Future of Hunting

[hunterr77]

If the farmers and land owners would not let people sub-lease, this would stop guys from biding 40,000 for 4 or 5 blinds then trying to lease them out for 12,000 to make money. I think this is where this all started.

[Andy C]

The state, or feds, could protect/enforce the laws in place and all the public land would be great again!! Understand they get funding cut every year and doing there best, but opening day is like the wild west . Should not be like that!!

[C-Bass2mouth]

Bounce the hen more

[meaux fishing]

Originally Posted by C-Bass2mouth

Bounce the hen more

#letmeknowwhatyouthinkboys

https://youtu.be/A4JSeKvJFiA

[meaux fishing]

Originally Posted by C-Bass2mouth

Bounce the hen more

or my personal favorite...
https://youtu.be/LKzxar_K060

[Smalls]

The debut of Duck Dynasty on Cable Television definitely did a number on duck hunting in Louisiana, but I think that is hunting in general. How many people were trying to manage for trophy white-tailed deer before Jeff Foxworthy and the like started appearing on TV hunting massive bucks?

The game has definitely changed and it is a money sport again. It's more and more about the rich man. I only hunt private land when invited, and it is typically someone's family land. Most of my hunting is done on public land. A lot of extra work, but I find the hard to reach places, the little used places, or the limited access areas. I love the LAAs on WMAs, and the non-motorized areas on NWRs. I have no problem with putting in the extra work to get to those ducks, and most of the Duck Dynasty guys aren't going to do that.

There is a small (1000 acres) portion of a WMA about 15 minutes from my house. Has some great sloughs that tend to hold decent amounts of wood ducks. I have no problem going over there and shooting 3 wood ducks. Easy trip, not many people hunt there, and it isn't a killer to make a 15 minute drive to kill 3 ducks in, maybe, 30 minutes.

It's made the game harder, but to me, it's that much more rewarding to kill some birds, because there are a lot of people that aren't putting in that effort to do it.

Maybe one day it will go back to the days where the common man can afford it and its not the "Cool thing to do". And I think that's all it is: it's the cool thing to do right now. That will fade away, and it will go back to the way it was before.

[noodle creek]

It's all a cycle. A drought will happen sooner or later, breeding grounds will suffer, limits and seasons will be reduced, and big money will not continue to pay to entertain clients and themselves as it will not be feasible. There may be a a period where it gets bad and even worse than it is now, but it will all eventually come around.

[noodle creek]

As far as public land, there is still a massive amount of land to hunt in comparison to number of hunters. Bottom line is, there are people who are extremely successful on just about every WMA that holds waterfowl. The excuse that public lands are "too crowded, too much sky busting" is simply that, an excuse. You better believe someone is out there working hard and killing birds. This is the case in my area, anyway. I guess i shouldn't speak for other areas.

The Duck Dynasty fad will eventually fade.

[CameronHunter]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

As far as public land, there is still a massive amount of land to hunt in comparison to number of hunters. Bottom line is, there are people who are extremely successful on just about every WMA that holds waterfowl. The excuse that public lands are "too crowded, too much sky busting" is simply that, an excuse. You better believe someone is out there working hard and killing birds. This is the case in my area, anyway. I guess i shouldn't speak for other areas.

The Duck Dynasty fad will eventually fade.

NoodleCreek......how many days do you hunt public land per season?

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

As far as public land, there is still a massive amount of land to hunt in comparison to number of hunters. Bottom line is, there are people who are extremely successful on just about every WMA that holds waterfowl. The excuse that public lands are "too crowded, too much sky busting" is simply that, an excuse. You better believe someone is out there working hard and killing birds. This is the case in my area, anyway. I guess i shouldn't speak for other areas.

The Duck Dynasty fad will eventually fade.

Yea u right. Its an excuse. When I get there, set up in my normal spot and some azzhole roles in 20 minutes before shooting time and sets up close enough that his dog breaks yo retrieve my duck. Its the only excuse I have on mornings like that. You find a spot so far in you are all alone and within 3-4 trips people have found you and set up on top of you. I'm sure you've seen it happen though I'm not sure which end of that stick you are on. Put in the work and find your own damn spot instead of pot licking. At least when I'm fishing and someone is pot licking I can make a move and still catch fish. Hunting? You're just screwed for the day.

[Spunt Drag]

Originally Posted by marshrunner757

Yea u right. Its an excuse. When I get there, set up in my normal spot and some azzhole roles in 20 minutes before shooting time and sets up close enough that his dog breaks yo retrieve my duck. Its the only excuse I have on mornings like that. You find a spot so far in you are all alone and within 3-4 trips people have found you and set up on top of you. I'm sure you've seen it happen though I'm not sure which end of that stick you are on. Put in the work and find your own damn spot instead of pot licking. At least when I'm fishing and someone is pot licking I can make a move and still catch fish. Hunting? You're just screwed for the day.

