# WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS



## Guest (Mar 12, 2007)

ROBO Going Going Going Gone

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

no wonder young birds aren't makinf it to the traditional wintering grounds. I've always said these breakthroughs made poor hunters mediocre hunters... 
This just makes too much sense: http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/marsh...020.xml&coll=1

Motorized decoys could be laid to rest 
Organizations seek to limit, ban use 
Sunday, March 04, 2007 
Bob Marshall 
Sometimes ethics need a push from common sense before they triumph. The case of the motorized duck decoy may become a case in point.

When moving-wing duck decoys first showed up in California in 1998, state waterfowl biologists in the Mississippi Flyway asked their superiors for a three-year ban on the new device to study its impacts.

"We wanted to see what the impacts were going to be on the ducks before this thing got out of control with hunters," said Robert Helm, veteran waterfowl biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

By "getting out of control" the biologists meant before hunters got into an arms race with each other -- and before the sporting industry became so heavily invested in the product, it could become a powerful lobby against conservation.

The ban was rejected -- and their worst fears have been confirmed.

That original, single "spinning wing" decoy has evolved into a wide array of motorized products that include wing-flapping swimming models and huge carousel-like contraptions with a half-dozen motorized-wing decoys moving in a circle.

That evolution has been fed by the intense interest of hunters -- many of whom feel they must invest in the expensive equipment or watch ducks fly into their neighbors' ponds.

All of this is happening against the backdrop of research indicating the technology is putting hunters on the southern ends of flyways at a distinct disadvantage. The consensus of numerous studies showed hunters using motorized decoys consistently killed more birds than those sticking with traditional methods, Helm said. Perhaps more important, the studies also revealed the effectiveness of the motorized decoys decreased the farther down the flyway they were used.

"When used in prairie Canada, they were just unbelievably effective," Helm said. "But as you proceeded down the flyway, they became progressively less effective."

That was a clear indication the devices were much more effective on younger birds than more cautious adults. That also indicated fewer young birds were making it down to places like Arkansas and Louisiana than before the advent of this new hunting tool. This was happening at a time when hunters on the southern end of the flyway have found themselves becoming less and less effective.

Of course for many sportsmen, the very thought of allowing these devices on a duck marsh is offensive to waterfowling's tradition of fair chase. Live decoys were banned long ago because of their effectiveness, a move hunters always have supported.

But what's the difference between a live duck and a motorized duck swimming across the pond flapping its wings? For that matter, what separates the "flying" decoys attached to the carousel from the development of remote-controlled flying duck models? And why not lift the ban on electronic calls to allow these motorized fakes to sound like real ducks?

Concerns like those were brushed aside in the rush to get the latest tool, a rush supported by what is beginning to be recognized as the "sporting-industrial complex." It was a particularly sensitive issue in Louisiana, where one of our wildlife commissioners, Terry Denmon, manufactures motorized decoys.

But changes may be coming. Wildlife commissions in six states have supported requests by hunters and banned or restricted the use of motorized decoys. And sportsmen in other states want to join that list -- including those in Louisiana.

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation recently passed a resolution asking the National Wildlife Federation to support a ban on the devices. LWF Executive Director Randy Lanctot admitted the move was born out of self-interest, but included a lingering sense of uneasiness about the violation of fair chase.

"It got to the point that our guys are wondering how much stuff they have to buy and drag out to the marsh to hunt ducks," he said. "Plus there's evidence these things are cropping off the younger birds further up north.

"But there's also just a sense that 'where does this stop?' This isn't duck hunting. Why not allow electronic calls and live duck decoys?"

Those questions should have put a moratorium on this wave when it first appeared in 1998. Maybe common sense will force the move today.

. . . . . . .

Bob Marshall can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3539.
__________________
Moderate Seasons Should Be The Norm, Liberal Seasons 
The Goal, Conservative Seasons An Act Of Mother Nature


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

It's all bullshizz. If it is what they say it is then why are the liberal limits still in play as well as the long seasons.

