# Single hunter penalty



## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

i think the best compromise would be to just allow 1 or 2 single parties in each of the zones for any spot, once 2 spots are filled that zone is closed for singles. Obviously, a big zone might allow more single hunters and a small zone just 1 or none at all.
The way the bingos work, a big party can always pass and wait for a single to leave a hot blind... if its that hot then that party should be out of there with his 4-6 ducks pretty quick.


----------



## Remnar (Jun 23, 2004)

I see your point Mike, but from the States point of view your proposal would cost them money. Can you see them turning away a party of 4 from hunting a single zone to keep it open for a single? In just dollars for a daily permit it's 16 dollars collected vs 4 and even our poorly run state government knows which one they want to see. Based on this they are always going to look at maximizing both revenue and hunter hours.

Unfortunately it's really hard to have an area/system be designed to fit the needs and desires of everyone who wants to use it. I am lucky in that I normally hunt with at least one other person. Having your best freind be both retired and also a duck hunting fanatic pretty much guarantees an available 2nd person for the bingo.

Remnar


----------



## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

Remnar said:


> I see your point Mike, but from the States point of view your proposal would cost them money. Can you see them turning away a party of 4 from hunting a single zone to keep it open for a single? Remnar


Nothing to do with money, someone is going to lose. What's fair, send the 4 hunters home, or send the single home. The rules appeal to the majority. The easiest fix to the problem is to find a hunting partner.


----------



## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

you could just goto your local home depot before the draw and "rent" a partner for the draw. :idea:


----------



## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

I have not hunted any of the mentioned places, so my suggestion might not be taken to well, I don't know. 

Why not set up an area for single hunters to meet prior to the draw, they can meet whom is a single party as well and decide if they want to party. Those that don't have the same rules as before, but at least they have a chance to hunt party style. 

I hope to get up to Shiawasee this year, and hope to hook up with a buddy or two to ty it out. I hunt by myself a lot around here, well not really, my best friend is with me, my Lab Hunter. I find it enjoyable. I also like going out with friends, equally as fun.


----------



## GoneFishin (Jan 11, 2001)

Present system is about as fair as they can make it and still accomodate single hunters. As single hunters are not what they are encouraging for area use. 

Besides huntin' ducks is a social event although I hunt a few times a year solo it just ain't the same. Probably why I'm not a big fan of deer hunting as sittin' still and bein' quite just isn't in my nature.

As a group my buddies and I have adopted single hunters to our group prior to the draw many times so's they would have a shot at some of the so called "hot" areas but mainly so's they would have company. If ya want company and we're there just come and ask if we got room. It's so much easier to hunt with another and there's more eyes to spot those birds approaching low and in stealth mode.


----------



## Flooded Timber (Nov 1, 2006)

Sampsons_owner said:


> Mike, you just need to make some new friends. :lol: No seriously, the one time I felt bad about this was at the youth hunt at NQP one year. There were 5 parties and we drew 5th. But they were all singles. So we got to draw first. I did raise the question as to why not let the kids forget that rule and was told NO! So we took our field and then they all drew. After they left I was told we could have passed and then it would have been as if we forgot the rule. :rant: Why didnt they tell me that first?
> 
> As for a solution you could open more areas up by making the zones smaller and limiting it to 1-2 person parties. So instead of Prior rd being 2 zones across it would be three but less hunters. Just a thought. Steve


Was at FP this year for the Sat AM youth hunt. 43 parties showed up and there was 4 single parties. Just before the draw they announced to the crowd that if there were any single parties that would like to join up do it now before the draw. All 4 single parties paired up into 2 parties of 2 each. They turned in the 2 unused tickets and then did the draw. I thought it was a pretty good gesture and I never heard one complaint from anyone there. Maybe they could do this through out the season 15 minutes prior to the draw that way anyone interested in buddying up would know they need to be there 15 minutes prior to meet up. I know there are a lot of people that cringe at thought of hunting with a stranger but what do you think?


----------



## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

Remnar said:


> Unfortunately it's really hard to have an area/system be designed to fit the needs and desires of everyone who wants to use it. I am lucky in that I normally hunt with at least one other person. Having your best freind be both retired and also a duck hunting fanatic pretty much guarantees an available 2nd person for the bingo.
> 
> Remnar


I had a retired partner that I hunted with for over 20 years, then he went and left this world. You get used to doing things and hunting a certain way for years, you just don't change overnight. And for some change is "Very" difficult. I've lived with the way it is for years and I will continue to do so, I'll hook up with family and will hunt alone in the later part of the season when I wish and when it isn't so crowded. I've got to change and adapt and I think the way the Refuge Sys is run has to change also ! It was a good thread, it was interesting to hear others points of view......


----------



## Buddwiser (Dec 14, 2003)

Mike L said:


> I had a retired partner that I hunted with for over 20 years, then he went and left this world. You get used to doing things and hunting a certain way for years, you just don't change overnight. And for some change is "Very" difficult. I've lived with the way it is for years and I will continue to do so, I'll hook up with family and will hunt alone in the later part of the season when I wish and when it isn't so crowded. I've got to change and adapt and I think the way the Refuge Sys is run has to change also ! It was a good thread, it was interesting to hear others points of view......


I will do the same as you but I wish FP would so something with their so called web site or tie in with the MDHA site as Shi has done so we could have more info on the point and perhaps increase membership in the association.


----------



## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

The single party zones at FP are terrible. I'd never hunt them. - it's a huge handicap to be a single party hunter there.

it's a conspiracy by the MDNR to force the single parties to pair up and make friends....










(can't remember the last time I hunted the teens or twenties. single or not!)


