# any changes this year?



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Just to clarify and help you understand the reason someone would do that.......So lets say you get to the AM draw and there are 6 parties, generally everyone would pick separate fields and have the whole area to themselves, Yay this is awesome we can work birds with no sky busting yay this is gonna be great, you've waited all year to actually work some damn birds down into your face, so you get out there and get all set up, your totally stoked because you have the whole field to yourself, conditions are just right, this is definitely going to be a sick shoot no doubt with zero idiots to screw you up......right........WRONG!...........because some mmmmfffffiiinnngggg aaaaahhoolllleeee sssssooonnneeeoooffaabbitttcchhh mmmmffffereerrr came in after you left the draw (ON PURPOSE!!!!!) and picked the zone downwind of you (ON PURPOSE!!), waits just until shooting time to show up (ON PURPOSE, knowing you wont have time to move), throws out a few decoys, proceeds to downwind you and put on a clinic! YEP BASICALLY FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK THAT GUY!



I'm that guy. Last week of season last year 30 mph NW winds, and we draw back of the pack. 30's are wide open except of course 34 gets taken, so we take 37. End up breaking the winch so we don't get set up until 2:30, which worked great as the bird faucet didn't turn on until 3 pm. And what a faucet it was. And they wanted into 34 badly, but hooked the wind and ended up blowing all the way to the edge of the field only to drop down and pile into our spread. We limited on mallards with a bonus goose shooting every thing below the corn at sub-20 gauge ranges.

34 shot 1 bird. They had chances, as lots of birds worked them too, but they were not closing them for some reason.

Question is, if you don't want to get down winded, why don't you just take the most down wind zone? Or doesn't that work as well as having "the" zone if the winds aren't as strong as they were the day we were out there?


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## Wolverine423 (Dec 3, 2013)

Hammertime989 said:


> All these people trying to statagize the draw need to get a life and probably a job. I pick the best zone I can based on experience, hunt,go home, eat lunch, go back to work. The only variable is: if a known bad hunter gets a zone close to me.


Sounds like you’ve been schooled before..lol


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> ....Question is, if you don't want to get down winded, why don't you just take the most down wind zone? Or doesn't that work as well as having "the" zone if the winds aren't as strong as they were the day we were out there?


Here's the thing about the "downwind" spot. If the birds swing downwind low, and in range (like you described happened to you), then yes, the downwind spot is the place. But if those birds swing downwind HIGH, then head for the "X", then that downwind party gets little shooting. I've been in that downwind spot many a time, and I've let tons of birds pass because they were on a line for the "X". HOWEVER when that downwind party is a bunch of skybusting a-holes who take every passing shot SIMPLY to **** over the guys on the "X", then the whole field is ****ed!!!. Seen this happen waaaaay too many times when I was fortunate enough to be on the "X", and it didn't end well due to the above described a-holes.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

just ducky said:


> Here's the thing about the "downwind" spot. If the birds swing downwind low, and in range (like you described happened to you), then yes, the downwind spot is the place. But if those birds swing downwind HIGH, then head for the "X", then that downwind party gets little shooting. I've been in that downwind spot many a time, and I've let tons of birds pass because they were on a line for the "X". HOWEVER when that downwind party is a bunch of skybusting a-holes who take every passing shot SIMPLY to **** over the guys on the "X", then the whole field is ****ed!!!. Seen this happen waaaaay too many times when I was fortunate enough to be on the "X", and it didn't end well due to the above described a-holes.


All the more reason to stay away from Prior or any easy access areas. The easy access areas always seem to draw out the worse.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

First hunt ever at Shiawassee, youth hunt, two youths and two reading at a third grade level adults show up in north Prior middle front zone. The zone. Run their mud boat through the middle of the field get it stuck , rock it, get it stuck, at about 1:30. Everyone else ready to go. Birds are coming out and flaring as they set up. They proceed to shoot all 100 shells at first pass birds that were wanting to work to somebody. Killed one, sailed two. Out of shells, they and their zero talent hell hound walked around for half an hour looking for them, flaring more birds, before they ripped up the whole field with their loud ass boat. Guys next to them burned a golden ticket to watch that show.


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## craigrh13 (Oct 24, 2011)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> First hunt ever at Shiawassee, youth hunt, two youths and two reading at a third grade level adults show up in north Prior middle front zone. The zone. Run their mud boat through the middle of the field get it stuck , rock it, get it stuck, at about 1:30. Everyone else ready to go. Birds are coming out and flaring as they set up. They proceed to shoot all 100 shells at first pass birds that were wanting to work to somebody. Killed one, sailed two. Out of shells, they and their zero talent hell hound walked around for half an hour looking for them, flaring more birds, before they ripped up the whole field with their loud ass boat. Guys next to them burned a golden ticket to watch that show.


Yup. Sounds about right. Thats just dumb to use a golden ticket on opening day and then choose PRIOR of all fields!


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

It was worse than that, it was the youth hjng like three weeks into season!

