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I been hunting the same cove on the same tree line on the same on the public water way sice christmas. OK I know that its public and the fact that I have been there every fri sat and sun since christmas doesnt make it mine, but it sure as heck don't make it anyone elses. I pulled up on my spot about 430 or 500 and started putin out my spread I got bout half the spread out and another boat came flying up and this dude stood up and got all pissy screamin bout his deks I didn't see any other deks but he swiched on his lights and sure enough about 75 yards away there was about 100 deks already there this was about 530 and yeah it pissed me off ALOT, I mean I hunted there friday AM just like always and took my spread with me when I left bout Noon, I guess these guys came in friday PM and put there spread out, I kept my cool and said I was sory and stared pickin up my decoys and instead of going on down to his spread they just sat and watched as if just to make sure that I was realy going to leave. I got all packed up and by this time its getting close on to time to shoot, I started pullin off to go to another spot that I knew of and then I saw that they were from AR then I got realy FU**ing pissed off. I still salvaged the morning killed 4 gads and bull sprig, but was just wondering what yall would have done

That's a tough one. You did the right thing by picking your dekes up. They left theirs out overnight, but, that means they were there first.

As much as it hurts to say it, I don't think you had much choice.

Bad hop man... you can't win them all.

You're a better man than me, cause leaving decoys out on a public spot don't mean chit. I woulda told
em to gather up theirs and hunt with you or gather them up and get the hell out. But considering the
good hunt you had i guess you did the right thing.

I would first invite the dumbass to hunt with me(only if he was alone)... If not then I'd a said he can either pack his deeks up and move on, or he can skybust ducks with me. I would have packed up all my deeks and gotten ready to leave, but wouldn't leave but skybust his ass off "my" hole. he woulda left after about the fourth group I flared shooting at right when he started blowing his call.

Now you WILL see him and his left over night blocks in your hole again, for years to come, for ever.

Well since you were alone, I would have done exactly what you had done. Now with the crazy SOBs I usually hunt with its a different story. I probably would have said "damn it sure sucks your going to have to pick up all those dekes 10 mins before shooting time!"

I would not have left. You cant' leave your dekes out on public land and expect to show up and hunt that spot if someone hs beaten you to it. I would have told them "sorry, I got here first this morning, you can either hunt with me or pick up your dekes and find another spot." If they threw a fit, i would have told them, then why don't I call the GW and lets see what he says about your dekes being out all night long.

ORRRR, I would have done what you did, and I'd go back tonight and take all his dekes!!!!

If it was a public spot where you have to have all decoys up by a certain time each day, then I'd have told him to go somewhere else or hunt with me. This is why we have this rule on some public hunting land; so holes/stands can't be "claimed".

How do you know he didn't just beat you there.

All in all...sounds like you made out alright. Shoulda seen the 2 kids that set up on me Friday morning...if it wernt so funny watchin' em break ice for 2 hours I woulda been upset...in hind sight, they made my day...I killed 1 wood duck

bigbeeducker Posted: 27 Jan 2008 06:01 Post subject:

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How do you know he didn't just beat you there.



If they beat me there where were they when I pulled up, If I get in line in walmart on christmas eve and your behind me and then I get out of line and go do some more shoping when I come back are you let me back in "MY" spot in line?

When you run into somebody like that, anything you do is just going to escalate into more tension. That's not what you went out there for.

I think the guy was DEAD WRONG. You leave your decoys out there over night, you pay the consequences. There wasn't anything else you coulda done but maybe report them. Just can't reason with folks like that.

I tell you one thing, though........if my motor was bigger than theirs, I'da had to make a few passes through their spread before I left.

Regardless, for every action, there are always consequences......you have to wiegh those, hard, sometimes..........they could mess with your vehicle or something. People can be real jerks, sometimes. Good guys never solve anything by being 'bigger' jerks in return. You just lower yourself to their level. I think you did the only thing you could - leave.

Pick up your dekes. Crank motor. Load gun. Begin a drive-by on their spread.

Negotiator wrote: They left theirs out overnight, but, that means they were there first.

In a sense, you are correct........but where I come from, most folks would interpret that as - "That's chicken-$#!+" If you're going to hunt here, you have to BE there before I get there.

To claim a spot, IMO you have to physically be present. Decoys left overnight should be no different than anything else anyone leaves behind.....candy wrappers, coke bottles, other personal garbage left for the next guy to deal with.

After this story, I'm going to go put a pair of side-cutters in the boat.

Anatidae: I've thought about this since I made my post.

I think you are absolutely right. The guy who left his dekes out was dead wrong.

If I was looking for a fight, I think I might have found one that day.

On the other hand, kicking somebody's booty, or worse, getting mine kicked never solved anything... for me anyway.

It was just a bad situation anyway you look at it.

I like the side cutter idea- but you have to see the dekes before the morons show up. I had the same experience about 3 years ago.....after the sun got up I saw the dekes 75 yards away- 30 minutes after shooting time the owners showed up. The sad thing was the wind direction had changed over night- I set up with the wind and killed birds- they watched the show.