Early fall (if there is such a thing in Texas) brings about migrating birds and schooling fish. This past weekend was the opener for Early Teal, which runs until Sept 29^th. Hunters could be found hiking through waist deep mud, walking along rice field levees, or simply floating up to their blinds in the marshes. Fishermen could be found wading, poling or drifting through some of those same areas. This has led to a few complaints from both parties anything from people flaring off ducks, pellets raining down, and some words being shared.

Every year you hear these horror stories, duck guides screaming at someone because they arrived at the blind before they did, fishermen running circles around boats that anchored too close, people purposefully flaring off ducks during season. The list goes on and on!

It never seems to be a clear-cut issue. Hunters are always pointing the finger at the fishermen; the fishermen are always pointing at the duck hunters and heck sometimes the duck hunters are pointing at the duck hunters. I think this will become a bigger issue as more and more people flock to the coast to fish, hunt and pursue other recreational activities. However, I do think there is a way to tackle this issue before it gets out of hand. We all hunt and fish, not only to feed our families, but to enjoy the beauty that is the outdoors and to share that experience with our friends and families. With that being said, this fall give everyone a little more space, don’t get mad if someone beat you to the blind, a fishing spot etc. Whether you’re hunting, fishing or boating it doesn’t hurt to take the long way around to avoid flaring birds, cutting off a drift, cutting off a wade or spooking a school that someone is chasing. Sure it may take a few extra minutes, cost you a couple fish, your preferred duck blind but that just gives you a little more time to soak in the outdoors.