Hunting Washington Forum
Other Hunting => Waterfowl => Topic started by: MC37493 on December 20, 2013, 05:32:50 PM
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How do people shoot at ducks 100+ yards away? Do they seriously think they have a chance of folding a bird? I have seen tons of skyblasting in my years but nothing crazier then i saw today! Watched three guys each take a shot at some ducks at least 200+ yards away today.. just a silhouette against the sky at that point! Drives me insane!! :sry:
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Desperation.
Ruins anyone elses chance at calling them in. Pathetic.
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I quit hunting ducks for a few years cause I got tired of guys sky busting. I still see it happen all the time, its insane.
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Just FYI: the term is "skybusting."
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Just FYI: the term is "skybusting."
:yeah:
:chuckle:
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I saw guys at a release site unload at some geese at least 500 yards high and wonder why they missed
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I was hunting with my brother's son in law in one blind a few hundred yards away from my bro's buddy in another blind. He folded a mallard at what had to be 70-80 yards on a lucky shot. I knew what was going to happen next. He continued to shoot at anything within 100, expecting a repeat. He must have went through a box at least and never touched another feather. But he at least learned his lesson.
I think this is "hoping to get lucky" is pretty common among rookies who lack a good mentor. They really feel their only chance is to "blast away" as they lack the knowledge and skills and patience to get ducks in killing range.
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I watched a pair give it a go. They would not let anything get lower than 80 yards. About that 80-100 yard mark was there call to trigger time. It was pretty bad. They were not getting anything. They held off on a group for some reason and I just about landed them and shot a triple. They went through a lot of shells. I had a few more groups coming in and limited in about 1hr. Pulled my decoys and walked past them, still sitting their empty handed and a lot lighter in shells. :chuckle:
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I always wondered wether it was desperation.... because they didn't see any ducks.
Or wether it was just plain stupidity.... as in they have no freaking clue how close the birds were.
Guess it's just a bit of both.
Morons.... not a fan of those idiots either. :chuckle:
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Its got to be a mix of desparation and ignorance. I also feel that too many hunters have way too high of expectations that they should be able harvest limits eveeytime. Since thier goals are so high they get desperate to fill their bag - like skybusting. They're also likely to shoot before legal hours because they're only duck hunting to shoot as many ducks as possible. Just my belief based on my observations.
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Its got to be a mix of desparation and ignorance. I also feel that too many hunters have way too high of expectations that they should be able harvest limits eveeytime. Since thier goals are so high they get desperate to fill their bag - like skybusting. They're also likely to shoot before legal hours because they're only duck hunting to shoot as many ducks as possible. Just my belief based on my observations.
Sounds like the result of too many TV show duck slaughters :dunno:
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I think there's a lot of ignorance involved. Lack of being able to judge distance on a fast moving target and not understanding the true lethal distance of a shotgun.
What's unfortunate is that their skybusting spooks a lot of birds that are coming into good range of others in the area. Ruins a good day on the marsh for everyone when this happens.
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Most of the time i have done some long range "pass shooting" no one is around to critique my shooting skills. I didn't affect any ones hunt, and have only told the stories of my glory. :chuckle:
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80-100+ yards is not long range pass shooting,
its making noise and throwing shot in the air. Could probably be called "waterfowl hazing".
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I used to pass shoot and don't anymore since taking the Master Hunter course. There are a couple of guys who set up a spread in the area I hunt and they'll shoot 100+ yards with their 10 gauges - sometimes they kill, usually they don't. God knows how many cripples they create. They think they're hunting, but they're not. I've been lucky enough to learn how rewarding it is to have a set up be done right in the right place and have the birds cup up in front of me. Pass shooting and sky busting just doesn't offer that.
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Its got to be a mix of desparation and ignorance. I also feel that too many hunters have way too high of expectations that they should be able harvest limits eveeytime. Since thier goals are so high they get desperate to fill their bag - like skybusting. They're also likely to shoot before legal hours because they're only duck hunting to shoot as many ducks as possible. Just my belief based on my observations.
:yeah:
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As mentioned above, maybe they just don't know any better.
A new hunter sees others working ducks and making kills but can't seem to put it all together.
How many sets have you drove through that looked like an aquatic yard sale?
They get frustrated and intent on ruining the hunt for others.
The 'open seat thread' on this forum is a good way for new hunters to gain some knowledge.
