New to this duck thing this year but is 200 yards far enough away on public land? I would say thats pretty dang close to set up to someone but Im guessing the duck community says its fine?

Obviously your not hunting in the metromess. Lol. It all depends on where the spot is your going to, what will be safe distances, and not firing in the direction of other hunters. 200 yrds is a good distance on public. Your lucky at some places if guys don't sit 50 yrds away. It all depends on where your hunting as to what you and others think is safe.

I have had a guy set up within 150 yards from me in line with my decoys and downwind. He just said he would be fine, just don't shoot my dog. I hate public hunting most of the time but don't have much of a choice if I want to hunt.

they should plot lake grapevine with spots to hunt and draw a number every morning on who hunts where. done.
its so disorganized, wait, its not even organized

Yeah we set up no where near this guy. He was in the middle of a cove w his decoys on the main lake and we were way back and to the right in a slew on a day with absolute zero wind. I've had good luck w my public hunting, I've truly only had 2 real run ins w guys who wanted to blow their lids. This was this yr. I take public hunting for what it is.

Even pond hunting outside of the metromess, I rarely have a hunt where I don't hear distant gunfire before LST

especially on blue sky days like the next two mornings

I hunt a dfw public lake and walk in 3 times a week. Never had anyone set up that close the entire season. But this is my first year so have not seen a lot yet.

Yeah you 'll always hear it, when it's way early like 15 mins or more, that's when it 'll upset you. I always follow the rules as much as I can. I hunt w my son who's 6 and teach him the same. If I hunt w another person or group I always make sure we wait till legal to shoot.

I looked into hunting there several years back. After looking at maps and seeing the limited space, I figured that combined with its proximity to DFW that it would be a zoo. The creek is pretty cool tho.

There is another close by lake that I used to hunt... 5+ years ago, but after a few similar encounters and the encroachment I'm out. The straw that broke the camel's back was the guy that came in AT LST (not before), literally walked through my dekes with no calls or decoys, and setup 50-75 yards downwind. I didn't know how close he was until he skyblasted a 75 yard shot at some cupped up mallards I was working into my spread or I would have told him he was not a safe distance. After yelling some things I'm not proud of he left without a word.

Too many topwaters and life is too short to mess with em for maybe a flight of teal and a marina mallard or two.

I’ve hunted the Vine for years and have actually been impressed with the quality of hunters on the Lake. Yes there are newbies now and then that shoot a little early and may not know the etiquette on distance from others, but over the years I’ve met some quality guys and girls while hunting and scouting. A lot of folks bring their kids out to hunt as it’s convenient to nearby burbs and I think that’s great. We r there to teach and pass on knowledge of this great sport and a lot is learned by watching others. Keep it legal, keep it safe and keep it fun.

Not a single shot fired there this am

I always assumed the early shooters forgot to check the current day's sunrise time. If you go out in early December, LST may be 6:45 but by late December and early January, LST has moved to 7:00. Crazy how the earth doesn't stand still

At 6:53, a gentleman drove up to the edge of the lake, dropped a kayak, parked his truck 15 yards away and mostly exposed when there were two or three better options to park it where it would’ve been hidden, and then proceeded to scrape and claw his way across 20 yards of pretty serious ice in his kayak. Oh, and by the time he found a place he could get ashore, it was legal and he was only about 150 yards from me and right in the way if birds came in from that direction.

Keep in mind, legal shooting time was 7:04 today. And, on his way out, he kayaked back to the shore, after standing on his shoreline where he hunted for ten minutes, right as the last group of birds we saw were giving our spread a look. Then he took more than 10 minutes to load up and organize all of his crap in his truck. Out in the open and in view of our blind.

And that’s not even the craziest thing I’ve seen this year.

"After yelling some things I'm not proud of he left without a word."


I would have strutted like a rooster in a breeding pen. Guys like that deserve it.

Early bird gets the worm.

That wasn't me but I do drive a kayak. It has always bothered me when I leave before others and have to paddle past. I try to keep far away but you can only go so fast. We try to wait out hunters but sometimes that's not an options. Last Friday there was a floating blind at the opening to our slew (actually an old oxbow that is now fully flooded). There were no birds flying but we would either have had to paddle way around him and be out in the open longer or skate closer by and get out of the way faster. I guess it is a trade-off and I expect faster is more appreciated than farther away.

It’s not a big deal at all to me. I mind my own business until it’s time not to, and don’t give a damn when anyone else starts shooting as long as they’re not shooting at me.

Not sure how any ethical hunter wouldn't be bothered by another hunter in the area where you hunt taking game illegally but that's just me.

I get it and that wasn’t my issue. Hunters pickup and leave at different times everyday. It’s unavoidbale. I’ve been picking up when birds are working with hunters nearby, so I just stand as still as possible and try to let the other hunters work their birds and get a shot.

This guy’s entire body of work yesterday was incredible, not just the paddling past us as he left. Honestly, once he got to the shore was much worse. The paddling to it was more unlucky for us, because he didn’t know we were going to try to scare some birds off the water and take them.

He took forever to get everything loaded up. It would’ve been nice if he had thrown everything in his truck and moved up the road a little to get everything settled so he wasn’t just out in the open while he took his waders off, took the seat off his yak, strapped everything down, etc. There was no urgency at all, is what I’m saying.

And that isn’t counting all of the time he was moving around picking up before he got back to his truck, where he took his sweet time with that. Or that he literally paddled over twenty yards of ice 11 minutes before legal shooting time and then found a spot and paddled over another twenty yards of ice.

It’s a small and very popular lake and I am used to this stuff. It was probably top five craziest/most annoying thing I’ve dealt with this year.

It’s part of the game.

I hear it everytime I hunt. Usually 5 mins or so.
I can't tell you how many ducks (teals) I have watched fly away with 2 mins till LST. Drives me crazy

I shot at 7:08 all by myself and I thought I was the first to shoot.



you sure it was WED 1/3???

Heard what sounded like about 20 guns from one spot sound off at 5 till this morning...

Playing devils advocate here. Probably get yelled at. How many guys here saying they don't break the law or bend it went over the posted speed limit by a couple miles per hour just getting to the lake. Being honest 5 to 4 minutes before shooting time is going to be the last time I check my watch being it's not kept on my arm. After that it's a little guessing. I know when way to early but a couple of minutes I could be off. But I always check sunrise on phone app before going. With that being cloudy days I can't really see until 5 to 10 min after either.

I don't even know what to say