Sitting water etiquette

[wytx]

Fence crossing sounds like a good backup plan, maybe a more natural blind too.

 

[coast2peak]

Fence crossing sounds like a good backup plan, maybe a more natural blind too.

For sure! I think having three or four days this summer to really drive around and scout will help me form a good game plan. Appreciate the reply

 

[Gulogulo]

So if I set multiple blinds up I can basically reserve the entire area?

I won't want to screw up someone else's hunt but I don't think leaving blinds long term should give someone exclusive rights either.

Sure you could but not a nice thing to do. I take you are on public? When you are scouting this Summer, knock on a few doors and you may get access to some private. When we antelope hunt in eastern MT, we will typically have blinds on a couple different water holes. If possible, it is a good idea to have a blind set up for a couple days prior to when you plan to sit them.

 

[Tilzbow]

In Nevada the common practice is to leave your name, number and dates you plan to hunt in a clear plastic bottle at the watering hole. If you leave your name at more than one spot, it’s likely you’ll be found out and either called or someone might start destroying your “claims”. I’ve seen several bottles with different dates at the same water hole. This practice is fairly well respected and has seemed to work well for at least the 30 years I’ve been bowhunting.

Funny story: The last time I hunted antelope in Nevada, I left my name at a spot I’d had great hunts at in the past, even though animals were scarce this time, and we went off to scout another area where we found a better spot with many more animals so I left my name there, too. We set up camp and the next morning I drove 90 minutes back to the first spot, hiked another hour into the water hole and took my name off the post the bottle was wired to. A few days later a guy called and asked which spot I was going to hunt. He’d gone to my first spot before I removed my name, the second spot after we’d left camp and we believe we unknowingly passed each other on the road between the spots. Turned out he was a guy I’d shot 3D with a few times 25 years ago.

The last two antelope I’ve shot have been killed 1 - 3 days after setting up a pop up blind that wasn’t brushed in. The antelope that came in barely gave it a look.

 

[Tilzbow]

Here’s the BLM guidelines on blinds

https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/Hunting_Blinds.pdf

 

[rookieforever33]

I sat in a blind over a water tank in Wyoming in late August once.....once. it was hot. And the cattle were all over us. Those cows had so many damn flies, ugh. Middle of day 2 the cattle finally walked away for a bit and a nice buch came in. Got him not a minute too soon. Next time I am spot and stalk all the way.