I have never duck hunted Lavon before and I just got my little fishing boat legal. Any suggestions on the SAFEST place to hunt there? I have heard since it is public land that people get a little crazy..

Go to the corps of engineers website and get a map of the legal areas.

I used to hunt Lavon a lot, but it has become a zoo out there. There are lots of walk in spots, so the banks are lined with Barneys.

Consult the map and try to find a spot that's far away from the walk in access points.

Good luck.

That is great advice on staying away from the access points if you have a boat. Another lake where walk in hunters "have" to enter at an access point, it always amazes me to see a boat pull up and set up near one of those walk in spots. They are just asking to be covered up with hunters. And the walk in guys usually have driven and then walked a ways to get there, and going back often means not hunting for them, so your going to have a small percentage of guys that are just going to stick it out even if a boat is out there already.
So yea, best advise, you have a boat, scout for areas not near road or walk in access. Still may be a zoo out there, but at least it can be less of a zoo. Another suggestion better than "place" is "time". Try to avoid the weekends and hunt weekdays if you can.
As for safest place, you just have to look for yourself each year. Hunting public lakes is dynamic. Where ducks are, or should say with a lake like that, if they are even there; what the water level is, and where the bulk of people hunt, constantly changes from year to year, and sometimes day to day.

no boat = barney????

Is Lavon still doing the permit thing?

Not this year, but will again next year.

At Lake Lavon, yeah pretty much.

Once guys learn the ropes, ie. calling, decoys, concealment, they usually get a boat. Am I wrong?

That is what happened with me but not all people have the funds for a boat and whatnot. I can see how that would be the progression of things but not always the case.

Oooorr they get a buddy to buy one or that already has one. What bout those people??

My friend Moose Knuckles has a boat. I, however, do not.

Gotta call BS on this one.

The guys with a boat that setup near the walk-in spots are just as bad.

My wife won't let me get a boat unless you can ski behind it, plus I can't really afford it. So does not being able to afford a boat make you a barney?

What about a walk-in guy who is willing to go 2 miles one way to get to a good spot at 4 am and then a boat pulls up withing 100 yards despite being flashed off? Who is the barney there? That happened to my 3 times last year.

That's plenty good! Mobility is the key!

Lavon is like every other public lake here in North Texas within the close proximity of the general populas. I have hunted Lavon over the last 5 years and have found as a rule:

If you do your scouting (boat or no boat) you can find a place to hunt ducks with reasonable success. If you don't have a boat you are going to have to scout preseason to ascertain the conditions and walk...and by walking I mean a good 30 minutes boots getting muddy, chest heaving walk.

It also a fact that if you can go during the week you will have a better chance of being by yourself and experiencing hunting for what most of us think is the reason we go hunting; To be outside with the wild, smack in your face watching another shooting star before a beautiful sunrise brings to fold another day of our existence.

Lavon can be no more crazy then any other place if you are willing to put in the work and keep your expectations in check.

Sometimes they are there, sometimes they're not and given the pressure they get during most weekends it might even make you a better duck hunter for the experience of trying to get them to drop into the spread no matter what Barney happens to be in the area at the time.

Good Luck.. you can''t get them if you don't try.

If you are willing to walk two miles wearing waders, carrying decoys, mojo, and your hunting bag then my hat's off to you. I used to do that too, but I just don't have it in me anymore.

If you walk that far, then I'm sure you've scouted and put in the work. So Barney? I say no.

I was talking about some of the guys at Lavon. If you don't believe me, go to any boat ramp on the north end this Saturday and report back.

Last year, I got to the ramp 45 minutes before sun-up and there were 7 trucks with empty trailers and about 10 other trucks there as well. The hunting area by this ramp is small, too.

As far as the guys in boats who drive up on the walk in spots, I agree with you.

OK, moose, I thought you would agree with that.

BTW, I'm pretty sure it was the same guy who pulled up all three times. I remember him calling his dog, I think his name was "%$#&^"

I think the Barney he is referring to are the dumb arse guys that just don't know any better. They think that if they hunted there once then its their spot. If someone else gets to it before them then they think its ok to set up right next to them. And its the group of guys that are 8 deep shooting at the same group coming in and 24 shots fired and 1 bird down. Thats boat or no boat.

I would say that is wrong.

But they usually get a boat, or stop hunting lavon.

I have sai it once I will say it 100 times. 45 minutes before sun up at the launch. Your running WAY WAY TO LATE. I would called you barney.

Don't you love it when you have mallards working and some kid down the cove from you tries to shoot at duck at 100 yds?

I don't hunt public spots on the weekends unless I know that I can get FAR away from other hunters.

When I started, I was walking in, didn't know how to call, etc. etc.

I don't hold anything against them because we have ALL been THAT GUY.

At this stage of the game, I just prefer to stay away from that element because it makes me mad.

Here's the God's honest truth:

Lavon holds a lot of ducks and the hunting can be outstanding. The problem is that it's close to Dallas and it gets really crowded.

That's just the way it is, some things will never change, that's just the way it is....dah dah dah, forgot the words, some things will never change.

I'm waiting for all the guys w/o boats to chime in. I see a flood gate opening.

[quote=ducknbass

I have sai it once I will say it 100 times. 45 minutes before sun up at the launch. Your running WAY WAY TO LATE. I would called you barney. [/quote]

Barney see, Barney do.

I scrolled up from the bottom and read that statement. I knew it was going to be you! Ha Ha

Have fun on your campouts/duck hunts this year. When we get together this year, you go hold the spot down, I'll roll in at legal and we'll blast.

I will reciprocate your kindness.

IMO, yes.
I have a duck boat, but I might have only put it in the water maybe twice last season. Other than that Greg's boat is the only other duck boat I was ever on last season. These days, I have opted for my kayak mostly, but a good percentage of my hunts are walk in, or combined kayak/walk in. All three of my teal hunts this year have been walk in. So see my progression has taken full circle and currently headed opposite from your thoughts on it.
Considering that I see people often associate barnie with lazy. And considering the work involved with hunts without boats. If that is true, I would think there are as many if not more barney's in boats as there are not.

All I said is LAVON has a lot of walk-in Barney type hunters.

I am not classifying non-boaters as bad hunters!

Doesn't common sense come into play here. As hunters and people that want to keep passing this on from generation to generation in a responsible manner, shouldn't we be teaching our kids respect and admiration for "Dad" and the experience. If you have a boat and you get to a spot that you were thinking about hunting and somebody had already walked in and had set up..and vice versa...isn't it much better of an example no matter what to take the higher ground and move on. As a father who's dad and grandfather taught me the joys of hunting and the bond that it creates among families and "men" in particular, shouldn't we all take a little responsiblity for a proper bearing on our moral compass?

Some folks just don't think that way, its sad.