It's called "Boom-Scouting".

[marshrunner757]

Originally Posted by Spunt Drag

It's called "Boom-Scouting".

Haha! Never heard that one but I like it!

[AubreyLaHaye458]

Originally Posted by Spunt Drag

It's called "Boom-Scouting".

There's no other way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hunterr77]

Andy C not blaming farmers and land owners for leasing blinds, usually they will lease blinds at fair prices. What I am saying is that when someone leases out a whole farm then they sub-lease these blinds for more money then what they lease it for. Example you lease 3 blinds from a farmer for 6,000 each, then you turn around and lease these same 3 blinds for 8,000. Now, people talk so the farmer finds out you SUB-LEASED these blinds for 8,000 what do you think he will charge the next year. This is why the blinds and leases prices have gone up so much in the past 10 years. Just my thoughts.

[noodle creek]

Used to be 25 days a year or so, not many anymore. Many of the guys I used to hunt with still hunt same refuges, and they still kill just as good as we used to. Once i'm done guiding, I won't hesitate to go back to public land.

[CameronHunter]

Originally Posted by noodle creek

Used to be 25 days a year or so, not many anymore. Many of the guys I used to hunt with still hunt same refuges, and they still kill just as good as we used to. Once i'm done guiding, I won't hesitate to go back to public land.

So......on average for the last 5 years would you say you have hunted ducks at our local refuges:

A. Less than 2 x season
B. 3-9 times
C. More than 10x
C. 0 times

Just cause your podnas are still killing a few birds public it doesn't mean that the quality of hunting has not gone downhill bigtime on the local refuges since you been guiding at millionaire countryclub. No offense met.

[meat killer 86]

60 day 3 splits.
3 specks
50 snows
6 teal
3 Pintail
3 mallards
6 widgeon
4 greys
2 wooducks

6 duck limit of coarse.
I thank God for family land. I am proud of what we have and thankful for it everytime I go out there. Feel sorry for the people who don't hunt anymore because the sport has been so commercialized and prices have gone through the roof. Even I have a hard time affording it and we own our property. Up keep is a killer.
Boat maintenance and repairs. Decoys decoys decoys. Ammo is through the roof. Camo is through the roof. Most of the time I wear regular clothes. Like a jeans and a long sleeve green or brown or black shirt. Heck blue even sometimes. Birds can't see inside the blind if you cover it well. All in all expensive and commercialized is what it has gone too. Now I know why dad was always talking bout how it was so hard to keep up everything. Full time and yr round job right there. But like I said. I love it. Never give it up for anything.

[noodle creek]

Originally Posted by CameronHunter

So......on average for the last 5 years would you say you have hunted ducks at our local refuges:

A. Less than 2 x season
B. 3-9 times
C. More than 10x
C. 0 times

Just cause your podnas are still killing a few birds public it doesn't mean that the quality of hunting has not gone downhill bigtime on the local refuges since you been guiding at millionaire countryclub. No offense met.

What do you suggest to fix any of that?
Do you think it's not possible to have better hunts on public land than people who are paying 5-10K per blind?

[CameronHunter]

That's not my point at all. I am not complaing about my hunting experiances at all. You just seem to be standing on your soapbox saying that people shouldn't whine about public hunting in Louisiana. I just wanted to point out that your opinion loses all credibility on the matter when you have hunted public ducks ZERO days for the last several seasons...probably since ole Phil been on the tube. Things are different out there. You'll find out when you gotta go back to poor boying it.

[Smalls]

Originally Posted by CameronHunter

That's not my point at all. I am not complaing about my hunting experiances at all. You just seem to be standing on your soapbox saying that people shouldn't whine about public hunting in Louisiana. I just wanted to point out that your opinion loses all credibility on the matter when you have hunted public ducks ZERO days for the last several seasons...probably since ole Phil been on the tube. Things are different out there. You'll find out when you gotta go back to poor boying it.

Just my opinion, but I didn't find that he was soap boxing.

Regardless of the number of days he spends on public grounds, I felt there was a lot of truth to what he said. I've hunted private lands in "prime duck hunting territory" and didn't see a duck. Then again, I've put in some leg work on WMAs and NWRs and had decent hunts. I know people that hunt nothing but public land, and do very well by putting in the extra time and effort.

I feel it's all about the amount of work you put in. If you go out to Sabine and go where it's easy to get to, chances are, you aren't going to see many ducks and you will see a lot of hunters. I choose not to do that.

And before anyone jumps on me, I'm not suggesting that you're lazy if you aren't killing on public land. I've killed in places one day, and gone back the next and there wasn't a duck around. That happens anywhere if it gets hunted enough.

The fact is, duck observations have gone down everywhere....if you believe what you read on forums. It's not just public lands. The difference between having a garhole lease and hunting a garhole on public land is you can move from the public land garhole. No where is perfect. It is what you make of it.