On the heels of gregs poll about viewing other hunters, most responded in regards to the boat ramp after the hunt. How about when you are on the water? My question is...

How many of you have invited a complete stranger to join your hunt instead of sending him on his way to be your competition? and did they except?

I did it last year twice. The first guy hunted with me and my brother, it was a heavily hunted area, and he came out late with no place to go.

The second time was different, a guy set up 100 yrds down the shore from us, and he watched us shoot birds all morning cause he wasnt on the X.

One year me and a buddy got into our boat and headed out to a spot that I thought was far away from any walk-in hunters, especially since the lake was flooded. About 30 minutes before LST I hear someone walking through the woods a huffing and a puffing. When we shined our light his way, I heard him say Oh Sh!t!. My buddy asked if wanted to join us and so he did. That dude was the best duck caller I had ever heard before, we shot a mixed bag of limits (Pintail, BWT, GWT, Redheads, Widgeon, Mallards) that day and that is still one of the best duck memories I have to this day. We hooked up a few times later until he moved back to Houston.

never invited anyone to hunt w/ me, everyone i've talked to had a hunting buddy or their spot already picked out. been asked to hunt w/ a few different people but i politely decline. kinda skiddish about trying out a spot i've never been to b4 w/ people i've never hunted w/ b4.

Same here, I dont usually like hunting with people I've never hunted with before. Especially since I live near the DFW area and there are tons of Barneys round these parts. I have had mixed experiences but I mainly like hunting by my self or with my select hunting buddies. I just dont trust strangers with firearms plain and simple.

More than a few times i have invited someone coming into the same area as me to combine resources. I can't think of any bad experiences I have had from it other than some that I decided it best not to ask due to a first impression. With duck hunting, The cost of the license, stamps, sometimes permit, gear, non tox shot, effort of getting out so early. I think most people who are in this tend to be experienced with guns and hunting even if they are new at waterfowl. Also, more than once I have walked over to say hi to someone coming into the same area I am set up on and found out it was someone I knew. Or knew me from the forum. Usually starts with a voice in the dark "is that blaze?". Not many hunters doing this with a red dog I guess. But yea, if it is well before shooting time and I am done setting up, I have no problem walking or paddling over in the dark even a good ways just to be neighborly. One has to be tactful with that in how you present yourself and not to use your light until your with talking range. Some hunters get really freaked out with a light approaching. When you are just a voice in the dark saying "hows it goin?" I have never had a hunter be impolite or confrontational.

Of the last times I remember. I went to visit a group set up across a flat and around an island from me after getting flashed by me. It turned out to be one of my long time hunting buddies with some family of his. But we had never hunted that location together before, so it was a surprise. I limited in like three minutes that morning, so went back and had those guys follow me over to successfully hunt over my decoys because I was not hearing any shots where they were at. Also that morning another set of lights approached, but they turned back and left. I could see their truck drive off in the distance. Later found out because of my post about the hunt it was threecurl. He did not hunt that morning. Reflects very well on his character. I do wish his group had stopped long enough before heading back, I was about to walk over to invite them to hunt with me on my over thought out decoy spread. There were more than enough teal that morning to go around.

Another was a saturday hunt on a crowded lake where a hunting partner was late, so I had to pull into an alternate spot because I did not be running the boat so close to legal shooting time. We are set up and some poor guy by himself walks around the point lugging a bunch of decoys. I knew from where we where he had walked a loooong ways. He turned around and started marching back. I ran and intercepted him before he got around the point. Told, did not ask, told him he was hunting with us. I knew the death march he had just been through. We enjoyed some good hunting, shared hunting stories with him, and I would say he was one of the more polite hunters I have ever hunted with.

At Lake X. I have never declined to invite a stranger to hunt with me and my party. Mostly out of selfishness, not out of the Goodnes of my heart- I simply don't want to compete with them setting up on top of me and playing that dang kazoo all morning.

I believe I have hunted with 4 or 5 total strangers. All are welcome to hunt with me again- ANYTIME. They were all polite and I ended up hunting with a couple of them many times. Josh, if your out there buddy...give me a holler. Haven't heard from ya since last season.


Overall, I have found this not too be a dilema, but rather a nice way to meet some people that you share a passion with.

I went to ramp X on the coast one time and saw a trailer on the boat backed into the water but still on the trailer. Then I saw a butt sticking up as if somebody was working on the motor. I was by myself and proceeded to dress up as it was cold that morning. When I got done I walked ove to talk to them and the guy was ticked at his boat. He asked if I had a spare fuel bulb. I did have one but could not find it. He said he was going to just load his boy, brother and dog and go home. I offered one of my blinds and told them I would drive them to the blind in my boat. HE almost would not do it for being polite. I talked them into it and I dropped him and his brother in one blind while his son and I went to the other. We shot a few birds and parted ways. They were good folks and had a beast of a chessie along.

I have met some great hunting buddies by introducing myself way before shooting time. Kdub and I met 2 seasons ago out at Ray Bob and now we hunt almost every day during season together.

thats true