TexasKayakFisherman.com

Cruisin_Cuda wrote:i've pretty much given up on people having courtesy, ethics, or being a good sportsman. just this last weekend i woke up at 12:30 am, launched my yak at 2:30, paddled about a mile into a BIG marsh (in the thick fog) was set up by 4 am. (shooting time was about 6:20. I do this b/c i don't have the luxury of waking up and launching a boat and motoring to a spot 30 mins before shooting time. out of 4 "boats" including me the other 3 came in and set up less than 100 yards away surrounding me on three sides. I shined every group and even yelled to them they were too close as i could hear decoys clanking and them talking with little to no wind. one group moved maybe 50 yds further and the other two told me to kiss their you know what... every bird was either getting high balled at, and or shot at (no matter how high they were) before they even got to me. this isn't a rare occurrence, and it's gotten to the point where i'm just about ready to let them have it before i end up in cuffs....

Tombo wrote:I am still wondering about the original post. I bet other boats and duck hunters make more of a racket coming up on other duck blinds than a kayak would.
The silliest place I saw a duck blind was in the Sailboat channel in Aransas Pass, a narrow navigational channel.
Thankfully, for the most part its nothing but a bunch of hot air.
Anyone that sets up in a duck blind hours before sun up in the fall and winter can have that space.
As the cooler temps approach, most fishing guides don't launch until 0930-1000 to let the shallows warm up.

Salaqua wrote:Last year around this time, I took my son and nephew to Boggy for their first time kayak fishing. I figured easy launch and nearby drains would be the best chance for anything to catch. I noticed birds on the water between the first and second cut at Boggy (the first cut being the one that on the launching area). We got within 100 yards or so and were yelled at by a two or more hunters hidden in the brush.

I am a courteous angler and would never knowingly intrude on someone's hunt or fishing. This being said, there is also some common sense needed when choosing locations to hunt or fish. Hunting a few hundred yards from a pretty well known wading and kayak launch is probably not the best idea.

Cuervo Jones wrote:Seems like the original story was #FAKENEWS. Was it by chance first mentioned by a certain, prolific tweeter-in-chief?


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Cruisin_Cuda wrote:

kickingback wrote:I was merely pointing out that there can be a solution instead of angry hunters and anglers. Like I said it comes down to common sense. If hunters lose their common sense for kayakers then I will stop fishing where they hunt. Common sense. If they are courteous and look out for kayakers then I applaud them and will fish the same areas I do all year. Why should I stop fishing in comfort and safety becasue a hunter moves in and is not watching for others? Easy to courteous but it is easier to just be an idiot and not think about others. Even as a hunter it is YOUR responsibility to know what you are aiming and shooting at. YOU have the gun. Not the kayakers. Can't be more clearer to me. Weapon=responsibility for others as you could kill them. Fishing=no responsibility as you are merely fishing. Understand what I am saying now?
Common sense of others and the responsibilities that you have in the endeavor you are seeking.
God forbid if I ever ruin someone's "hunt" by getting shot and killed becasue a hunter was irresponsible with his weapon.
I wont throw a lure at you. Don't shoot me!
Common sense for those of us that understand the quality of life.

if you had put it like this instead of hunters are "intruders" and they can kiss my hind end it would have been much better received. totally agree about the safety portion as well, it's so much ingrained in me from such a young age i forget that not everybody had that teaching growing up and it's not the case for everyone. you're also right that people getting heated on the water won't lead to anything good either, however it is really simple solution. duck season is about 3.5 months out the year if you count teal season. most of this time in the winter is when the number of anglers hang up the yak until spring. they will almost always be out there first, so they should be able to hunt the small area without people fishing right on top of them. as i said before, there's usually no problem with someone passing through, just don't stop and fish within eye/ear shot of them once you know they are there. however the number of A-holes that would actually shoot at you are a lot smaller than you'd think. there may be cases where you could be "peppered" by complete accident because a high brass 12 gauge shell can chunk steel a good ways and they may not know you're there either. that's why it's just smarter to not fish in areas that are commonly known for hunting during duck season. not saying that people "must stay away" but it kind of goes along with an old saying that i've used many times when dealing with a ton of different situations, it goes "i'd rather be wrong and alive, than be right and dead".

