Ok so i hear so much about how busy the public lands are during the opener for duck season. With it falling the same weekend as deer season (rifle) opens will that thin it out at all? and i have read many people say you need to be at your spot at 1-3 am to get where you want. Is that really how crowded it gets?

Just because your there at 3 am dont mean they wont set up right next to ya. Sometimes right at shooting time Been there

Generally speaking, the easier a place is to get to the more people you'll have to deal with.

yeah thats kinda what i was figuring as well. i dont have a problem sharing a spot with somone if i was there first just needs to be done the right way and comunicated before setting up but i am sure that by the sounds of it it is just a big free for all.

I get to my spots between 1-3am no matter what time of year it is....

Me too, on the opener I get there about 11 or 12

But then you get some people like hey this is my spot get away from my spot go away

I had 3 main spots last year and I played a game of how late can I get there and still get my spot. Got burned once, bad.

Opening day of deer season doesn't matter much. Nasty weather helps keep people in bed.

You can try to get there early and save the x, and have a great hunt or get burned by someone setting up on top of you.

Or you can have a few places in mind, sleep in, let everyone get settled into their spot, and then go to where nobody is at.

Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages.

Dont listen to the 1am-3am talk. There are too major groups that show up to hunt opener. Seems the truely early guys get there between 3:15-3:45 and then you get another wave that shows up about 5:00 so they still have plenty of time but they arent early and then you get a few dumbarses that show up at the last second.

Ya'll are too hardcore for me

My public circus days ended a loooooooooong time ago and back yen it wasn't as bad as you guys are having to deal with. Most public areas have become that much more of a circus these days from what I gather. Must really suck to have to be at your hole before the clock has even struck midnight. Good luck with all that

Me and my buddies like to camp out the evening before in a nearby site. Its always a good time hanging out with the guys and it saves us from having to make the hour and a half drive in the morning. Of course some places don't allow camping so check on that before you go

Wake up at 4, at the spot by 5. Don't hunt where everyone else does. You'll have people who are respectful of you having your spread set up, and you'll have a bunch of barneys who either don't know better or don't care that they're too close to you.

I usually go there at 10 pm to beat the 11, 12, and 1-3 am croud.

This year i will be there at 7 pm

After unloading your boat you can spill some grease on the boatramp.
That will slow the process down like a charm. Last year they had to tow 3 pick ups out of the water.

I am already sitting in my blind for the Nov. 2 opener.

There were some jackwagons at a North TX lake a few years ago that launched the night before then parked their rigs across the ramp blocking anyone else from getting in.

I can't imagine their tires or windshields were in too good of shape when they got back.

It all depends on the location. Some places are just Barney central, will always be crowded. Normally if there are birds, in combination with easy access, and close to the metromess, you can expect crowds. But there are lots of places to hunt open morning, even a metromess lake, and you will not see anyone. You just got to find the spots, and normally not many birds...

Ricochet83,

What part of Texas do you plan on hunting, or rather, is it an area with limited public opportunities?

Not asking for you lake name, so don't list it and stir a hornets nests.

If you are in an area that has has a large population of duck hunters, and limited access, then its in your best interest to go to your spot the earliest you can.

If you don't care about getting a certain spot, then you can sleep in, and just find a spot to set up when you get there.

Idle around at sunrise and wait to hear shots. Then set up next to whomever is shooting the most.

Boom scouting at its finest. Don't think it's not a common practice either.

Thats three groups, or four if your a non-believer.

Hopedale: The Public spot i plan on hunting that i have been scouting is a large area. So there is plenty of space with lots of little areas as well however it is pretty close to a few large cities so.....

And luckily i do not have to use any ramps to get my boat in the water so i am already ahead of the game there.