Who's offering this up? Yep you guessed it, our southern brothers who aren't getting the birds they once were. :crybaby:


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

why do i feel like diver_sniper is going to like this article? :lol: 
anyways, it just sounds like a bit of whining to me, sorry to the guys down south but it's true. (it would be like guys up North here whining about e-callers in the Spring!) I just think you gotta take the good w/ the bad in the state you live in. I also feel the ones puttin up the big fuss are the envious ones or the ones that are still using a typewriter and are to stubborn to adapt to technology.

it mentions, "_But what's the difference between a live duck and a motorized duck swimming across the pond flapping its wings_?" (a lot!) :lost: where do I start?? that's like comparing a human being to a battery operated robot!
I know there are always going to be two sides to the story but seriously. pretty soon they'll be talking about outlawing calls and decoys! (I guess i've already heard of people wanting to outlaw decoys so nevermind.) :eyeroll:
(It's funny because as i'm writing this, I'm watching FA Brand's Chasin the Flight and they have 4 robos going in their spread.) good luck tryin to get these things totally taken off the shelves in every state. I just don't see it happening.


----------



## greenhead61 (Feb 15, 2007)

Got 4 mojo mallards. Want to know how many times I used them this season? ZEOR! They just dont work as well as they use to. When every yahoo in the marsh uses one they get wise quick. Shot more limits by leting everybody else in the marsh set out their robos and watched the birds flair up and sail right into our spread. Dont think I will ever use mine again unless hunting private land far away from public hunting. Birds get wise quick. Dont matter what gadget somebody thinks up, get enough people using it and the birds will figure out " hey that will get your a$$ shot" :2cents:


----------



## tb (Jul 26, 2002)

Remember the 5 stages of hunting. First stage is a killer, fifth stage is an ethical hunter, remember? I've seen posts about the 5 stages on this site. All the responders profess to be #5 stage. But I know from their posts that they use robo-duck.

Let me say 2 things for the record:

#1 - anyone who uses these things is a stage 1 killer.
#2 - anyone who uses these things is missing a lot. They're missing how to learn to hunt. How to scout. How to set up the spread just so. How to know when its time to move the spread. How to know when its time to find a new area, etc.

These are used by killers, not by hunters.


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

You from Arkansas too??
:roll:


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

Sounds like a great plan, robos just undermine the basic idea of duck hunting, and that is: calling, setting up dekes, scouting, and experience. Instead of hunting, it's simply shooting. Go the the skeet range if that's what you are into. Huntings not only about he kill, it's about being outside, connecting with nature. Your sense become better, you notice more things, and the robo just tears all of that down.


----------



## greenhead61 (Feb 15, 2007)

What are the ducks dumb up north? Cause I dont see what the big deal is about robos. I dont think their worth two cents. Hence why I dont use them. I prefer to hunt smart ducks. I aint never shot a pintail over a mojo and I shot over twenty bullsprig this year so tell me what is the big deal about robo ducks?


----------



## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

To me I think Robos are fine. If they are going to outlaw robo ducks why not outlaw acrylic duck calls because they sound to much like a duck.

I don't care either way. I hunted years without one and now many years with one. I do feel they are becoming less effective. IMHO I don't consider anyone less of a hunter for using a Robo duck.

Robos are no different than GHGs motion system and all the other gadgets that go along with hunting ducks/geese. Full body decoys, blinds, calls, motion, duck/goose magnets, etc...

we all have adapted over the years and we need to change with the times. Robos will become obsolete as many duck/goose shells have fallen off due to full body decoys. Robos will Phase themselves out.


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

tb said:


> Remember the 5 stages of hunting. First stage is a killer, fifth stage is an ethical hunter, remember? I've seen posts about the 5 stages on this site. All the responders profess to be #5 stage. But I know from their posts that they use robo-duck.
> 
> Let me say 2 things for the record:
> 
> ...


i'm sorry but that is one absurd response. for one thing, prove to me how what you say is true. go hunt w/ the thousands of crews that use them and tell me they don't know how to hunt, scout, set up a spread, etc. if anything; robos increase shot %, decrease crippled birds, & decrease mistakes for the most part. hence, they help allow up close, in your face, easily identifying shooting! tell me that is not what an ethical "hunter" should be doing, making close, clean, quick kills. i'm not saying by not using one you can't to that, but it's not on near a consistent basis as w/ one. (have you ever watched the fly-way highway??) all it is, is long shots, missed shots, & cripples while they're just sittin in the cattails w/ just their 20 floaters and no calls. amazing these guys have a tv show and are "trying" to set an example for kids. I would much rather have my kids watchin the "pros" do it.
yea i grew up many years hunting w/o one and now we hunt w/ them, so what. whether you use one or not, has nothing to do w/ how good of a "hunter" you are. just b/c you don't use them doesn't give anyone the right to label everyone else that uses them as just plain "killers" IMO.

are you against e-callers in the spring too? are you against a scope on a rifle? are you against compound bows? are you against using a rigor rabbit and electronic call while out predator hunting? i could go on and on. yea they all give you more of an edge compared to the "old" days but obviously times change. it's your choice whether you want to change w/ them.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

BANDMAN

We could argue all day, so why don't we?
First, the majority (as far as I've seen, granted I've only been hunting for 4 years) don't use it a supplement, but as a substitute. They rely on the robo instead of other abilities, which I think is absurd. Second, a robo duck isn't going to change whether a person takes long shots or not, so we can rule out that arguement.

