51¶ÌÊÓƵ

“Eli, be ready,� I told my 9-year-old son. “Mills will make the call to shoot.�

But when someone shot — way out of our range and not even close to their range — it wasn’t us. Another hunter had emptied his gun and not a single bird had fallen. We were devastated.

Here are some common sense and safety rules to the marsh that should be followed. Hunting public land doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

First come, first served

Many hunters aren’t fortunate enough to have private land to hunt, and they will do whatever they can to protect the places they hunt on public land. Some arrive hours before shooting time. Others spend the night in their vehicles.

If you’re not this person, respect the work they’ve put in and either look for a different spot or ask if they have room. It’s public land, so you don’t have to ask, but respecting others while hunting goes a long way toward making everyone’s hunt a good one.

On a dove hunt, my dad, Eli and I got little shooting early on a patch of public land. We switched spots and listened to hunters boom and bang for a couple of hours. From afar, it sounded like there were already more than enough hunters on this sunflower field. So, we hunted the fringe until they began walking out. One of the hunters approached us as he was leaving.

“You need to take your boy up to that field,� he said. “It’s got birds all over it.�

We had the field to ourselves.

It turned out to be one of the best shoots I’ve ever been on, and we didn’t pull the trigger for the first time on the opening morning of dove season until after 9 a.m.

This is my dance space

How much is enough room? Conservation officer Keith Jadlowki says the answer varies: “I don’t think you can put a set amount of distance on it, because it depends on terrain and what you are hunting. The question I always ask is, ‘Will I mess up their hunt if I’m this close?’ Because they beat me fair and square to that spot.�

If you were the early bird, leave a head lamp on so others can make a logical decision where to go. But sometimes depth perception is hard to judge in the dark. On one Rainwater Basin hunt, my hunting party began setting up decoys when I heard a hunter, whose light I had already seen, say, “Guys. You’re really close.�

It wasn’t until I heard his voice that I realized how close I was. “Sorry about that,� I whispered. We picked up our decoys and moved another 75 yards away, where we were able to find our own little patch of water that the teal wanted to work as well.

Often, there’s space for everyone. And when there’s not, you can either wait out the crowd in the truck, hunt the fringe or look for another spot.

My bird or yours?

Those who have hunted public land have seen a bird go down and found themselves — and a stranger — walking toward that same downed bird. In instances when there are two hunters and one bird, smile. Tell the other guy you felt pretty good about your shot. He’ll respond that he did, too. Then give him the bird and say you’ll take the next if it happens again.

Where this situation becomes more complicated is when hunting waterfowl and birds are circling. Anyone who has hunted ducks on public land has had birds called off them and seen other hunters shoot when birds were just about to cup into your decoys. Be respectful. This can be accomplished by putting your calls in your pocket when birds are working another group, or even taking a few minutes and asking the other hunters if they want to alternate calling.

For many hunters, public land is the only option they have. And when done correctly, it is a great option, with plenty of room and game for everyone and the chance for unlikely friendships to form in the likeliest of places.