First off I have to say I used to be against sitting in a blind built by someone else. There is a line there though. When every point in the bay has an outfitter's blind then you gotta get in the ditch with them. So whoever built the blinds I hunted in, thank you very much.

So here goes the public story. I went down to the bay to take my wife on an easy public hunt. I wanted her to shoot some redheads feet down over the decoys. Well we zip across the bay way early and pick out a blind. While she was getting the gear in the blind I put out 7 dozen decoys. (Whoever invented the Texas rig, THANK YOU).

From across the bay I see this little white Boston Whaler with one guy headed right to me. I knew what was coming. He pulled up as far as his outboard would let him, anchored and walked to me the remaining 100 yards. As he entered the spread I asked what he needed.

He put up his hands and said "I don't want to fight but this is my bosses blind and he is going to be here in a minute with clients and he is going to hunt it. Now kowing he is an outfitter's minion doing what he was told I went easy on him, at first.

I said "Well this is a public blind, we aren't going anywhere". Then he says "Well we built it". I was still kind to him and informed him once they drove away from it then it became property of the State and it is public.

Now the kid makes a grand mistake by saying "I am warning you, my boss is coming to hunt this blind". I let you guess the wrath that insued. At this point he was interupting our hunt enough to file a hunter harrasment charge. He was informed of the law violation. I told him, in not so nice of a tone, to get in his boat, leave and to call his boss. I also told him to tell his boss what was going to happen if they came back. I guess they understood as they hunted the next point over and left us alone to enjoy a nice evening together.

All was going fine but to warn me in a threatening tone tripped my freakin trigger. I guess that tactic works on some people but not me. But Mr. Guide from Sante Fe, Texas thank you anyway for building a nice blind. I do have a suggestion. Make the bench a little more comfortable next year. I am going to hunt your blind all day, but would prefer a better seating arrangement. Oh and if you could build up the west side of the blind with more brush it would be greatly appreciated, I got a little sun burn.

Lol

"I don't want to fight but"

"well you best get to going jr"

You shouldn't pick on kids like that wal. It's not nice.

I'll get some pics of my wife's foot wide smile holding her redhead duck. Right now I am in the midst of making a big pot of gumbo.

shouldn't she be cooking while you upload the photos?

Wal I know I am fixing to start something here but..... gotta say it anyway when you work on the water all year building blinds ,brushing blinds looking for birds etc everyday spent trying to get ready for the next duck season it does aggrevate you when someone comes along and just sits down to enjoy all your hard work and time

I started duck hunting when I was 12 on public Lake Livingston to be exact we built blinds put out decoys and left them out all year and NO ONE would ever touch your decoys or hunt your blinds
Now thats why I hunt private almost everyday because all the NEW BREED duck hunters I use that term sparingly because I have met some very good new duck hunters and it does not matter how many times you have been it is a matter of respect
That is why me and my buddy hunt so much private stuff on just a friendship , if we see the landowner at the local cafe we stop and buy him dinner/breakfast etc. lots of times you never get too pay the check as he pays it "going to the bathroom "
But we offered , also if he is working cows we stop climb on a horse and help , pick up all trash and close and leave gates as we find them , send him a bottle of his favorite liking
Saying all this glad you had a good time and if had of been me I would have went to another of MY blinds or invited you to hunt with us by the way I dont have ANY blinds on the bay

Yeah right! She is still sleeping, we didn't get in until late late last night. She doesn't like cooking anyway.

Periods are your friend

Glad you had a good hunt, and it all worked out nicely.

That is the way it has always been down there, people build blinds and lay claim. Many outfitters leave decoys set all season. Not saying that is right at all, but that is what has worked for them for decades. I agree though about the number of blinds being excessive now, and abandoned, non productive blinds have littered the bay systems (not that you can't find fish around them). The amount of pressure the coast is getting these days, from both locals and people from out of town, continues to build and I assume they are figuring out it doesn't work as well as it used to.

