# Duck Decoy Thief in POC



## GuyFromHuntsville (Aug 4, 2011)

We have duck hunted Port O’Connor for many years and have always left our spread out the entire weekend without any incident. We have always assumed that there was a certain amount of honor among sportsmen, but this weekend that image was shattered.

We set out 12 dozen decoys in one of the back lakes of POC on Saturday morning. When we picked them up Sunday morning, we were 3 dozen short. This weekend the tide was extremely low and this lake was only accessible air boat or mud motor. There was no way that a bay boat could get in there. This meant that the thieves were fellow duck hunters.

Could the wind have carried them off? No. The wind never got above 6 mph all weekend and this was a protected lake. And only certain species of decoys were taken.

Was somebody mad that we were hunting “their” spot? We originally build this blind 5 years ago. We completely rebuilt it this past September. Nobody could stake a claim to this blind but us.

If the thief or thieves happen to be reading this posting just remember, karma is a *****. Three dozen decoys won’t break the bank, but you will have to live with what you have done for the rest of your life and your judgment day. You will get yours in the end (pun intended).


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## Reel Girl (Jan 7, 2013)

I've been there. A few years ago my dad and his buddies did the same thing, except they had hundreds of dollars worth of gear stollen too. We don't leave ANYTHING behind anymore. The worst part is that you know you're probably rubbing elbows with the thieves in Josie's. Ha.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Happen to me at Lake Livingston about 30 years ago. Never left a spread out since then!!


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## Titus Bass (Dec 26, 2008)

True hunters and sportsmen wouldn't steal them. Sadly there are thieves that hunt and fish.

Ed


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## Spinnerbait1 (Aug 24, 2011)

It's a shame we have to wake up on a daily basis and make sure doors are locked, keys in pocket, and belongings are in place. Whatever happened to respect and moral beliefs. Hate a thief. The whole argument rested on a thiefs belief of entitlement?


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

Please don't take this the wrong way ... but it sounds like karma may have gotten you on this one.

*I'm not saying that there is anything right about what happened to you at all* &#8230; no one, not any of us deserve to be stolen from &#8230; but when you leave decoys in the marsh, you're staking ownership of PUBLIC property and risking the loss of your equipment. Public water public blind "public decoys" (to some).

A great many of us, on here (search past threads) have a HUGE issue with this in terms of ethics. Decoys left in the marsh can often be considered "derelict" &#8230; and you probably set up somewhere someone intended to hunt and didn't have a chance too because "someone" took the easy way out by leaving their gear out, this is entitlement in itself - I'm positive if you found the guilty party, they'd have this argument.

There are a LOT of folks down there that have NO problem whatsoever beefing up their own spread with decoys left in the marsh.

That being said, I'm sorry you lost some gear &#8230; I hope they get cut to shreds in the oysters and terns poop in their eyes and mouth.


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## Dukman (Sep 21, 2007)

Sorry for your lost but can't say I'm surprised. Not sure why anyone would leave hundreds of dollars of equipment unattended in a general public area but thats me.

And what Spec said..... no way does leaving decoys out in a public area claim you the right to that spot.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Agree with Spec here. Lots of similar replies in the thread in the TTMB forum also.


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## shauntexex (Dec 12, 2007)

Get up earlier just like the rest of us. Had too many groups come in at LST when I've been up for 4 hours putting out decoys and securing a spot. No sympathy here bud nobody likes a thief and no body likes to get potlicked


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## ancientpaths (May 30, 2012)

I think Spec has it right as well... and most of us (even young ones like me) have experienced the pitfalls of public hunting. Unfortunately there are idiots and thieves everywhere, even amongst hunters. Gotta watch your stuff!

If you want it bad enough, you'll get there first and put in the work.


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## Robert10 (Jan 15, 2008)

I agree with Shaun and Spec. Your basically telling us your too lazy to pick your decoys up and mad someone took em....#wakeupearlier


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## tealnexttime1 (Aug 23, 2004)

i always heard decoys left overnight was called "abandonment" and was public property. i've heard of guys on their last hunt of their lives just say "screw it i'm done w/ duck hunting" and leave it all out there. maybe whoever ran across ur stuff thought that. we ran across decoys left out all night on a morning hunt aftr some guys watched us all morning the previous day smok em, they waited till we left and immediately threw all their decoys out , we go hunt next morning see all the decoys, we set up right next to theirs ...long story short by the grace of god a game warden checked all of us and i think that was the only reason there was'nt a shootout right there and then. bad situation for sure.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

Never leave anything out in public waters, public woods, etc. 

