I give up

[Jekemi]

I'm frustrated as well. It's only my second year but I haven't had a single good opportunities for a reasonable shot at a duck. I see more hunters than ducks.

I'm building a flat, lay-out boat this spring. Perhaps this will allow me to get far from the madding crowd. There are a few more days of duck hunting so I'll keep at it. You know what they say, "A bad day hunting is better than a good day at work."

[Dustin07]

doesn't like to get up early or they tell you that you got up way to early and then they hunt off the edge of your spread.

ha! that's my favorite, those that complain about other hunters getting up too early to get their location. As if we're supposed to wait until the sleepy heads call us to let us know they are in their blind with coffee pot going.


The one thing i've noticed here is that there wasn't any good old fashioned confrontation..? there's no harm in walking over to a guy  who's 40 yards away and telling him he is right in the danger zone and too close.

[Stickerbush]

I had my first confrontation the other day. Four of us were hunting a spot on the columbia and about an hour after shooting time these two guys in a boat come down the river looking for a place to set up. They were nice and polite and exchanged hellos and what not, but some of the guys I was with were pissed that these guys were showing up late because it was losing us shooting oppurtunities. The guys ended up in a little slough behind us but we couldnt see exactly where they were. A little later they took ome shots and one of my buddies thought he saw the trees behind us get peppered and was a little too close for comfort. I dont know if the shots were too close but my buddy says " watch your shots!" in a somewhat angry tone. This led to a few angry words bieng thrown back and forth.

Long story short sometimes confrontation just fuels the fire and its all in the tone you say it. Sometimes people get defensive and may not realize what they are doing is wrong and just want to argue about it. I just try to stay polite and make sure to establish communication with other hunting parties before the problem happens.

As for the guy who wants to quit hunting alltogether, Ive never hunted the west side but I can imagine it can be frusterating with all the people and lack of abundant public land. All I can say is you should try to work harder to establish relationships with private landowners this offseason and try to find somne new places to hunt. A lot of the time it can be better to ask permission in the offseason and be polite about it. Or as some other posts have said, get together with some guys and put in a trip over the eastside

[Dustin07]

confrontation doesn't have to be a negative experience, but for some reason it definitely has picked up that reputation.

the act of confronting : the state of being confronted: as a : a face-to-face meeting

but I can relate and understand what you guys are talking about. It does seem like 1/2 the birds that decoy in, (probably 75% of the birds on those 'rough' days) get within about 100 yards and then someone starts blasting their 10ga and flares them.

it happens, but I'll be honest. decoys, and watching the birds are my favorite parts. It's worth it to me to be up early watching the sun rise over my decoys, listening to the geese, and watching stupid swans drop their landing gear in the middle of my snow decoys even if I don't go home with a single bird in hand.

boats, sunrise, birds, decoys, guns, outdoors, good friends. What more could you need?

[Shootmoore]

I'm originally from the East side of the state, moved to the wet side 4.5 years ago for work  .  I remember growing up complaining and hearing the locals complain about the "coastie's" all the time coming over.  After trying to hunt over here for a few years now, I understand why so many go over to the Eastside to hunt.  It's a freaking zoo, contacting landowners for permission is a crapshoot.  A few will give permission, a lot will not and some will become offended that you even ask.  I have even heard 911 calls of landowners complaining that someone dared to ask to hunt the property.  Just a whole nother world over here.

I've now come to understand where some of the "attitude" that gives "coasties" a bad name over on the east side.

Also this post is not ment to offend anyone living on the west side, I have come to see that there are a lot of good ethical hunters, its like anywhere a few bad apples gives a bad impression, there's just a lot more apples in a smaller space over on this side.

Shootmoore