinations of preassures/weather/ect.

Nice job on everyones part on keeping it cival!! (although this dead horse has been beat for quite some time now)


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## huntingtim08 (Sep 17, 2004)

The birds do leave the roost and move to the next one till someone shoots them off of that one and then there out o the area. I hunt the same area the whole year, i watch the birds on every roost and i know where there going at nite. When i put all the work and scouting in all season to learn everything i can about the birds and know what there doing, it pi$$e$ me off to have it all ruined by a boat that comes or one weekend shoots them away and there gone. It doesnt bother them cuz they wont be back next weekend they get there one weekend o great hunting but ruin it for us locals.


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

well, it almost made it.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

I have the proof that busting roosts works! I know of campgrounds that have beaches and therfore they're allowed to remove the geese by shooting them. Trust me I've seen 75 birds one day, 20 the next and by the third day their gone. This is after they've removed maybe 10 - 12 birds over the three day span. Each day there seams to be less birds sticking around and trust me they don't come back at all.


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

:beer:


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## IAMALLARDMAN (Sep 15, 2009)

What do you mean it works?


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## acduckhunt1382 (Feb 11, 2009)

Thats why i love where i hunt!!!! The main roost for both ducks and geese are on a public lake that can be hunted but they mark off refuges through out the lake. I see both sides of the story because in the middle arm of the lake they have a huge corn field and flood the middle of it a month before season, and this is the birds main roost at first. They allow people to hunt this area 4 groups of 4, just 2 times a week and within the first two weeks the birds are moved onto the north or south refuge witch both will hold the birds the rest of the season because nobody is allowed to hunt these spots within 300yds. Now another spot I hunt in southern IL is a 2 mile long by 4 mile wide flooded corn,woods, and millet fields. This is a major roost for the majority of the birds there and they hold birds til season end and its packed with hunters ever 100-150yds.


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## MN goose killa (Sep 19, 2008)

Wow a roost busting thread that hasn't turned into a full blown arguement. Good work boys. :thumb:


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