Duck hunting is work...putting out the spread and taking it in is all part of it. To leave dekes or anything is to simply give it to someone else who wants it.

Sorry for your loss.

TH


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## Xpress89 (Dec 20, 2012)

Yea your crazy for leaving 12 dozen decoys out... CRAZY! Especially if they were GHG or anything good. Sry to hear but thats just askin for it! It's basically public property once you leave.... Not like a crab trap or jug line that has to be marked.


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## KillerShrimp (Jan 12, 2005)

This is a common practice down south from what I've seen in the past. Pure laziness. Lets see someone leave there dekes out in good ol trinity bay.. Ha, prolly be bundled up, shot up, or run over before you can get outta sight good.


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## lowtide (Apr 3, 2006)

*'*

POC used to be the best kept secret on the Gulf Coast. Now it is over run with idiots and ego. Sorry for your loss.

My Dad and friends had places there since early 70's and they left there decoys out for weekends at a time. I did the same thing for years until had your same problem. The bad thing with there and other places is the lack of respect. If you put the time in building blinds for years in the same spot others would respect it. Unfortunately it is like the jack a** that run you over when your wading. They just don't care!

I can honestly say I know of atleast 10 people that have sold there places and moved else where because POC has changed for the worse over the years.


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

Yeh sorry you got your deks stolen, but not a lot of sympathy.


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## hb (Jul 30, 2011)

I hate a thief as well, nobody seems to have respect for others things anymore. I am against spot claiming also, but outright theft is wrong no matter what. All the people talking about "putting in the time/work", could have somone drive up and set up right next to them legally even if they got out four hours earlier then them, still wouldn't be ethical. If I leave decoys out it is usually only from the evening hunt because I will be returning the next morning. Sad but true part is even then, your taking your chances. One other really cool thing to see is someone coming down the shore on gps when you got there early and setup, only to watch them run down your spread, then help them get all the mono unwrapped from their prop just so you can maybe hunt.....


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

lowtide said:


> My Dad and friends had places there since early 70's and they left there decoys out for weekends at a time.


Well yeah ... but the density of hunters was probably a 100th of what it is now. I'd bet back then you could even always launch first at the ramp and never see another hunter too.

Those who can not adapt won't make it ...

NO ONE is saying it was ok for the OP to be stolen from.


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## aquafowlr (May 21, 2004)

i hate it when someone tries to "save" a spot. I don't know how many times I've showed up and picked up someone else's decoys b/c they didn't show up early enough. Never stole them, just piled them up on the bank.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

aquafowlr said:


> i hate it when someone tries to "save" a spot. I don't know how many times I've showed up and picked up someone else's decoys b/c they didn't show up early enough. Never stole them, just piled them up on the bank.


Ever had them show up right at LST? If so, how'd that all work out?


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## wennis1 (Nov 5, 2008)

This is just like someone coming in and hunting in the blind you built. I know its public property and you build it at the risk of having someone come in early and hunt it out from under you. But I still dislike hunters who do that. Talk about being lazy. Go build your own blind you mooch. Last Sunday a buddy and I went to hunt our blind in East Matty only to find a bunch of trash and beer cans all over the blind. WTH is wrong with idiots these days. We cleaned up all their **** and took it home with us.


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

Xpress89 said:


> Yea your *lazy* for leaving 12 dozen decoys out... *LAZY!* Especially if they were GHG or anything good. Sry to hear but thats just askin for it! It's basically public property once you leave.... Not like a crab trap or jug line that has to be marked.


FIFY.


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## Cap-N-Red (May 21, 2004)

Leaving decoys out over night used to be OK years ago around POC. However with the number of people that come down here now , I'd say it's foolish. Take it from someone who guided fishing and duck hunting for over 30 yrs. Port O'Connor has changed. I can't say for the best IMHO. Just so much area and so many waterfowl hunters. Before someone starts flaming me , I quit waterfowl guiding because of the number of anal orfices that are coming down here now , thinking that they are due something special just because they came here. Like has been said before any time you leave decoys , blinds or other things on PUBLIC Lands or Waters unattended it is considered ABANDONED


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## txshockwave (Mar 6, 2007)

Gear a drift is gear a gift. Learned that saying in the army. I bet next time you pic up your decoys. Go get 12 doz $10 bills scatter them in your yard and go to work. Do you expect them to be there when you get back? Same thing with leaving your blocks out. :headknock:headknock:rotfl::rotfl:


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

wennis1 said:


> This is just like someone coming in and hunting in the blind you built. I know its public property and you build it at the risk of having someone come in early and hunt it out from under you. But I still dislike hunters who do that. Talk about being lazy. Go build your own blind you mooch. Last Sunday a buddy and I went to hunt our blind in East Matty only to find a bunch of trash and beer cans all over the blind. WTH is wrong with idiots these days. We cleaned up all their **** and took it home with us.


