CouesPursuit

All around, great work!

I was just reading the recent post on the opener for waterfowl where one mentions not to skybust, as it can ruin the hunt for everyone. Then another gentlemen asks what qualifies as skybusting.. I think it would be great to start a little discussion as to what duck hunting etiquette is. One can't follow it if they don't know it! I follow: Get in early- I don't have a problems getting in and settled before shooting light, but others do. Setting up or walking around like a sore thumb in a duck hunting area can be rude. Give distance- It's not a big deal to be a couple hundred yards away from someone, but if I see someone seriously set up and blinded in well, I know I wouldn't try to earn from their hard work. No skybusting- Call it what you want in whatever variation, but shooting at ducks that are not in definite kill range is "skybusting". I try not to shoot past 50 yards at a duck. it doesn't matter if they are decoying or passing by, if you can kill them shoot them! Or leave them alone! Share big groups- If you're hunting an area with other guys around, and a large group (20+) of birds come in, let them work a little bit! If I had a large group come in, and I'm the first group to shoot, I better drop several or what a waste for everyone! Bad call, No call- Calling at other people's working ducks should be good calling only. Everyone needs to practice calling ducks to get better, but I try not to do it at the expense of scaring them out of the area for others, and myself. In regards to reducing the success of another's duck hunt, is there anything out there that one can learn to practice better duck hunting etiquette?

Thank you for sharing this! Picked up my cartridges at cooper and baseline with more left.

Great Dad!

Congratulations on a great start! Not easy to take down those the F14's, especially 2 of them! Were those both hens or was it a pair? That's a drake and a hen. The one on the right has a much brighter speculum on his wing then the one on the left. Plumage changes, but speculums will stay the same. I'm not questioning you, but do you think that applies when one could be a cinnamon and one could be a BW? http://www4.ncsu.edu/~csdepern/documents/WaterfowlWings.pdf

Congrats on expriencing one of the best stories I've read here that ended with a fantastic photo!

Scooter you sure you watched the same video? Both feathered wings are attached when you pull the breast are they not? EDITED: You were talking about brents post? My bad..

Good addition! Leaving the birds in the middle of a parking lot or public area is like not picking up your shells, and worse in certain cases. Do you have a problem with the guy just breasting out the birds or is it mostly how the place looked when he was done? Check out this technique, .I usually pull the breast and wings out, gather up the bird carcasses and extra feathers and then go hide them out of plain site. The technique in the video above is ideal for getting birds from the field to home. Keeps the wings for ID (you only need one) and the wing meat for killer buffalo duck wings!

My fiancé prefers evening hunts which gets me out more, but have only had limit worthy evening shoots later in the season. Thanks for the reminder to stick with it. Hope you and everyone else have a good season as well. Location location my daughter only 5 so after school hunts great for her and we hunt all private land so it make it nice but when we lived in white mountains oh boy evening hunts were awesome. Bring your dog up sometime or give me a call I hunt with you I still have your number handy, Roger. Thank you very much!

My fiancé prefers evening hunts which gets me out more, but have only had limit worthy evening shoots later in the season. Thanks for the reminder to stick with it. Hope you and everyone else have a good season as well.

You can also tie in that Mexican Spotted Owl and other endagered species both benefit and lose in specific forest restoration practices, and how an endangered species influence whether projects get approved or not.

Fire management is huge, look into WUI projects, fire suppression and prescribed burns (This would be the easiest paper IMO) Bark beetle infestation and treatment Your dad's recommendation may be referring to something like the TMP (Travel Managment Plan) that Tonto and some others are in process of completing, takes them a while but a good topic as well Good luck bud!

Says a lot to come back and share that! Congratulations on that package, sounds like one sweet deal!

Good for you. I think I would re-read the original post. I didn't imply or complain about where I hunt. It even looks like at least a couple other people in the "community" thought the information was valuable, followed by better ideas on top of mine. That's CWT, right? And let's be honest, any open discussion on any hunting etiquette is worth having. Even if it doesn't apply to you. Ok, how about this. If I get to an area and there is someone already there I should move on ( first come first serve). Especially if I'm close enought to tell if they are sky busting, walking back to their truck, or I can tell how their call sound. If you take my advise about finding another location, all of your concerns listed above would go away. Ok, how about this. If you get to an area, you are the somebody there, no need to move on (first come first serve). Now someone comes close enough to you and your spot, yes, even if it has been a secret until that morning.. Wouldn't it be nice if they were aware of what a community of people thought was good hunting etiquette? Your advice doesn't always apply, and "my" concerns apply to more people than just me.