Back to the basic fundamentals, it requires SOME skill to be able to use a scope on a rifle, a compound bow, or a tree stand for that matter, you must practice to master it. What doesn't require skill is putting a battery into a rotating hunk of plastic. Yes, I am against electronic callers, if you can't do it, or know anybody that can, then you shouldn't be out there.


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

sugerfree said:


> Second, a robo duck isn't going to change whether a person takes long shots or not, so we can rule out that arguement.
> 
> Back to the basic fundamentals, it requires SOME skill to be able to use a scope on a rifle, a compound bow, or a tree stand for that matter, you must practice to master it. What doesn't require skill is putting a battery into a rotating hunk of plastic. Yes, I am against electronic callers, if you can't do it, or know anybody that can, then you shouldn't be out there.


trust me, birds dont come in as good when you're not using a robo. i've seen it all too many times. you won't be taking shots at cupped & committed birds. you'll be taking a lot of shots at flying by and flaring birds. and about the other techonologically advanced items, i'm just saying they give the hunter more of an edge to harvest game just like the robo does. good luck in the spring, i hope you're the guys in the field next to us. sit there and try to sound like a thousand feeding geese w/ your one call. it's not illegal so you can take advantage of it as much as you want! if the robo and the e-caller do get banned someday, i know how to decoys birds w/o them and i know how to blow on a snow call! :wink:
it would be like going from my shotgun now, back to my old childhood single shot 20 guage though! IMO


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

sugerfree said:


> (as far as I've seen, granted I've only been hunting for 4 years) .


Although we value your opinion, a little more experience is required. Having goals and morals is a good thing but never allowed to impose them on others unless it is breaking rules or laws.

This nearly approaches the Zumbo tirade, not all the tools should be used for the sport just the ones "I" deem fit.


----------



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Although this topic has been beat to death a number of times, it is not going to go away. There will always be those among us that think the latest and greatest technology is needed for a successful hunt. It all boils down to the personal definition of a successful hunt.

I do not use a robo and I will admit that I have only used one, once in my life. I was not real impressed.

I seem to get my share of ducks without one.

4curl brings up the real issue of the southern regions (or anywhere else that used to be a good place to hunt ducks like Arkansas)and marked lack of ducks to hunt. unless you have had your head in the sand for the last decade you have probably noticed the lack of ducks in the sky in many areas, not just down south. Why? simply because the current system is based more on the economic benefits of duck hunting to involved states and less on the actual management of the species populations. You don't see a lot of information out there from the USFW fighting to keep CRP and nesting habitat even though they are the agency responsible for federal waterfowl management. Makes you wonder.

Bob


----------



## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

> These are used by killers, not by hunters.


I suspect that you were looking to stir the pot more than you actually believe the drivel you wrote. :eyeroll:

And the comment someone made about hunting "smart ducks" in stead of dumb ones.....That is funny stuff!!!!! If they look stupid when they come in do you just let them fly by!!!??? :eyeroll: :eyeroll:


----------



## verg (Aug 21, 2006)

I do use robos when i field hunt and yes they do bring them in quite close. However, i have to say but you may be right. If you don't have luck down in kansas i think it is because many become educated to them. I know that the first month of the season goes pretty good with them. Then the next month they really seem to scare more than decoy them. Then the northerns come in and the robos work well again. By the time they get to some southern states i do believe that they may not have the same effect. I also feel they work way better in the field than they do in water.
I shot lots of ducks before i had a robo and probably more since. I like them. However, i don't think i'd lose to much sleep if they were outlawed.
Just my experience.


----------



## hunter9494 (Jan 21, 2007)

i hunt waterfowl in Texas and i can tell you the robos work just fine, all the way down here. what's vastly more important is you got to be set up "where" the ducks want to be. the robos are just the "finisher" and i agree, they make for more kills than cripples. i don't want to watch guys shoot and hit 6 or 8 ducks (high flyers or just out of range) while trying to kill and harvest their limit. if these are outlawed then maybe flocked heads and flocked full bodies should go too.


