Hunting Public Land ( opening day )

[DropEmInDE]

AND WHY I HATE IT, alright where to begin, well finally got some Dekes the other day cause i knew i was hunting opening day by myself, so i picked up a 12 Hot Buys, figured id at least pull a couple family groups, or some doubles, figured i wouldnt get any big Vs to come down to a dozen, but i figured like most of us would, a bad day in the field is better than a good day at werk, and thats where i was supposed to be today, so anyways, i get to the lottery station at about 4:15 this morning, and im like the 3rd person there, and for those of you that dont know, to hunt public land in DE you have to enter a lottery 1 1/2 hours before legal shooting time, and they call your # of arival at random, so you could be the first person there, but the last to get picked and vice versa, so anyways, if any of you have ever read any of my long posts, you know that i dont have a lot of money, and i dont even have a truck, so im not out there with a big fancy trailer full of full bodies and floaters and shells and all that good stuff, so back to the subject, so i sit there with the rest of the AMers, and wait for my # to be called, and slowly im watchin all the good Pit#s being taken away , and here i am second to last to get picked and no clue where im gonna go now, cause all the places ive scouted and all the places i know the birds are gonna be, are now being filled by others, so i have about 3 pits to chose from, so i pick LUCKY # 48, grab my harvest ticket and head to the field, or so i thought it was a field, i get to the parking area and i notice the gate is closed, all the gates in the area are supposed to be open, or keys are supposed to be handed out when you pick your area, somehow the lottery attendant didnt know anything about this, so now instead of a leisure 100 yard walk to the so called PIT, i now have a 1 1/2 mile walk with my Decoys on my back, my blind bag full of everything i would need for a day in the field on my back, my gun over my shoulder, and my dog trotting beside me i set off, cause i sure as heck wasnt going to walk all the way back for a second trip, oh heck no, so we set off, and it was nice at first, jumped a couple does, who scared the wholly heck outta my puppy, but she didnt freak she held her ground and didnt even bark, to my surprise, and after the excitement was over we continued on, farther and farther into the darkness down the dirt road, at this time i was starting to get worried cause i thought i was going to be hunting a cut corn field, but all i was seeing was 7ft tall marsh grass, yard after yard i walked and still no sign of any type of agg what soever, so i notice theres a mowed trail cut into the marsh grass which usually means thats the direction to the Pit, Stand,Blind whatever, so i take the trail i start to notice small puddles in the tractor marks, so no biggie we are trotting a long making good time, then i come to the edge of the woods, by this time im worried that im lost, so i take out my printed map of the hunting area that im in and study it closely all the while walking along the trail pauseing only to make sure the dog was keeping up and not getting to preoccupied with all the smells of the morning, so im walking looking at the map, when i hear SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH, then i feel the cold between my toes, then my heel, then my ankle, and i look down to realize that im standing in about 2ft of water, and as i shine my light down the trail i notice it gets deeper and deeper and deeper, so by this point, im cold, my feet are soaked, and i am T I C K E D, cause i know its a mile walk back to the car for dry socks and boots, so i get out of the water, drop my bags and call the lottery house only to be informed that the guy handing out the blind tickets doesnt even know where the blinds are, has never been to them, has no idea the conditions of the areas around them, so now, im REALLY T I C K E D, so i snatch my gear and Squish my way back to the car, when i finally reach the car, i stow my gear and search for the one thing i forgot to bring this morning, and extra pair of boots, remember before when i said i was ticked, yeah multiply that times 10000000000 that couldnt even describe the way i felt now, so i make the 15 minute drive back to my house to get a new pair of boots, so i can go back and try to get into a pit that isnt flooded, i make my way back to the lottery station, and talk to the attendant only to find out theres no pits, so i call every lottery station on in the state, only to find out every pit, on the east coast of DE has someone sitting in it, by now the suns already comming up and the skies are filling with birds, and instead of being in a pit calling to them, im sitting in the parking lot of the lottery station staring at the sky, waiting for someone to limit out quick so that i might actually have a chance to hunt, well 2 hours goes by and still no one has come back to report their harvests, but i seen a couple trucks go by and i start to wonder, because if you dont return your harvest report you lose hunting privileges to the area, finally someone comes into the parking lot and i ask them how they did, only to find out the field they were in was not only flooded but was 3 foot tall Sorgum, uncut, so needless to say i was not hunting that field, then the next truck pulled up , same deal, flooded and uncut, another pit outta reach, finally its about 8:30 birds are still flying strong, and i see the 3 young boys that were in a cut corn field behind the lottery station comming back to ther trucks with their gun bags and dog, so now im thinking YES finally, so i talk to them and they said they we done, and i was overjoyed after sitting in lot for 3 hours im finally gonna get in the field, so the boys said they had to get their decoys then the would be gone, so i un pack the car again, and get everything out and wait for them to return, sitting impatiently i see them making their way back out of the field to the other truck that was still parked next to me, i had to wait for them to turn in their ticket before i could enter the field, so im sitting and sitting and sitting and one of the boys walks over to me and says we are going to come back in the afternoon to hunt this area again, i ask what time, and they say around 2 o clock , i said no problem, ill be out long before then, thats when they informed me that they were keeping their lottery ticket, which basically means that i cannot hunt that pit, becuase you are allowed to leave the area with your ticket and return later in the day, something the Pricks at DNR started for the deer hunters in firearms season, they thought they would try it out on the waterfowl hunts, so now im LIVID, i was seeing red, but i knew i had a gun with me so rash thinking went out the window, i calmly stowed my gear yet again got the dog in the car, sat in the drivers seat, started the car, and Peeled from the parking lot, hauling ass outta there, and making somewhat of a stop at the turn and squeeling the tires as a left the hunting area, this was my first expierence hunting public land for waterfowl, i deer hunted all season with no issues because bowhunters need not enter a lottery, it was self sign up at the area you wished to hunt, so needless to say the whole lottery idea put a really REALLY bad first impression, but i guess it keeps people from camping out the night before, for first come first serve, but let me just say to all those of you who have never heard of this before, you are lucky in more ways than you know, so cherish the honey holes you have, cause there are no honey holes in Delaware, just a buncha Idiots putting goose blinds on the edge of fields, or assigning pits, in uncut fields, and allowing people to keep the pits all day so they people that come late have no chance what so ever to even hunt, and those of us that got up at 3AM to get a good area, could have the hunt of their life, or could end up standing knee deep in marsh water, you just never know, so im sorry theres really no end to this Rant, but i just wanted to let everyone know how bad this state SUX, and i wish i was out west or in canada, laying in a barley field spanking ducks and geese in mixed bag limits, but no, im stuck in the small wonder, with cold feet and an empty bag, for those of you that made it this far, thanks for listening to my madness, and for those of you that hunt private land, I HATE YOU.....j-k. just hopeing the rest of the week goes a lot better than opening morning, i will be hunting my regular Estate this friday, and i know we will be in birds, my boys had 300 or so decoy on them this morning and i almost launched my phone into the delaware river when i heard that, so cherish what you have, cause someone always got it worse, and then theres some like me who always have it the worst, so in closing i would to say thanks again for listening, and i will be replying to this after friday hopefully with pictures of a full bag limit, thanks again, and happy hunting......... Cold and Wet in the Small Wonder..........

