Dear Shillapoo/Van Lake Pheasant Hunters

[SilkWWU]

**PREFACE****
-You have every right to be there as anyone else.

BUT.

Dear Pheasant Hunter,

Where has your common courtesy gone?  We are all out there to enjoy a public area, and you should do your best to be courteous to other hunters and to set a good example for your kids.  I was the duck hunter set up on the back pond off the East Side of the Lake (West Shillapoo)  I had 5 flocks of setting/working ducks on my decoys that flared when they realized pheasant hunters were on the dike behind me, walking criss cross back and forth in front of my blind after they watched multiple other guys walk the same spot.

I then watched one of these groups shoot at a hawk, and as his buddy is telling him not to shoot, because it's a hawk, he says "man those hawks sure look like pheasants when they get up..."

I stared in awe at this stupidity.

Then as a group of three pheasant hunters one of them being a 12 year old kid (approx) walks down the dike, yelling at their dog, talking loudly, normal pheasant hunter discourtesy (they are 75 yards from my blind and decoy spread), a flock of 5 widgeon start to mill around my set, I am hoping that they don't see the pheasant hunters (fat chance) but they really want to land and are circling me and fazio land.  I can hear them talking and the kid asks his dad, "If those ducks get low enough can I shoot at them!?" 

At this point, I'm hoping that the dad will use this as a lesson to teach his kid about respect of other hunters, ethics, etc etc.

Boy was I wrong. 

"Sure!" The Dad replies.

About 10:00 rolls around and there is non-stop shooting from back towards where I'm parked at.  Shotguns AND Pistols (which you cannot shoot at the shillapoo unit).  I walk out at around 10:45 and they are shooting clays while STANDING ON THE ROAD.   One can only assume they were using lead for shooting clays unless they invested in a few boxes of steel.  (which is pretty pricey for clays)  I watched multiple flocks that were setting on some guys on Fazio Land flare at the multitude of shotgun blasts from the road. 

I hope you read this because I called the police and I hope they ticketed you.

All in all I cannot WAIT for Sunday and for you pheasant hunters who do not respect other hunters or wildlife to go back to your homes and wait out the rest of the winter while I'm still out there at 3am freezing my ass off for some good hunts. 

Travis

[The Deacon]

Sir - The Drag Strip was always like that during the so-called "pheasant season." Zoo, circus...it was all that. And if you thought yesterday was bad with random shooting from the Drag Strip, just wait until the day AFTER Christmas. Every "sportsman" who got a firearm of some nature will be back there shooting randomly to all four directions of the compass. Kevlar and other assorted body armor is definitely suggested on 26 December -

I hunted Lower River Road from 1993 through 1996, and had some fantastic hunts in the there while the WDFW was still managing for something other than blackberry bushes and Put-and-Take semi-domestic Chinese chickens. You're right; it was always nice to see 1 December and the end of "pheasant season" roll around. Certainly, the upland hunters have every right to be there during the appropriate seasons, but still - it SURE was nice to see that season end...

BTW - Throughout December, you might try putting away the mallard (hen) call and switching over to a jerk cord with three/four water-keels on it. Or gang-rig half a dozen coots on one jerk cord and use that. That area gets a ton of pressure, and the birds quickly learn that duck calls and badness are often one and the same. Oh, and don't go there on goose days. The Keep 'Em Flying High Club holds their weekly meetings there, I think.

It's always interesting, now-a-days. Would appear hunters need more patience than anything else - The Deacon

[SilkWWU]

Sir - The Drag Strip was always like that during the so-called "pheasant season." Zoo, circus...it was all that. And if you thought yesterday was bad with random shooting from the Drag Strip, just wait until the day AFTER Christmas. Every "sportsman" who got a firearm of some nature will be back there shooting randomly to all four directions of the compass. Kevlar and other assorted body armor is definitely suggested on 26 December -

I hunted Lower River Road from 1993 through 1996, and had some fantastic hunts in the there while the WDFW was still managing for something other than blackberry bushes and Put-and-Take semi-domestic Chinese chickens. You're right; it was always nice to see 1 December and the end of "pheasant season" roll around. Certainly, the upland hunters have every right to be there during the appropriate seasons, but still - it SURE was nice to see that season end...

BTW - Throughout December, you might try putting away the mallard (hen) call and switching over to a jerk cord with three/four water-keels on it. Or gang-rig half a dozen coots on one jerk cord and use that. That area gets a ton of pressure, and the birds quickly learn that duck calls and badness are often one and the same. Oh, and don't go there on goose days. The Keep 'Em Flying High Club holds their weekly meetings there, I think.

It's always interesting, now-a-days. Would appear hunters need more patience than anything else - The Deacon

We've done pretty well out there this year in general, and haven't had birds really flaring at the calls, opposite actually (in comparison to other years, they seem to be dumber this year, or my calling is getting better).  I have a jerk string too, though at the moment it's 100% tangled with two of my drake floaters LOL.  As far as goose days, my solution to that was to just buy a goose card haha.

[Justin C.]

Hey Travis,
Sounds like you have been hunting with some idiots. That really sucks that they have been messing up your hunts. Ass holes
Good job on calling the cops. We need more of that to clean things up I think. Hope you have better luck after the "chicken hunters" are done.

Justin

[SilkWWU]

You're telling me!  Oh well, it's done Sunday and I'm not hunting this weekend, so I think I'm set.  Next Saturday it will just be duck hunter on duck hunter crimes haha.

[stlhdr1]

Personally, I'd rather hunt the shilapoo area mid day then to hunt the early flight...  I too have gotten tired of the skeet shooters....

Keith

[SilkWWU]

Personally, I'd rather hunt the shilapoo area mid day then to hunt the early flight...  I too have gotten tired of the skeet shooters....

Keith

The skeet shooters is who I called state patrol on.

[Trashmonkey]

Hey Travis,

I surely feel your pain!!  I've hunted shillapoo for pheasants few times ths year, I'm sorry that their are idiots out there.  Last year I saw many stupid things (shooting at commorants, hawks, seagulls, tweety birds, and trees).  This year, I got my hands on some private property that I have been hitting.  It's not the greatest, but at shoot time its fast and furious.  I like it 'cause it's quiet, no a-holes and NO pressure except from me.  Hopefully the property will get better as the season progresses. 

[kbyers]

Sorry to hear that!!  Sounds like the WDFW needs to implement the no upland hunting before noon like they have on many of the lands on the east side of the state

[SilkWWU]

Hey Travis,

I surely feel your pain!!  I've hunted shillapoo for pheasants few times ths year, I'm sorry that their are idiots out there.  Last year I saw many stupid things (shooting at commorants, hawks, seagulls, tweety birds, and trees).  This year, I got my hands on some private property that I have been hitting.  It's not the greatest, but at shoot time its fast and furious.  I like it 'cause it's quiet, no a-holes and NO pressure except from me.  Hopefully the property will get better as the season progresses. 

Hey....sometimes those tweety birds ask for it.

[Trashmonkey]

Sorry to hear that!!  Sounds like the WDFW needs to implement the no upland hunting before noon like they have on many of the lands on the east side of the state

I wouldn't be opposed to that idea.  Of course it would more than likely get worse.  Imagine... the Shillapoo 500 at noon every Saturday and Sunday!!  I'm really surprised someone hasn't been seriously injured.