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Alpine_Archer

Just was wandering for all you public land hunters what time do you stake out your spot in the morning. Just wanna know how early i gotta get up for the 2nd split tomarow neener!

???

HeavyC · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:41 pm Post subject:

Good question, but not sure there is a good answer. I suppose it depends on where the spot is and how bad it gets.

A couple I frequent here on the front range are hammered bad so if you are not out of your truck and headed in with deeks a good two hours before shooting time, you might as well head back home. Now some others do not even open till one hour before sunrise(not shooting time) and that is like a mad rush as everyone is lined up with there packs on just waiting for the first one to go ahead and leave signifying that it is now time for everyone! Frustrating on all weekends!!!!

Therefore, now that I have been unemployed this year I have been hitting non-reservable stuff during the week and ensuring that if I am going on the weekend it is a reservable spot. I guess we are lucky on that front down the hill here as we have enough of those reservable locals to go around. Which from what I have gathered by your past posts; I am pretty sure is not the case in your neck of the woods.

On a bit of a side note, I also tend to not go out on opening weekends if I can afford not to. After the first week or so it tends to lighten up a bit across the board.

So with all that I hardly answered anything...I quess I am saying go as early as you can. That will give you plenty fo time to get to the water or into the field and set your stuff up ahead of time so you are just waiting for the clock to strike that magic moment!

tic...tic...tic...tic... neener!

Rockmonky · Buck Master Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Posts: 12

First split opening I went to the local easy swa and at 420am I was the 10th car in one of the 2 parking lots. You in Colorado? Cuz 2nd dosnt open till Saturday.

HeavyC · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:55 pm Post subject:

Alpine_Archer · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:07 pm Post subject:

I'm on the western slope of CO and it starts tomarow. So the crowds should be a slight bit less then this weekend. The area im hunting is a public SWA with no reservations required. I only saw one shell there from the early season either i have the spot to myself or people have started cleaining up after themselves. I'm just trying to get this spot because it's one of the few that can be hunted without a dog .

Rockmonky · Buck Master Joined: 19 Aug 2009 Posts: 12

Oh my bad! I didnt even look at the regs for over there.
So how did you do?

Alpine_Archer · Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:15 pm Post subject: First Mallard Drake of the season

We just got back from an exciting morning of hunting. We go tthere in plenty of time to claim our spot and had the entire place to our selves. Lots of hunters close by though. Not a bunch of duck flying and we ended up taking 2 birds and missing ALOT more. Here's a picture of the Drake Mallard I took my first for 2009. We saw la few redheads canvasback and pintail also a few weird divers I've never seen but still not alot of ducks flying and no geese.

HeavyC · Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 4:38 pm Post subject:

NICE! Be a couple weeks before I can get back on some waterfowl!

Alpine_Archer · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:40 pm Post subject:

We went out again this morning and ended up baging 2 mallard hens. Alot of people out and we had 2 groups walk up on top of us after day break. One of there dogs jumped into our spread and tangled all the deekes. Oh well we got some shots and saw some ducks. We're going to move our blind next time we hunt to another point just around the bend.

WesternHunter · Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:33 am Post subject:

We're set up and ready to hunt at waters edge about 30 minutes before the sun comes up. I don't have a blind, we just have always roughed it and set up in the cattails, reeds, or vegitation at waters edge. Typically spread out about 7 yards apart hunkered down at waters edge. We also bring camo netting to use sometimes.