----------



## Matt Fiala (Nov 8, 2004)

sugerfree said:


> BANDMAN
> 
> Yes, I am against electronic callers, if you can't do it, or know anybody that can, then you shouldn't be out there.


I am guessing you have never hunted snow geese in the spring???? If you can imitate the 400+ decoy spread with your call you should be giving out lessons.


----------



## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

> Remember the 5 stages of hunting. First stage is a killer, fifth stage is an ethical hunter, remember? I've seen posts about the 5 stages on this site. All the responders profess to be #5 stage. But I know from their posts that they use robo-duck.
> 
> Let me say 2 things for the record:
> 
> ...


TB,
A total inflammatory statement and I couldn't agree with you more. Honestly, I hate robo-ducks and I wish they would outlaw them.

I grew up in MN and hunted mallards in corn fields and we didn't have robo ducks. We still shot ducks regularly. When I first started hunting in ND 8 years ago (I can't believe it was that long ago) it was one of the first years that robo's were out commercially. Hunting ducks became shooting ducks, as I had all the knowledge to shoot them without them but the robo duck just made it so easy.

Do I still use robo ducks today? Yes
Do I use an electric caller on snows? Yes

Am I stage one killer for ducks and snow geese? Yes

I'm probably a much higher stage for honkers and upland but for those two species I'm a stage one.

TB just called a spade a spade and ****** off some of you because you think you are farther along than you really are. Your killers, plain and simple. Good hunters, but stage one killers none the less.


----------



## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

BZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wrongo buckwheat!!! :eyeroll: :eyeroll:
Judge and jury now too eh Jed????
You couldn't be more wrong on this one!!


----------



## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

im not quite sure what to say on this one, i do agree that if robos were banned nationwide it would ween out alot of the $hitty hunters that think there as good as the hardcores(myself). But.....like said before, times have changed and it isn't the 80's where you can put out beer cans for decoys and shoot a limit of mallards. If robos get banned they're just gonna come up with something that works just as good, that they can get approved to use for a few years before it gets banned too. It will be never ending.............

I personally don't know any hunters that don't use them, and im sure as hell not gonna compete with hunters who who suck but shoot ducks still cause they use them.

The only way i wouldn't use them is if i owned a bunch of land and didn't let anyone but my crew to hunt it, but thats not gonna happen in a long shot. So when competing for land(like most of us nd RESIDENT hunters do) i think they're a must


----------



## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

I use what ever it takes to kill. Even though I know what I'm doing I could careless if these tool's catagorize you into a stage of being a a certain type of hunter.
Killing is the name of the game and it wont change for me. Why not legalize e-callers in the fall for snow's. It would just make those bloody piles of geese bigger in the pictures.


----------



## kaiserduckhelm (May 26, 2005)

Whoever thinks these things are not effective try sticking one in a cornfield the duck are FLYING over not using. They will try to eat the thing. :lol:

I like shooting duck in the field, its easy as hell, nothing like getting a thousand mallards to commit at a mile high and be in your lap in a couple seconds. Just takes a little scouting and thats it. Your only fooling yourself if you think it takes "skill" to shoot mallards in a field.

Will I still do it.......Hell yeah. :beer:


----------



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

*averyghg wrote*



> I personally don't know any hunters that don't use them, and im sure as hell not gonna *compete* with hunters who who suck but shoot ducks still cause they use them.


Nothing personal averyghg but the highlighted word in your above statement IMHO is what is wrong with any type of sport hunting now days. Ya I know I am an old guy trying to hang on to a little tradition but I don't have the latest and greatest decoys and I still manage to shoot my share of ducks and geese. You don't even need more than a few decoys if you find and set up where the birds want to be.

Hunting has changed drastically in my lifetime from one extreme to the next both in game populations and technology. Many hunters today seem to feel cheated if they do not end up with a pile of birds at the end of the day and believe me I have been there and done that. I will not disagree that the kill plays a major part of any hunting experience but for me it is secondary to the experience and the personal challenge.

I think no less of people that use a robo to hunt ducks, as I said previously I just don't need one.


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

sugerfree said:


> BANDMAN
> We could argue all day, so why don't we?


where did you go? :wink: just givin ya crap. i'm sorry, but by reading all the other experienced hunter's opinions, i think you can say there is a consensus among the majority of us on the way we associate things alike.
keep em' or take em' away, the better are still going to be the better either way. if you don't wanna have a good-lookin; life-like spread, don't wanna learn how to call effectively, don't wanna get up that extra hour early in the morning, don't want to do the little things, etc. always expect to be on the low end of the totem pole when it comes to the world of waterfowl hunting. that's just the way it is these days!