[DropEmInDE]

holy $h!+ that thing is long, sorry guys............... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[SDMF]

I feel your pain brother!! Over here Indiana is known as the great duck desert. I've hunted 18 days so far and have only shot 19 ducks.Strange to is the fact that I have yet to kill a goose! That aint normal.Better luck next time to you.

[Richie]

I feel ya there, i had the same problem when i first started out hunting. No idea where to go or where to start. With some years of scouting and trial runs i know where and where not to go on both public and private land. I actually do better for ducks on public land. Just give it some time and things will come around for you. If it makes you feel any better i was out yesterday morning and i got burnt by a piar of hooded mergansers. Which is a pair i want this year for the table. Also got burnt by about a dozen teal. All from just being out of position. Oh yeah, the goose hunting isn't very good around here right now. Most have been heading south, why i dont know. Theres plenty of food and water but they just are. When the migrators start to come in i will send you a pm and let you know how things are and when would be good to come up.

[kingkilla]

to start off i think that should count as 4 or 5 posts since it was so long. lol :D also we dont have the lottery thing here in iowa. also me and my buddies have been those guys going out at midnight to get spots and let me tell you it suxs ass. its hard to hunt early in the year on private land cause there is usually no corn out yet. i think that were going to canada next year so we wont have this problem next year. so we usually stick to the public places early in the year. also if a private field, that we have permission to, isnt full of birds yet then we hunt public land. we have had some really good hunts on public land and some really bad hunts on public land. just my 2 cents

[IowaMigr8tor]

Its all about being prepared. You need to take EVERYTHING that you may need for the hunt, including waders. We don't have a lottery but it is still competitive around here. We get up early to get to out spot and leave late, its the only way to kill ducks. I don't want this next part to come off nasty but it isn't the lottery attendants responsibility to know the spot you are hunting. If in DE it is the same in Iowa alot of those attendants at parks are usually retirees that have nothing else to do. You need to know every spot you are possibly going to hunt. I feel your pain I really do but it all is in preparation for the hunt. Water fowling is unpredictable, especially on public ground and you have to adjust to situation. I hope you have a better hunt this week and get out and find some private land to hunt or less pressured public land. Good luck and better hunting.

