"I had a nice chuckle, I had two birds, and they were going thru a spot that I had already hit. "
"I was screwed, I didn't know where they had been, one way or the other I had to hunt stuff that they had covered. "
Sounds like you enjoy other peoples misery but don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot. A freshly picked corn field next to any public hunting land is going to be a magnet to any rooster chaser, you got yours, be happy and find a another hot spot, sounds like that one is getting burned out and so are you

Just got back from LQP.

Combat hunting at it's finest. Nearly a rig at every access point and a swirling mass of orange criss crossing, zig zagging, running and gunning.

For a tuesday morning......I was dumbfounded. LOL

Went and hit "our little corner", then followed behind other groups at a safe distance and did well.

There are large places I will hunt when others are present. They've gotta be pretty large though. Smaller areas I will pass on if I'm not the only one there.

I'm still amazed at the amount of hunters out today???????

my standard for hunting public land is all about the challenge. I go into each public area not knowing what I am going to get, and for some reason that excites me...the challenge.

Sure I can go hunt private land and easily have a limit, however if it was easy it wouldnt be any fun and obvisouly alot more people would be out there to crowd the walk in areas.

you got to take what you can get and understand that some people dont have the common sense the rest of us have. Its what you get when you hunt public land.

My other standards, dont hunt them on the weekends, or even fridays for that matter. Also hunt the last hour of the day, most of the birds are out feeding anyway and wont be back until just before dark.

Will I crowd or barge in...no. If I see a truck I keep moving. However there is no law that say I have to do so, and neither does anybody else. Is it moral to barge in...in my opinion no, but there isnt a law to stop people from doing so, so its going to happen. Again this is what you get when you hunt public land.

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For me its the hunt rather than the results. I'd rather have a nice day and watch the dog work and see some wildlife but shoot nothing - than shoot a limit on land where there's an orange army combing the fields

If I see a car in a smaller WMA, I move on until I find one that is empty. There is plenty of public land to hunt.

Without becoming a complete preacher.... These thoughts are exactly why becoming a contributing member of PF or you local sportsmans clubs are great things. These are the organizations that are purchasing ground that becomes public hunting areas. The state does as well, but with budget woes, this becomes less and less every year. Do your part, become a contributing member. Our chapter recently just finished yet another aquisition to add to our 2000 acres in our county alone. This is only done by member contributions. If you want more public ground.... get it done. Do your part, get on a comittee today. If your comittee needs help, feel free to contact me, I can help in the tips and things that can help make a purchase easier.

Chub, didn't the refuge just open up after duck hunting?? Thats probably why you had the big influx of hunters.

"I had a nice chuckle, I had two birds, and they were going thru a spot that I had already hit. "
"I was screwed, I didn't know where they had been, one way or the other I had to hunt stuff that they had covered. "
Sounds like you enjoy other peoples misery but don't like it when the shoe is on the other foot.

A freshly picked corn field next to any public hunting land is going to be a magnet to any rooster chaser,

Thats EXACTLY the point that I've been trying to make!!! Theres no reason to crowd other hunters!!!