What would you do?

[MSDuckmen]

Guys I want to tell you a story that happened last year and what I have found out since. As many of you know I hunt NWR’s here in the state and we have a couple of spots that we hunt regular. There is one that we hunt most of the time and we get there very very early to secure the location for a morning hunt. On occasion we get people that come in and hunt too close and have had our share of problems but manage to work them out before blows are exchanged.

Once last year we had a group set up around 150 yards from us and they didn’t really bother us simply because of where they were setup. They didn’t call a lot or make a bunch of noise, but at the same time they didn’t get many shots either. One day when they left early because they were getting no shots they fired a round off in our direction peppering us putty good and they hollered something that we couldn’t understand. The boys in the blind with me started out in their direction and I made them stop, They last thing I wanted was for someone to get in a fight out in a swamp over duck hunting.
I find out this week from a young man that hunts with me every so often that he was talking with some of his class mates about duck hunting and they told him how they were going to run some people out of a hole that they want to hunt and told them all about what I just described to you above. The young man didn’t let them know that he knew us but told me all about it and gave me their names. Come to find out that one of them is a high school son of a man I grew up with. We have been friends for dang near 40 years. How would you handle this? I have to confront him because I know if I’m not there these boys I hunt with will most likely hurt them and being shot at is not high on my list.

[dos gris]

Is this the same hole you had all your previous problems in. If so, best advise I could give ya is find a new spot. No ducks is worth all that crap.

[Anatidae]

Invite the young man's father (your friend of 40 years) to sit in the blind with you, one morning. [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] If HE can't straighten this out, the kid's got big problems. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] GOOD LUCK!

[Wingman]

Yep, nip it in the bud, or else someone could get seriously hurt in the future. What if one of those pellets had put an eye out?

Wingman

[duckhuntalot]

I agree with Scooter. Tell his father.

Hey wingman where abouts are you in Isola. Do you know a Don Fleming? (DOT)

[landscaper]

I realize that if it is public land your hands are sort of tied when it comes to staking a claim on a duck hole. If you can't keep your hole without a lot of trouble, it ain't worth it! But, if I had been shot at (getting peppered a little does qualify as beeing shot at) I would have someone in jail! I might not press any charges but somebody would spend at least one night in the pokey! Now, the fact that one of these kids is an acquaintence complicates that matter. I say you have to go to his father and explain (assuming he is a reasonable man) If he is a reasonable fellow he'll either beat his boy's butt or send him to jail himself. If I had done somthing like that and my dad found out, he would have dragged me to the jailhouse himself shortly after he bloodied my nose.
So, I say let the kid's dad straighten it out with the understanding that if he doesn't it will get done the hard way.

[landscaper]

OOOH, OOOH! Just had a better idea! If your good enough friends with this kid's dad, invite both of them to go hunting with you. Take them to the same hole where the incident took place. Don't mention a thing until you get there and then, on up in the morning, just tell the story you told us. Never let on that you know it was that kid! Just talk mad and say hunter's safety course and good sportsmanship stuff. Do that and I'd bet money he'll stain his waders and will never bother you again!

[ October 15, 2001: Message edited by: Landscraper ]

[Dutch Dog]

I like landscrapers idea myself. If you are good enough friends with a game warden or any law enforcement officer and I couldn't get things worked out I would have them with me as well as a video recorder or two...that is undisputable evidence. There ought to be some kind of punishment for the aforementioned acts. Like if you are caught spotlighting or hunting over bait or things of this nature you lose your hunting priviledges for 3 years or more. well, if it was proven that they took a pop shot at y'all they should as well lose their hunting priviledges along with having to attend some certain number, say 10 hunters safety classes taught over those 3 years and give a testimonial in front of the class about unsafe handling of firearms. That would nip a lot of this foolishness in the bud I think.

[SCOOTER]

from one dad to another, talk to his dad now,your freind should know about his sons actions, if my son ever does that i would hope someone would tell me. my .02$

[blacklab101]

Duckmen, I'll have to say it's a bad situation but I'd be darn if I picked up and moved out of a hole I had hunted a long time because of some jealous hunter. I don't believe getting shot is worth a duck but that's what they want you do; pick up and move out. I believe landscape had a good idea, sometimes someone's own concious can do enough damage.

[MSDuckmen]

dos gris
Not hunting a spot I worked hard to develope is not a option with me. It is not the same spot that duckhunt4 opened a can of worms on end of last season but still in the same WMA. It amazes me that people feel that you can just go into a public place and do what ever you want. Where is ethics and fair play in this state of ours. I have and will continue to hunt WMA's in this state but you will never catch me hunting within 200 yards of a group that has already setup in a spot. All I ask is for the same respect. In public land it is and should be first come first serve. To top it all off it never seems to baffle me as to why someone thinks your spot is the only one available. With our WMA's having thousands of acers of land and multiple areas to hunt why should anyone setup close to another. Many people just like the problem we had last year will come in at daylight and listen for shots and go to that area to hunt. When a person gathers their equipment to hunt you must decide if your going in by land or water and what you take dictates that. Just picking up and moving is not always a option in a area that you can only hunt till noon.
As for the Young man that shot in our direction that morning may or may not have been the son of my friend but one thing for sure is that he was with them.
I know what I have to do and that is to talk with his dad and I want him there when I do. His dad does not hunt so asking him to go would not work. What is interesting is how well most of you answered my request for help. I must say I'm impressed that the answers were constructive. I have made many friends on this site. Thanks for you that answered and I will post the results of the talk later.
Maybe what I do here will help someone else make a decision that will solve a problem they may encounter later.

Better days

[4-EYED GADWALL]

First things first tell that boys daddy. second the heck with public land contact me I've got about 20 duckholes for sale and aint nobody gonna bother ya