Fishing Etiquette Around Hunters??

[2thepointsetters]

. It wouldn't bother me a bit to see the sport restricted to private property.

Wow that would be a bad for everybody, not just duck hunters. Look at it from the other side maybe you should only be to fish on private property. Views like yours hurt outdoors people in general. There are plenty of lakes for everybody to enjoy.

[chickeywing]

Thanks for the input. That's what I thought too. I like dan z's thought: Let's share the water we have. Life's too short.

TC

[vikingmeatwad]

Usually plenty of lake to go around so I give the hunters a lot of room out of courtesy.

[Down Deep]

I have no problem staying away from duck hunters and giving them their space, just like I stay out of the woods during deer season and walk the dog on nearby city streets for those two weeks. But, I like to change the conversation a bit. Suppose I'm out for and afternoon of fishing on a fall day sitting on a hot spot pounding the walleyes and a couple of duck hunters show for some late afternoon hunting in a blind adjacent to my spot: Should I vacate my spot?

Another comment: Any hunter that discharges their firearm in a manner that drops pellets on me is going to be receiving a visit from the DNR. They obviously need some retraining in gun safety.

[hartner62]

I would stay right where you are and continue catching. They can find a new spot or wait until you move. You were there first.

[Tom7227]

I agree with most of this except for the idea that a dropping pellet is a basis for calling in a CO. There's just no real way that a hunter can tell where a pellet is really going to fall - at least not be able to do it and still take a shot. A dropping pellet isn't going to hurt you unless you're really unlucky and look up at just the wrong time and don't have any eye protection on.

On the other hand a shot that causes pellets to hit with any force may be another thing. Discharging a gun to scare off other hunters or fishermen is criminal and stupid and the cuffs should come out for something like that. IMO the guy that wrote that had been playing too much donkey kong back then.

[ricqik]

I agree with keeping your distance if you mistakenly come across duck hunters, especially when they were there first and I also agree that if a hunter is going to set up adjacent to a fishing hot spot and the angler is already there, you either move on or wait till the angler moves off.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I both fish and duck hunt.

If I'm fishing on a lake and I see hunters or decoys out, I'll keep my distance. They only have so many days to hunt, I have almost all year to fish.

While duck hunting I avoid areas where anglers frequent. I also spend a lot of hunting time in shallow water sloughs where people don't fish.

It's all about respect for each other on the water. Most of us don't like being crowded while fishing and we don't crowd others. We should do the same for hunters, and vice versa.

[Pickelfarmer]

We on this site are talking about hunting and fishing. I told a friend of mine earlier today that this was the reason that kept me from joining FM for so long. Not because this is a bad topic but because I would open my big mouth in the wrong way.WELL here goes: I don't care if you have a gun or not. hunting and fishing are both leagal and if your doing one or the other you need to respect the other. It makes me sick however that people on this site say "Well they have a gun and you don't". what does that mean???? So if I want a gallon of milk in a store and I have a gun, I will get the milk and no one else?

Thats dumb, I sure wouldn't mind not ever hearing that again. How stupid is it to say I have a gun, respect me??????????????????????? think about it. I think most of us here are for gun rights and hunting. fishing and hunitng go hand in hand. We sure dont neeed guys saying well my hunting sport involves a gun so its more improtant than yours.........

[Dano2]

heh, heh, thought about the same thing but waited for you to say it.

[Pickelfarmer]

heh, heh, thought about the same thing but waited for you to say it.

Thank you.

[fritz179]

I think a lot of it depends on who was there first. If you're in a bay fishing and then duck hunters come into that bay, then the duck hunters need to acknowledge you're there and go somewhere else. Same if you have decoys out and a boat approaches that spot, the boat needs to find someplace different. That's just how I see it.

[Down Deep]

I do agree with you, but I think the statement was meant as a caution because people with lethal weapons may not use the best of judgement. You never know how much whiskey or attitude might be affecting their judgement and there is plenty of proof of such actions.

One of the first thing my sons gun safety instructors said to the class was; "Never argue with man with a gun, you never know what he might be thinking especially if he is angry". I think that is sage advice.

[BigWadeS]

after re-reading that post a few times I am pretty sure that it was a commical post, but there are people that would probably take it the wrong way if a guy went trolling in front of their decoys,

If they were set up before I got there fishing I would stay away out of respect

[Pickelfarmer]

I do agree with you, but I think the statement was meant as a caution because people with lethal weapons may not use the best of judgement. You never know how much whiskey or attitude might be affecting their judgement and there is plenty of proof of such actions.

One of the first thing my sons gun safety instructors said to the class was; "Never argue with man with a gun, you never know what he might be thinking especially if he is angry". I think that is sage advice.

really??? I highly doubt that anyone out Duck hunting is in any way what so ever intoxicated. That is not what I ment. I would just like to think that anybody that does hunt or fish wouldn't use the tools of the trade as a deturent to someone else trying to reach the same result. I know of nobody that has ever been on any substance while hunting. Its foolish to say that whiskey affects any hunters judgement.