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I agree that there is nothing finer that shooting ducks over decoys with their landing gear down fully committed. I know of a few places where geese and some times ducks pass in between feed and rest where they are in that marginal shooting range. to me there is a BIG difference between trying to whack some birds on the edge of a bluff or pass as they fly through, and corking some one with decoys. :twocents:
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If it doesnt ruin your hunt it can be crazy to see, not if they wing and cripple tho. If it does, it can be VERY frustrating. There are a couple places I wont hunt because of the consistency of these type of people.
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I have sat in a blind many times listening to guys skybusting on geese that are sky high. Then they occasionally drop one. Must be using buckshot.
Maddening to say the least.
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Been calling it skyblasting since i was a kid, hard habit to break because it really means the same thing and the terms are interchangeable. Thanks for the FYI though.
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I think stupidity/ingnorance are the biggest factors. I have been set up in public areas with other hunters and one group will be skybusting while myself and other groups of hunters will get birds in range and make shots. The skybusters could clearly see that others are decoying birds and having success but yet they continue to skybust. I think they mostly just want to shoot their guns and don't care if they get birds or not. Seems lime when you see a skybuster knock a bird down (or sale one) they don't make much effort to find it either. :twocents:
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I learned that some guys respond well if after a few volleys and they are not dropping birds, I yell out at the top of my lungs to "knock off the sky busting, it is not working!" "They are too high!" This has actually worked as the knuckleheads stopped doing it on many occasions, not all.
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Tshot goes a long ways. With a scope, chances are better. :yike:
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Happens all the time at McAllister creek..
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I remember a time we watched a guy sky blast. We had talked to him that morning and he was bragging about the rounds he was using. This was well over 10 years ago but, I remember that they were about 2 bucks each. We just dat there going 2, 4, 6 , 8........ If memory serves it was close to a hundred dollar day for that guy an not one duck fell. We got a good laugh out of it. Don't think we fired a shot.
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If you can see it, 3 1/2" shells can kill it.........NOT! :chuckle:
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Just FYI: the term is "skybusting."
:chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :yeah:
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I remember those days :bash: :bash: my rule of thumb was if I could not see the colors on their head or their eye balls they were out of range !
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I don't think it is ignorance . I think it's competition and the need for immediate gratification.
Now days everyone is rushed to get what they want right now. They want to shoot at ducks so they do. They do not want to make the effort to learn tactics. They want to throw money at it in hopes it pays off.
They compete with the other hunters, call louder,call longer, shot higher. I doubt anyone of them would change even if you offered to help them.
If they go home empty it's because they did not throw enough money at the problem they think.
And if they happen to kill one duck sky busting than they throw another 100 bucks to try to do it again.
It's a lack of commitment. Just like the guys who buy a nice pup and let it rot till it's duck season and than wonder why it will not perform . They never commit to the dog. They don't commit to tactics it just to much trouble for them.
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I remember those days :bash: :bash: my rule of thumb was if I could not see the colors on their head or their eye balls they were out of range !
What about when you age? If I went by colors on head, I would have to wait until they were 20 feet away.
Eyeballs? That would be a lot closer.
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Tshot goes a long ways. With a scope, chances are better. :yike:
Yeah, maybe 00 buck instead of T... ;)
I saw some guys yesterday that unloaded on ducks that must have been 300+ yards. They were basically just specs in the sky. Pretty crazy...
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300 yards? For me ducks are a speck in the sky at 100 yards.
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I don't get it either...I can barely hit them within 30-50 yards. :dunno: Personally with my shooting, I have found more success waiting for them to actually land in the decoys, then scare em up and pop them as they are taking off and moving slower. Or if they won't flush when I try to scare them, shooting the first one on the water works to get the rest airborne. :tup:
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300 yards? For me ducks are a speck in the sky at 100 yards.
Yeah, it was pretty nuts. I think guys see the whole flock at that distance and think for sure they're going to hit something not realizing the pellets won't even get there.
I'm sure we've all taken shots that were too long (I know I have) but this was comical.
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I think it is a lack of education. Anybody can buy a shotgun and shells and go out hunting. It is no different than all of the guys on the river banks with 10' leaders that do not know fhat fish will actually bite or the guys that buy a bow or rifle a week before the season. There need to be a qualification test. That would weed out most of the hunters and fishermen out there.