----------



## stacemo (Oct 23, 2003)

Branta said:


> The single party zones at FP are terrible. I'd never hunt them. - it's a huge handicap to be a single party hunter there.
> 
> it's a conspiracy by the MDNR to force the single parties to pair up and make friends....


Kevlar, This is the kind of advice you need to give out...:evilsmile


----------



## BFG (Mar 4, 2005)

> The other 2 can't add on because they have already been in the draw. But if you have hunters that have not been in the draw they can add on to your card.
> 
> The key here is they haven't got there license stamped that inducated they were in the recent draw. This allows an add on.


Not at Pte. Mouillee. All members of a party must be present at the time of the draw. No questions asked. What this prevents is guys setting up in the public area ahead of time, sending one guy to the draw...he gets drawn...calls his buds....he adds them onto the card, they pick up their stuff in the public zone and go over to the managed zone where they then meet their draw buddy....but they have shined several other groups of hunters in the public area who wanted to hunt where they were at...but then they leave. 

Or..

He doesn't get drawn...walks out to the public zone where his buds are already set up...joins them...and hunts...

See what I mean? 

FWIW...they draw 2 single zones at Pte. Mouillee...but you can put a party in there if available. For that...I agree...it sucks to be a single. I've never put 3 guys in zone 13 or 9 before...but I have gone in there with a buddy...and there are a few singles who usually show at the draw, but I have asked them if they wanted to join up if we had room...and they always tell me no. 

Can't say I didn't ask, and don't get pissed when I put myself and my buddy in a single zone. 

I'd like to do FP/Shiawassee at some point this year..Pm me if ya' ever have an extra spot..and I'll reciprocate back down at the Pte...


----------



## Kevlar (Jul 21, 2004)

Not worried about it. The birds around most of these refuges change feeding pattern almost every couple days. Once in a while birds will hit a field for awhile. So unless you scout its worthless info.

In 10 straight days of hunting it takes about 2 days to figure out whats going on. If I leave for 4 days and come back. It takes 2 days again. Most people don't have that much time to scout. 

This year including myself.. 

Kev


----------



## stacemo (Oct 23, 2003)

You guys do well no matter what!


----------



## Kevlar (Jul 21, 2004)

Until Just ducky shows up and then we don't fire our guns... 

Kev


----------



## Water_Hazard (Aug 16, 2006)

Kevlar said:


> In 10 straight days of hunting it takes about 2 days to figure out whats going on. If I leave for 4 days and come back. It takes 2 days again. Most people don't have that much time to scout.
> 
> 
> Kev


I feel out of the loop if I miss 1 or 2 days straight. It definately takes time to stay on them.


----------



## steelsetter (Dec 14, 2003)

Reasons I avoid these areas. 
Maybe I am an old stubborn bastard, that likes hunting solo most of the time. 
But my dollars are just as green as the parties next to me. When I hunted SGA as a solo decades ago it used to pee me off to sit there and pass on the BEST area in the place because I hinted solo... Maybe all of us solo hunters agoiold unite!
But then I guess that would make us a "party".... LOL!

Your not alone on this one my man!



thedude said:


> its probably more about numbers on paper... the more people on a property is fodder for the prop managers to take back to the DNR when they need funding. "Here... look we had 10,000 hunters this year"... 4 guy parties make that number bigger and faster.
> 
> Where i hunt in Indiana... single hunter parties wait until after the draw. There is no adding to tickets, passing, redrawing or single draws. You show up with 2 or 3 guys, draw and take what you can get. If you are a single party.. you have to wait for all the parties to choose a blind and then you have to draw for the leftovers amongst the other singles. We're talking about areas that only have 20-30 huntable spots too - where there are typically 30-40 non-single parties on average.


----------



## greatprohunter (Jul 25, 2001)

Another aspect to think about this is.... A single party can draw a top spot , Then have to "pass" on good zone for being a single party. But after the draw you can take a left over and hunt the same areas as the rest of the parties if any good spots are left!
I hunt a lot as a single. Mostly at Shiawassee or Fish point on Thursdays so if anyone would like to join PM and well meet up and hope for a good draw!


----------



## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Kevlar said:


> Until Just ducky shows up and then we don't fire our guns...
> 
> Kev


HEY HEY HEY THERE!!! Wasn't my fault that out of our groups (I think I recall three), only Branta and company had a decent draw. I recall Mike L. and I were like 50th out of 55, and you guys were only a few better. Mike and I did fire our guns, and contrary to what Shi Kid and others have said here lately, I DID DROP A DUCK. Now granted it was a teeeny little immature greenwing, but it was a duck 

And by the way Kev, you have a poor memory :lol: because you, Sean and Stace DID FIRE...A LOT IF I RECALL. And thanks again by the way. I'll just leave it at that. :evilsmile


----------



## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

just ducky said:


> HEY HEY HEY THERE!!! Wasn't my fault that out of our groups (I think I recall three), only Branta and company had a decent draw. I recall Mike L. and I were like 50th out of 55, and you guys were only a few better. Mike and I did fire our guns, and contrary to what Shi Kid and others have said here lately, I DID DROP A DUCK. Now granted it was a teeeny little immature greenwing, but it was a duck
> 
> And by the way Kev, you have a poor memory :lol: because you, Sean and Stace DID FIRE...A LOT IF I RECALL. And thanks again by the way. I'll just leave it at that. :evilsmile


:yikes: Smoke cleared out of hear yet ?....lol As a matter of fact we dropped two "Little teeney weenie teal" but one got away. We "Could" have shot that great big bull pinner, but being the sportsmen that we are. We didn't want to just wound him as he was at max range. Good things will happen and we will be rewarded ducky.......


----------