I hate it to but it is what it is. Last weekend I pulled up to a buddy's permit( legally we are the only ones that can hunt it) and there is plastic bottles and lead #8 shot everywhere, I know it wasn't from our group.

I've pulled up on that permit 4 times this year and there has been someone there, breaking cane, shooting lead, and leaving trash! 2 times it was some guys in there early 20's in a prodrive boat, finally got them to stop hunting it after almost fighting them...

I get mad at people in my blind in the bay, but you knew what you signed up for when you built it on PUBLIC water.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

I hate that it happened but, it was bound to happen. This ain't your dads marsh no more! We have ****ty people out there.

Wake up early and put the decoys out, like the rest of us. I don't see a point of leving them out, Texas rig your decoys and you and your buddy can put out 10-15 dozen blocks in less than 10 min


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## Xpress89 (Dec 20, 2012)

Public is public. IF you dont want ppl hunting your blind dont build one. Hunt in natural cover. Ducks spot built blinds from miles away especially the ones in galveston bay system that jackasses build that look horrible.....


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## CaptDocHoliday (Feb 3, 2011)

Robert10 said:


> I agree with Shaun and Spec. Your basically telling us your too lazy to pick your decoys up and mad someone took em....#wakeupearlier


This. If you leave your cr.ap out in the bay, thats the same a leaving a bunch of beer cans or Gulp baggies.

What would you have done had someone been set up over your spread instead Sunday morning?


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

CaptDocHoliday said:


> What would you have done had someone been set up over your spread instead Sunday morning?


I'd like to know what the response is to something like this. If someone was sitting in the brush 20' away from their blind ready to hunt when they roll in at LST. Then what?


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## bayourat (Jan 7, 2005)

justletmein said:


> *I'd like to know what the response is to something like this*. If someone was sitting in the brush 20' away from their blind ready to hunt when they roll in at LST. Then what?


you won't get one.


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2004)

Hello GFH - I hate hearing somebody lifted three dozen of your dekes. Shame on them!

Now having said that; I would like to say a bit more.

Leaving a spread of dekes, (anytime) is a no-no in my book and has been for the 20 years I have guided/hunted the coast around POC-Seadrift. Back when I started hunting here some guys left them on the water all season. Three problems with that - theft, scattered on strong wind, birds get decoy shy (the first two are fact, the last is my opinion.) 

Trust me, we've had thieves and "blind visitors" here a long time and I doubt that'll ever change.

It is always disappointing to find evidence of poor sportsmanship whether it is trash left behind, blinds built and abandoned after season where they can be hazards to navigation, and a whole host of undesirable behaviors.

What it gets down to is being a good sport and leading by example. One of my pet peaves is finding a blind trashed (whether mine or somebody else's) and all the grass around it walked into a sea of mud. That stuff makes us all look bad.


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## KillerShrimp (Jan 12, 2005)

If someone shows up at LST and you were there first, there is nothing they can do. Have the GW number and use it. Hunter harassment charges are pretty stiff.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> I can honestly say I know of atleast 10 people that have sold there places and moved else where because POC has changed for the worse over the years.


Yup! Too many Houston people found POC.



