How Close Can You Set Up to Another Duck Hunter?

If you’ve faced crowded duck hunting conditions on public land, you’re not alone — and the situation seems to worsen every year. Photo by Zach LaBorde.

Unless you own or lease a duck hunting spot, you probably have competition during most outings, which often leads to an uncomfortable question: How close can you set up to another group?

More specifically, how close can you set up to another group without jeopardizing their safety, potentially getting in a fist fight and ruining the hunt for both parties?

Here’s the knee-jerk answer: Go somewhere else, or set up as far away as possible. However, considering the modern public-land scene, the practical answer might vary.

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Almost everyone acknowledges that setting up too close to another duck hunter creates an uneasy, potentially dangerous situation. Further, it usually hinders success, especially if one hunter skybusts, sets up directly downwind from another hunter, or calls and shoots at birds swinging downwind to work another hunter’s spread. Yet public-land hunters throughout the flyways encounter this dilemma year after year. You’ve likely heard the saying that no one hates a duck hunter more than another duck hunter. That bad blood stems from crowding.

Comments on social media and online forums commonly mention specific distances — usually 200 to 400 yards — at which it can be acceptable to set up near another hunter. But as mentioned, the minimum appropriate distance can vary based on wind direction, the area where spent shot might fall, and most important, the behavior of both parties. Moreover, it hinges greatly on the situation. Setting up 150 yards from someone in a prairie pothole is an obvious no-no. But on the open water of the Great Lakes, setting up even a quarter-mile from another layout rig could be considered taboo. Conversely, if someone sets up 100 yards from you around the point of a large river and you’re both shooting downwind into open water, the situation might work OK — again, provided both parties exhibit good duck hunting etiquette.

Basically, when considering the difficult how-close-is-too-close dilemma, you must answer several questions. First, are you at a safe, respectful distance? Could your spent shot rain down on the other hunters? Will your movement, shots, calling or even conversation interfere with their hunt? If you answer yes to any of those, you’re too close.

Also, be honest with yourself. If you set up somewhat near other hunters, can you avoid the temptation to call or shoot at swing birds working their spread? If not, you’d best go somewhere else (or brace for a nasty confrontation later).

Ultimately, it’s always better to avoid even potentially crowding another hunter. Never attempt to share a small spot, such as a creek or pothole. If several groups are hunting a larger area, try to have a civil boat-ramp discussion about where each will be, and consider how potential setups might affect each other. If possible, agree where each party will go, and when in doubt, set up as far as reasonably possible from other groups, even if you draw a poor spot.

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Duck hunting is supposed to be fun, after all, and dealing with crowded conditions, bad behavior and flaring tempers from other hunters isn’t enjoyable, no matter how many birds you shoot. Be cool, back off, and try to hunt where and when others don’t. It’ll be much better for your blood pressure and your duck strap.

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