# Lets call it ettiquette..



## adventuringadam (Jan 3, 2015)

I'm hoping for some opinions from fellow hunters about what you might like to see if this happened to you. 
This morning I hit up a local WMA and got skunked. At about noon I was bored with nothing flying so I fired up the boat and went to exploring. In my journey I came across a pretty killer little pond tucked way back that sucks to get to, on boat or foot. This clearly took a great deal of effort, or horsepower, to create and the water it accesses is pretty awesome. There is evidence of someone hunting it i.e. a few empties in the water and a notch in the phrag here and there. This water is not big enough for 2 groups, and there is only 1 way in or out that sucks! Being public land, I'm going to hunt it. Here in lies my question. I don't want to step on the toes of the person who put so much effort into this, come tearing into his deeks not knowing he's already there, or have him/her come ripping through my spread only to turn around. I thought I could laminate a little placard or sign that says something friendly about turning around while you still have room (if this is you you'll know exactly where I'm talking about, pm me) and stab it in the trail on my way in, and carry a spare to give him when I do eventually run into him. What do you all think? If this is/was your spot and you popped around said corner, what would you prefer this little sign say? A simple "Spot taken"? Or not worry about it and have a chat when we do happen to cross paths?


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

If I found a "spot taken" sign on the way to one of my favorite spots, I would head in anyway. It wouldn't surprise me if someone posted a sign like that and then just left it there all the time to try to deter traffic from their favorite hunting spot. Thus, I would want visual confirmation that someone is actually there, and I would probably want to talk to them as well.

After talking to them, a system of communication like that might not be a bad thing.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

great in theory but unrealistic. Just do what the rest of us do. Blow that duck or whistle call loud and make your presence known when you hear someone coming out to "your" spot..Also When I hike out to "my" areas I do the same thing, I am loud, blow a duck call etc,, to let people know I am heading out there, just so I don't bust my butt and see someone setup out in "my" areas. But inevitably it happens, you hike out there and see someone setup and you just have to hike all the way back in and hit up a back up spot. I guess you could always ask politely to join them or let them join you, depends on the situation. Numbers of people, limited birds working the area etc.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

If you are talking about FB I know exactly the spot. There isn't room for 2 boats on the pond or in the narrow trail. If you have one boat going in and one coming out you are screwed. And yes, I blaze that trail open every year with my 16' boat and 27 HP longtail and it's a bi+ch the first few times. Go ahead and hunt the hell out of it, I don't own it. Last year it was full of phrag seed and couldn't be hunted, this year it's open, but not many ducks hitting it yet.

How did those cattails taste? I always get a face full going in and out of there.....


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

If it's on a public WMA, if nobody's there when you get there, I don't see a problem with hunting it at all. It's land for everyone after all, and I believe in first come first serve on public land. I have a few spots like the one that you described, so I know how it feels to come up on somebody hunting "your" spot, but I figure that if they found it on their own they have as much right to hunt it as I do. Good on you for being worried about the etiquette though, I bet a lot of guys would just hunt it without a second thought!


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## utskidad (Apr 6, 2013)

I have often thought the same thing would be helpful when you pull into a parking lot in the extended archer season and you see two cars and know there are four draws. Which one has the archers? 

I would put the date on it with a sharpie. Otherwise, some would take it as a friendlier version of the no trespassing signs scam that some yahoos try to put up on public land to scare everyone away for the whole season.


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## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

From your description, it appears to be a case of you can't know if somebody is there until you actually enter the actual pond area. Been there; done that myself a time or twelve. If I'm the guy already there, I just stand up, wave a friendly greeting, stretch, and wait for him/her to as quickly as possible leave the area. The whole incident is likely to take at worst a minute or two. Definitely not going to make or break anybody's hunt.

If I'm the guy coming in and find somebody already there, I acknowledge the person or group, apologize, and retreat as quickly as I can without disturbing there set up if possible. I've had a couple of meetings, where I actually had to get out of my boat and push it around by hand to keep from disturbing their decoys because it was such a tight area. Again, it only took a few minutes and I was gone. I couldn't tell in either of those cases if they were super mad, but no harsh words were exchanged.

Public land is just that - public. We all have a right to be there. And, we should all try to be civil and courteous to other sportsmen and women and quickly and calmly rectify unintentional intrusions into somebody else's hunt area. As to the posting of a sign, probably not a bad idea, but as already stated, others might think that it may just have been forgotten and left there and they might decide to go see for sure. I would say if you wanted to use a sign, you should make it a white board of some sort and put the date and time on it when you placed it there to let others know that it was in fact placed there recently - like today an hour or so ago. But be prepared for somebody coming in anyway. Stuff happens. And don't let the few minutes of intrusion ruin an otherwise good communing with nature.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^
Great post dubob!

I never have understood what the big deal is when someone rolls up on another persons hidden spread on public land. Some guys take huge offense to it like they own the place. It's not a big deal. We have all been there. Now if you are hunting big water where the decoys are clearly visible and some guy comes cruising through your spread with his boat that is a different situation. 
The other thing that gets under my skin is when you are boating in the dark looking for a spot and guys are flashing lights, headlamps or spotlights in your face, or they keep waving their lights like we can't see them. We know you are there after the first flash, you don't have to keep it going. Most guys are understanding, but occasionally you will find a d!ckhead out there.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

You mean the ones in high boat traffic areas that put their head lamps on strobe as you approach the half mile out mark and keep it pointed at ya until you are a half mile past them? Yeah... :crazy:


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## adventuringadam (Jan 3, 2015)

Thank you all for the input, it is always greatly appreciated! I myself kind of doubted the sign idea a little as it does sound exactly like some of the no trespassing games those idiots play. I really appreciate the whiteboard idea! I think thats the route I'm going to go, a fresh time and date would make it a lot easier to believe that I'm actually down there. Also its only a dollar and after redoing my seats I now have a nice watertight compartment it can go in. I've never been one get upset about people being where I want to be or crossing paths in public lands so I'm not worried about the eventual day that someone does come cruising in. Come get a fresh hand warmer, refill the coffee, and go blast ducks!


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## Duckslayer74 (Nov 16, 2013)

utahbigbull said:


> You mean the ones in high boat traffic areas that put their head lamps on strobe as you approach the half mile out mark and keep it pointed at ya until you are a half mile past them? Yeah... :crazy:


I'd bet if you acknowledged them by flashing your lights to let them know you see them they would turn the lights out of your face that seems to work for me.


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

Duckslayer74 said:


> I'd bet if you acknowledged them by flashing your lights to let them know you see them they would turn the lights out of your face that seems to work for me.


Yep, one wouldn't have to think hard about flashing people back to give the signal ya see them.. Must have brighter lights to signal back than me I suppose...


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