We burned ours on a sunny weekday at Harsen's and shot nine. Just a steady trickle of singles, no night flight.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Just to clarify and help you understand the reason someone would do that.......So lets say you get to the AM draw and there are 6 parties, generally everyone would pick separate fields and have the whole area to themselves, Yay this is awesome we can work birds with no sky busting yay this is gonna be great, you've waited all year to actually work some damn birds down into your face, so you get out there and get all set up, your totally stoked because you have the whole field to yourself, conditions are just right, this is definitely going to be a sick shoot no doubt with zero idiots to screw you up......right........WRONG!...........because some mmmmfffffiiinnngggg aaaaahhoolllleeee sssssooonnneeeoooffaabbitttcchhh mmmmffffereerrr came in after you left the draw (ON PURPOSE!!!!!) and picked the zone downwind of you (ON PURPOSE!!), waits just until shooting time to show up (ON PURPOSE, knowing you wont have time to move), throws out a few decoys, proceeds to downwind you and put on a clinic! YEP BASICALLY FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK THAT GUY!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


couple things here.

1. heavy wind, take downwind first.
2. light wind, take the hole.
3. if you are not the downwind field, put as much distance between you and downwind field. 30's and 40's are so big, you should not have your birds being shot on the swing unless you setup in the middle of your field. if they turn and dump into their spread...well you chose the wrong field today. lol.
4. people coming and going at different times is gonna happen, need to accept it... a lot of people work...then go out and hunt...or hunt and go into work. thats the magic of the areas. If you forced everyone to have to be out there at shooting time and leave after its over...well, just not gonna happen...people will just not come and use the place.
5. someone picking up there decoys and leaving? i'd rather they motored right thru my spread on the way to the channel...its the fastest way out and everything will be back to normal in 5-10 minutes. demanding people go around or a crappy way out is only gonna prolong the pain and make it worse. (only mentioning this because it cracks me up at guys get so mad at this...like its the most craziest worst thing ever you can do to a hunter. get over it, let them go and then hunt.
6. someone leaving early (as long as its not 30 minutes before shooting closes)is a good thing as its less you got to fight over. especially if its guys goin back to afternoon draw and you intend to stay there til noon. let them go, now you have more room for yourself.

when i hunt a full day on the flats, i'll pass in the morning, take a field hunt til around 10 and then i'll pack up and leave. When i pack up and motor out...its 15 minutes til i'm at the dike.

not directing this all at you FBD...just the wind stuff. drawing #1 is a curse...because i can draw 10th and have easier choices and probably more success knowing the hole and where the wind will take them....drawing 1st makes me decide to take the hole or downwind and thats a gamble sometimes...and lose 50% of the time.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> ....drawing #1 is a curse...because i can draw 10th and have easier choices and probably more success knowing the hole and where the wind will take them....drawing 1st makes me decide to take the hole or downwind and thats a gamble sometimes...and lose 50% of the time.


Agree with that statement all day long!


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

"not directing this all at you FBD...just the wind stuff. drawing #1 is a curse"

It's all good and I appreciate the wisdom you've shared. It's helped my learning curve immensely.

Last two draws #1 at Fennville - 0 birds.
Last draw #1 at MWW, got the zone I scouted the night before - first 0 bird hunt in 5 years.

We even passed on draw 1 at MWW as we knew a certain guy there would down wind us, and the field we wanted would not let that work, so we even let the stand by group all pull their zones and leave. Shot our birds in 45 minutes that afternoon, had them landing in the spread as we were stubbling the blinds.

Also while we're talking Shiawassee - loved the gaps in the strips in the corn there. Makes it really easy to tell where each zone begins / ends and also gives a nice path out for those guys that need to pick up early.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> ...Also while we're talking Shiawassee - loved the gaps in the strips in the corn there. Makes it really easy to tell where each zone begins / ends and also gives a nice path out for those guys that need to pick up early.


You mean the "downwinding spots" for those who choose to do such a thing?  When you hear guys talk about "hunting the cut", this is what they mean. The group downwind of you spaces guys out all along their strip, including posting some guys right at the cut. Why? That way they can bust ANYTHING that cruises over their couple hundred yards of real estate. Even if it's going to you in the next (upwind) zone. 

Okay, deep breath....I'm done now


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Standard practice at Fennville. 11-12 zones in a one mile long strip.

We had one day where two guys sat in the gap and didn't even bother to set decoys. My daughter went and sat on our side of the gap and then went into a long dissertation on the pros and cons of pads vs. tampons. My buddy and I were dying we were laughing so hard.


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## just ducky (Aug 23, 2002)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Standard practice at Fennville. 11-12 zones in a one mile long strip.
> 
> We had one day where two guys sat in the gap and didn't even bother to set decoys. My daughter went and sat on our side of the gap and then went into a long dissertation on the pros and cons of pads vs. tampons. My buddy and I were dying we were laughing so hard.


I'll remember that for the next time that happens. Course it probably wouldn't have the same impact coming from me 

And before Shi Kid or any of the long-time bingo hunters responds saying "you are allowed to hunt anywhere in your strip", I get it...I really do. But it goes back to the courtesy thing that is often missing at the bingos. I believe the original intent of the managed area corn strip hunting was to have your "party" all in one spot, with your dekes. by doing that, there is naturally space leftover between parties, and less conflict. But if every party spaces their guys all the way down their particular strip (albeit legal to do), then what you end up with is hunters covering the entire field, and in essence, crowding everyone around you. Which I think defeats the original idea of having "quality" hunting. This is one of the many reasons that I rarely hunt bingo's any longer. But you won't hear me knock them either, because as I previously said, I do think they provide a great opportunity for those who want to take advantage of it.


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