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

bandman said:


> trust me, birds dont come in as good when you're not using a robo. i've seen it all too many times. you won't be taking shots at cupped & committed birds. you'll be taking a lot of shots at flying by and flaring birds. and about the other techonologically advanced items, i'm just saying they give the hunter more of an edge to harvest game just like the robo does. good luck in the spring, i hope you're the guys in the field next to us. sit there and try to sound like a thousand feeding geese w/ your one call. it's not illegal so you can take advantage of it as much as you want! if the robo and the e-caller do get banned someday, i know how to decoys birds w/o them and i know how to blow on a snow call! :wink:
> it would be like going from my shotgun now, back to my old childhood single shot 20 guage though! IMO


there is a huge difference between hunters, and sky busters. And I am a member of the former. Would you believe I only lost two birds last season, and those were ones I couldn't get to? I obviously just think robos take the responsiblity off of the hunter's shoulders.

P.S. I don't field hunt, I hate it.



4CurlRedleg said:


> Although we value your opinion, a little more experience is required. Having goals and morals is a good thing but never allowed to impose them on others unless it is breaking rules or laws.
> 
> This nearly approaches the Zumbo tirade, not all the tools should be used for the sport just the ones "I" deem fit.


tell me 4 curls, isn't everything you've learned since childhood been skewed in some way? We will always impose our opinions, and everybody on this forum knows that their opinion is the right one, and won't listen to another.

maybe there is a difference between ND birds and oregon birds, but I seen to get plenty without a spinner.



Matt Fiala said:


> I am guessing you have never hunted snow geese in the spring???? If you can imitate the 400+ decoy spread with your call you should be giving out lessons.


you got it, I've never purposely hunted snows, so I obviously have no experience in that subject. However, I still stand by my statement.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

sorry bandman, I was on personal leave :wink:


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

sugerfree said:


> sorry bandman, I was on personal leave :wink:


no, you were practicing on that snow call of yours weren't you? :wink:

one more brain-buster for you! Do you ever use bait (dead or alive), fish/smell attractant, colored lures, or anything other than a J-hook for that matter when out fishing? 
Legal? Yes
Effective? better believe it
decieving? Of course
my way of doin it?? damn straight
Traditional, ?? that's up to you to decide! (there are always those out there that are gonna argue)


----------



## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

> You don't even need more than a few decoys if you find and set up where the birds want to be


Well thats the problem Bob, im not sure where you hunt, but there is always somewhere where the birds want to be. There's so much competition to get on the "X" we end up trying to run traffic on a lot of them. We have done pretty good using this method, but without our lucky ducks, high quality spreads, good calling, and hunting smarts we probably wouldn't ever get to shoot any birds.

Thats what im talking about when i say "compete"


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

bandman said:


> no, you were practicing on that snow call of yours weren't you? :wink:
> 
> one more brain-buster for you! Do you ever use bait (dead or alive), fish/smell attractant, colored lures, or anything other than a J-hook for that matter when out fishing?
> Legal? Yes
> ...


yeeah, you caught me bandman. :beer: I'm only the best because I practice so much. 
No, I only fish with my hands and occasionally a spear.
Does powerbait count? Yeah, I've used those things out fishing, and you have a good point that the job isn't soley on the fishermen, but what does that have to do with duck hunting?


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

sugerfree said:


> tell me 4 curls, isn't everything you've learned since childhood been skewed in some way? We will always impose our opinions, and everybody on this forum knows that their opinion is the right one, and won't listen to another.


Skewed? Never.
I've hunted waterfowl "Every" imaginable way. Every time out better than the time before.
I take everyones opinion seriously and only relish in the ones that will not cause harm to me and mine in the long term of waterfowling. Imposing any ban on guns or hunting gear is a foot hold we cannot give an inch on no matter what it is. If you are part of the "TRUE" gun owning hunting community you could see beyond the so called high moral ground
that some hold, you would not relish in such foolish trivial rubbish. 5 ducks a day and 60+ day season, certainly not a shortage of ducks due to "robo".

I don't give a damn what goose call you use, what duck call you use, what decoys you use, what rig you drive or whether you use a robo or not, if you throw your "brothers under the bus for something trivial as this we may as well hand all our crap over tomorrow.

You want to do something productive, put your barely adult energy into ridding the hunting community of commercialization which will be our end all if not curbed or stopped.