I rarely hunt others blinds, and still set up my own temporary ones when I hunt. But I do hunt built blinds on weekdays, or bad weather days, where it is not likely to encounter the owner. My rule of thumb is if I hunt someone's blind I allow just enough time to get set up and hunt instead of camping out in it to allow those who built it have first crack at it. That's just me, and you are dead on about it being public. If I set out 7 dozen decoys, I wouldn't have wanted to leave either.

Glad to hear you guys had a good time, now where are the pictures of ducks?

well i'm glad she had the experience to see the ducks on the bay. I personally never have, but hoping i can get a trip together for next year and get some redheads, pintails, and maybe even some blondes

I see both sides....I bet the young guy was suppose to be at the blind a lot earlier to secure it for the group. I have said it before and will say it again. I hate how texas does it public hunting. In Ks, most places have a lottery drawing for spots. You get picked, you can put up you own blind. If you are not there 30 min before LST, someone else can hunt it. The system worked awesome when I lived there years ago.

I agree actually! I wish it were a matter of just repsect. I have built over 100 blinds on the bay. I have had them burned, material stolen, you name it. I used to be loud and proud about not hunting another's blind. On the bay I was at, there is not one point that does not have an outfitter's blind. 10 miles of beach and not one point is without a blind. No more burned down blinds, no more stolen material no more weekends building blinds. I'll just ease on out and go where I want to go. I am now down in the ditch fellas.

that's when i prefer to go hunting

well i'm glad she had the experience to see the ducks on the bay. I personally never have, but hoping i can get a trip together for next year and get some redheads, pintails, and maybe even some blondes [/quote]

When it is right, its right. It was like the old days these last couple weeks, 12 at a time and feet down in the deeks.

I love telling her to load up quick we could get more in here. Of course she no listen and boom there they are and she has an empty gun. Ha! That will learn her.

lol


man iv hunted livingston plenty and the ones who hunt it enough know its better to just not build a blind...thats pretty much like saying...hey come hunt my spot

Glad yall had a good time Wal! you picked a good weekend not to come this way...it was slow

Periods are your friend [/quote]

Not around my house they're not! I live with 3 women.....

Sorry, had to say it

Dawg ha ha thats good me too and the 4th coming up she is 3 .......... horrible child ha ha ha not really

I got my wife and 11 year old daughter...with 2 female dogs to boot! I don't have a chance.......

It may come to that. That is when I quit hunting public. I have hunted 38 seasons at the bay. I got away from it as I thought I was tired of it. I have discovered I can't leave it. You see it is not the ducks alone that draw me to it. It is more importantly the freedom. I can go where I dern well please and not even the government can tell me what to do as long as I am legal. If I want to go there, then I go there. If I want to go here then I go here.

I enjoy seeing the sun set. I enjoy throwing 6 decoys at a time thanks to the Texas rig. I like the whole experience. Right up until Jr. came along and tride to tread on my freedom with a threatening tone. He didn't step on duck hunting alone he stepped on my freedom. More important than that he put the thought in my wife's head thinking there was going to be a confrontation. Threaten me, OK I mad. I'll get over it. Alter my wife's good time or worse scare her, I will go into what is called reptillian brain activity! I promised her father I would take care of her. I promised in God's house I would be her protection. Those are two promises I intend to keep.

Maybe one day they will outlaw guided hunts on the bays. One day.

^^^^^^^^
THIS
^^^^^^^^

To hunt there, you really have no choice. Every reasonable spot on the public shoreline has a blind now. If you hunt between the blinds, you risk having hunters too close to you on both sides that screws up everyone's hunt. I would think a guide would rather you hunt one of his blinds than hunt the bank downwind from a blind he has paying clients in. The guide knows he can't claim ownership and knows it is public, but I think it is just an expected part of the game for them to try and run people off the blind on the chance they leave it. A public hunter calling his bluff and staying is also part of the game. I imagine this is just another day at the office for them. If this is the outfitters livelyhood and he had paying clients he should have sent his employee out at 3am and secured the blind.

Haha, I am glad you stood up to him.