[Surface Tension]

Lakes are for multiple public use. One user has no more right then the other to public water. What the user needs to do is be considerate of others. Common courtesy and common sense is needed but we know there are those that lack both.

If someone is duck hunting then you find another spot to fish.

If someone is fishing then you find another spot to hunt.

If your out water skiing or tubing you stay away from guys out fishing.

So your in your blind and a fishing boat moves in too close.

Your hid so maybe the boat didn't see you. First thing to do is make the boat aware of your presence.

I'd like to think that most guys would then give the hunters their space.

Lets say this boat lacks that common courtesy.

You then politely explain that #1. Its pretty certain that ducks won't be coming in while their boat is there. #2 Even if the ducks did come in you couldn't shoot because you can't do so safely, so please move.

At no time do you threaten with, discharge, or show, your shotgun.

They still won't move. Take down their boats registration number. If you have a cell phone you call the Sheriff and Conservation Officer right then. Don't let on to the boat that you did so.

Since every story had two sides, you'll want your story heard first by filing a complaint.

How far is far enough away to safely discharge a shotgun?

Anything less then a quarter mile is not far enough for me.

[dirtking]

As a hunter I stick to the sloughs that don't get fishing pressure. If I were to venture to a lake with fishing pressure I would expect some boats to come by and I don't think that would bother me, as long as I can't carry on a conversation with them without raising my voice.

[Sandmannd]

I think a lot of it depends on who was there first. If you're in a bay fishing and then duck hunters come into that bay, then the duck hunters need to acknowledge you're there and go somewhere else. Same if you have decoys out and a boat approaches that spot, the boat needs to find someplace different. That's just how I see it.

I agree with this. Respect each other. If one is there first, it's their spot.

[gunflint]

I've been deer hunting with guys that were still drunk from the night before and had a hard time getting out of the cabin in the morning. When I used to drink it wasn't uncommon for me to road hunt with a 12 pack and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So I wouldn't assume that nobody ever drinks while hunting.

[glenn57]

perfectly, well said surface tension.

[Daze Off]

Haven't heard this one mentioned yet but I have been in bass boats traveling at a high rate of speed when we have come around a point or a bunch of reeds and gone through or nearly through a hunter's spread of decoys.....not knowing they were there beforehand and having traveled that path at other times. This has happened twice over the years.

Sometimes it is hard to tell decoys from real especially if you are moving at a pretty good clip. Don't know it is decoys until they don't scatter.

Felt bad about it but hardly any way to prevent it.

[Hammer Handle]

We on this site are talking about hunting and fishing. I told a friend of mine earlier today that this was the reason that kept me from joining FM for so long. Not because this is a bad topic but because I would open my big mouth in the wrong way.WELL here goes: I don't care if you have a gun or not. hunting and fishing are both leagal and if your doing one or the other you need to respect the other. It makes me sick however that people on this site say "Well they have a gun and you don't". what does that mean???? So if I want a gallon of milk in a store and I have a gun, I will get the milk and no one else?

Thats dumb, I sure wouldn't mind not ever hearing that again. How stupid is it to say I have a gun, respect me??????????????????????? think about it. I think most of us here are for gun rights and hunting. fishing and hunitng go hand in hand. We sure dont neeed guys saying well my hunting sport involves a gun so its more improtant than yours.........

I agree. Just because they have a gun doesn't mean they can take your rights away.

I duck hunt in the fall and fish. This last Sunday, a speed boat buzzed the lake several times and kept some geese from coming in. Was I mad? No, part of the game.

I duck hunt a LOT. And, I hate to say this, most duck hunters are jerk-baits. Not to just fisherman, but other duck hunters. Sorry if I offend anyone, but it is true. I run into a bunch of "winners" this last weekend. They felt that being I sat on the shore...and they had a boat with decoys...they had more rights than me. And they come back with the comment "we have three hunters with three guns...you are only one". What the heck does that mean?

[Neighbor_guy]

A wise man once told me "Son, it is not realy you that I worry about, it's the other guy. I've tought you to make wise decisions and I trust you to make them. I have also tought you to put yourself in the best situations possible. I dont know how the other guy was raised or the way he will react given the situation. The other guy can get you killed."

It was one of those fatherly speaches that can be and often was summed up as "Make wise decisions."

I've also heard and stick to "You can go fishing with anybody, but only go hunting with someone you know and trust."

The way I look at it, if you are in the act of hunting, I am generaly going to give you as much space as possible.

[BigWadeS]

Haven't heard this one mentioned yet but I have been in bass boats traveling at a high rate of speed when we have come around a point or a bunch of reeds and gone through or nearly through a hunter's spread of decoys.....not knowing they were there beforehand and having traveled that path at other times. This has happened twice over the years.

Sometimes it is hard to tell decoys from real especially if you are moving at a pretty good clip. Don't know it is decoys until they don't scatter.

Felt bad about it but hardly any way to prevent it.

could slow down, wouldn't that resolve that problem?

[Hammer Handle]

With a high speed boat, you shouldn't be flying around points anyway...especially if you see wildlife (even if they can fly).

What happens if someone was swimming there or in a canoe or something?

Or, a deer or log floating in the water?