damnyankee wrote:Hee hee, just out of curiousity why do you think any public ground is yours?
I don't know how you got the idea I thought it WAS mine.......but let me clarify something. I probably should have said, "I respect that when I go into someone else's woods", instead of "you gotta respect that........".
I never said I thought it belonged to me........my point is that I respect the fact that other folks hunt certain spots - maybe they've done so all their lives. Yes, it's public ground - but all I'm saying is that I think locals oughta be accorded some courtesy. I'm careful not to do anything that would make them resent my presence there......(even if it doesn't belong to them, either)....just by vitue of the fact that they don't want to have to drive any farther to get to a decent hunting spot, than I would.
I've seen a lot of folks over the years come into the area I hunt and their attitude seems to be......"Here, lemme show you how it's done"......and proceed to run over everybody to get to what they came for. That includes shooting at everything that moves, just because they bought shells, and they came to shoot........something........anything.
Just this morning, we had a few birds that were workable.......and these guys just kept shooting at anything that flew over......including a dove. Dove season doesn't start back up 'til Dec 22nd. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to work a duck or two and get'em to stick there feet out before I pull the trigger. 'Not many folks these days, that'll be patient enough to work a duck until it pulls the rip-cord. Most folks are content to shoot'em on the 'dip', or lob some 3-1/2" 'black bull$#!+' skyward in hopes that one pellet will make it's mark.
I finally got the opportunity to work a duck without any distractions. It was a hen gadwall that I worked for a good 5-6 minutes. That'll really try your patience, 'cause gadwalls are so unpredictable - you never know if they came-in because of what you did, or in spite of what you
didn't do.
Nevermind - I'm not wasting anymore time on this. I think you and I are on the same page........you just misinterpreted what I meant, perhaps because I didn't do a very good job of saying what I intended, the first time. But I still say.....some folks just aren't going to 'get-it'........(i.e. understand my consideration for local hunters on public ground). I guess I'm foolish to think other folks might feel the same way when they hunt on the same public land where I hunt.

....and I guess that's my point. Not, "Here, lemme show you how it's done, buddy." Hell, I don't give a crap how it's done.
Happy Hunting!