[Maulers INC.]

Out here public land is hit or miss. Ive gone to the same spot on back to back days before and the first day we shoot 1 bird and barely see any and the next day we will get limits its just a crapshoot out here.

[h20fowler]

I am going to play devils advocate. And if you get mad, I apologize in advance. I hunt public and private ground and have seen the devils of each. But I guess I just can't figure out what it is that you are mad at.

You point out on several posts your situation. I feel for you brother, I do. I have been that college kid trying to find a way to finance my waterfowl habits. And I made sacrifices to do that. I got my gear piece by piece and often times used. Now, I still make sacrifices to supply my habit. And I guess you are probably one of the ones that complains because I put my drive time in scouting, preparing, and learning the areas. So that when I pull-up in my truck and big fancy trailer I can enjoy a day in the field. And if I show up early and decide to stay all day because I am having fun, then I'm sorry the rules worked against you. Believe me I have been on both sides of that fence and paid my dues. I doubt you find to many waterfowlers that haven't.

Now, back to the subject at hand.

You went on a hunt unprepared and in a place where you were not familiar with the area, nor the conditions to expect. You then picked a blind that you did not know anything about based on a lucky number "48". Then, upon coming across 7 foot marsh grass and mudholes in the mowed path with no signs of an agricultural field, you were surprised to find a marsh? I am surprised that the map you were looking at didn't mention what kind of conditions to expect. A legend of what was marsh, field, water, hedgerow, etc.

If this was a new area I would be more apt to feel your pain. Not knowing an area 15 minutes from your house is another thing. Lesson learned. Pick a blind you know and are familiar with, not one based on a favorite number - 48. If you walked into a marsh area without waders you lost all rights to complain when you got wet.

Upon hearing that another group is going to exercise a right they have and keep a pit they were entitled to, you got mad. You then
LAYED WHEEL FROM THE PARKING LOT ALL THE WAY DOWN THE DIRT ROAD spraying their trucks with mud dirt and gravel as i left. So that proved what? Immaturity? Believe me, after that display of ethics you lost all right to call them anything, especially "young boys". Right now, you're not the only one that wishes you were someplace else. I bet they too wish you were in Canada or out west. Me, I'm thankful you are not in Kansas.

My suggestion to you, based only on what I have read here. Knock whatever chip it is off your shoulder. Everyone starts someplace, works their way up, and learns from their time in the field.


a bad day in the field is better than a good day at werk,

If this was a bad day in the field, I'd hate to see how you react to a good day at work.

[DropEmInDE]

Im sorry again for making that so long, and i am glad a couple of you had the time to read it, as for being prepared i know now that i have a few thousand more dollars to spend, as far as the equip i took with me, it was everything i had, i still need to invest in another pair of waders, mine got ripped fishin over the summer, and i never invested in another pair cause my boy had a pair of hip boots, so there was no need, and ive spent so much time money and effort into calls, decoys, a scouting, that i neglected to get anything else, so i really guess its my fault, but i know now that a truck is really what i need, i drive a 93 Honda Civic hatch, but its like this, i could either save a couple thousand over the next couple months and get a truck for next year, or i could make due with what i have a tough it out this season and spend my money on things like decoys and waders and knee boots and whatnot, and theres the whole Girlfriend thing, she doesnt understand the $$$ it takes to do this sport, and everytime i buy something i get an earfull about how come you never spend the money on me blah blah blah, so i become a selfish prick every time i spend more than 100$ on something for the hunt, F. E. calls decoys, pants waders, whatever, so its like this again, spend the money and get bitched at or make due with what i have and tough it out, my biggest question is how do you all afford this sport, im a mechanic and i dont make thousands off dollars i try to pick up things i need week by week, and month by month, and my family helps a little but im 24 years old and been on my own for the past 5 years so its not like i can go to them for everything, and my family isnt rich by no means either, i guess im lucky to have you all to look up to and for guidance when i get off course, but its like i usually always hunt with my friend who have been doing this for years, and they have the decoys the trailers, and every little thing you could think of, but its like i dont want to rely on them if i want to go hunting, i just wanna go, but i need more stuff, like i explained, so i guess its like i said, i just need to keep buying and putting up with the arguments to do what i love, which is this sport of water fowling, im just gonna tough it out and make due with what i got and plan to get everything i need for next year......thats the best i can do...........cause i really cant do much.................