TH


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## captainharvey (Mar 1, 2011)

Oh the conflicts of duck hunting. 
For the reasons discussed and others is why I am hesitant to guide duck hunts. 
I never hunt others blinds or hunt where decoys have been left out unattended. 
I just have to follow the sportsman code and move a little further down. BUT, I feel that leaving decoys out is just a way of claiming an area. Same as permanent blinds. I choose not to hunt blinds because the birds tend to flare them. Just my opinion. The problem with this is that by following the code sometimes I have to hunt less desired areas. Or set up in the brush near blinds. Works great for hunting, but what happens when the "owner" of the blind shows up and feels I am too close? Legally I was here first, but it's 5 am, dark, guns tempers, etc. 
I just move on down and try to avoid conflict. I still can't help but feel a little cheated. Just because a blind is built there I can't hunt there.  
Some areas have a blind every 3-500 yards. Should these areas be off limits to those that didn't build or use blinds?
Sportsman conduct should show respect to fellow hunters. Claiming an area or reserving a spot doesn't sound too sportsman to me. If we all followed the sportsman code and left others blinds and decoys alone, what would stop someone from building 20 blinds and leaving the decoys out all season preventing others from hunting these spots. 
If it should be ok to leave them out all weekend, what would stop someone from putting them out on Thursday or sooner.
The only solution is first come first serve. If you see lights in an area move down. Even if it is 50yrds from "your blind"
In the afternoon when you see decoys, move down. ( unless someone left them there from the morning before, now you are being denied the right to an area because someone else felt entitled. 
Stealing decoys is wrong and trashing blinds is inexcusable. Period. 
Sorry for the rant - but does anyone else feel this way?


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## Milltodk (Oct 2, 2011)

*Guides stole them!*

You tick someone off = lucky they did not run down blind with airboat


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

captainharvey said:


> Oh the conflicts of duck hunting.
> For the reasons discussed and others is why I am hesitant to guide duck hunts.
> I never hunt others blinds or hunt where decoys have been left out unattended.
> I just have to follow the sportsman code and move a little further down. BUT, I feel that leaving decoys out is just a way of claiming an area. Same as permanent blinds. I choose not to hunt blinds because the birds tend to flare them. Just my opinion. The problem with this is that by following the code sometimes I have to hunt less desired areas. Or set up in the brush near blinds. Works great for hunting, but what happens when the "owner" of the blind shows up and feels I am too close? Legally I was here first, but it's 5 am, dark, guns tempers, etc.
> ...


100% agree. Anywhere worth hunting there is already a blind built. Tough to find a spot to scratch out a few birds without a blin within 100 yards.


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## quackiller (Jan 27, 2012)

Me and a friend hunted a spot i have never seen anyone else hunting. We were kayaking to the spot when we observed four guys run down the bank and hop in their boat and try to fire it up to beat us to the spot. We beat them to the spot by kayak thanks to their outboard motor not wanting to start however their decoys were already set from the night before. Talk about being pizzed off. We beat them to the spot fair and square but because they had laid claim to it with decoys we sided on caution to avoid confrontation and paddled back to where they were stopped. They had hit a rock and caused a gun to fly out of the boat into the water which was loaded down with 4 guys and a dog. I guess karma is really a biach! We paddled back and tried a different spot and scratched out 7 gadwall out of the 9 that came in. Point is ducks arent worth fighting over especially when guns are involved no matter how rude or ignorant the people screwing you over might be. I was glad they lost the gun, they got what was coming to them...


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Leaving your decoys out is wrong on every level. If you want to do it on your own land, that's your right, although ducks will soon learn to avoid your spread.

Trying to "own" a spot on public waters by leaving your spread out is both arrogant, lazy, and not too smart as well.

It's something I would just shake my head at, but some people take great offense and would remove your whole spread, or I've even hear of people spray painting blaze orange X's on the backs of left out decoys. 

Just my opinion of course since the only law that comes into effect is if you leave something out on public property, or waters, that is treated as littering and you have no claim of ownership once you abandon the decoys by leaving.


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## 4thbreak (May 20, 2005)

sounds like littering to me and whoever picked them up did us all a favor.


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

AvianQuest said:


> Leaving your decoys out is wrong on every level. If you want to do it on your own land, that's your right, although ducks will soon learn to avoid your spread.
> 
> Trying to "own" a spot on public waters by leaving your spread out is both arrogant, lazy, and not too smart as well.
> 
> ...


Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... wow ...