Call me the "facilitator" and my soon to be 10 year old son "killer"!! 8)


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

4CurlRedleg said:


> Skewed? Never.
> 
> I take everyones opinion seriously and only relish in the ones that will not cause harm to me and mine in the long term of waterfowling. Imposing any ban on guns or hunting gear is a foot hold we cannot give an inch on no matter what it is.


yeah, that's the word I used.

But wait a minute 4 curl, hasn't there already a ban on certain hunting stradegies? How about live decoys? Did you forget about that? I really haven't seen that restriction spreading around to other items, so who's to say a ban on spinners will be any different?



4CurlRedleg said:


> 5 ducks a day and 60+ day season, certainly not a shortage of ducks due to "robo".
> 
> 8)


did I ever complain about a "shortage of ducks"? I don't believe so. My arguement was the sporting value in one, and how some seem to think it's a suitable replacement to other, more traditional, methods. After all, isn't hunting all about tradition? Passed down by one family member to another?



4CurlRedleg said:


> put your barely adult energy into ridding the hunting community of commercialization


Thanks for the flattery, but we probably all agree I'm not an adult. So really my opinion shouldn't matter.


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

sugerfree said:


> Thanks for the flattery, but we probably all agree I'm not an adult. So really my opinion shouldn't matter.


Agreed.

When were live decoys outlawed?? Year, era, What?? If you don't know just ask.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

4CurlRedleg said:


> Agreed.
> 
> When were live decoys outlawed?? Year, era, What?? If you don't know just ask.


about 1930-ish, if I'm not mistaken. Why do I feel like you are trying to trap me?


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

sugerfree said:


> yeeah, you caught me bandman. :beer: I'm only the best because I practice so much.
> No, I only fish with my hands and occasionally a spear.
> Does powerbait count? Yeah, I've used those things out fishing, and you have a good point that the job isn't soley on the fishermen, but what does that have to do with duck hunting?


Was catching a fish w/ your hands, a spear, or just a (tree limb, line, & a hand-made hook) considered traditional once upon a time? Yes! have attractants raised a red flag along that time-line somewhere? Yes! do you see where i'm going with this? 
Now here's my point: using bait, smell attractants, or deceiving lures to catch a fish is no better than using a robo to harvest a duck. my point is people have tricks up their sleeves, some tricks just grow into "norms" in society with time (like smell attractants, perfumes/colognes). Did fish attractrant turn into a norm? for some it did! will a robo turn into a norm? for a lot it already has!
a robo is nothing more than a new attractant (not bait); just like fishermen, big-game hunters, and predator hunters use. but unlike a smell attractant, it only happens to be an "*eye*" attractant! Should it be illegal for ladies to have their barely covered breasts or g-string underwear hangin out in the bars so the guys don't go chasin after em' w/ naughty little thoughts in their minds? (It's their choice!) I don't know if that is a bit over the edge, you can be the judge, but i hope you see what i'm saying. 
While some women (mainly conservative mothers) might view that atire as a bit too provocative (just like some guys view robos as a bit too much) some women may simply view it as a new trend that attracts.(it all just really depends on what kind of person you are and what lane you choose to drive in.) anything legal is anyone's right until a law says otherwise. there i guess i said it, a robo attracts ducks like lingerie attracts guys! wow, this has taken me down a different path but i get my point out in different ways sometimes.


----------



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

bandman said:


> there i guess i said it, a robo attracts ducks like lingerie attracts guys!


 

Wow why didn't someone frame this argument in these terms earlier?

NOW I get it!



Ryan


----------



## fungalsnowgoose (Sep 11, 2004)

I thought that the total number of Ducks making it that far south was dwindling due to warmer winters anyhow? So if your total population is dropping due to warmer winters doesn't it reason that you' d have fewer juvenile ducks around?


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

sugerfree said:


> about 1930-ish, if I'm not mistaken. Why do I feel like you are trying to trap me?


Your close, they were outlawed the about same time market hunting fell.
Market hunting=COMMERCIALIZATION!! Birds killed by the millions for $$.
Hate to use the 2 words in the same sentence market and hunting, it was not hunting then and it is not hunting today IMO.

When I start using the spinner to slaughter for $$ you can use that corrolation. OK?


----------



## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

4curl...I need to get you outside this spring. I think you're getting the offseason bug a bit early. I'll convert you back to the way of the snow goose yet. 8)


----------



## averyghg (Oct 16, 2006)

> Should it be illegal for ladies to have their barely covered breasts or g-string underwear hangin out in the bars so the guys don't go chasin after em' w/ naughty little thoughts in their minds?


