Hunted on Ft Hood this am. Me a buddy and my son show up at 3:30 to secure about a 4 acre pond on post. We park the truck at the entrance of the pond leave the parking lights on and leave the truck the truck running. Set the alarm for 5:15 so we could start to set up. I was awakened by a vehicle at 5 o'clock that I swear came about two inches from the front of my truck just to get around me. The truck continued to drive to the edge of the pond which is about 15 yards in front of us two guys get out and start looking around, they're obviously duck Hunters wearing camo and one guy was wearing his uniform for camo, idiot. And I could tell they were young, maybe 19 20. Then they start to set up, I wake up my friend and my son and said can you believe this crap look at this. So we drive to the other side of the pond because we figure these guys had no respect for jack squat and we didn't want to confront them, especially with weapons. As im sitting there and thought about it for a second or two and said, you know what if they don't care then we're going to be butt holes. We drove back around to where they are at and set up right next to them. I mean our decoys were literally 5 feet from their decoys. They didnt say a word, not good morning or let's sit together,nothing. They knew what they did. After we finished our blind I just start talking and being loud and obnoxious I was pretty agitated and upset at that point. So we started to act like total Noobs on purpose. Standing up and saying how I just bought my calls yesterday, how do I know it's a duck all of this while my friend played music on his phone. About 30 minutes before legal shooting time. One of the guys says,do you guys ever shut the f**k up. Oh boy, here we go. So I could've answerd that two separate ways. One, I could have replied back with the same type of language but I choose not to. All I said was nope, that's what happens when you almost hit my truck and set up right in front of my truck. I also said we obviously out here and sitting in the truck with the light's on for a reason. Then the guy replies back to me,I got out of my truck and yelled and nobody answered so I figured nobody was here. I said seriously,and said anyways then continued talking and just blowing randomly in my call. Then the guy says,this is no place to be practicing. I said yup and contined to blow randamly. We finally shut up about 10 mins before LST and sat down. We had some teal come in and land. I gave my friend the thumbs when LST was here and we blasted both the teal. Then the guy has the nerve to tell me I can use his dog to retrieve birds. I said nope, we're good. We had more birds come in and we shot everything remotely close. We ended up getting 4 teal and 2 red heads. They ended up getting 3 I think. We packed up at 830 and the same guy says, sir, you guys coming out tomorrow. I said nope, we're going to still house to get away from idiots like you. You guys have no idea how pissed I was. I know ft hood is basically public, but come on the nerve of some people. Have a ounce of respect and let it be first come first serve on a pond that small. I always drive to the next pond if someone is already at one i show up at.

And thats why I don't hunt public

I've hunted belton plenty of times. I always hunt at least 200 yards from any other hunters. Its the gentlemen and courtesy thing to do.

Not how I would have handled it, but I understand your frustration. Glad nobody got too heated and ratcheted things up and everyone got some birds.

Are they going to go home now and talk about the buttholes they had come hunt next to them? Weren't they actually at the pond (not the parking area) to setup before you?

Not exactly sure they were all that wrong, based only on the story told...

Charlie

Up to three...

I get your frustration, but your actions were passive-aggressive as hell. Why not TALK to them, even if it means a possible confrontation? Soldiers for the most part will respect if you call them an a-hole and tell them to F off to their face vs. passive-aggressiveness.

Could you have been there getting ready to do some other kind of hunting? They might not have known you had been there since 3:30. I know people predator hunt, hog hunt and deer hunt at the same time together with duck hunters. If you had deeks in the water or out standing around the water your story would be absolutely valid. The guy even made sure that y'all didn't have that same problem tomorrow. Good to know that y'all did get some ducks.

I can understand your frustration but if you're going to get on site go set up and stay in your blind.

Like Moe points out. You're sitting in your vehicle how is anyone supposed to know you're there to duck hunt and you're not there for a late season deer hunt?

Now here is where I'd ask you to PM what area number that pond is in, but dang, doesn't sound like many birds played. Jeez we have no birds in central texas.

You could have been like a buddy of mine and yelled, "HEY, YOU NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO HUNT!"

Not really my style, but I gotta admit it worked...

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I could've done something different and a probably should've but what's done is done. At least we all ended up with birds which is a plus, not to mention we must have saw at least 100 teal. Hopedale, why would I pm you the TA???

They are probably telling all their friends about the lazyarses that tried to hold a spot by sitting in their warm comfy truck until the last minute. For future reference, if you want to hold a spot you need to have someone actually at the spot. Not in the truck, or hanging back by the camp fire 200 yards back or any other means of pulling the "that's my spot over there" routine.