Change my mind…

Define the epitome of sportsman?

Upland bird hunters, imo. No one is the epitome if you aren’t moving.

Commitment, physical conditioning, determination, resolve, etc…

I can appreciate some elitism. Even if misapplied.

A stout second (no prep) - the most challenging upland bird hunting I’ve personally, and routinely, experienced was SW MN pheasant hunting CRP - rolling terrain, light snow, damp, waist-high grass, moguls, occasional mucky bottomland…

Not elitism - respect…

Referencing it is the surest watch to miss out on it.

Duck hunters - the epitome of sportsman afield…




That would seem to be the epitome of a display of "intransigence". LOL

Opinions Vary!

Change my mind!


Whether I would be considered to be a sportsman, I go afield from time to time.........






























ya,

GWB

Well, if those are your baselines for the epitome of sportsman I’m afraid you’re a long way off.

I love to duck hunt, but while the waterfowler is taking his snorkeled UTV into the wetland to toss a few decoys while hitting his 4th star crunch of the morning and washing it down with a Cotton candy Bang, only to go sit in a heated pit blind and dip wintergreen skoal all morning, there is a sheep hunter out there on his 4th day of a 10 day hunt who had already covered 30 miles on foot, been living out of his back pack and the very literal sense of the next step possibly being his last. If he is successful the animal is coming off the mountain on his back, or if he is lucky, a horse will share the burden.

Guys who think waterfowl hunters are the epitome of a sportsman must also think Kenny Power’s is the Epitome of a major league ball player.

I’m an avid duck hunter and I can attest to the fact that it is indeed an industry dominated by energy drinks, Little Debbie’s and/or breakfast burritos. Usually not a picture of physical endurance. Unless you count threats and the occasional fight, I wouldn’t use resolve as an adjective either.

Western state elk hunters would fit that description better than a bunch of guys in a boat throwing out blocks.

Are you joking or actually being serious? I love to hunt everything, ducks included. But what waterfowl hunting and its crowd have turned into with all the social media and everything else txtrophy described to a T is ridiculous. I would honestly like to know why many of these people get up and go “hunting”.

Someone saying duck hunters the epitome of sportsman afield is like reading one of those memes that starts with Tell us your not a duck hunter without telling us your not a duck hunter.


One WMA I hunt had the wildlife techs request a move to a different WMA that I also hunt, but is not near as focused on waterfowl hunting as the first one. When I asked them why they moved, it was because of constant things like cheating, fighting, arguing, complaining, unappreciative, cutthroat bad attitudes of a percentage of the public waterfowl hunters they had to deal with. All of those words may not be exact, but some of what was said would not be appropriate for this forum.

The only group of hunters that have a worse reputation are hog doggers.

Both love NASCAR

As an avid duck hunter I can say that all 350 lbs of me is incredibly flattered

Duck Hunters are the Bass Fishermen of the hunting world. I have been heavily involved in both and can say that the similarities are mind boggling! I think a lot of it has to do with both activities taking place on mostly public water.

Ya'll need more hog hunters.

I remember several years back when bass fishermen were trying to get themselves classified as athletes…

Duck hunters want to be the bass fishermen of the hunting world but their behavior prevents it. Ask any game warden about the ethical principles of the average duck hunter.

Sorry Otis but duck hunters are not the epitome if that is your criteria. Those few individuals that hunt mountain game like sheep and goats without a guide and out of a backpack beat any duck hunter out there. I have successfully taken both bighorn sheep and mountain goat in CO on solo backpacking hunts. My guess is you have never hunted either.



When this picture was taken with a timer on the camera I was sitting at 13,800 ft on Mt Huron in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area of CO and was more than 5 miles from the nearest point you could drive to. Name me one duck hunter who is hunting at 13,800 ft out of a backpack 5 miles from the nearest road.



I was also fortunate to be able to hunt Stone Sheep in Northern BC in my misbegotten cowboy youth but had to use a guide on that due to the laws in Canada. Even guided with horses it was still a whole lot harder than any duck hunt I was ever on.

Thats something ta b proud of.