# Who is gonna do what for whom



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

As I have been reading posts today and tonight I can't help but notice the vast majority of posts in recent days have been about negative hunting experiences.

Why is it that so many here post about a problem that they have had hunting? do you want someone here to solve your problem, fix your situation, give you advice to make you feel better. Or do you just like to stir the pot and sit back and watch the fur fly. Or do you just like to ***** about things?

Why is it so important to tell everyone here that you witnessed something while hunting that was "Unethical" in your view of the world but you never tell us if you did anything to change the situation.

Why is it that NR's are to blame for everything that has gone wrong with North Dakota hunting since Lewis and Clark were here. Is it convenient to just blame them.

Earlier this season some of you read a post that I made about teaching 2 guys from MN and 2 guys from WI how to field hunt, It was one of the top 5 experiences that I have had hunting, it was rewarding even though I did it for somewhat selfish reasons, I did not want those Jerks to screw up my hunt! but you know what guys, I made 4 pretty good friends that day, we have been keeping in touch and Dave and Lane called tonight. We talked at length about how they have been trying field hunting at home and are amazed at how well it works. The experience has changed my thought process and we are making plans for next year for both my state and theirs. And you know what they think that North Dakota needs to take action before it is to late.

Wouldn't it be nice to read posts about the guys that got together at the cafe with the group at the next table and they all hunted together and introduced them to a "North Dakota" experience, or about the guys that were being "down winded" and they all combined forces.

A prominent Member here stated today that he is sick of North Dakota being compared to anyplace else and that North Dakota should not be brought down to the level of other states they should be brought up to North Dakota standards. Why souldn't we as North Dakota Residents be held to the same standard? North Dakotans are some of the finest people in the nation, Most will wave at you and they don't have a clue who the hell you are!!!!

I am probably stepping on some toes here and if you would like to take your shots, knock yourself out, I don't care!!!!

All I know is we grow from childhood with someone fixing all of our problems, and then one day we learn to stand up and fend for ourselves, 
Well guys it is time to stand up, if you witness a situation that is going to harm the future hunting of the area, talk to the people involved, ask if they would like to come over to your honey hole and see how you do it.

If you see a group getting ready to walk some CRP stop and visit with them, if you get to walk their field with them invite them to yours, you have just doubled your hunting area.

It is the North Dakota Thing to do. You will never get everyone you visit with to agree with the way you do things, some people are set in their ways and will not listen or do not care to learn and in my opinion it is their loss.

On a closing thought If you decide to give of yourself and share the knowledge, you also need to share your knowledge and yourself with the people that are working very hard to get the necessary changes adopted with the Legislature to keep the standards high for North Dakota Hunters and our guests. Would you be able to sit and type coherent sentences on this site if someone had not educated you. Education and Action are the two main factors needed to exact change. Get involved in life, it is to Damned short to waste!!!!

Bob


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## wiscan22 (Apr 4, 2004)

Nice post Bob. Well written, well said. Hope the rest of us can learn from it.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Bob... I think one of the biggest problems is the hunting has been so good some of the biggest complainers are spoiled rotten and probably a bit lazy. Quite frankly I don't think most of these guys know what "tough" hunting is. To make things worse many cut their teeth on field hunting and know little about any other methods. Dispite what they think there are ways to hunt the roost without driving the birds off and many of the guys that have slogged sloughs for the last 25-30 years know how to do it. Many give the NRs a hard time about hunting the only way they know, on the water. Not everywere are they blessed with the abundance of feeding areas we have in ND. Some places you couldn't field hunt if you wanted to. It's easy to say "these guys need to learn to hunt the fields" but when they have invested most of ther money on equipment to hunt birds on the water (at home) most of the season some may not be able to justify spending more money on a spread of bigfoots the may only use for 5 days every other year. Water hunting is also its own unique experience. I can remember days walking ankle deep grass sloughs that was akin to hunting pheasants. You practically had to step on the birds to get them up. I've seen greenheads hold so tight you would start to wonder if they were decoys. Don't kid yourself. Ducks are not stupid. With the amount of field hunting going on they will eventually wise up just like the geese. I wonder how many guys local or otherwise would spent 2-3 hours setting up decoys in a field if the limits were only a few birds. And not all of us enjoy popping our limit and being done right before the sun comes up. I personally enjoy sitting on a slough liesurley popping a bird now and then, watching other land in the decoys and just enjoying sound of whisting wings. Aaahhh. I'm probably just waisting my breath with all the "birdgrinders" here.


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

> I'm probably just waisting my breath with all the "birdgrinders" here.


 dakotashooter2; I don't think so, and hope others don't as well. :beer:

Bob; I usually save this stuff for PM's but let me just say that you are a top notch "class act". The time you take to help the ignorant "water only" type like myself is second to none. I hope to eventually get out there again and swap a laugh or two over some missed shots in a field blind. :lol: Thanks for all you do, ND and this sight are very lucky to have your support. :thumb: 
:beer:


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Great post Bob. I agree with 100% of it !


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

Well Bob.... it's pretty simple we list the negative things and call them that so people know what not to do, hopefully if even one that can read sees some of these reports they will hopefully learn what their mistakes have been and try to correct them. If we say nothing except to each and every individual I don't think anyone would get a hunt in cause that would take all day most days.