Cruisin_Cuda wrote:

bigred90gt wrote:

Kayak Kid wrote:I haven't any argument with what you are saying. However, I can assure you that the instances of a hunter aiming his weapon and firing at a kayaker are probably more rare than getting struck by lightening. I just don't see the relevance of the gun vs lure comment.

I'm sure that a small percentage of hunters are not nearly as courtesy or as weapon safe as they should be. The same holds true for kayakers with reference to courtesy towards duck hunters. I would bet that there are more than a few kayakers with very limited understanding about duck hunters and duck hunting.

You have provided a succinct answer to avoiding any confrontation. The duck hunters are probably in position long before the kayakers arrive. They clearly...,in most instances...,have the 'right of way', and all boaters should stay a proper and courteous distance from their spread. Yet, that old, tired adage of, "you can't change stupid" is still quite pertinent.

If I paddle unknowingly into someone's spread, I have no problem with a simple "We're hunting here". I'll apologize, and get out of their way as quickly and quietly as possible.

I DO have a problem if they come off with an attitude, or start shooting while I'm there. If they come off with an attitude, they'll get one in return, and if they keep it up, I'll drop anchor.

Whether or not they're firing directly at me is also irrelevant. The #1 rule of firing a weapon is to always identify your target, know whats around it and what is beyond it. If they are on public waters, before they pull the trigger, they need to look. If they start shooting before I've had a chance to leave the area, I assume they know I'm there and just have complete and total disregard for human life.

The odds of anything like that happening I would hope would be rather slim. I dont get out much this time of year in my kayak anyway, because quite frankly I dont like being cold (to me, below about 60 is cold). So, I dont think I'll have much of, if any, issues to deal with, but courtesy goes both ways.

very well said, and you are mostly correct, the number of people that would actually do that are a very small portion and they should be dealt with by any means necessary. the only thing is you shouldn't assume anything unless it's blatantly obvious. depending on the area and range of steel shot it's entirely possible that they may not know you're there and the same warning should be given. there's only been one incident in the almost 20 years i've been at it where i was hunting a small flat and a guy was fishing in an adjacent back lake about 100 yards away. i had a group come in and i let them have it not knowing he was back there. he wasn't hit, but it made him pucker the cheeks a little and he hollered out that he was there. i stopped shooting in that direction until a few mins later he came paddling over and i of course apologized and neither one of us knew we where there. we chatted for a couple of mins, he was saying how he'd always wanted to try duck hunting and now he's one of my hunting buddies.

Tombo wrote: I do not know much about duck hunting but they might as well have set up in downtown Corpus with all the activity on the water. I call these types wanna be's, no matter what the sport.

TroutSupport.com wrote:

Tombo wrote: I do not know much about duck hunting but they might as well have set up in downtown Corpus with all the activity on the water. I call these types wanna be's, no matter what the sport.

LOL, there are those as well. Too funny.

Ag_gone_fishin wrote:I doubt this is the same incident, but in a duck hunting FB Group I’m in someone had a run in with a kayaker. The guy in the kayak paddled right into the middle of the spread and cast his line.

Cityfisher wrote:I do my best to stay away from any humans on the water also, especially duck hunters. But one thing that had me absolutely baffled a few weekends ago, I was at Drum Bay, and you guys know where the kayak launch is I'm sure. Someone had setup and was duck hunting on that little island just 100 yards from that launch. I could not believe that they had set up so close. There were many shots fired also and by the time I came in around 1 pm I could still hear them making duck calls from there.
I don't think that is acceptable to be that close to a designated kayak launch.

bowhntr1 wrote:

Cityfisher wrote:I do my best to stay away from any humans on the water also, especially duck hunters. But one thing that had me absolutely baffled a few weekends ago, I was at Drum Bay, and you guys know where the kayak launch is I'm sure. Someone had setup and was duck hunting on that little island just 100 yards from that launch. I could not believe that they had set up so close. There were many shots fired also and by the time I came in around 1 pm I could still hear them making duck calls from there.
I don't think that is acceptable to be that close to a designated kayak launch.

Your right, those duck hunters had to be 500yds from launch ramp (I'm duck hunter and hunt that area also), they put everyone in danger being that close. I would have called GW myself, this gives good duck hunters had rep.
As hunters we habe to respect each other while out on public lands (it not your personal property)...1st come gets 1st rights...plenty of GOD creation to enjoy move on and be safe

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karstopo wrote:I just stay away from duck hunting zones during the season. There’s others places to fish where they aren’t allowed to hunt.