Frustrating opener ARRRGG!

Well Saturday sucked big time. Scouted Friday on this particulour lake and absolutely loaded with ducks. Get to the ramp 2 hours before shooting time and things started looking grim. LOTS of boats! Well it took me my 4th try to get a spot...lights coming on so much it look like a Christmas tree! We took no shots and heard very few....hmmmmm. Talked to a dude at the ramp and told him what I thought and he agreed....we blew all the ducks out with the boat traffic. Today I went to another part of lake that only I have hunted the last couple years or so it seems and took 5 ducks, 3 wigeons and 2 gadwalls.

So that was the start of my duck season (I never went early teal). What your opinion of what happened...think we blew out the birds? There were few ducks on the lake this morning also. The guy at the ramp said Thursday lake was loaded with teal also.

That's a pretty accurate diagnosis I'd say. Still sounds like you improvised and finally found em. Good news is that first day will turn a lot of people off from hunting there. Sticking it out will probably make for better hunts as the season ramps up.

Must have been in Oklahoma

Texas

Season opener was this Saturday for west Texas (HPMMU), OK is next weekend, rest of Texas is the next weekend.

Depending on the lake, west Texas opener can be a zoo. Used to love to take my son for youth season out there before all the barneys hammer it.

I think some of the boats were gudes with clients. I hunted last year same time and same lake and only a couple groups were on the lake.

Someone probably named the lake on the internet, and all the Barney's went there.

Were there as many ducks there this year vs last year? There is a direct correlation between ducks and barneys.

This is the first year my youngest has hunted ducks. I told him no matter where we go just plan on opening day being a scouting mission except we'll have our guns. We're going to get there very early but I expect it won't matter. People will be running in and out all morning. I'm halfway tempted to just go jump shoot tanks until December.

Yep about the same as last year. I shot a limit very easily last year and only a couple groups in that area of lake. I watched lots of ducks last year flying around. 95% of the ducks I saw Friday were gone Sat at light. We heard high power outboards coming and going before dark also....I figure they were transporting clients in and out. Oh well It will calm down and hunts will be good again. I think it was the opener effect also as deer season keeps most hunters busy out there this time of year....or so it has last few years.

Yeah :\ I haven't hunted a good spot on opening day since moving to Texas, too many factors you can't control. I usually just find a creek and sit there with my Lab and enjoy the morning, shoot a few passing woodies if we get the chance, then move to the marsh a couple weeks in when the traffic slows down.