[kingkilla]

i think you summed it up h20fowler.

[DropEmInDE]

I understand where you are comming from H20 but its not the point of me picking somewhere i was not familar with, it was came down to picking one of the two blinds/pits that were left becuase the part of the areas that i was very familiar with were either full or closed, , as far as the maps no keys no legers, just black and white overviews of the hunting areas, marshes look like corn fields, water looks like land, they are very very hard to read, and even harder to read by flash light, if the area that i had scouted the morning before would have atually been open, then you would have never even had to read the post, beacause there was 10 groups of hunters and 10 pits open, the area i wanted to hunt would have added 5 more pits, why its closed is beyond me, the fields are cut, the birds are in there everyday heavy, and still no access, but anyways im not mad, i like hearing the Devils Advocate side of the story cause thats usually me, so im not mad at all, as far as my over reaction, yeah i over reacted but put yourself in my shoes, ive been waiting for opening day since, last season when i hunted the last day the season was open for snow geese, and i said to myself im going to hunt opening day next year, and i spent all year, thinking im hunting opening day im hunting opening day no matter what, and then i get crapped on, and its not like i could have just gone to another public access area, cause there was not other areas with any pits open i called them all i have phone #s to all of them, so its not like i could just pack up and try my luck somewhere else, the buck stopped there, and i was frustraded cause i wasnt getting anywhere any faster, i know now i should have said screw it and just gone to werk, but i was determind to hunt, i was driven to get in the field, and when i found out there was no way possible to hunt public land, i lost control , but ive werked out what the problems are and its just that i dont have the funding to do this sport, and im on the verge of quitting all together, aside from hutning with my friends once or twice a year, or paying 125 dollars a day to kill snow geese, im limitded as to what i can do for myself, being in the situation im in, so i was just trying to explain my frustration to the only people that might give a crap in this world, or actually have a possitive opinion about the situation, so i say this in closing cause i have to go back to werk and make my mesely $10.40/hr, i was just ticked off, and i wanted to share with you guys, i was not pointing the finger at anyone but myself, i was simply stateing the events of the morning, and how i got screwed out of opening day something ive wanted to do ever since i found out how fun this sport was 2 years ago, so thanx for your advice, and you opinions, but please understand, thats just what happend, and im hopeing i can rectify the situation before the season ends, aka buy the gear i need before it gets too bloody F-in cold to hunt................thanks Justin

[IowaMigr8tor]

I would stick with those buddies for another couple of years, you will learn alot. It will also give you time to save up the $$$ for everything you need. I hunted w/o decoys for many years, relying on my buddies, until recently when I started buying my own. You just have to work hard and save every penny you earn. Some people may think I am stingy with my money, but when it comes down to it I have a grand plan for it and dont want to mess it up!

[h20fowler]

How do I afford it? Buy what I can, when I can, and make choices. I respect the fact that you are willing to break off on your own and want to use your own gear. That in itself speaks volumes.

I know you have a great selection of calls. I believe I read 2 different duck calls that are at least 125 a piece. At some point priority has to come into play. What do you need more, 1 duck call and a set of waders to stay dry, or 2 duck calls and limiting where you hunt? That is a personal decision you have to make, based on the areas you are trying to hunt. Decoys and calls can last many years. Waders, they go pretty quick. (at least in my experience) Plan on getting a new pair every 3 years if you are really lucky.

I started waterfowling out of an 84 mustang convertible. I was unable to get my decoys in the car through the small door so I would put the top down, load my stuff, and if I was lucky the top would then close. Otherwise it was a cold ride to the field. I made a choice. What do I need? I have a way to the field, but nothing to use once I get there. I too got tired of borrowing my fathers truck and didn't want to rely on anyone. I made a sacrifice. A couple years later I bought a used 20 year old Ford. It got me everywhere I needed to go. Was it pretty, GAWD NO! but it did everything I needed. And by that time, I had built a decent size spread to go to the field with.

Now, I also went through a significant other that did not understand the money I was willing to spend on my hobby. she too said no, lets not buy this, I want a new coat, etc. We never did see eye to eye on that. And I'll tell you, It took me a long time, a lot of wasted years, and a nasty divorce to figure out that type of person was not for me. If she was not willing to understand what it is that I do , then she never will. Things will never get easier in that department with her. And you are not the only one appearing selfish at that point. But that it a whole nother conversation also.

One last bit of advice. Don't buy anything else this year. If you need a box of decoys, take that money you were going to spend and put it away. Build it up. I can't speak for Delaware, but here in Kansas we are about 7 short weeks from the end of the duck season. And that means after season sales. you'll be surprised how much you can save.