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## the hook (Aug 8, 2011)

I see other thread was closed, so... I guess nowadays it might be smart to pic up your deks...Too many thieves....In the 70s and 80s we left them for a long time at a lot of places and didn't worry about them being stolen. Sometimes up to 500, maybe more...Most I ever hunted was 700 and that was Katy prairie...Yep, some were though...Hunted the Redfish Bay/Aransas Pass/St Joe area a lot and never had any stolen there. The deks were out in front of blinds though, not along the shore, as in random area. It was 99% guides only at the time and they had respect for each others property. Now and then an airboat would accidently trash a blind though?... I see both sides...I however do not agree with the birds getting used to the deks because there was a lot of turnover on birds...Here today, gone tomorrow...new birds in...At least we seldom had trouble and it was 10points then for a sprig...I'm guessing it is still done there?? Again though, a thief is a thief, and it is stealing...As far as spray painting deks, don't get caught...I'm not sure on the "abandoned" law, but here a boat left abandoned does not mean it is free for the taking, even if it is in the marsh/bay floating free...There are rules to follow, and a lot of the hunting the marsh/ducks is an ethical hunting practice...imo


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## Spinnerbait1 (Aug 24, 2011)

A thief is a thief. It's stealing, maybe poor judgement on the behalf of hunters, but still will never understand decision made by low down rotten individual who took their decoys.


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

the hook said:


> I see other thread was closed, so... I guess nowadays it might be smart to pic up your deks...Too many thieves....In the 70s and 80s we left them for a long time at a lot of places and didn't worry about them being stolen. Sometimes up to 500, maybe more...Most I ever hunted was 700 and that was Katy prairie...Yep, some were though...Hunted the Redfish Bay/Aransas Pass/St Joe area a lot and never had any stolen there. The deks were out in front of blinds though, not along the shore, as in random area. It was 99% guides only at the time and they had respect for each others property. Now and then an airboat would accidently trash a blind though?... I see both sides...I however do not agree with the birds getting used to the deks because there was a lot of turnover on birds...Here today, gone tomorrow...new birds in...At least we seldom had trouble and it was 10points then for a sprig...I'm guessing it is still done there?? Again though, a thief is a thief, and it is stealing...As far as spray painting deks, don't get caught...I'm not sure on the "abandoned" law, but here a boat left abandoned does not mean it is free for the taking, even if it is in the marsh/bay floating free...There are rules to follow, and a lot of the hunting the marsh/ducks is an ethical hunting practice...imo


"Hook" is my former hunting partner and I feel much the same as he does. We took alot of birds hunting the same spread all season. The idea of "The Birds" getting use to a spread...he, he, he. It is an idea, not a fact. Birds move so much, we did know that from when the folks color dyed geese and we spotted them all over. Same with ducks, they feed and move, south wind, north wind, they move. We lost decoys on two different occasions. One was a guide in Katy, the other was a punk in Hempstead. I still remember both of them and still like to know now and then they still get pulled over, one lost his permit for a couple of years because of infractions being reported.sad3sm


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## Jock Ewing (Mar 26, 2006)

Leaving decoys in the bay when you're done hunting is littering. 

And don't compare it to anchoring your boat because you aren't leaving your boat in the bay when you're done fishing for the day.


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## Drundel (Feb 6, 2006)

I can't believe no-one took an opportunity to bash airboats on this thread or about claiming blinds on public water. I'll check this again after you've guys had more beer.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Drundel said:


> I can't believe no-one took an opportunity to bash airboats on this thread or about claiming blinds on public water. I'll check this again after you've guys had more beer.


How about an airboat used as a fishing reef after the owner tried to claim ownership of a blind?....:brew:


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## N2Fowl (Jan 6, 2011)

avianquest said:


> how about an airboat used as a fishing reef after the owner tried to claim ownership of a blind?....:brew:


 wow!!!! Is all i can say..


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## Mojo281 (Sep 7, 2006)

All I can say is that I'm proud of the response my fellow 2coolers have given GFH!! 

Leaving your decoys out is plain LAZY! Only one way to learn your lesson and I think you just did!!


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## koyhoward (Jan 8, 2007)

Just spent a good while reading this thread. I've hunted all of my life but only been on two duck hunts. Really enjoyed them and thought next year I may make the investment in time and money and really get into it. Having second thoughts now.


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## Milltodk (Oct 2, 2011)

*Get a guide No Salt!*

If you get a Guide they will claim all the bay for you and run over any duck blind in their way with Air Boat!

:headknock


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

nosaltincentx said:


> I've hunted all of my life but only been on two duck hunts. Really enjoyed them and thought next year I may make the investment in time and money and really get into it. Having second thoughts now.


If you were fishing along a public access river bank, would you leave all your gear along the bank to "reserve" that spot for when you planned to come back the nest day? If so, would you be upset to find it gone, and then would you post about it on the internet?

