Saving the roost

[HuntinCosta]

No afternoon hunting on public waters.

[falcon40]

wow its like a politition wrote that.i think the no afternoons should be for everyone. not just public land.

[BOGSTER]

i agree, but what people do on their own land is their business.

[falcon40]

not true. land owners follow same guidlines d.n.r. sets.why should this be any different?

[sprigdog]

question is kinda leaning one way aint it??
just cause a man hunts the evening dont necessarily mean he's hunting the roost. if your shooting a woody hole, or on a point on an island shooting divers... 2 different things right?
i can assure you if i can squeeze out of work early and the winds blowing north, i'm heading straight to the boat ramp. the season in this state is short enough, cant imagine putting off classic waterfowling weather when it shows up, wether it be morn-midday-afternoon.
ps i actually AGREE with falcon

[BOGSTER]

sprigdog we have one of the most liberal seasons, what are you talking about??
i know you want to be able to shoot ducks in the afternoon, but would you not sacrifice this for better hunting in the long run?

[falcon40]

yeah sprig,your starting to sound like me. and that aint cool man

[Rubberhead*]

I, too, agree that whatever limits we put on waterfowling need to be statewide regardless of whether it's prviate or public.

I am all for private property rights, but ducks are an international resource that belong to everyone whether they are sitting on Winyah Bay, Lake Hartwell, Yawkey or at Rimini.

[sprigdog]

Originally posted by bogster:
sprigdog we have one of the most liberal seasons, what are you talking about??
i know you want to be able to shoot ducks in the afternoon, but would you not sacrifice this for better hunting in the long run?

bogster, liberal..compared to who??
this is my first SC ducks season
maybe on the 29th of jan i can answer this question better.
i enjoy evening hunts, i can get out of work early any time i want, going in late can be tough.
let me add, 21 out of 25 years of duck hunting i have lived in 4 different pacific flyway states, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and those other 4 were Michigan..you want to talk about liberal seasons?? tons of public land, little pressure..i'm spoiled
I can admit i am ignorant on whats awaiting me this friday. all the stories of tons of people, no ducks, people setting up 5 minutes before shooting time in my downwind back pocket, etc. its all good...my only concern is my dog getting eaten by a big lizard

[sprigdog]

Originally posted by falcon40:
yeah sprig,your starting to sound like me. and that aint cool man

i wouldnt puff up just yet.

[BOGSTER]

Contrary to your belief DT, publicly, afternoon hunting IS a big problem.
However it doesn't effect private land as much because most impoundment owners don't hunt their places in the afternoon, Why because it will drastically affect your birds roosting as well as the ones leaving out.
Try this: Shoot your pond this friday morning, then shoot it 10 days from friday, but shoot it in the afternoon. Come back and tell me if you have birds for the next hunt.
its just on a bigger scale on public waters.
If birds are using an area, i don't shoot them leaving that area to roost, nor do i shoot the birds coming to that area to roost.
roost shooting, however VERY fun, is bad for the birds.
I think, we should make the cut-off at 3 or 4 pm. that will give the birds time to roost, as well as allow for afternoon hunting when the weather is good.

[HuntinCosta]

My original thought was 4pm. The easier way to define this would be making shooting time 1 hour before legal sunset, that would be the more efficient way to do it in my opinion.

[rp]

I did not vote for the reason that I can't entirely agree with the choices.

The problem I have with late afternoon shoots are the nitwits that won't stop shooting. That obliterates ducks.

[Swamp Rat]

I don't shoot my private beaver ponds (woodie roosts) in the afternoon. Period.

I DO, as Sprig noted, like to put in an afternoon diver shoot from time to time. I'm not shooting them where they roost, I only pull the trigger a few times typically, and I'm having no more impact on the birds than any one of the twenty bass boats in the area. Like DT said, they come in gradually, you can ID them better, and I like picking up when it is still light.

There is a difference in ROOST shooting and AFTERNOON shooting.

[JABIII]

I agree with Swampy and DT. Afternoon hunting can be great. Especially on dirty afternoons when frontal boundaries dip in about noon and you get in the blind around 2pm. The next couple of hours can be magical. Especially if the front is carrying some sleet or snow. The ducks will switch to must feed mode and they will pour in as the barometer drops and the temperatures follow. I have had some very fine afternoon duck hunts at Devils Elbow for mallards and blacks, in the salt for cans and bluebills, and in the ponds for a bit of everything...

[Dook]

I do think the sun on a greenhead or a black is an awesome sight. Nutz and I got on em one afternoon last year, we spotted the ducks in a swamp, got in there about 1pm, shot ducks for 3 solid hours, till we were forced to leave.

Most of the ducks we were hunting, don't get active unless the shitty weather is a coming, great afternoon hunts are created by scouting and weather, they are far and few between in SC, IMHO. Other places just seem to have more ducks.

Divas are nice in the afternoon too, if you have them.