[DropEmInDE]

One last bit of advice. Don't buy anything else this year. If you need a box of decoys, take that money you were going to spend and put it away. Build it up. I can't speak for Delaware, but here in Kansas we are about 7 short weeks from the end of the duck season. And that means after season sales. you'll be surprised how much you can save.

h20, i get what your saying about saving because its close to the end of the season, but our season just began, yesterday, so your saying not hunt at all this year, or hunt over twelve decoys, when i can get into a area i can actually access, every once in a while, and instead of buy decoys, or waders or whatever just save the money, i kinda see where your going with that, just to get it clear, i can basically say that im not a duck hunter, ive never hunted ducks, but im not saying i dont intent to, i just have no experience with ducks, nor do i have a way to access any duck hunting areas, Delaware is on sea level, and the state is basically divided two ways, theres either Agg, corn, wheat, soy, ect.. and marsh, like so if you dont have a boat, its very very VERY rare to bring ducks into a field to feed, so field hunting for ducks Doesnt really exsist in my area, you gotta remember too DE is not rolling plains, its Agg, usually surrounded by woods or marsh, its very rare to find an area large enough that you cant see any woods if you look in any direction, so its not like pothole hunting where the ducks go from pothole to field to pothole, much as in hunting out west and canada, the ducks usually stick to small streams, estuarys, and open water marshes, so ive focused mainly on geese, like i understand the consept of theres always next year, cause thats basically the mindstate i was in last year with maybe one or two calls and thats all i had, and neither of those calls said Foiles on them, but you also gotta remember thats like Driving a Kid past Disney World and telling him, maybe next year, hes not going to want to hear that, tho that may be the most logicall explination, i also understand that im 24 and i have plenty of years ahead of me or so i hope to get into hunting, but im surrounded by people that were brought up into the sport, and Envy fuels my fire, my grandfather introduced me to hunting 12 years ago, but it was only deer, and we were weekend warriors, and we mainly hunted the Rut so i only got maybe 5 to 6 days where i actually hunted, as Far as Iowas comment on sticking with my buddies, if i did that, it not garunteed that i would even hunt, because generally its not up to them, its up to their father, who has to Deligate evey year who gets to go and who doesnt, out side of his two sons who are garunteed a spot in the pit, and im not argueing with that becuase its his pit, so its basically like i may get one or two days out of the whole season where i might be invited to hunt and its usually on a day when the weather is ****ty, and no one else wants to go, or a day where he allows 7 to 8 people to go in a pit thats built for 5, so only the two guys on the end really get to shoot at birds, even tho all of us have laydown blinds, and we could all hunt comfortably from our own hides, their dad always says no, we are hunting the pit, so thats kinda what i have to deal with, hunting with my friends, or i could pay 125 a day, plus 130 for a nonresident licence and hunt MD with the local guide, now all im trying to do in this reply is let you know what its like here in DE, im not trying to contradict anything you guys are saying cause believe me its sinking in, but you gotta put your self in my shoes, and think back to when you were just starting, if you wernt raised into waterfowling, as far as gear goes, i think i did alright all summer, i just slacked on decoys, and finding a place to hunt, aka knocking on doors getting permission, and or talking with family members, im still shooting the same 20g i got when i was 12, but i have bought boots, calls, a laydown blind ( mainly cause i didnt want to get invited on a hunt and not be able to go cause i didnt have one, or put someone else out cause i would have to use theirs ), bought shells, cause lord knows they arent cheap either, got a blind bag, got some insulated clothes in Max4, hunted in my deer gear last year, and recently started my decoy collection, and im not trying to get everything all at once, i been buying this stuff periodically when i could afford it, or when stuff was on sale, i think ive only paid full price for 3 of my calls, the rest of them are used, sept a couple of the cheap polys i have, and the Power Maximus i got for free with my blind, along with a floating blind bag, my beanie, and my DIY lanyard, i got for free with my blind, which i didnt even pay full price for that cause it was waterfowl weekend and everything Avery was on sale and you got free gear with everything......but anyways, point is im just gonna have to swallow my pride, work with what i got, and deal with the BS that goes along with hunting public land, all i really need to do now is continue to build my decoy collection, and i dont intend on buying them new either, cause it will allow me to save money for a truck, then hopefully i can either build or buy a trailer, once the setup gets to big for the truck, which of course will be a few years down the road.....and then there always Christmas, i asked for Decoys from everyone for Christmas, but i doubt anyone will actually get them, but im sure ill get at least a little Christmas money which will no doubt go to Decoys, so ill prolly get some for X-mas anyways, but anyway, i appriciate your insite, and my heads really clearing on the whole subject, i just wanted to put you in my shoes, like imagine you spent a week getting ready for duck season, and you were all excited the night before, you couldnt sleep, and you know you packed everything in the boat, and made sure you werent forgeting everything, you wake up in the morning, do your little morning thing, cause i know everyone has there little deal they do in the morning before the hunt, and go outside to leave, and your trucks been wont start, or your boat wont start, or worse stolen, thats kinda how i felt yesterday, i was just trying to explain my frustration the only way i know how, but anyways, i think this is the longests set of posts that i have ever posted, so ill leave you all with this, thank you again for all your help and advice and insite, and hope you all can forgive me for acting like a child, and i will try to be more composed in the future, im not promising anything, but i will try, and basically on the hunting public land, i will learn the areas better, and if i cant get into somewhere where i know i can hunt, then i just wont hunt, and im going to test this theory on thursday....so write back and i will keep you all posted on how the end of this week and this weekend goes, supposed to rain on friday so i dont know how our hunt is gonna go, but hopefully it will just be 4 of us and hopefully we will GRIND em up, so ill be sure to take lots of pics, and be all smiles after this weekend.....thanks again and keep posting....trying to beat hunters ridges` 6 page posts. lol anyways, as always Happy Hunting...........................Justin

