Hunting the roost

[Maddog]

Perhaps a touchy topic . . .

My duck hunting days are far and few in between now but I have some questions for you guys about what you think about "hunting the roost". To slightly digress, 10 years ago or so I did a January hunt in coastal Texas. We hunted on a large ranch that had guides available. They allowed us to hunt most any water areas we could find on their properties except for a large section which was a "sanctuary" that they did not even go near or hunt on until the last weekend of the season.

Some hunters look poorly upon others who hunt the roost - claiming it drives the ducks out of the area.

My questions for you guys are:
1) If waterfowl use a pond/water for mid day loafing does that constitute roost water?
2) Are people against "hunting the roost" really in fact against hunting any water?
3) While most diver ducks are usually found (in shooting range) on or overhead of bodies of water, are the "against hunting the roost people" only targeting divers out in fields?
4) Is the "against hunting the roost crowd" also against pheasant hunters pushing through cattail sloughs that a waterfowl hunter would say is right next to a known waterfowl roosting area. And I am not saying that the pheasant hunters are shooting at the waterfowl.

I am just curious what the group that is against hunting the roost are really against. Also thinking that the regulations don't say anything about where and when (meaning within shooting hours) you can hunt water while waterfowl hunting - (understanding that of course there are special situations - ie closeness to habitable buildings, hunting reserves, etc. when you can't hunt certain waters).

Thanks guys.

 

[Kurtr]

Maybe
No
Divers also have a roost lake and a lake they go feed on so I would hunt the feeder lake so to have more days of hunting and they don’t seam near as sensitive as puddle ducks.
4. Pheasant hunters are not hunting before sunrise and here they are not hunting before 10 and are done at sunset. Even pushing cattails they are moving on so the ducks will come back with no pressure put on them.

The later the season the more concentrated birds become I feel roost busting becomes more problematic. Now if it’s the last night before all the water is froze and birds are going to push out give em hell but if that’s the case find the field they feeding in.

Common sense plays into it big time.

 

[wslayer]

When we did a lot of duck hunting we never hunted the actual roost. Surrounding waters, absolutely. Tried to get enough people to sit between sloughs and pass shoot but that was when there was many many more people hunting which would keep the birds moving.

 

[Trip McNeely]

NEVER hunt the roost, even if you’re not sure leave it alone. Roosts that are left alone all season will continue to produce hunts in the surrounding area all season. On top of that having birds in an area will draw more migrating birds to the area. If you want to blow birds out to the next county or township be my guest but the overall consensus is to not hunt any larger roost waters unless you’re a duschbag or from MN.

 

[Trip McNeely]

Also im talking the bigger waters. There’s nothing wrong with hitting up the smaller potholes and feeding waters or transition waters. But even if you suspect good numbers of birds may be using it as a roost just leave it alone

 

[Coyote_guy]

I'd never hunt a big roost ( thousands of birds) but I'll damn sure be hunting a small one if it's all I have for the morning.

 

[riverview]

ill pass shoot the roost and hunt small slews around it but in reality, do you know any roosts that aren't the posted these days.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

We hunted a property by Audubon with a 25 acre slew. There was always traffic coming and going to visit. Then the farmer on one side had his grandsons camp out every day. They shot the roost and sky busted for a month straight. The whole area dried up. Even the coots left.

 

[Obi-Wan]

Would one consider hunting sandbars on the Missouri River “ hunting the roost “.

 

[Trip McNeely]

Would one consider hunting sandbars on the Missouri River “ hunting the roost “.

It can be but generally the birds have multiple sandbars up and down they’ll move too. That being said blowing up a sandbar can fuck up anyone trying to hunt the feed fields those birds are on as it’ll throw the birds off their pattern. But normally most fields off the river have multiple sandbars feeding it. Usually once the late season starts to really get good the river is starting to lock up and getting boats to and from sandbars is difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Albeit I know a few guys that do it before any hard freezes with some success.

 

[zoops]

With how access has become to field hunt, I can't really fault anyone (other than blue platers and sconnies of course ) for hunting wherever they have access.

 

[SerchforPerch]

Seems to me the "Roost Busting" was a bad omen back in the Southern Duck Hunter and Nodak Outdoors days - as people would bash anyone pulling a boat or hunting any type of water as they were all considered hunting "roosts". But back then accessing fields was still doable. It was only a matter of time as we've seen this trend of (since the early 2000's) of limited access to fields has progressively become more difficult. I think most people would prefer to hunt fields, but I cant blame the person hunting water anymore,, Access has just become too difficult and the amount pressure is unbelievably higher nowadays.

 

[dblkluk]

I used to waterfowl hunt 50 days a year. Now I hunt maybe 5.
The time it takes to field hunt and consistently be successful is just too much to justify for me. I have thought long and hard about getting a boat set up specifically for hunting big public water whenever I feel the itch to hunt waterfowl. No dealing with Landowner BS. minimal scouting, less competition etc,
Access to birds that not a lot of guys are willing (or able) to get after on public ground just seems a heck of a lot more enjoyable to me than competing with big #'s of NR's or a motivated group of 15, 20 year old kids who have the unlimited time and energy to race around the countryside every evening to lock up permission on the best fields they can find. (Not faulting those 20 years olds as my buddies and I were once those guys)

 

[1lessdog]

For the sportsman that say don't hunt the roost, I say hunt the way you want to hunt and they can hunt the way they want to hunt. And I will hunt anyway I want to hunt. I don't care what you have to say.

 

[Whisky]

I used to waterfowl hunt 50 days a year. Now I hunt maybe 5.
The time it takes to field hunt and consistently be successful is just too much to justify for me. I have thought long and hard about getting a boat set up specifically for hunting big public water whenever I feel the itch to hunt waterfowl. No dealing with Landowner BS. minimal scouting, less competition etc,
Access to birds that not a lot of guys are willing (or able) to get after on public ground just seems a heck of a lot more enjoyable to me than competing with big #'s of NR's or a motivated group of 15, 20 year old kids who have the unlimited time and energy to race around the countryside every evening to lock up permission on the best fields they can find. (Not faulting those 20 years olds as my buddies and I were once those guys)

Same. I went for a drive last weekend and was quickly reminded why I mostly gave it up. Been pondering alternative options to field hunting. What kind of boat/blind would you be looking at? Bonus points if it can be used for small lake/slough fishing.

 

[Kurtr]

People wonder why birds go nocturnal and just blow out of areas. Damn give them a break and thats what not hunting the roost does. No wonder why places with big refuges always hold birds.

 

[870XPRS]

People wonder why birds go nocturnal and just blow out of areas. Damn give them a break and thats what not hunting the roost does. No wonder why places with big refuges always hold birds.

....also you'd think common sense would prevail, but unfortunately it does not a lot of the times.