Posted By:
yogibear
Guest
goshen 01-13-2007 19:38
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Didn’t brave the cold today, gonna go set up for geese tommorrow, should be a nice warm day, yeah right. Mulket – you raised some excellent points with your post. Having a protected (refuge) pond in the middle of a bunch of public hunting waters and land open for both waterfowl and pheasant hunting has never made much sense to me. However I also know having public land to hunt for waterfowl is rare and welcome in Goshen county. I really don’t know what the answer is, but the MAJOR issue we have is with the water, or lack thereof. What can we all do to get water into Table, Springer, and Bump. Granted the weather has been pretty wierd this year, but I know we have had many, many pushes of geese fly right on by because of the water situation. I know our state is primairly known for our big game hunting, but I wish Wyoming would put more of a priority on waterfowl and waterfowl habitat.
Posted By:
mulket
Guest
Goshen 01-13-2007 15:22
Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 0-10 Degrees – Ice
I have been following all the postings about skybusters at Table Mesa and I have resisted commenting but here goes! First of all, it is crazy that this area is open for Pheasant hunting and stocked by the state at the same time waterfowlers are trying to hunt, but the truth is any time you have a small area open to the public you will have problems with slob hunters who’s idea of hunting is to come out and drink a few brews and set up on the firing line to skybust. The fact is Game and Fish has some responsibility here. How many REAL hunters can this area support? It is equally crazy to have half this area open to hunting and the rest a refuge. I know that will not go down well with some people but it is a problem. I hunt all around this area on leased fields so I do not have to put up with with these issues and I can tell you we have crippled geese falling into our decoys all the time from skybusters, until Game and Fish step to the plate on this problem it will only get worse. The biggest problem with this area is the lack of water, maybe if the state really cared, they would spend some $ on water and stop wasting valuable dollars on leasing Open Space that has not contained any wildlife in years.
Posted By:
glaubsgoose
Guest
01-09-2007 13:37
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How is the snow there around Hawksping is Table still snowed over and can’t get into? Thank You.
Posted By:
yogibear
Guest
Goshen 01-08-2007 20:14
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Tried an afternoon goose hunt Saturday in the wind. Needless to say I didn’t see any birds in the air, saw some in fields hunkered down out by Lingle. I just got some GHG Pro series, and wanted to see their motion in the wind. With the field stakes, they held the wind and did great. Love the new motion cone that has a limiter for windy days. Sunday got a few ducks on the river, but overall very slow. Is anyone else hunting Goshen County for geese? I sure haven’t heard many good reports, we need new birds and fast. I am thinking about trying a silo only spread just to give the birds another look that they haven’t seen yet.
Posted By:
PUDLJMPR
Guest
01-08-2007 16:56
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Mark im glad that you have had good experinces there and for the most part mine have been good to. Maybe because of the lack of water there that only the die hard decoyers have been huntin it but when its full you have every Tom Dick and Harry with a gun hiding in the weeds, on the firing line and up on the hill in that blind shootin at every flock that gets off and on pond 1 that irratates the hell out of me and educates the geese, i have watched the birds get off 1 and either go out and around or straight up because of the sky bustin, this is a never ending issue and wont ever completly stop but its good to dicuss this with everyone and maybe in the future when a flock is flying by and they think can i hit one?? they will think of all of us talking about it. Remember its not all about the kill, just watchin a flock of decoyin ducks or geese is as good or better than shootin them so have fun and some patience of the guys who dont think like us and pray for water in Bump cause that place was also a fun and great place to hunt.
Posted By:
IMAKADABULLCRAZY
Guest
01-08-2007 11:02
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All, You guys must have some bad experiences while hunting the public areas in Goshen. I have been to public places this year maybe 10 to 15 times and never had any problems with anyone. I would have to say that every encounter has been outstanding and everyone repecting everyones spaces. We are usually in first and whoever shows up later always ask if we minded where they set up. We did have some geese locked to our decoys only to have some pheasant hunter walk in at the wrong time, however they were very apologetic. I have witnessed no one skybusting or shooting after hours. Maybe I’m just lucky. After all this, I did not hunt this past week and wanted to know what effect the high winds had on the area?
Posted By:
glaubsgoose
Guest
Hunting rights 01-08-2007 02:54
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Dear PUDLJMPR.
Yes it is a public area and every one has the right to hunt there but the friend I have at Game and Fish Steve told me that if another hunter shoots out of your decoys or with in 100 yards is harrassment and harrassment charges can be brough up on them. Yes they should have respect and yes I did tell him he spooked the flocks from my decoys but it does not matter because these people do not care if you spent the time and gas to go and set up they only care if they get some. But now I know it is harrassment on others. This strait from the Wyoming Game and Fish. This goes for Rawhide and any public area why do you think the Game and Fish made Bump-Sullivan were you had to put in for the days you wanted to hunt and if this goes on Rawhide and Table will be the same way you will have to draw for days. I have been hunting birds, ducks and geese since 1979 back when you can shot lead and now there is more goose hunter than ever and they do not know what they do wrong so it might just be me to do it but I will turn them in because what they do messes up every thing for the rest and it shows in the REGS. the drawings when to shot and the part that says TAKE THEM CLOSE! It says Wait… wait…aannndddd…..take them’em! When my head cleared the top of the blind, there were eight geese hooked over the decoys, thier heads and feet still down, all within twenty yards of the muzzles. A flurry of shots and three were on the ground. Don turned to us with a broad grin.
“And THAT, gentlemen, is the way we do that”! Follow this and I say up to 40 yard maybe 50 is OK but it is called hunting not shooting the REGS. are there for us to read not just part from cover to cover and to follow them. At the end of the distance part of the REGS. it says Remember: If your shotgun’s muzzle appears to totally cover the goose, it is to far away for a lethal shot. If you are unsure…. DON”T SHOT! It also states in the REGS. in dark letters. Generally speaking, if you cannot see the body of the goose on a crossing shot outside the muzzle of the shotgun, it is beyond 55 yards and too far to shoot at. TOO FAR TO SHOOT AT. Every thing in these REGS. are for us to follow. So this is what I am told from the main office Game and Fish
Posted By:
glaubsgoose
Guest
Hawkspings 01-07-2007 23:19
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To Vogibear:
Yes I understand about with the snows. But there is a way to get decoys at a good price made by carrylight or what ever. I got some Canada geese decoys of these and there were not just what I wanted so I worked with them and they look good and they only cost $54 for 12. I plan soon to get some and work them and use them. I never hunted Snows but I think this year I am. But like I said most goose hunters do not shot out past 40 or 50 yards, this year I hunted with my friend from the Game and Fish he had the super mags. on pond 2 at table we were the only ones up there we got 10 geese by 11:00 am on a tues. he kept telling me to shot these geese were out about 40 – 45 yards yes I can kill them but I am used to shooting about 30 yards for a good kill shot. I use shot size 2 and my son uses a 20 ga. 2 shot and he gets them. What I like about Table is when these sky busters shot and shot they have all these decoys out 4 to 7 doz. and I go up with two duck decoys and call a mMallard call and bring the geese in. These people over shot and the geese know not to go in but feel safe around ducks. We walk out one day two duck decoys and this guy started to yell at us he had none and called us names and said we were sky busting. I laughed when my 14 year old son told him yaeh right with a 20 ga. and then he told this guy to use his head other than a hat rack. My son got 4 geese that day 3 were head shots one its head was almost shot off just hanging there. I think the real goose hunter need to complain to the Game and Fish more and try to get these rules changed into the REGS. No sky shooting with out a fine. Take a vidio cam and record these people to prove to the Game and Fish because it is against the law to sky bust but in court it is hard to prove with out film or photos. But I have found two places between Table and Ne. were I can go and get geese one has a good sized pond and they go in there all the time and it is not closed to hunting. But I will still go to Table just to get these so called goose hunters that brake the laws. Because what people do not know if they shot a goose after shooting time is done this is not just a State law and go to court for the State but it is also Faderal law, water fowl is Federally regulated and both charges can and will be brought up, from here on out from what I heard. So state can be what $500 but Federal is like $2500 fine on this so they can do the right thing or pay. But we need more people like you out there to hunt and not harrass others it would be a lot better place. Even when I Pheasant hunt at Table I wear just an orange hat and the rest is camo. When I am out and close to duck or goose hunters and the ducks or geese are coming in I and my son take off the orange hats and get down so we do not mess up anyones hunt if fact this year we stopped because this hunter had ducks coming in and we waited and then my dog got his ducks for him there was 4 he thanked me and said if we wanted we could hunt ducks with him but not all people think like me and wear all orange and don’t mind hunting around someone decoys. If all these hunters would use there heads we all can get along.
Posted By:
PUDLJMPR
Guest
01-07-2007 23:10
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Glaubgoose obvilously you must be new to Table cause that is all of our concerns and i totally agree, Table would and Is (when there is water) a wonderful place to hunt, that has always been everyones concern the birds there always decoyed well if you let them, pheasant hunters for the most part respect us but thank god its done in Dec. For some reason people always like to get close to each other and that sucks because you cant let the birds work and then noone ends up gettin good shots and i agree with at least a 200 yard buffer but they are right it is public land, but just tell those “other hunters”
that do that “what if it was you” that had birds decoyin and someone shot at em! This is always a problem and only the good guys can fix it and all you guys who let em land know who you are!!! So let em land and pound em!!!
[Edited By PUDLJMPR on 2007-01-07 23:14]
Posted By:
yogibear
Guest
goshen 01-07-2007 19:41
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Glaubsgoose,
I feel your pain, I can’t stand sky busters one bit. However I do pass shoot ONLY AT SNOWS during the special spring season. I simply can not afford to get a snow goose spread, but believe me, when it comes to dark geese or ducks, I ONLY hunt over decoys. I think the key when pass shooting is to set up in their flight pattern and take ethical shots, 35 to 40 yards max. It is also very important to respect others space. It amazes me how often I see people take 70 to 80 yds. shots when pass shooting, and end up only wounding birds.