Hell no it shouldn't be illegal!!! Those dirty little thoughts are all i have!!! hahaha :jammin:


----------



## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

bandman said:


> why do i feel like diver_sniper is going to like this article? :lol:


I do indeed.

I say just make em illegal. Don't just limit it to motorized decoys either, make it all spinning wing decoys, so those wind powered ones get hacked too.

I just don't see how anyone can feel any sense of accomplishment by shooting ducks that float in hypnotized by _one_ of their decoys. I know a farmer that I visit quite often during duck season. He told me that when he goes duck hunting he takes three things with him. A finisher, and robo, and a shotgun. No other decoys, just the robo. He said that in his two times out last year he had 3 separate ducks actually fly into and collide with his robo duck. Now if that doesn't make it seem a little easy... I'm not sure what would. I guess it's just the great equalizer of duck hunting. Whatever, I'm tiered or arguing with people about it.

Oh, btw, has anyone tried one of those strobe light robos? I'd like to see about a half dozen of those things on a vortex. Christmas in October :lol:


----------



## 4CurlRedleg (Aug 31, 2003)

Chris Hustad said:


> 4curl...I need to get you outside this spring. I think you're getting the offseason bug a bit early. I'll convert you back to the way of the snow goose yet. 8)


I'm in. Seen 2 large flocks around Bowdle and Eureka today, they are getting close.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

Ok, you know what, I give in, happy now? This arguement has gone way to far. But.... I still think anything that requires absolutely no skill at should be frowned on, just like anabolic steriods.

Bandman,
perhaps we outta start putting out g-stings and push-up bra's instead of decoys? You may have been on to something when you said that.....


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

sugerfree said:


> Ok, you know what, I give in, happy now? This arguement has gone way to far. But.... I still think anything that requires absolutely no skill at should be frowned on, just like anabolic steriods.
> 
> Bandman,
> perhaps we outta start putting out g-stings and push-up bra's instead of decoys? You may have been on to something when you said that.....


i sure like to think i was anyway,  I just wanted you to see the correlation on a different level. 
i'll say one more thing i gotta get off my chest before you give up! there are 5 ways to make your decoys more visible: color, numbers, decoy size, location, & of course "movement". movement is movement whether its hand operated, battery operated, or wind operated. (flags, magnets, reel-wings, jerk-cords, robos, air lucky's, etc.) they all attract attended birds. does it take a certain "skill" to run any one of them? you deciding when to run the flag is just like pressing the button on your remote for the robo. I just think a flag can be equally as effective hunting canadas as a robo can be hunting ducks. (some will say the same about reel-wings and snow geese but they haven't sold me b/c of the waste of money when they shatter into a million pieces.) whether you put that flag in your hand or on a remote-controlled pendulum, it's going to do one thing; "attract" curious geese into your spread.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

bandman said:


> i sure like to think i was anyway,  I just wanted you to see the correlation on a different level.
> i'll say one more thing i gotta get off my chest before you give up! there are 5 ways to make your decoys more visible: color, numbers, decoy size, location, & of course "movement". movement is movement whether its hand operated, battery operated, or wind operated. (flags, magnets, reel-wings, jerk-cords, robos, air lucky's, etc.) they all attract attended birds. does it take a certain "skill" to run any one of them? you deciding when to run the flag is just like pressing the button on your remote for the robo. I just think a flag can be equally as effective hunting canadas as a robo can be hunting ducks. (some will say the same about reel-wings and snow geese but they haven't sold me b/c of the waste of money when they shatter into a million pieces.) whether you put that flag in your hand or on a remote-controlled pendulum, it's going to do one thing; "attract" curious geese into your spread.


Well, the few times I've field hunted, I didn't use a flag either. . There is a huge step from the first 4 to the last three, and it's a line we should not cross, as ethical hunters.


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

i know how long you have been hunting and about how old you are. i also know why you've only hunted fields a select "few" times. Obviously, you weren't successful at it because you haven't learned all the basics and didn't know what you were doing. Come throw "ethics" about waterfowl hunting in my face when you've been around the game a little bit longer. Am i going to listen to you then? Fat chance. 
besides i already made you cave in so i don't know why i'm still up replying to you explaining myself even more than i already have. I've wasted wayyyy to much time on this topic.