Good for you. I think I would re-read the original post. I didn't imply or complain about where I hunt. It even looks like at least a couple other people in the "community" thought the information was valuable, followed by better ideas on top of mine. That's CWT, right? And let's be honest, any open discussion on any hunting etiquette is worth having. Even if it doesn't apply to you.

Congratulations on a great start! Not easy to take down those the F14's, especially 2 of them! Were those both hens or was it a pair?

Beautiful birds! Hopefully you get that BW to finish the teal display. Good luck!

On the way north on my 2012 Aug deer hunt I saw a cow elk with a calf, same exact location..

Great spot, looks like there is something in that bobcat's mouth?

Fantastic video and bull. Congratulations!

Hunting partner and myself have been patterning and getting good bucks to come in on a fairly regular basis. Took a couple weeks to get them on camera the first time. then it went to every 5 days, to every few. We set up 2 different stands, only having them coming into one consistently. Anytime we have visited the stand we are very conscious about our scent, especially on hunt days. No stinky foods, no alcohol drinking, lots of scent spray, etc. Prior to the hunt, we are getting the bucks on camera between 2:30-6:00PM. Here is the personal experience after opening weekend. Friday = Sat in tree stand for entire day, saw not a single deer or even a squirrel. Saturday = Sat in tree stand for entire day, saw not a single deer or even a squirrel. Sunday = Bucks come in at 12PM and stop at 35 yards, just outside of the stand, outside of plain sight in thick cover. The trail the bucks used to come in is the same trail that my partner used to get in the stand that day, the bucks traveled on it for at least the 50 or so yards that are visible from the stand, before they stopped. Of course, the trail the deer came in on was directly downwind of the tree stand. This tree stand is about 28 feet up so height shouldn't be the issue. After observing the area for several minutes, from 35 yards away, without any movement and without making a single noise, the bucks gently flag and trot out of the area. NOTE: 1 Hour later, a doe came in and stood underneath the tree and all throughout the stand without any hesitation. Monday = Bucks came in at 9AM, somewhat loud this time and stopped on a different trail into the stand, circled around a little bit and quietly vanished out of sight. No idea if they flagged or winded or busted or what, everything went silent. _________________________________________________________________________________ My hunting partner and I have a limited amount of time we can get back up and hunt, couple days here and there that we will split in the stand. What to do now? Since we left on Monday, we have set up an additional trail camera on the trail they came in on the first day. My first idea is to set up a second tree stand that sits about 30-40 yards from where the buck initially stood for several mintues on that trail for when the wind is bad and take one right there before they go into the stand. If the wind isn't bad for the initial stand, we aren't even sure they will go in this way, so we would need to jump back and forth between stand if the wind kept changing. Oh the fun of Coues deer hunting, especially the big ones with a bow! Any other ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all.

I have a 50mm. I have taken a coues within the first hour of light and within the last hour of light. The 50mm didn't help me with either and I had to get extended rings to mount it properly. If I could go back I would prob do the 40mm. Especially in your case when it changes the turrets etc. Good luck.

I saw one person ask for it and was surprised to not see a poster in the business. I started a swimming pool service and repair company (Enhanced Pools) back in 2005 to put myself through college. I have sinced moved into a career but still enjoy working on pools (repair only). I can guarantee the best rate backed with professional and reliable service. From lessons learned, I also enjoy giving free advice. Send me PM for any swimming pools needs or questions. I'm currently a GIS Analyst for SRP. I work with geographic/spatial information that sometimes results in making a map, often times the information is analytical. Feel free to PM me with any questions regarding GIS or other map needs. I enjoyed reading all of the trades and walks of life posted here! Shea

Yup, no ducks in AZ, stay home! Glad to see the limit for both Redheads and Cans are 2 birds each. First time in a long time. Wow, and the posession limit went to triple the daily?? Must be trying to increase hunter recruitment..

I have 24A KMZ that the site will not let me upload. If you want to pm an email address I'll send it over. Lay it in google earth and you should have it figured out. I wouldn't count on any markings. The KMZ can be added to a GPS unit or you could at least get a good look where you plan to be. Good luck.