Problem with duck guide in Seadrift.

[Geraldg6]

Sorry, but throwing your decoys out the evening before doesn't mark your spot. In fact it probably ticks a lot of people off that do get out there early like everybody else to get a spot. You're lucky he leaves your abandoned decoys in the blind for you.

Personally, I would leave your stuff alone and go find a new spot. It's not a huge deal to me but I know a lot of people would do even worse to your decoys than this guide is doing. Don't sit your boat in his spread like others have said or you will be the one getting slapped with hunter harassment. You did the right thing by just picking up and going somewhere else. It's all part of public hunting.

This guy is right on. I know many people would have just taken the decoys. Just beat him to the spot. I bet he won't hunt next to you. Public hunting is a pain. But that guide does need a lesson in manners.

[30-30]

I can see setting up close by, but not removing your decoys. That's messed up!

[Todd-ty729]

What is different about duck hunting is that there are semi permanent duck blinds involved.

Most public hunting areas do not allow you to leave a tree stand or whatever in place unless you are there actually using it.

So if there is no reserving your spot by putting out decoys then what is different about putting them out and hunting over them right now. Essentially you are reserving the spot right then.

Where do you draw the line!

By placing the deks out the night before you have not held or reserved the spot during any legal hunting hours.

Comparing this to fishing is not apples to apples either. You do not leave your boat there like you do a duck blind.

[OleTomTalker]

Sounds no different to me than someone trying to 'claim' a spot on public hunting land by putting up a blind or stand and leaving it all season, then trying to complain because someone else comes in and hunts the spot when they aren't there.
Doesn't sound like it's private land/lake. First in gets the spot until they leave. Don't see how you can 'reserve' a spot for duck hunting any more than you can reserve a spot for fishing.
Whether or not the other person is a guide isn't the issue. Far as I can tell, you can't 'claim' a spot if you aren't there at the time if it's public land or water.

This^

While the guy sounds like a jerk, gotta say in a lot of other states where duck hunting public land is way bigger than here, you would be the one this thread was aimed at. A lot of public land we hunted in MS, LA and AR, it is illegal to put your decoys out if you're not there to hunt. Many of the old timer's I hunted with would have done a lot more than pick up your decoys if you had left them and weren't there.

[Todd-ty729]

What about leaving a trot line out in a lake?

Isn't that reserving a spot to fish, sorta?

[dharris]

Lesson: Don't leave plastic ducks to guard your post.

That's funny right there!

[Sleepy]

ummmm….dekes left overnight….good way to get them stolen, and that by no means "reserves" your spot. You want your spot, get up early like everyone else and beat them out there. That's all there is to it, no if's, and's, or but's. That "spot" is every bit of his as it is yours. You want to set up your spread the night before, go find some private waters….the end.

If thats where I had planned on hunting, and I got there, no one was there, but a spread was out, I would have done the same thing, and then laughed as you rolled in 15 min before shooting light, like you had it all figured out.

[panhandlehunter]

Sorry, but throwing your decoys out the evening before doesn't mark your spot. In fact it probably ticks a lot of people off that do get out there early like everybody else to get a spot. You're lucky he leaves your abandoned decoys in the blind for you.

Personally, I would leave your stuff alone and go find a new spot. It's not a huge deal to me but I know a lot of people would do even worse to your decoys than this guide is doing. Don't sit your boat in his spread like others have said or you will be the one getting slapped with hunter harassment. You did the right thing by just picking up and going somewhere else. It's all part of public hunting.

It's that attitude that ruins public hunting. They took the time to set out decoys the night before. They're not yours or anybody else's to touch. The bay is big and there are plenty to places to hunt. All the guide has to do is move down 3 or 400 yards. I hunted public land nearly my whole life and finally gave up. I've since started leasing property so I don't have to deal with knuckleheads.

[panhandlehunter]

ummmm….dekes left overnight….good way to get them stolen, and that by no means "reserves" your spot. You want your spot, get up early like everyone else and beat them out there. That's all there is to it, no if's, and's, or but's. That "spot" is every bit of his as it is yours. You want to set up your spread the night before, go find some private waters….the end.

If thats where I had planned on hunting, and I got there, no one was there, but a spread was out, I would have done the same thing, and then laughed as you rolled in 15 min before shooting light, like you had it all figured out.

And I would set up 50 yards from you and waste a morning hunt ruining yours and laugh as I flare all your birds as you thought you had it figured out.

[Charles]

Chalk another one up to the me me me mentality.

Kick his arse sea bass

[Sleepy]

And I would set up 50 yards from you and waste a morning hunt ruining yours and laugh as I flare all your birds as you thought you had it figured out.

Guess we'd both have a crappy morning then

[D_Mcvay]

I don't leave my decoys out just because I have to much money wrapped up in them, but I have left them in the blind if I knew I was coming back. I just don't trust people. A lot of the guides where I hunt do leave there decoys out, and I would never touch other peoples decoys. Also just because there are decoys out doesn't always mean someone is hunting that blind so he may pick them up so ducks don't decoy into that blind.

It is public and knowing that other people maybe close or also trying to get to the same area you want to hunt you should get there early as well. How bad do you want it? There has been times when me and my buddies that hunt together know that its good hunting conditions plus its a weekend, we will be in the blind at 4:00 and shooting time isn't until 6:20, even if its our blind. How bad do you want it.

[mooch]

It's that attitude that ruins public hunting. They took the time to set out decoys the night before. They're not yours or anybody else's to touch. The bay is big and there are plenty to places to hunt. All the guide has to do is move down 3 or 400 yards. I hunted public land nearly my whole life and finally gave up. I've since started leasing property so I don't have to deal with knuckleheads.

Like I said, not a big deal to me and I would have found another spot. You're right. The bays are big. But I also hunt public waters enough to understand the thinking of other hunters. You can't claim a spot unless you're physically there. Especially if it's deep in a back lake that takes a while to get to. No way 90% of hunters would say "oh well" and turn around.

So if setting decoys out the night before "claims" his spot, whats different from setting them out the week before and trying to claim the spot the following weekend?

[weasel]

ummmm….dekes left overnight….good way to get them stolen, and that by no means "reserves" your spot. You want your spot, get up early like everyone else and beat them out there. That's all there is to it, no if's, and's, or but's. That "spot" is every bit of his as it is yours. You want to set up your spread the night before, go find some private waters….the end.

If thats where I had planned on hunting, and I got there, no one was there, but a spread was out, I would have done the same thing, and then laughed as you rolled in 15 min before shooting light, like you had it all figured out.

I'm with this guy. We have way too much money invested in dekes to be leaving them out for someone else to help themselves to. The 3am alarm clock is just part of duck season.

[Dale Moser]

What about leaving a trot line out in a lake?

Isn't that reserving a spot to fish, sorta?

No.