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

bandman said:


> i know how long you have been hunting and about how old you are. i also know why you've only hunted fields a select "few" times. Obviously, you weren't successful at it because you haven't learned all the basics and didn't know what you were doing. Come throw "ethics" about waterfowl hunting in my face when you've been around the game a little bit longer. Am i going to listen to you then? Fat chance.
> besides i already made you cave in so i don't know why i'm still up replying to you explaining myself even more than i already have. I've wasted wayyyy to much time on this topic.


we were having a friendly conversation and then you pull that card, no, I'm not laying down and taking this. You don't listen to what I say, then you go out and insult me, then you expect me to listen? Nice try, but I'm not stupid, or did you fail to noticed? And it wasn't you who made me cave in, it was the extent of the article of conversation, I felt it carried on far too long, and yet here we are, continuing it despite my efforts.

There you go, assuming the worst, you think it's because of lack of experience I've only gone field hunting a few times? But wait, that must be the only possibility. Perhaps I have a preference to the water, the sound of the river, the feel of the waders, the smell of the air, and sight of the ducks cupped? But of course I wouldn't, the reason I don't field hunt as much is because I'm no good at it. Good call.

And is age really a standard for experience? I'm sure there are 12 year olds that can take you at chess, jeopardy, or god forbid shooting. I've seen some kids do some amazing things with a 410, yet here you stand, saying age is the end all. Experience is the standard for experience. Granted I haven't seen nor done as much as you, does that mean that I have seen and done nothing? Tell me that one bandman.


----------



## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

> but I'm not stupid, or did you fail to noticed?


 :rollin: That is a great line!!!!!


----------



## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Am I the only one who hates how the younger crowd writes on the internet? They don't capitalize and they don't use punctuation. How about breaking up your thoughts into paragraphs.

How do they ever expect to get a job where you have to correspond with people?

Yes, I know its the internet but it just says in giant letters, I'M AN IDIOT.


----------



## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Back to the robo topic:

Here in ND I think that the robo is ultimately going to lead to a negative effect on hunting. It already has in east central ND were I hunt. Young ducks find robos too attractive to ignore, and ducks are beginning to fly once a day. This never used to happen until late in the year with cold weather. Over the last two seasons I have had a lot of big feeds scouted in the evening only to not have the birds show in the morning. I believe this is caused by increased gunning stress on the birds due to the effectiveness of robo ducks.

That being said, and as much as I hate to admit it, as long as they are legal I will have one in my spread. If the guy next to you has one and you don't, your in for a slow day. (yeah, I'm a stage 1 KILLER and like to pull the trigger when I go out)

_ps: Gandergrinder would you please proof this for me. I would hate to look like one of those young idiots. Thanks_


----------



## bandman (Feb 13, 2006)

Sugerfree,
I didn't mean to insult you if you felt you were. I may have got a bit edgy late at night when I seen the word "ethics" (something people will never agree on.) I may have just took it the wrong way from someone quite a bit younger than myself and got a little defensive so I'm sorry if you feel you were insulted.

On the other hand, I am sooo over this topic right now.. I'm just so sick of hearing/talking/arguing about it. I have something a little more important to deal with.
Take it ez!


----------



## Triple B (Mar 9, 2004)

fella's here's the deal, with or without robo's early season ducks are stupid as hell, period! the first couple weeks would be a slaughterfest either way, so I'm not sure what the huge deal is, in my opinion spinners lose their effectiveness and may even be a liability in some cases after the first couple weeks. Real men hunt white geese anyways!! :lol:


----------



## HATCHETMAN (Mar 15, 2007)

uke:


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

gandergrinder said:


> Am I the only one who hates how the younger crowd writes on the internet? They don't capitalize and they don't use punctuation. How about breaking up your thoughts into paragraphs.
> 
> How do they ever expect to get a job where you have to correspond with people?
> 
> Yes, I know its the internet but it just says in giant letters, I'M AN IDIOT.


Are you talking about me? I use plenty of capitals and punctuation. As for the paragraph part, when was the last time you wrote an essay/research paper, they expect you to do that. That's what the big O for organization is at the top of state examines, if you don't have good flow from one subject the the next, you get a big F in organization, and you're screwed with everything else.

"How about breaking up your thoughts into paragraphs."

Where's the proper punctuation on that sentence?


----------



## sugerfree (Feb 17, 2007)

bandman said:


> Sugerfree,
> I didn't mean to insult you if you felt you were. I may have got a bit edgy late at night when I seen the word "ethics" (something people will never agree on.) I may have just took it the wrong way from someone quite a bit younger than myself and got a little defensive so I'm sorry if you feel you were insulted.
> 
> On the other hand, I am sooo over this topic right now.. I'm just so sick of hearing/talking/arguing about it. I have something a little more important to deal with.
> Take it ez!


It's cool, it was fun talking to you anyway.


----------

