Same tree different light

Jon Holcombe

Jon Holcombe

Explorer
Dec 1, 2015
967
1,935
Medford
Sunset on the river on Monday night. As I was checking out various angles, I heard a person whistling and eventually saw him setting up a photo tripod about 100 yards away across the river. I asked him if I was in his shot, and we exchanged names (he was Robert), yelling as we photographed the sunset. I thought he told me that someone shot at him over the weekend, but he yelled back the he was actually shot by a duck hunter near a campground (could not hear which one). The shot did not penetrate his jeans, but he was not real happy about the incident. He told me he was whistling to alert the hunters. It's a jungle out there.
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There is no excuse for any hunter to shoot at anything other than their intended target or to shoot when they do not no what is beyond their target.
That incident should have been reported on the spot and the hunter should have been cited.

You can call 1-877-WARN DEP (877-927-6337) 24 hours a day for any violation that is witnessed and they will get a Conservation Officer to repond immediately.
For more specific fish and game violations (poaching) you can also call the Operation Game Thief hotline 24 hours a day
1-855-OGT-TIPS
Put both numbers in your phone. I have used both numbers and both have brought instant responses from Conservation Officers.

Last Saturday was the opening day of the first part of the split duck season in the South Zone. The season goes out this coming Saturday. It will come back in on November 17 and stay open until January 17, 2019.

All of the hunting and trapping seasons for 2018-19 can be found here:
https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/njregs.htm
 
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He said he reported it, and let the hunter know how he felt about it. The hunter was with his son. I think I will put my orange cap on starting today. Thanks for the suggestion to put the DEP number in your phone, I just did it.
 
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Beautiful shots as always. I like the last shot the best, seems to capture more detail and focus with the background. I like the sky in the first shot though.
 
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RednekF350 said:
There is no excuse for any hunter to shoot at anything other than their intended target or to shoot when they do not no what is beyond their target.
Click to expand...

No argument there, but I've been peppered many times with shot when upland bird hunting on state WMA's and no hunter was within sight. I can see the same thing happening with duck/goose hunting. Shot travels quite some distance. As an example; #6 shot from a 12ga can travel up to 2 1/2 football fields, 00 buckshot can go 6 football fields. A chart is on page 63 of the Hunting & Trapping Digest. Anyone in the woods and fields during the hunting season might want to pick one up or browse the online version. Lots of good info, besides hunting and trapping in it.

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/dighnt18.htm

https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2018/dighnt18.pdf

And wear some hunter orange, green or yellow.

 
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I once walked up on a squirrel hunter who was intently scanning the tree tops.We were both on an old woods road.I walked up to within 20 ft of him before he saw me.he nearly jumped out of his skin.He became immediately irate and told me he could have shot me.I asked him when the last time it was he seen a five foot eleven inch 180lb squirrel? Walking up at trail no less and not running through the tree tops.This did not lighten his mood but it did shut him up and went upon my merry way thinking if i was a squirrel I"d of ate that nut.
Yes 180 lbs was a long time ago
 
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46er said:
No argument there, but I've been peppered many times with shot when upland bird hunting on state WMA's and no hunter was within sight.
Click to expand...
Not being a hunter, I AM curious about the logic of how a hunter can be certain there is no one out of sight in the woods. When hunting ducks, aren't you shooting while the ducks are in the air, with the shotgun pointed into the air? I can't see how it would be possible to be positive no one is downrange, in the trees, or bogs, or marsh. I am in no way anti-hunting (since I am a carnivore too), but just trying to figure out the logistics. And keep myself from being ventilated. I do have blaze orange caps but wear a green photographers vest.
 
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Stay visible, stay on the road or trail, keep your dog on a leash, keep your kids close, and you're good. But find something else to do during the 6-day firearm season. That's what I tell people when they ask, or say they don't want to go out in the woods during any hunting season. I guess I should add one: Don't sneak up on a hunter - make a little noise. But don't forget there is a law against 'annoying' a hunter, or trying to scare wildlife away from them.
 
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Jon Holcombe said:
Not being a hunter, I AM curious about the logic of how a hunter can be certain there is no one out of sight in the woods. When hunting ducks, aren't you shooting while the ducks are in the air, with the shotgun pointed into the air? I can't see how it would be possible to be positive no one is downrange, in the trees, or bogs, or marsh. I am in no way anti-hunting (since I am a carnivore too), but just trying to figure out the logistics. And keep myself from being ventilated. I do have blaze orange caps but wear a green photographers vest.
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As 46'er said, you can never be 100% certain. You can be observant however. A truck parked near a bog in my neck of the woods this week means a duck hunter. I ran into two duck hunters and a bow hunter's truck tonight while taking my dog and gun for a walk across the street from my house. I was trying to find a wayward duck myself but there were none to be seen.

Pass shooting ducks which are in flight overhead generally results in shot raining down in a harmless long arc resulting in a shot shower. That usually results in a lot of name calling and yelling across a bog but no blood or any collateral damage.

Waterfowl hunting in general, because of the steel shot requirement, used to be characterized by low down range energy. But now we have many, legal lead shot substitutes which are as heavy as lead or heavier. Hevi-shot is actually heavier than lead. If one is shooting over decoys you really have to be aware of who might be on the other side of a bog. It's much easier to do than it sounds. In pre-dawn you'll hear voices and see flashlights. In full light you might see motionless ducks (decoys) and might hear voices shouting "Get the F*&% out of here, we were here first !" :)

In my opinion, the only firearm season that commands a lot of orange wardrobe accessories is 6-day for deer. There are lots of clubs in the pines that week and all of them are driving deer. This results in many shots being taken at running deer which reduces the caution that a shooter may have otherwise exercised before pulling the trigger.
 
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RednekF350 said:
A truck parked near a bog in my neck of the woods this week means a duck hunter.
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My experience so far has only been positive with hunters. It was a little disconcerting to walk onto the Skit Branch last fall and a voice came of out the darkness "Just letting you know that I'm here and I'm waiting for ducks." And the five LL Bean model looking guys who sent their hounds out with GPS collars at Friendship to hunt fox that were drinking coffee and laughing one Sunday morning by their truck, were congenial to my son and I. So was the gun club at Friendship a couple of years ago during deer season. I asked the older gentleman who was anchoring the line near their van "You won't shoot me right?" He smiled and said "I'm 81 and I've never shot anyone so far." He told me to hang around so I could get some photos of the deer once they shot it. Still, I wore my orange cap today.
 
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manumuskin said:
I actually held that weight till about age 25 then climbed gradually till about 191 at 32.I then met my second and present wife and it was all over but the eating!
Click to expand...

Ditto I should not be the one to talk. I was good til I hit forty. Then Wrangler and Lee started making big $ on me :(
 
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