# Don't start early



## pocone (Sep 29, 2009)

It drives me nuts when people start shooting before the official time. As difficult as it is sometimes, we know that it is the right thing to do whether someone is watching or not. Although last year someone--The Man--was watching the groups in the pond that we hunted. He paid us a visit and mentioned that he saw us wait until 8 before shooting. He also said he saw other groups around us shoot early and asked us if we could point to them. I wonder if he just wanted to verify what he saw in the binos earlier. This year it is a bit different, so make sure to check the field guide.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

I think we should have a UWN contest to see who can guess the time the WMA's start shooting!
I bet Howards goes around 7:12
Ogden Bay south run at 7:04 and north run at 7:17.
Farmington at 6:57


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

6:45 at farmington


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

Why stop now? They keep shooting early and the DNR keeps moving the shooting time ealrier, pretty soon we can be at normal shooting hours! :twisted: 

Farmington 0644 or earlier, someone will have an accidental dischage while loading thier guns.

OB 0706

BRBR 0715, folks up there are a little more scared to go ealry.


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2010)

huntingbuddy said:


> 6:45 at farmington


 +1 hahaha :lol:


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## jason411 (Feb 8, 2010)

Well were im going im almost sure i wont see or hear any other people. So shooting will start on time. No way in hell will i go to farmington or ogden bay on opening day!! Those places are going to be packed out, unless you have a boat your screwed opening day i think.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Thats just on the four "Front" counties... how early do you think it'll go at the places that still get to start half hour before official sunrise?


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## duckhunter1096 (Sep 25, 2007)

I was going to say something...then Riverrat beat me to it. I hunted the opener at Fish Springs 3 years ago...and people actually held off on the official start time. It was kind of funny. It was almost like nobody wanted to be the first. 

I think it's a pipe dream to think that people along the front will actually wait until the official shooting time on the opener. Not everyone in the marsh is like us...Based off what I've read here...we in this forum seem to be a LOT more ethical that the Elmer Fudd characters out there. Which is really cool...but also really sucks at the same time. But it's a fact of waterfowling life that I guess we will just have to deal with.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

duckhunter1096 said:


> I think it's a pipe dream to think that people along the front will actually wait until the official shooting time on the opener. Not everyone in the marsh is like us...Based off what I've read here...we in this forum seem to be a LOT more ethical that the Elmer Fudd characters out there. Which is really cool...but also really sucks at the same time. But it's a fact of waterfowling life that I guess we will just have to deal with.


About Fish Springs... I also think its because the old guy out there will come out and actually write your ass a ticket if you cross the line out there. Jay is as cool as they come but you better be straight with the regs or he'll line you out which I think is fantastic.

I agree with most of the folks on the forum... we're on here talking to each other all the time and definitely don't seem to fit the mold of a lot of the clowns you see out there in the early season. Nice thing is, the later the season goes... fewer and fewer of them have the sack to keep on hunting.


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

This will be my 1st time out here in Utah and if the adults are as bad as everyone says we may see 7:00 all the way around. Of course that pisses me off because I will have my daughter out and try to teach her by the book and ethical hunting and for a half hour she is going to here shots like we are in Afghanistan with nobody doing anything about it. I can sort of understand a minute or two but 10+ minutes that is rediculous.


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## avidhntr3 (Sep 26, 2007)

Riverrat77 said:


> we're on here talking to each other all the time and definitely don't seem to fit the mold of a lot of the clowns you see out there in the early season.


Although some of us are all talk. Heck, I claim on this forum to be a decent shot. Exactly how true that is...that's another story! :O•-:


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

:lol: NICE!! Yeah, I'm not a decent shot until about a month in.... and now that I've got a frozen up choke tube in my barrel, I may have to re-learn with a single shot 20 until I can get it fixed.


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

The thing that made me SICK this year is how many people started early on the YOUTH hunt on FB this year. I mean seriously, that's how you're going to set the example to your kids? My 12 year old even made comments about how low class it was for parents to be out there encouraging their kids to ignore the law.


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## ram2h2o (Sep 11, 2007)

If it is as usual, when you can see the ducks flying and landing in the deke's the shooting starts. I am opting out for some pleasant grouse hunting and will leave it to others to put up with the stress of opening morning. Have the rest of the season to enjoy hunting, why start it out with shouting at and cussing out fools hunting over your decoys and skybusting ducks at over 100+yards.


