# Legal shooting time means nothin'



## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Saturday morning at the WMA, shooting started 10 minutes before LST. Not just a few shoots, 100's of shots from all directions. Pretty much blew all the ducks out before the reast of us law abiding hunters even got started. I guess that is our reward for hunting public land.


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## 98aggie77566 (Jul 7, 2009)

That sucks!

Maybe my eyesight is getting bad....but at legal hour on saturday near Blessing...I couldnt see to shoot!

Or I should say...I couldn't make out what we would be shooting at!

I'm not shooting if I can't tell what the heck it is...just not that mad at them...legal shooting time or not.


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

With that much shooting, somebody probably started early then the other groups figured it must be LST. Or maybe your watch was off.

Never like shooting right at LST myself. I often watch the birds for a while waiting on a trophy bird and enjoying the show.


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

98aggie77566 said:


> That sucks!
> 
> Maybe my eyesight is getting bad....but at legal hour on saturday near Blessing...I couldnt see to shoot!
> 
> ...


*
*

Yup


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

98aggie77566 said:


> I'm not shooting if I can't tell what the heck it is...just not that mad at them...legal shooting time or not.


Bingo


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Mr. Saltwater said:


> With that much shooting, somebody probably started early then the other groups figured it must be LST. Or maybe your watch was off.


This was the case. Once one group ,open up, it got crazy.

As for proper time, with a name like " Timemachine", I can't afford to have a watch that is wrong. I wear an "Atomic Watch" that checks with the government broadcast signal of the exact time per the Atomic clock.It check the signal every 60 seconds and displays that time. It also has a GPS so it gives the correct time anywhere on the planet.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

We heard shots 18 minutes early today.


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## teeroy (Oct 1, 2009)

This season the flat bill wearing, barrel sticker having, white Oakley, daddy's money pro drive, window sticker, litter bug sky blasting YAHOOS are out in FULL FORCE! They unload the gun at every teal that buzzes the decoys, shoot too early and won't shut the hell up. It ain't what it used to be.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

teeroy said:


> This season the flat bill wearing, barrel sticker having, white Oakley, daddy's money pro drive, window sticker, litter bug sky blasting YAHOOS are out in FULL FORCE! They unload the gun at every teal that buzzes the decoys, shoot too early and won't shut the hell up. It ain't what it used to be.


Day after Thanksgiving it was horrible. I to wear an atomic watch. I sure was hoping the game warden was around. And your right. I never heard so many duck calls blaring. I was wondering how those guys weren't winded. Just stupid. And sky blasting was an understatement.


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## RedXCross (Aug 7, 2005)

I agree



teeroy said:


> This season the flat bill wearing, barrel sticker having, white Oakley, daddy's money pro drive, window sticker, litter bug sky blasting YAHOOS are out in FULL FORCE! They unload the gun at every teal that buzzes the decoys, shoot too early and won't shut the hell up. It ain't what it used to be.


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

Absolutely NO respect for the resource...what matters is limits and be the first one in to post how badd arse you are. All the while blaring **** toons for all to enjoy!


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## Blank Czech (Jul 26, 2016)

Justin Hurst? Heard it was rampant there...


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## rubberducky (Mar 19, 2010)

I was at Alabama Creek WMA this weekend and it was the same. Once it started it was a frenzy of shoot guns. Could hear the wood ducks passing by only to be answered with a shotgun 

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## MWP (Mar 30, 2005)

teeroy said:


> This season the flat bill wearing, barrel sticker having, white Oakley, daddy's money pro drive, window sticker, litter bug sky blasting YAHOOS are out in FULL FORCE! They unload the gun at every teal that buzzes the decoys, shoot too early and won't shut the hell up. It ain't what it used to be.


You left out the jacked up F250, Yeti owning, and truck nutz, but otherwise pretty spot on.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Not to give this thread the business - but if early shooting blew all the ducks off the WMA such that it became vacant ... there probably weren't enough ducks there to hunt in the first place ... ! LOL ... much love brother.


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## BuddyB16 (Jul 22, 2016)

The shooting has started early on Hurst every time I have been out there as well.

As far as the sky blasting the only way to fix that is 25 shells. It works. I was in line at hurst talking to a group that won't go to Anahuac because of the 25 shell limit. Said that's just stupid not to be able to have 3-4 boxes. C'mon man I don't care if every puddle between here and north Dakota freezes you wont have 75 makeable shots at any wma in texas.