[h20fowler]

I guess I am confused. In your signature you have the following.


DMM-[Smoke/Max4], Legend-[Max4], SMM-[Water]

I assume that means you in fact own a Dead Meat Mallard in Smoke and Max 4, A legend in Max 4, and a Strait Meat Mallard. Yet you go on to say


i can basically say that im not a duck hunter, ive never hunted ducks, but im not saying i dont intent to, i just have no experience with ducks, nor do i have a way to access any duck hunting areas

So why spend $300 (conservative figure if bought used) on calls you don't use, are not going to use, or may not use for some time? That's a dozen full body's easy.

[MarshBlaster]

DropEm,

Hey I don't know what part of Delaware you mainly hunt, but I hunt the marsh and fields. I consistently pull ducks in to the fields while goose hunting. In fact some of the best days hunting ducks have been in fields. Either out of pits or using layouts. If you're in the drawing at the Hook or Woodland beach, and you get those pits you will defintly have a wack at ducks. Plus the maps do show marsh, woods, fields. They may be in black and white, but they can be easily understood. If you are not wanting to mess with the drawl, you can go to Prime Hook. After Dec. 15 morning standby lottery drawings will be conducted by standby hunters on a self serve basis, at the check station. Meaning a willing hunter in the crowd will drawl ballots from a bucket, filled out by you guys in the lot. So go down there and try that. Or use some vacation time at work, and go during the week when the state and federal draws are slow. It all takes time and patience. Good luck.

[mnbenelli]

I'm trying to figure out how you guys have time to hunt? Those are some long novels you typed.

[h20fowler]

I was at work! 8) Hunting for the next 5 days straight.

[HRK]

OK GUY"S
this sounds to be getting a little heated !!!!!!!!!
and im not taking any sides here cause this can go on and on!! yes he should have been more prepaired BUT being new to the sport that happens i am sure it did with all of us, as for being PO'D for whatever reason and he took out his anger the wrong way (guess i kinda took a side there sorry) now the POINT things happen ,some of us may have many a thousands of dollars in equipment and we are prepaired this takes time not one year unless you donald trump or make $250.000 plus a year and can show off your new fancy equipment (truck trailer,boat,deeks),whatever does that mean your going to kill something!!! be cool were all freinds here

[woodiewacker]

man the hunting on public land thing is a crap shoot anywhere you go me and my buddies set every aug. in the hot 90 degree sun for five hours just to get a blind and i know what you are thinking yeah well that isn't bad but we also set there with the hope that we will be lucky enough to get a blind for the year with the 5 of us drawing against 990 other peaple to get one of the 47 blinds they have and hey buddy around hear you don't go enter in to a lottery every day if you don't get a blind in aug you might as well forget getting in a blind until jan late jan for that matter because people camp out in there blinds all day there isn't any of that leaving and coming back because if you leave your blind is gone so these people sit in there blind in 60 degree weather i mean come on it is hard to hunt anywhere these days with land becoming more and more looked at for houses to be built we all have to fight tooth and nail for where ever we hunt deer, turkey,duck, goose whatever i mean dude you need to worry about being prepared for the hunting day to come and like h20 said make staying warm and dry more of a priority than that new acrylic $150 duck call oh and the thing about you being wet umm me and my buddies have all taken dunks in the cold icy water and be wet in 20 degree weather i mean you say you have it bad well i question just how bad i would have went on and hunted hell you were already wet you should have went ahead and gone you never know you could have limited out in 30 min. and thats something you will never know what could have been well thats my 2 cents

[HRK]

PS
seein as were talking about $$$ for equipment wait till my wife finds out my new boat on order is ten grand+ 1756 triton wetlands camo gun boxes triton trailer 35hp beavertail longshaft mud motor swamp lights avery modified quick set blind!!! the poops gonna hit the fan!!!! PS my 01 1648 grizzly alweld, trailmaster trailer 25hp suzuki will be foresale in spring

[takem]

hunting public land is always a struggle, we all have been unprepared before or forgot something behind, it does not matter if you are on the east coast, west coast, midwest or canada, the thing is dont be a baby about it, live and learn, we all have been there, we all have paid are dues, we all have made sacrifices for our sport, but i tell you what when you spray other peaples trucks with gravel is not cool, it has taken me several years to get the gear i needed, you will get yours just remember it does not happen overnight, and keep your cool,,,
p.s. if your ever in mn send me pm and we will shoot some ducks and geese on private land or in some of the most pressured spots you will ever see

[DropEmInDE]

Ok so i figured id say this one more time for those of you that didnt want to read every novel written, in NOT mad at any of you on here, for your opionions possitive or negative, thats the whole reason i wrote the post, i wanted everyone to post their opinions, thats what this whole forum is about, BSin, braggin, and helping those who need it, that whole post was a description of the events of my first hunting trip by myself, did i act like a child, of course i did, should i have left after finding out i couldnt get back to the blind i was picked for, yeah i should have, should i have bought the gear i needed, instead of spending money on calls, yeah i should have, but thats the whole point i was trying to make in the first place, the whole reason i decided to go out on my own was because i found out that i was going to get maybe 1 or 2 hunts out of my usual crew, like i said before its not up to them, but up to their father, if it was up to them i would be going everyday, and you must understand, that i knew this before i became a member of this forum, so my whole decision to go on my own was based on the fact that i thought i wasnt going to get to hunt this year, the whole reason i was or AM unprepared, was because i thought i was going to be hunting with them, in a Pit, with THEIR decoys, and all i figured i would need are warm clothes, and calls, hence why i focused mainly on that, it wasnt unting the second day of september that i found out, their father was keeping the pit to themselves, due to some mishaps that happend last year, that let me make a point that i was NOT involved in, in anyway shape or form, so if you can understand, everything i did in preparation for this season was VERY LAST MIN. , in the terms of i had Sept, Oct, to get ready, and like i said before i werk paycheck to paycheck, but like i said, if i would have known earlier in the year that i was going to be out on my own, i should have kept my SMH, and my K&H T-Lock, and bought nothing else but decoys, waders ect., i would have had plenty of time to be prepared but we are talking a matter of 2 months i had to figure out what to do, hunt or not hunt, also like i said earlier, i know now thanks to all of you, i know what i need now, and im learning something new everyday, and ive hopefully made some good friends, from this Forum, and will hopefully have some seasons to look forward to in the future, and none of it would be possible without everyone on here, whether its the insite i get from posting, or the Invites i have gotten from a few of you, i just wanted to put everyone in my shoes for a day, and allow you all to feel the frustration i was going through, nothing more nothing less, i know everystate is different, hunting laws, land opportunities, hunting styles calling styles, i know it varies, i was just trying to explain what its like in Delaware, you all alson have to remember ( to you guys out west, ) some of the areas, that you all have access to, im talking 1 area, just one, are probably larger than my ENTIRE state, most of you have COUNTIES that are larger than my state, i live in the second smallest state in the country next to Rhode Island, and its not like we have a whole lot of options, if you drive 45 mins in any direction, you hit water, we are also a pennisula, which limits opportunities to find good areas, now imagine everyone in your state that wants to waterfowl hunt, packed into one county, and are all fighting for opportunites to hunt, along with hunt clubs, and everyone leasing land, its almost next to IMPOSSIBLE to find a farm, with the owner willing to let you hunt, without thousands of dollars in leaseing, almost every farmer in this state has been approached with waterfowl hunting, and like i said before i dont know any of them, and i dont have the money to move out of my girlfiends moms house, let alone have the thousands it takes to buy hunting rights to a farm, so yet again ive made another long ass post and i appologize, i just want everyone to understand where im comming from, and that im not mad at any of you, it it wasnt for all of you and the vast knowlege we share, this sport wouldnt be what it is today, in closeing i would like to again say thank you for your help and support, and happy hunting to those of you able, and i wish Kelly would give out an award for longest posts, cause i think i would win it HANDS DOWN, but anyways, i will be hunting this weekend, and i hope to come back with some happier storys to tell everyone,