If you wouldn't do that, then apply the same logic to duck hunting and you'll be fine.


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## the hook (Aug 8, 2011)

OK, I'll add some now...After reconsideration, I would not leave my deks out "IF" hunting a temporary spot, shoreline/no blind etc....We all know there are numerous blinds on a lot of the public land and yes, it is public land, but....ethics say you do not hunt someone elses blind...NOT LAW, JUST ETHICS...We really never had a problem, but there were a few...usually someone hunting a "reachable" blind from deeper water...Needed an airboat for the most part... I see that a lot of people think that it is reserving a spot?? I hunted blinds, and that, in effect, is reserving a spot...I can remember sitting in a blind in Redfish Bay/marsh and counting 38 blinds...A lot were not in use anymore, but were there...overkill imo, but the guides figured it kept out the ethical hunters..

If I hunted there now, I would have to pick up my deks, I'm guessing???? What about leaving them in the(your) blind??? Is this considered "abandoned" as some put it?? 

IMO, I see people saying if you leave them out, you deserve to lose them??? Maybe to todays duckers, but not my age duckers...Sounds like a lot of new hunters are just thieves, imo....

BTW, I believe the guys I hunted with were some of the first to try the Texas easy way decoy system....I had over 70 dozen rigged the "easy-way" at the time..I remember riding down to AP with them piled in the back of the pickup at least to the top of the cab...Just for a long weekend sometimes...Like I said, maybe 4 or 500 for 1 spread...Good times...Sure miss it..


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

I can't imagine taking someone's decoys. But I also can't imagine leaving them out either.

If decoys are still there in the spring/summer they would have to be considered abandonded. Who needs a bunch of dry rotted decoys sitting on the bottom of the marsh or floating away when they break loose from their weights?

And this issue about blinds is a messy one. If somebody takes the time to build a blind and maintains it I would feel uneasy about hunting there. It might be state waters and all that but I still don't like te idea of using something another person built. 

On the other hand people should have to maintain what they build and remove it when it is starting to fall into disrepair. The pilings from abandoned blinds are a saftey issue. I believe the state should require people to get permits and when the blinds are abandoned the state will know whom to go looking for if they are not adequately cleaned up.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

As the number of duck hunters increases, leaving your decoys out will probably be discouraged more and more, perhaps outlawed someday. There's only so many acres of bay to hunt, and duck hunter numbers only increase. Back in the 70's there was plenty of room for the few hunters out there. We had all the ducks we could handle, setting out 75 decoys on a daily basis. We never did hunt from a built blind, just on the shorelines. Except once, in an old Air Force blind on Matagorda Island. Lighthouse pond. And you sure didn't need 75 decoys on that pond. We did leave a couple bags of lame Flambeau dekes back in the salt marsh near High Island, hidden under the grass, so we wouldn't have to carry them 2 miles back and forth. They were considered expendable, however. I know Shannon Tompkins did the same thing, and he had a couple of bags taken from out of the deep grass at his favorite pond near Anahuac.


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

the hook said:


> ... IMO, I see people saying if you leave them out, you deserve to lose them??? ...


NO ONE is saying that AT ALL. NO one ...


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## the hook (Aug 8, 2011)

fishingtwo said:


> Yeh sorry you got your deks stolen, but not a lot of sympathy.





4thbreak said:


> sounds like littering to me and whoever picked them up did us all a favor.


These do????


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

the hook said:


> These do????


I'm gonna go with he deserves to have them spray painted with orange X's, but not outright stolen. He can think about leaving the spread out all weekend while scraping the spray paint off of them.


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## duckman49 (Aug 21, 2010)

Not smart. The blind thing I got tired of people Hunting an tearing down my blind so I got a boat blind. public water is public water. I won't hunt someone's blind But will set up my boat blind right next to it, If ya show up after me to hunt your blind sorry wake up earlier next time. But also only hunted the bay 2 times this year BC if all the drama


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

This question about leaving your decoys out in public waters also have some qualifiers.

For instance if you are hunting for two or three days and camped out very close or next to where your decoys are set I don't see a problem.

If you are hunting the next day I don't see too much of a problem

If you are leaving them out for several days to a week before hunting again I see that as having a major problem

If you are leaving them out for weeks or monthes that has all kinds of really big problems. I couldn't ever justify stealing someones decoys, or vandalizing them in any way, but that is terribly discourteous to everyone that hunts and fishes in the bay.


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