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

BuddyB16 said:


> The shooting has started early on Hurst every time I have been out there as well.
> 
> As far as the sky blasting the only way to fix that is 25 shells. It works. I was in line at hurst talking to a group that won't go to Anahuac because of the 25 shell limit. Said that's just stupid not to be able to have 3-4 boxes. C'mon man I don't care if every puddle between here and north Dakota freezes you wont have 75 makeable shots at any wma in texas.


We had that issue Sunday as well. Every time we had birds working someone would shoot at a bird 80 yds high and make the birds flare.

Btw, Anahuac and Mcfaddin have 50 shell limits.


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## 4thbreak (May 20, 2005)

I thought hunting was supposed to be fun?


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

It's not just public land. I sit on the Garwood Prairie and it is not uncommon for someone to bust a shell before time.


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## Whitecrow (May 26, 2004)

daddyeaux said:


> It's not just public land. I sit on the Garwood Prairie and it is not uncommon for someone to bust a shell before time.


True story. Sat morn near Lissie people were already bangin while we were still setting the spread. I hope the hunter numbers go down some, they had the geese high and very skittish. Thank goodness for cacklers.......


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## topwatrout1 (Oct 7, 2016)

*Yep*



Bucksnort said:


> Day after Thanksgiving it was horrible. I to wear an atomic watch. I sure was hoping the game warden was around. And your right. I never heard so many duck calls blaring. I was wondering how those guys weren't winded. Just stupid. And sky blasting was an understatement.


Sounds exactly like our trip near Seadrift Saturday. Some of these guy's shots near us were so high we literally could not believe what we were seeing. Of course we would actually be patient and wait for our birds to work, only for them to flare once sky blasters saw one within 400 yards.

Seems like everyone obeyed shooting time though.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

I know the wardens and have their numbers on my phone for such occasions. Ain't Skeerd to turn people in. Especially the Mottled duck whackers during Teal season...


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## tealnexttime1 (Aug 23, 2004)

i was there saturday morning at hurst . shooting time was 634. big *** numbers on the wall and the bio even said the time. me and the kid was waiting on 634 then shooting started at 618 from my right. then pretty much everyone started up. it was still dark! i think shooting early is rampant every where. i was kinda surprised those dudes opened up that early w/ so many people able to rat em out. i could have easily, but i just told the guys they need to remind everyone again on shooting early. i'm really surprised GW's don't patrol out there more often. my experience out there is they just shoot the bull at the station and wait on everyone. one time 10 years ago 2 GW's walked that entire refuge. i couldn't believe it.


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## Gap (Jun 4, 2004)

Back in the day when I spend every weekend out at the Pace tract, I made the death march from the boat at the Devils Elbow and forgot my shells. "AJ - where's the shell bag?" We realized they were in the truck. Dang it. I hiked about 300 yards towards the only other group in the area and waved myself in to them. "Hey man, I forgot my shells in my truck. Can you spare a few? I'll pay you back X4" Nicest young dude in the world gave me 12 shells. He didn't have that many to spare. 

My brother in law and I took turns loading 1 shell at a time and proceeded to walk out with 11 ducks. We left him every shell we had on hand when we got back to the ramp. Still one of my most memorable hunts. We still argue about who missed the 1 shot. 

A full box per man should get it done.


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## Capt. Shinski (Oct 2, 2016)

Sounds like Justin Hurst is the place to be..


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

Gap said:


> Back in the day when I spend every weekend out at the Pace tract, I made the death march from the boat at the Devils Elbow and forgot my shells. "AJ - where's the shell bag?" We realized they were in the truck. Dang it. I hiked about 300 yards towards the only other group in the area and waved myself in to them. "Hey man, I forgot my shells in my truck. Can you spare a few? I'll pay you back X4" Nicest young dude in the world gave me 12 shells. He didn't have that many to spare.
> 
> My brother in law and I took turns loading 1 shell at a time and proceeded to walk out with 11 ducks. We left him every shell we had on hand when we got back to the ramp. Still one of my most memorable hunts. We still argue about who missed the 1 shot.
> 
> A full box per man should get it done.


Great story!!

I know what that walk is like. I hiked away from our group there to check out a distant pothole. Found an old blind on it and shot a quick limit with a dead duck for a decoy. Got back home and realized I had dropped my wallet out there somewhere. Figuring it was in that blind, I went back the next week and made that death march without a gun since my hunting license was in my wallet. Sure enough...it was there.


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## Blank Czech (Jul 26, 2016)

tealnexttime1 said:


> i was there saturday morning at hurst . shooting time was 634. big *** numbers on the wall and the bio even said the time. me and the kid was waiting on 634 then shooting started at 618 from my right. then pretty much everyone started up. it was still dark! i think shooting early is rampant every where. i was kinda surprised those dudes opened up that early w/ so many people able to rat em out. i could have easily, but i just told the guys they need to remind everyone again on shooting early. i'm really surprised GW's don't patrol out there more often. my experience out there is they just shoot the bull at the station and wait on everyone. one time 10 years ago 2 GW's walked that entire refuge. i couldn't believe it.


Biologists work there, not GWs. GWs will go in the marsh if they have reason to believe they should (i.e. someone report the offenders), I have seen it before.


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## Duckchasr (Apr 27, 2011)

teeroy said:


> This season the flat bill wearing, barrel sticker having, white Oakley, daddy's money pro drive, window sticker, litter bug sky blasting YAHOOS are out in FULL FORCE! They unload the gun at every teal that buzzes the decoys, shoot too early and won't shut the hell up. It ain't what it used to be.


YUP!!! But I raised my boy right he shoots them feet down after legal shooting time and picks up his shells and all. He's been doing it all his life literally. He put his buddy on his first limit and first widgeon this past Sunday. I do like to brag lol.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Spec-Rig.006 said:


> Not to give this thread the business - but if early shooting blew all the ducks off the WMA such that it became vacant ... there probably weren't enough ducks there to hunt in the first place ... ! LOL ... much love brother.


The thread is not about low bird numbers, it's about a blatant disregard for the law.


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## S-3 ranch (May 26, 2004)

Dang y'all are the gripest old men !!! , complaining about people shooting at YOUR ducks and geese, shame on those jerks shooting at YOUR birds


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

change it to sunrise...
most cant positively ID most ducks 30 min before..
not that they care...
the new mantra of our current generation of duck shooters is "if it flies, it dies"...
they spend lotz and want full straps...


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## Duckchasr (Apr 27, 2011)

Timemachine said:


> The thread is not about low bird numbers, it's about a blatant disregard for the law.


The wind was blowing hard today but I didn't hear any early shooters even though with the full moon at daylight you could have.


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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

Well it's not something unique down there. Heard shooting about 10 minutes before LST this Sunday up here on the Navasota. We were still using flashlights just to see.

I've hunted that area for a decade, and this is the first time I've heard such blatant early shooting.

But it was only one group out of about 6-10 I heard shooting that morning, so someone might have just done the math wrong.


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

I have often heard early shots when you find a big cottonmouth in your blind.


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## daniel7930 (Jun 16, 2011)

daddyeaux said:


> I have often heard early shots when you find a big cottonmouth in your blind.


Yup. That's could cause you to unload your shotgun


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

....just sending some predawn warning shots over the bow of those pesky paddlers...


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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

When it's 17F out, snakes aren't going to be moving fast enough to require 9-10 shots.


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## "The Marshall" (Jan 12, 2005)

Harbormaster said:


> Absolutely NO respect for the resource...what matters is limits and be the first one in to post how badd arse you are. All the while blaring **** toons for all to enjoy!


I'm telling ya. Next thing you know they will be throwing empty beer cans on top of the fish in the cooler.


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## BuddyB16 (Jul 22, 2016)

"The Marshall" said:


> I'm telling ya. Next thing you know they will be throwing empty beer cans on top of the fish in the cooler.


^this


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## daddyeaux (Nov 18, 2007)

I hate when that happens.........^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


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## Jaker_cc (Apr 11, 2013)

Haha the law is the law, if you aren't going to turn someone in for breaking it then you lose the right to complain about it. Same goes for voting, if you don't vote you can't *****


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## jeremyk (Apr 12, 2011)

Jaker_cc said:


> Haha the law is the law, if you aren't going to turn someone in for breaking it then you lose the right to complain about it. Same goes for voting, if you don't vote you can't *****
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


X2 on that

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