PS to h20, got nothing but love for you brother, no hard feelings here at all......just thought i might let you know


Justin

[DropEmInDE]

From Marshblaster : Hey I don't know what part of Delaware you mainly hunt, but I hunt the marsh and fields. I consistently pull ducks in to the fields while goose hunting. In fact some of the best days hunting ducks have been in fields. Either out of pits or using layouts.

i mainly hunt, in Greenville, or Centerville on the PA line, if you look at a map, theres nothing but mansions, and rolling hills, and where we hunt on a multi million dollar estate, not a farm, theres two small agg fields and my buddys dads pit is right between them, but they didnt plant corn, or soy this year, it was grass, last year it was corn, but they didnt have ducks come into the decoys but maybe twice the entire year that i know of, if that helps to explain why i said what i did about ducks then i hope i cleared it up, and i hope im not showing to much of my ignorance toward this sport, im a beginner, and im always learning something new, i didnt mean to say that ducks dont come into fields, anyone thats ever watched a hunting video knows that they do, ive just never seen it for myself, and would be more that happy to be somewhere were they did, anyways, lemme get offa here im sure ive made this post long enough,

PS, to all of you that read my posts, and to those that didnt, im sorry for the fowl words i used and i have revised my posts for those that havent read it and for the younger eyes that maybe reading it for the first time, i appologize to Barry, and the other moderators, and to Kelly, for putting them in there, i wasnt in the right mind state when i did it and i dont plan on making it a habit just wanted to clear that up.....thanks Justin

[rushcreekganderlander]

All I can say is stay with it and be patient. I live in Southeast Ohio and we aren't a big part of the flyway. It is hit and miss here all season long. We started out just the same as you. My dad was a waterfowler so I had his decoys but they were by no means like they are today. In fact most of his were from the 70's being 20 years old when I was using them. And all we could afford then where Faulks and Big River calls. We fought public land hunting just the same. It wasn't a lottery so you had to deal with people literally every 50-75 yards from you even if you did show up 3 hours before shooting time. And we did all this in hopes of shooting a BIRD or TWO. Now after many years we have permission on better private lands but we still have to rely on some public hunting places. I'm only a couple years older than you but have hunted for a longer time. The more expirience you get the better you will get at it. Now we have one of those custom trailors full of decoys and it does help but it takes time to get to that point when you are a blue collar worker like ourselves. Just don't give up. We didn't really start having nice pics of bag limits until about 10 years into waterfowling. About the same time we decided to pick up some SMHs. What a coincidence. Also it is not bad to go at it alone but as a group you can afford a lot better equipment. Just my opinion.

[DropEmInDE]

to Rush, yeah so i learning, i realize its a lot of money, and a lot of money is something i dont have and dont see in my future, but its a learning curve, and i usually end up doing everything the hard way, so my expectations are usually low, all i really wanted from monday morning was one bird to give to the dog, if i would have gotten one bird for her, i would have been the happiest guy on the east coast, that is unless she wanted nothing to do with it, lol, but anyways, yeah i dont expect to have everything right now, i just keep finding the ONE MORE THING I NEED, everytime i go out, so thanks for your support, and i already have my SMH and know how to use it, so hopefully i wont have to wait 10 years for my bag limit, and seeing how its only 2 birds, shouldnt be that hard to fill if im by myself, lol, anyways thanks again and happy hunting.......Justin

[HRK]

glad everyone worked out there differences of opinions :D :D :D :D

PS DROP EM you got my pm thanks bro

[DropEmInDE]

No Prob Barry,

[IHNTDE]

DropEmInDE I have been hunting DE public lands now for 10 years. I was not raised around hunting and I figured it out. You have to do alot of scouting and most important you have to save some money to buy the things that are important for waterfowling.

[ted b]

Dropem did you enter any of the preseason lottery,also you can go to woodlan beach and try to get one of the walkin area,Also that little map you where talkin about is aviable on the computer...Ive been gunning in de for 11yrs and i ve never really had it that bad...You say you where planning since last march you had plenty of time to knock on doors..Yes iknown about the big clubs leaseing everthing in sight but there still spots out there where you can get access to Delaware is not as bad as you make it sound so work out a plan try hitting area that people miss you maybe surprized at what you find also keep your eyes out along del 1 you dont know how many decoys i've found driving to and from hunting