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Tshot goes a long ways. With a scope, chances are better. :yike:
Yeah, maybe 00 buck instead of T... ;)
I saw some guys yesterday that unloaded on ducks that must have been 300+ yards. They were basically just specs in the sky. Pretty crazy...
You may be on to something here.
I recommend steel TTT with an X-Tra full turkey choke.
We might get a few weekends without them as they save up for a new gun. :chuckle:
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As much as we think the shooters are shooting at birds FROM OUR VIEW which is probably a good distance away I'd venture a guess the birds were not that far away from the shooters as you may have perceived. I don't care how far the birds are away from the shooter, if ya miss you're a skybuster/blaster. Period.
Unless you are in the blind with them any distance more than a 100 yards away you're not going to accurately tell how high/far the birds were from them.
I hear way too much moaning and groaning about skybusting.
About 4 years ago I was hunting blind 21 at McNary and my buddy was hunting blind 22. We watched them knocking birds down all morning. From our blind it looked like they were taking them high 50 yds or higher. When we met up in the parking lot I asked him how far he thought they were shooting birds. He said the birds were only 20 to 25 yds away. Wow, I said we would have guessed 50 at least. This guy is a good hunter and was with 3 other good hunters that day so I don't doubt for a second they were shooting at 25 yrds. I learned then that only being 200 yds away the perception of how high the birds were was really off.
So now I won't call anyone a skybuster unless I'm in their blind and seeing it first hand.
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I remember those days :bash: :bash: my rule of thumb was if I could not see the colors on their head or their eye balls they were out of range !
What about when you age? If I went by colors on head, I would have to wait until they were 20 feet away.
Eyeballs? That would be a lot closer.
That means they are to far ...quit wasting shells and if you have to wait until they are 20 ft away then you are worse off than me ... :chuckle: :chuckle: I can not see anything up close any more ...they need to be out there ....I always had good eyes but lately I am blind .. :dunno:
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I think that alot of guys see how far their shot actually travels and start thinking that it is lethal out there at that range. Sluice a duck at the far edge of your spread and you get pellet activity way out there....
Reminder to newbies to duck hunting; Your effective range of your shot is far less than you think! Stop wounding birds, learn to wait to shoot when ducks are close, kill more, wound less.
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You can take a good dog out to Samish any Monday and walk the dike and corn and pick up a limit of cripples without firing a shot.
There are a lot of ducks setting wounded .
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You can take a good dog out to Samish any Monday and walk the dike and corn and pick up a limit of cripples without firing a shot.
There are a lot of ducks setting wounded .
I went out there a week ago and walked the dike with my dog to see the layout like you had suggested and my dog brought me back four mallards throughout the walk you arent kidding!
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That is the saddest thing I've heard in a long time. Tragic just tragic.
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You can take a good dog out to Samish any Monday and walk the dike and corn and pick up a limit of cripples without firing a shot.
There are a lot of ducks setting wounded .
To bad many of them are pintail hens. I let my dog work the corn there and he kept bring back pintail hen after pintail hen. I pitched them in the open, so the birds could make quick work of them. The skybusters can't identify them at the range, they like shooting them at.
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And we here are such perfect shots.... Yeah some get all ancy pants and have no restraints. I do blame it on the ones in the blind that are "In the Know" and let em do it....
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And we here are such perfect shots.... Yeah some get all ancy pants and have no restraints. I do blame it on the ones in the blind that are "In the Know" and let em do it....
No one claims to be "perfect shots" just taking good shots.
I call in the birds and tell my hunting partners when to open the blind and shoot.
I agree, the "in the know" people should not let it happen.
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with my new 6 3/4inch magnum 12 gauge skybusting is real :chuckle:
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with my new 6 3/4inch magnum 12 gauge skybusting is real :chuckle:
You better wear a lifejacket when you touch that thing off :chuckle:
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with my new 6 3/4inch magnum 12 gauge skybusting is real :chuckle:
You better wear a lifejacket when you touch that thing off :chuckle:
:chuckle:
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I was hunting with my brother's son in law in one blind a few hundred yards away from my bro's buddy in another blind. He folded a mallard at what had to be 70-80 yards on a lucky shot. I knew what was going to happen next. He continued to shoot at anything within 100, expecting a repeat. He must have went through a box at least and never touched another feather. But he at least learned his lesson.
I think this is "hoping to get lucky" is pretty common among rookies who lack a good mentor. They really feel their only chance is to "blast away" as they lack the knowledge and skills and patience to get ducks in killing range.
:yeah: