Duck Hunting

DrHuk&Duck said:
We have alligators and water moccasins to worry about in the freshwater. In the saltwater, we have bull sharks. In the boat it’s not as much concern, but we do sometimes wade in the water and set up tittle temporary blinds. This video went viral a few years ago and features a buddy of mine in it:

I can definitely see pig hunting and spear fishing being dangerous. I remember the explicit directions from the one time I went pig hunting about what to do if it charges, but I had people with me, so I wasn’t too worried about it. I’ve never done spearfishing, but know people who do, and have heard plenty of bull shark stories. It’s not for the faint of heart. I’m not the world’s strongest swimmer, so I’ve shied away from some of those activities. I can swim okay, but just not well enough to really start going down more than snorkeling level.

Speaking of swimming, the most dangerous aspect of duck hunting is drowning. If a person falls overboard with waders on, they’re probably dead without a life jacket on. Sadly, I have seen very few duck hunters wearing a jacket. I invested in a camo jacket a few years ago but sometimes forget to wear it. That actually happened yesterday, and about halfway down the river, I suddenly realized I didn’t have it on and was in trouble if I fell overboard with waders on! https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-hunting-tips/dont-take-the-plunge
Click to expand...
wow.... 😲 ..i take back what i said... . duck hunting really can be dangerous....... i didn;t think about alligators or bull sharks... .. and snakes are something that would keep me completely out of the forest... ...poisonous or not a snake is a snake... .. and genesis says God put enmity between the snake and the woman... ...as a female i understood that enmity before i ever saw it in the bible... even before i ever saw a snake... i have always hated snakes....... of course i know poisonous snakes are much worse and the real danger... problem is if i ever came in contact with a snake in the wild it would be dead and beaten into snake jelly before anyone got a chance to determine if it was poisonous or not....

i rmember my dad talking about someone he knew many years ago being pulled down and drowned by his waders while fly fishing..... that;s something else to think about.....

by hawaii standards i was considered a non-swimmer well into my teens...and just a basic/beginning swimmer but non-surfer even when i first joined the forums.... ... even now i am much more confident swimming with fins on than i am without them...... but you can;t wear fins to surf... however they make a wet suit glove with webbed fingers that helps swimmers in rough water get a better grip and propell themselves...... i have 6 pair of them in various stages from bran new to almost worn out.... . i wear them quite often when surfing......

having climbable trees around you is good when pig hunting... plus terrain you can use to your advantage.... .. being caught out in the open on flat ground with an angry pig can be very bad...... even fatal... .. someone said the price rate of being in contact with an angry pig is around 100 stitches per second.... if you survive it... . ..
 
Last edited:
Your dad is correct. I’ve indirectly known two guys who’ve died drowning in waders in recent years. Last year I was solo hunting in about 15 - 20 feet of lake water with no one around and almost fell into the water while wearing waders. My hunt was done and I was bending over the boat retrieving decoys when I stumbled on equipment and halfway fell out of the boat with no life jacket on. It was almost my last decoy retrieval! 😳 Since then, I wear a life jacket at all times unless I’m wade duck hunting or I know for a fact I’m only in a couple feet of water. Even then, there’s a danger with no water around if you’re wearing waders and get stuck in “pluff mud,” which acts like a type of quick sand. I’ve heard of people wearing waders and getting stuck up to their chest in this coastal mud. If the tide is coming in and you can’t get free, you’re literally standing waiting to drown. Yikes! https://www.aol.com/sc-pluff-mud-dangerous-mess-100000459.html
 
Last edited:
BTW, I think the question was asked about a using a retrieval dog. That’s very rare in Florida due to alligators. Contrary to opinion, alligators rarely are interested in attacking humans, but a dog is a completely different story. I suppose they could be used in shallow saltwater, but again, I wouldn’t recommend it because of the potential of small bull sharks and the potential of the dog getting carried out by the tide.
 
Ekklesian said:
Why do you duck hunt?
Click to expand...
A lot of reasons. I suppose the main reason is I love the water and December and January are horrible for fishing, so it’s the one thing to do on the water. It’s also beautiful experience at sunrise when the ecosystem comes alive and birds start chirping and ducks start flying. Oh, and they’re not bad eating either. 😬
 
Well, last day of duck hunting for me tomorrow. Florida’s duck season ends on Sunday. I contemplated hunting on Sunday since it’s the last day, but figured God would punish me for skipping church and not let a duck fly within a mile of me, so Saturday it is.
 
Ekklesian said:
So...'yes' ?
Click to expand...
Very few people use a duck call in Florida. It’s a waste of time and money unless someone is hunting a small farm pond or something like that. Using a call in water the size of the Gulf is just useless, same with the bigger lakes. We use blinds, but not the wood box type. A blind in Florida is usually just palm fronds and camouflage burlap covering the boat. Decoys are the key in Florida.
 
I haven't been duck hunting in 42 years. I really didn't care for it, but, I did like duck then, and though I haven't eaten it in nearly 35 years, would probably still love it.
 
One of the best places to hunt in Florida. Only been there once because of the distance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top