FAIR WEATHER BUDDIES

[MALLARDBUSTER]

ANYBODY ELSE HAVING TROUBLE GETTING FOLKS TO GO HUNTING?COULDN'T GET A SOUL TO GO THIS MORNING. HECK MY DOG GOT OUT LAST NIGHT AND HE WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND EITHER.WENT ON BY MYSELF,AND GLAD I DID.MANAGED TO GET A MALLARD AND TWO GREYS, HAD A GOOD TIME JUST BEING ALONE AND WATCHING THE SUN COME UP.

[RedEyed Duck]

Mallard B, I have always had that problem with my hunting buddies. Very few of them ever want to hunt Sat. and Sun. both. Don't think for a minute these fellas are quite religious because that is not the case. Glad to hear that you had a good hunt and sometimes being out there by yourself can be kinda spiritual. I had to work today but I'll be in the woods Tue., Wed. and Thur. with or without the buddies!

[NOHERE]

You know the old saying " you are outdoors, alone, but not lonely".My wife still hasn't figured this one out yet.

[Johnboy114]

HAd the same situation last weekend. My buddy told me I wasnt going to kill anything and he did not want to go sit in the pourind down rain. sure wish he had been there, killed my first pintail, had to pass up on antoher pintail that was closer than the first, and we could have killed our limit of mallards by 8. So he went with me sunday morn, and we killed 3 ducks!

[captain duck]

Redeyed Duck- if you are going to be in woods on Thurs be sure you are squirrel hunting or some other season that is open because duck season ends Wed the 30th.

[CaptnT]

After guiding for several years, and taking other "friends" for free for several more, I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy hunting by myself and my dog more than anything.

Now I don't mean to sound grouchy, or unsociable, I have had a wonderful time with many people, and have almost "busted a gut" laughing at what someone said in the blind, but the only time that I "limited out" this year was when I was by myself. I have watched decoying birds that I carefully called back flare at the last second because the other guy(s) in the boat HAD to raise his gun, had first year "amatures" instruct me how and when to call, argue about how to set the decoys in a hole that I have hunted for 10+years with somebody that has been there maybe 6 times. How many of us have told our hunting "buddy" to be ready to go at a certain time, then get up an hour or two early so you would have everything ready, only to drive to thier house and have to wake them up, sit around and watch them make coffee, take a dump, look for thier gear, get dressed, load up, drive back to thier house and retrieve whatever they forgot, only to arrive at the dock and watch somebody else put in and get to the "spot" before you, even though you were up and ready in plenty of time. [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]

I have demoted just about everybody I know to "meet me at the dock" status. I am a very patient man, but I have too much invested in this passion to let others ruin it for me. I pledge next year I will not miss any opportunities because of others incompetence, laziness, or otherwise lack of enthusiasim. We work too hard to have others ruin what could otherwise be an enjoyable experience. That way if they decide to sleep late, it will not effect my hunt.

I think the next person I will teach to duck hunt will be my son, but he is only 1 1/2 years old right now. That gives me plenty of time to get good at it! I went hunting by myself yesterday and while I saw more mosquitos than ducks, I managed to shoot my first pintail. After calling to and watching those beautiful, ellusive birds for years, and even throwing some steel at a few that I had no chance of hitting out of frustration, I finally got one. He buzzed the decoys, and as most of us know, that is usually all you see of them. For some reason, maybe lack of wind and he was tired, I got a second chance. It was a clean neck shot, and my dog retrieved him without ruffling a feather. He is one for the wall. He also was a single that somebody else would have gotten had I not been by myself, because I usually give the guest the best seat to shoot from.

With few execptions, next year will be just me, my dog, and my Mossberg.

[Unkljohn]

I'm with you on this one CaptnT. I'm not a recluse or anything but when I hunt I hunt seriously!!! When I hunt with other people none of them seem to be as serious about it as I am. Nothing makes me madder than to be working a group and have them flare off at the last minute, then look over where someone I'm hunting with is and he's smoking a cigarette
or drinking a cup of coffee out of his shiny new thermos!!! [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] That happened more than once this year!!! [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img]
JT

[mallard man]

Guys from my experiance you have got to pick your hunting partner carefully, because if you are serious about it ,then you want to have a good hunt and if the guy that you carry is not it as serious about it as you are it can be a very unpleasant experiance.So what I did to fix that little problem is I go alone and dont have to worry about somebody scewing my hunt up or constantly complaining that this sucks lets go and...well you know what I mean.I have only a handfull of buddies that I really like to hunt with and I am very selective about who I will take hunting with me also.Good Luck this last couple of days! CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!!! [img]images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]

[captain duck]

most serious duck hunters love to hunt by themselves. None more than myself. I killed a 6 duck limit by myself Friday afternoon and enjoyed the outting with my dog immensely. I enjoy my hunting buddies like Wildfowler and Uncle Walt but both of them hunt much more by themselves than they do with others.

[mallardchaser]

I too enjoy hunting by myself especially when there are few ducks...I also like hunting w/ people who love the sport as I do. I hunted w/ wildfowler for the 1st time this season, it's nice to listen to a good caller every now and then, . I hunt w/ feed call some, I grew up hunting deer w/ soft call, now duck hunt some. xpress and I were supposed to hunt together, neither of us could find enough ducks to take the other.
Well, next year can only get better.
It's time to scout new areas for next year, but I can't bring myself to tell the wife I'm going looking for ducks for next year. Feed call and soft call I know you'e out too.
Wildfowler that leaves you, I know you'll be glad to take your boat to #$%^&*(*&^%^&& and look around. Give me and soft call about a month we'll be ready...

[Wildfowler]

Fair weather friends all right, I've talked to four different people today, trying to find a partner to go shoot ringnecks tomorrow, there were no takers. Heck, I ended the 96/97 season on a Ringneck. It's not bad luck or anything. I guess it will just be me and the squealer tomorrow.

Softcall, Mallardchaser, or Captain. It will be an easy trip, you can be at work at 8:00. You won't even need waders, I'll drive you right to the spot where you can step out of the boat in ankle deep water. Just wear your knee boots.