Why Is It?

Larry Eckart

Four Pointer
Guys,
This is my first post on your Deer Hunting Forum. I am a new deer hunter even though I am 66 years old. I have been a duck hunter all my life, for most of my life in Michigan. Moved to the Raleigh area in 2019 and decided with the help of friends, to start deer hunting. I have been impressed with the willingness of guys on this forum to help others develop their skill. Even on specific game lands, I have seen generic help given that was truly help without revealing spots or locations. There seems to be a good spirit here.

I do not find the same willingness to help or comraderie on most waterfowl forums. Instead I find a lot of smart a** comments towards newbies and prejudice against anyone who lives in the city.

Any idea why this is? Are deer hunters different than duck hunters?

Larry

Also: I don't want to get into using a tree stand and I know that hunting from the ground makes it more difficult. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed several hunts thus far on local game lands. No success yet but my time will come.

Also: I am a member of one of the best Duck Hunting Forums in the US called Duckboats.Net. What I said above does not apply to that forum. If you don't know that forum you need to check it out. Old school. Carvers and boat builders. And one standing rule to participate: you have to use your real name.
 
that's why i stick to deer and turkey. it takes a lot of $ to have good duck hunt in NC. I traveled many hours on draw hunts, only to have someone show up at first light and park beside me (some in aluminum bass trackers) and sky bust all morning long. if i cant have a private place to shoot ducks, i simply wont go. a lot of work for little reward IMO
 

Aaron H

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I can't speak much about duck hunters, having hunted ducks myself exactly 2 mornings ever in my over 50 years of being a hunter. Waterfowl hunting just wasn't a draw to me. I do have a thought about hunting deer from ground level. It can be a very exciting way to hunt them and safer as far as falling goes for sure. I am 69 years old and still climb but more and more I find ground hunting more to my liking. I think having a bit of brushy cover and a comfortable place to sit goes a long way toward being able to remain very still. Knowing the land and the general travel of deer through an area on gamelands where baiting is not allowed is important. On private lands picking a good secure place to build a brush blind or use a pop up with corn for bait can be every bit as effective as a tree stand. Welcome to this site Larry - there are lots of hunters here with real talent for what we do, very willing to offer ideas that work for them. ENJOY!
 

Smitty

Six Pointer
I have killed just as many deer from the ground (probably more) than I have hunting from a treestand. Only one from a pop up blind. A lot of times, I would hike into the woods and find a spot that looked pretty good, and pick a good size tree to sit by. Most of the time the tree would be large enough to cover me so I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Now that I have cut out some weight, I do like using my climbing stand to get well above the range of scent. It seems like the higher you go the less chance you have of being winded.


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Dan Apple

Old Mossy Horns
I dont duck hunt,,, have never been..... It just never appealed to me,, partly because of the personality types that generally end up being serious duck hunters. I don't golf either for that same reason and a bad back. There are exceptions to those personality types as I know some good people that do both..... but for the most part the stereotype is accurate.

Having said that,,, I THINK that finding a good place to duck hunt on private land is a lot more difficult (rare) than finding a good place to deer hunt on private land. So that throws a lot of aggressive personality types onto public land competing for the few good places that are there, and then the true colors come out. "win at all cost" attitudes show up and the hunters view each other as competitors and the BS starts.
 

GAWolf

Ten Pointer
Avid duck and deer hunter here. Big water duck hunting is typically done on public waters. As a result, most hunters are going to be tight-lipped and not helpful as to preserve their spots. Private land hunting in NC consists of either swamps or impoundments. Impoundments cost big money and thus those who invest in them are going to also be protective. Swamps usually have several landowners/properties around them providing access to a duck hole, so there’s reason to be protective there, too. Ultimately, ducks are easily burnt out and good duck spots need to be carefully managed to shoot them without ruining them. I hunted some public land as a kid that has been completely ruined by people getting on the internet and bragging about their successes there.

Conversely, most deer hunting is private land and aside from the occasional poacher or over-reaching dog hunters deer spots aren’t accessible by others. Thus helping others seems more easy to do without hurting your own hunting successes. Turkeys are also not migratory and remain close to their home regardless of pressure. Giving you turkey tips won’t potentially harm my turkey flock regardless of what you do with that information - or so the argument would go.

There’s at least a rational reality associated with the problem you’ve observed. Public duck hunting isn’t great in NC to begin with, so wise folks are going to be protective of success if they’ve worked hard enough to find it on public waters. It doesn’t take much to ruin a spot here in NC and there aren’t many good spots as is.

Good luck with your hunting pursuits. Welcome to NC, and sorry you encountered some cold shoulders but it is to be expected given the reality above.
 

Bluecord

Six Pointer
It is very true, I was a member of this forum a few years back and left it bc of some of the duck hunters. I’m a big duck and deer hunter and hunt other stuff for that matter. I was raised to help others when you can. I’ve seen duck hunters rip others simply for asking which lake is better (the reason I got into it with some others on here). He was a newbie needing help not asking for someone’s spot just which lake outta 4-5 lakes was better. They acted like he was stealing the family jewels. So I helped where I could, left the forum for years and am back now for more punishment lol. I think in the bigger picture too, it’s important to realize that hunting of all sorts is in a decline, and we are losing land and laws protecting us constantly. We need to encourage more hunters especially the younger generations not knock them down for asking for help, just my two cents.
 

Vannoyboy

Eight Pointer
I use to always climb, but now at 69 I would only climb if I had too. I use the pop-up blinds and have had deer to stick their nose in the window. I had 2 grown does walk within 10 feet of a blind just a couple weeks back. I have a very comfortable, luxurious built stand with all the amenities that I hunt most of the time but if they are chasing, I will pop-up here and there to get a better shot.
 

nekkedducker

Ten Pointer
Not sure how duck hunting got so competitive over the last 10 to 15 years, blame it on duck commander, social media, whatever, but it is hard to be consistently successful every hunt. Ducks are concentrated in less areas than deer in NC so people are protective over spots, especially public land. I'm lucky enough to have private spots that produce well most of the time, and only venture to public land a few times a year. The truth is, if someone has a good spot on public land, 15 others know about it as well. I never seen the need to be an ass on a forum when someone ask a legit question, especially when they are first getting started. But i am also the first person to point someone to ncwildlife.org, google maps, and county GIS sites when they obviously are too lazy to do the proper research and are asking for specific spots.
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I think it has more to do with public land vs private land. Most duck hunting that Ive been involved with happens on public land. That means the public is involved. Anytime that happens its a bad deal for someone. The public pretty much ruins everything. So...folks are more insular and exclusionary when they know anything they post will lead to more of 'the public' descending on their already limited resources.

I duck hunted for two seasons in NC before giving it up completely. Just not my cup of tea at all.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Can't tell you a thing about duck hunting never been but as far as ground hunting if your in mtns most time your better off on ground. I'll climb if hunting certain situations but most mine is from ground with gun. Now with bow I'll get on up never had much luck bow hunting from ground. some do though so it can be done
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
I think deer are more ubiquitous and frankly plentiful. So are spots to hunt them. If I said "man Jordan Lake's been on fire" for duck hunting you'd likely go on google maps or a boat ride and find the handful of spots to duck hunt. If I said "You should try deer hunting Harris Game Lands" for deer you can do homework with Topo maps and Satellite maps but you really need to do more ground work.

I think it has more to do with public land vs private land. Most duck hunting that Ive been involved with happens on public land. That means the public is involved. Anytime that happens its a bad deal for someone. The public pretty much ruins everything. So...folks are more insular and exclusionary when they know anything they post will lead to more of 'the public' descending on their already limited resources.

I duck hunted for two seasons in NC before giving it up completely. Just not my cup of tea at all.
And not just public land, public land that's easily identifiable using Satellite imagery. I can scout an area to duck hunt without ever having set foot in there, if the water levels cooperate and I'm not flooded out; putting boots on the ground doesn't guarantee me that either since I've had plenty of times where I've walked around a spot on Wednesday to hunt Saturday and been flooded out.

Compared to deer hunting, if you have a few acres and some golden acorns you can at least fill a freezer.
 

Larry Eckart

Four Pointer
Guys,
To clarify: I personally haven't been treated poorly on duck hunting websites in North Carolina, South Carolina or Michigan. One reasons is I never ask questions about where to go. I just turn on the computer and put boots on the ground and pay my dues. My original post was an observation about how quickly some duck hunting forums get stormy, a truth I haven't seen here on the deer hunting forum between those who post regularly.

For that, I complement you.

Larry
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The long and short of it is, in my opinion anyway, is you can find good deer spots almost anywhere. Good duck spots are a bit more scares, and in more cases than with deer, are on public land/water where any yahoo can hunt it. That being the case, dedicated duck hunters are pretty protective and tight lipped about "their spots".
I'll duck hunt a handful of time a year on family land or game land permit hunts, but I don't at all like, or intend to "compete" with a bunch of folks on public land for a few measly ducks.
 

bowhuntingrook

Old Mossy Horns
^^^^ agree with this. Also, duck hunting skyrocketed in popularity over the last 10 years and it wasn't because the duck population increased. A younger generation of hunters flooded into the sport. For many of them, those unwritten rules and common courtesy just doesn't apply unfortunately.

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aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I can't speak much about duck hunting, it just never interested me much. (When I was a younger man, I was all about grouse hunting).

But as to hunting from the ground vs tree-climbing, I don't feel particularly handicapped hunting from the ground. I routinely have deer come within a few yards of my brush blinds, (had a small buck within 20 yards this evening). And at age 63, I'm pretty close to deciding that my tree climbing days are coming to an end.

Welcome to the Forum, and good luck with the deer hunting; I'm looking forward to seeing you posting pictures of a nice one soon.
 

Lawnscaper

Eight Pointer
Contributor
Welcome to the forum Larry,
I love to hunt from the ground and the best thing I've found to sit long and be comfortable is a fold up turkey hunting seat, you can get a big tree or some brush to your back and sit for hours at a time. Learn the basics be patient and your time will come
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
^^^^ agree with this. Also, duck hunting skyrocketed in popularity over the last 10 years and it wasn't because the duck population increased. A younger generation of hunters flooded into the sport. For many of them, those unwritten rules and common courtesy just doesn't apply unfortunately.

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Only 10? Pffft Twenty years ago it was full of bad manners that taught the new generation to be worse.

There isn’t a duck on this planet worth the time and I use to waterfowl hunt... I hunted waterfowl to pass the lull until pheasant time. Shoot the ducks in the morning and roosters on the way out. I had my reasons and if you know anything about upland you will know why 😁
 
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