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

WasatchOutdoors said:


> The thing that made me SICK this year is how many people started early on the YOUTH hunt on FB this year. I mean seriously, that's how you're going to set the example to your kids? My 12 year old even made comments about how low class it was for parents to be out there encouraging their kids to ignore the law.


Ogden Bay was the same, I am taking my Daughter out on the opener and I have the same concerns. I hope that my good teaching are something she takes as serious as hunting and that she can pass it on as she gets older.


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## Jeff Bringhurst (May 20, 2009)

WasatchOutdoors said:


> The thing that made me SICK this year is how many people started early on the YOUTH hunt on FB this year. I mean seriously, that's how you're going to set the example to your kids? My 12 year old even made comments about how low class it was for parents to be out there encouraging their kids to ignore the law.


Interesting, I don't recall hearing any shot before opening time. Perhaps we were on different ends of the WMA. Taking out kids on their first hunt we made sure it was legal shooting time before guns were loaded.


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

ram2h2o said:


> leave it to others to put up with the stress of opening morning. Have the rest of the season to enjoy hunting, why start it out with shouting at and cussing out fools hunting over your decoys and skybusting ducks at over 100+yards.


I enjoy opening morning. Its fun to watch the clowns in the circus, I just need to figure out how to get my microwave into the marsh so I can pop some popcorn o-||


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

WasatchOutdoors said:


> The thing that made me SICK this year is how many people started early on the YOUTH hunt on FB this year. I mean seriously, that's how you're going to set the example to your kids? My 12 year old even made comments about how low class it was for parents to be out there encouraging their kids to ignore the law.


I thought they did pretty good the first shot I heard was like 3 mins before shooting time.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I think its acceptable when you hear shots within +/- 5 mins of the official time. You have to figure some leeway as everyone's time piece will vary a bit. Any more than that is pushing it. I think the biggest thing when teaching kids about it, is that those rules are in place for a reason. Usually you can't even see what kind of duck you are shooting at, even when shooting time begins. I generally wait until I can ID my target before I will begin to shoot. This often puts me 10-15 mins (or more if its a cloudy moring) behind the rest of the crowd. It shouldn't matter if it is legal shooting time or not; if you can't correctly ID your target, you shouldn't be pulling the trigger.


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

Chaser said:


> It shouldn't matter if it is legal shooting time or not; if you can't correctly ID your target, you shouldn't be pulling the trigger.


100% agree, I learned my lesson the hard way. Don't shoot birds if you don't know what they are. I think some of you old timers remember the incident I am referring to. Don't shoot it if you can't ID it.


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

You all should be good enough to identify them by their wing beats in pitch black darkness! If you can't you shouldn't be in the swamps anyway.
Just kidding of course and i agree 100% that if you aren't positive what it is you shouldn't be shooting. Some individuals mistake waterfowl(or not) in broad daylight. Does anyone remember the pelicans shot at Howards on the opener about 9 years ago? LMAO!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

huntingbuddy said:


> ram2h2o said:
> 
> 
> > .... I just need to figure out how to get my microwave into the marsh so I can pop some popcorn o-||


...i think you're on to something!

this....

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Yamaha17 ... +generator

....just may just be the ticket. 8) :lol:


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

huntingbuddy said:


> Chaser said:
> 
> 
> > It shouldn't matter if it is legal shooting time or not; if you can't correctly ID your target, you shouldn't be pulling the trigger.
> ...


Yeah, but if I remember right you owned that situation..... most of the folks that would do something like that are just as willing to shoot whatever the next time as well or try and hide their mistake. At least you learned something.... wish more folks were willing to learn from mistakes but it seems some are determined to continue the idiocy.


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## huntingbuddy (Sep 10, 2007)

I don't know if I owned the situtation. But I did own up to what I did. I am almost glad it happened, it made me learn how to better ID waterfowl.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

huntingbuddy said:


> I don't know if I owned the situtation. *But I did own up to what I did. I am almost glad it happened, it made me learn how to better ID waterfowl*.


Thats what I meant, sorry man.


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