I think the sporstmen should be good sports not bad sports and have a little respect for the other living human beings on this planet too. I know the more often I am out hunting the more of this kind of stuff I see. So if you rarely get out and hunt you will rarely see these types of ***** and it would be much easier to be the all forgiving goody good dude.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

We try to help out guys whenever we can. Theres been lots of times that I have invited people to hunt with us. Saturday we hunted with a guy from Illinois who was passing through and wanted to get a hunt in on Saturday morning. I've personally hunted with 25+ guys this season, from many different states. Theres lots of times our group has invited people along to hunt and the only thing they needed to bring along was a gun. We provided the decoys blinds and everything else. The only thing we ask is that you have fun. Why do you think there are so many people in some of the pictures? Most of the guys I hunt with have a hard time telling people they can't go along.

Whether you like my view on water hunting is really not the important thing. My only goal is to heighten your awareness of the issue. If I did that in an offensive way then I apologize, that was not my intention.

I'm sure there are lots of people that would classify me as a "birdgrinder" I suppose. But why? I suppose these are the same people that would say something bad if I started a business and was successful. They would probably call me an evil capitalist.

Some seem to think that if you shoot a bunch of birds then you don't care about the little things or don't enjoy the sunrise or the just watching the birds fly. I'd go set out my decoys even if I could shoot 1 bird a day because I love it all. Scouting, setting up the dekes watching the birds work everything.

Of course I'm probably just waisting my breath on the "haters" here.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Thank You

My intent was not to offend anyone, just to get ya thinkin 

Bob


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

I was not in the mood for thinking !!!!!!!


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I agree Bob. I think that it is great to help others out as others have done for me. Last spring I talked with Gandergrinder only on the phone and he invited me on a snow hunt which was the best I have ever been on. I have been invited to Saskatchewan last year and had a blast with Perry Thorvig. (really PO'd I coudn't go this year, especially after the pics I saw!!) I have hunted with GB-3, Chris Hustad, Field HUnter, decoyer, and this year I have made it a point to invite other guys with us now that we are figuring things out. Ask Bob Z. if he had any fun Saturday.
I hope I didn't leave any others out, Mallard, Jason Phillips, Maverick, Ron the Convict Gilmore, the list goes on and on. That being said, you do have to be careful who you invite. You have to know that the person you invite will not start bringing his own troop to the areas you worked so hard to scout. I know that I don't own the spots I find but I have spent a lot of gas money along with Field Hunter to find these spots and we would rather not just tell the whole world about it. We have hunted with 5 Illinois guys this year and I am not the least bit worried that that would happen.
Anyway, sorry for the rambling but it is a double edged sword.


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Probably five guys I know that went up. I didnt get to go this year. God I miss it already. I will definately be going next year. I personally think it is great that you guys take the time to hunt with out of staters and "show them the ropes." We have probably hunted a few sloughs up there in the past five years that you guys would consider roosts, but we didnt know any better. From coming on here and reading the posts, now I would definately consider that before setting up. And the water/field hunting debate, I say to each his own. I would personally love to try field hunting, sounds like a great time, but as someone said above, where we come from there is no such thing as field hunting for ducks. We have public hunting areas only and you have to get in a drawing to get a blind to even hunt those. So it is just what people are used to most of the time when they come up there.


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## jhegg (May 29, 2004)

gaddyshooter,
If you have mallards, then you have field shooting opportunities.  You just have to recognize them! 8) Good Luck! :beer:


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

gshooter
I am positive that if you got into some choice field hunting, you would be hooked for life. There is nothing like it Decoys, calling like a mad man and if everything goes right the birds come in wings locked feet down and it is one amazing sight. Scouting is just about as much fun, you put on lots of miles but when you find them   

keep in touch

Bob


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

We have plenty of mallard around. The area where I am at, near where the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers meet, there are some great duck hunting areas, IF you are lucky enough to beat out the thousand or so people that show up for the duck blind drawings that occur every three years. Other than that, if you dont own land, you are out of luck. Period. There is no such thing as field hunting the area where I am at. There is field hunting that occurs about three hours south of where I am at, in Southern Illinois, but that is mostly for geese and be prepared to pay for it. There are some public goose pits (operated by the State) that I could drive down there for a drawing in the morning, but there is no guarantee of getting a place to hunt. You guys up there have it so good.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

There has to be fields where the mallards feed real close to the areas where you hunt.....there has to be! Mallards feed in the fields and then go back to water. Find the Fields! You might get a combined corn field for little of nothing if no one is competing with you. Are you the gaddy shooter that I hunted with?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

dj
I agree about the double edge sword, but if the effort is never made, the rewards are never reaped.

Later
Bob


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## gaddyshooter (Oct 12, 2003)

Field hunter...there are fields near the duck hunting areas where the mallards loaf around and feed all day. The are owned by the state and called waterfowl rest areas. They are large fields of standing corn that are flooded to keep ducks in the area. Off limits to anyone from a month before hunting seasons, till after the seasons close. There are farm fields around the area, but I have yet to ever see a duck in any field other than the rest areas. Much different than anything up there. The problem with where I am at, is there is not much rural area left. You either have to own land, be a family member of someone who owns land, or deal with the public hunting.

And no, I dont believe I am the one you are thinking of. I have hunted up there for about five years. The first year down south near Lisbon, and the last four years we have hunted near Minot.


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