5 Tips on Blind Etiquette
Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
Photos Courtesy of Ben Buchholz for SPLIT REED
Well, folks, it’s here- the wait is over! Continuing through early season goose, early teal, and youth hunts; it’s safe to say that the best time of the year is finally upon us. We spent all summer waiting and preparing for how we were going to be more successful this season. We bought new guns, gear, and decoys. We lied to our wives and girlfriends about buying new guns, gear, and decoys. Now comes the glorious part when we actually get to put it all to use.
But as hunting season marches on, there’s something to always keep in mind- how we handle ourselves in the blind.
Working as a hunting guide, I’m always shocked by some of the things that I see when people get settled into the pit, the blind, the boat, or whatever scenario you may be hunting out of. It’s always disappointing when I have clients who lack etiquette in the blind, so here are 5 tips that I believe will help us all become better hunting partners in the duck or goose blind:
1. Gun Safety!
You would think that this would go without saying, but with every interview, I’ve conducted with guides, call makers, and other big names in the waterfowling industry, every single one has brought up gun safety as a big problem they face when hunting with other people. A specific call maker out of Arkansas shared a rather gut-wrenching story about a hunt he was on where a member of the blind was being careless with his shotgun and ended up shooting and killing another hunter that had been a member of the group for over 25 years. The sad thing is, there are dozens of other stories like that each year. As you’re in the blind, be smart with your firearm. Nothing makes a hunt more uncomfortable for those involved than someone who is pointing their gun barrel every-which-way and leaving things off safety. Use your common sense! Don’t point at things that aren’t meant to be shot, and don’t take the safety off your gun until it’s ‘go’ time! Also, shoot your lane! Don’t be shooting other people’s birds and don’t be shooting across people. This seems to happen a lot in fields when that last honker is making his getaway. If cleanup shots need be, let the guys on the corners take them. There’s no need to be shooting over someone to knock down that final bird. This is hunter education type stuff- but unfortunately, it sometimes feels that people get lackadaisical with gun safety. Be smart, shoot your lane. Keep the gun on safe. Don’t have a gun loaded until you’re ready to hunt. Everyone stays safe that way.
2. Know Your Audience
I was guiding a hunt one time with two different parties that had combined for a morning shoot. I had a father and his two young boys (no more than 13 years old) and two middle-aged gentlemen out in a goose pit. To be fair to both parties, they were all great clients and enjoyable to hunt with. However, one gentleman from the party of two was constantly making some pretty “adult” jokes and using some pretty foul language. It was easy to see the father of the two young boys wasn’t amused by his sense of humor. He obviously didn’t want his boys exposed to that type of language. He started to make some comments about the jokes and language making it clear that he wanted it to stop. I tried to drop some pretty obvious hints that the jokes and the conversation needed to become a bit more age-friendly, however, they weren’t noticed, and the hunt became pretty uncomfortable. I’ve got nothing wrong with having a good time and some funny jokes but before you start pushing things to the line, know who your audience is in the blind. Have a little common sense and know that if you have young kids or people who are sensitive to certain subjects, you probably shouldn’t be making jokes that will make things uncomfortable. It turns the entire hunt into an awkward and sometimes confrontational experience. I’m also not saying that you need to walk on pins and needles and not make any jokes at all in the blind. We can also be realistic here- I think it does some good to get young hunters out and see how men interact, but there’s also a certain feel that you need to have for the conversation and who your audience is.
3. Handle Crippled Birds With Respect
This one is a bit different from the other ideas that come to mind when talking about blind etiquette, but I think it’s important to address. Even with the great new technologies that are coming out with shotgun shells (just take a look at APEX Ammunition for example) birds still get crippled. There’s still birds that get winged and birds that just don’t quite die. So when you go to handle these birds and finish the job, don’t mangle them. Some people I’ve hunted with think it’s funny to shoot the heads off at point blank range, or not even handle them at all, just toss them into the pile. As sportsmen, we need to be better than that. I’m not saying we need to all go out and buy Finishers. I mean, hell, I still sometimes bite mine on the head. But whatever you do to handle your cripples, do it quickly, cleanly, and humanely- whatever that may be. Just make sure you’re not causing anyone else in the blind to have issues with how you’re dispatching your cripples. It makes for an uneasy situation when someone has to tell the other they disagree with how they’re handling crippled birds. Make it quick, make it clean, and everyone will be happy.
4. Know Your Role in the Blind
I’m going to share a story I’m not proud of. Last hunting season I was on a hunt with a group of guys who all had pretty well established their roles in the blind. My job was to be there and shoot birds, that’s it. We finally had a flock of geese come in after a long morning of uninterested birds and a few random ducks swinging into the decoys. I was dying at the fact that no one had called the shot yet. So I called it. Out of a flock of probably 30 birds, only one bird dropped. I got death stares and “WTFs?” for the rest of the hunt- and rightfully so. Know your role in the blind. Don’t be the guy in the blind who is trying to run the entire show. If your role is flagging, then you flag. If your role is calling, you call. Don’t do things that you aren’t supposed to do. It’s a great way to piss everyone off. Trust me, I know. Even more importantly, when you know your role in the blind things go smoother. You’re not trying to play the guessing game of who does what, when to do it, and how to do it. When everyone knows their role in the blind and what their job is to make sure the birds hit the ground, the outcome is usually more successful.
5. Don’t be a Critic
There is absolutely nothing worse than hunting with someone that does nothing but critique your blinds, your calling, your decoys, your dog, your truck, etc,. If you’re the type of hunter that does this type of stuff- STOP! You will fast-track yourself into a real awkward situation in the blind if all you do is critique the situation you’re hunting in and the people you’re hunting with. This falls hand in hand with “don’t act like a know-it-all”. Now, there’s a difference between giving helpful suggestions, and constantly talking about how you should be doing this or that, and how you read that this person does that, and that this isn’t right because these guys do it this way. Please, shut up. Give input, be helpful and try to contribute to the success of the hunt, but don’t be a critic. No one likes wannabe critics. Especially when everyone is just out trying to have fun. Unless you were a master chef you wouldn’t go into someone’s kitchen and start critiquing how they cook their food; so don’t go into the blind and start critiquing how others hunt. If someone asks for help or advice, give it. If someone wants your input then by all means share your knowledge. But don’t be condescending or demeaning. Be helpful, be positive, and make sure you’re making things enjoyable for everyone around you. And until people want your input, be quiet and enjoy the hunt. It makes things more fun and a better overall experience for the entire hunting party.
The reality is, this list could go on forever. There are a plethora of other things that people could list off that could be addressed on “blind etiquette”, but as long as you use common sense, and you’re not a total jackass, you’re fine. Treat the people in your blind with respect, and courtesy, and make sure to have fun! I’m not suggesting that everyone has to walk around with a stick up their ass. Have fun! Enjoy the hunt, just keep in mind these 5 tips as you do it and you’ll have a fun, enjoyable time in the blind this season.
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