any of ya'll whiners called Montgomery on this or ya just bitching on here?????

You know the answer Troy

I got to spend time with my son - dove hunting on a free hunt put on by ALDNR and a generous landowner. The ALDNR guys were cool and wanted to make sure the kids had a good time.

There were enough birds to keep it interesting.
It wasnt overcrowded.
I was happy with myself for shooting a limit in less than two boxes.

PM me the guys name I probably know him.

damnitt, don't be scared to call Montgomery and complain. Don't call chief of enforcement or wildlife, call higher up the food chain. Tell em what happened.

Asshats at Tannehill wouldn't let my grandson fish in a trout tournament one time "because he was too young". WTH is that??? Too young so he might outfish the older kids??? Dylan was visibly upset he couldn't fish(he was four years old) because he wasn't six(cut off). Plenty of room for him, no real reason to not allow him except some asshat there decided they needed a cutoff age that was not advertized.

I "spoke harshly" to the folks there, told em I was calling Montgomery, then called the Director Monday morning. He apologized and had em change the rules for the next year. Sometimes you can change the system.

I didn't miss your point, but it's obvious that you missed mine. .

I have. Doesn't do any good to say crap here, but not call the folks that can actually change stuff.

I have called Montgomery and I know of several others who have also. When the GW talks at you like the landowner not a representative of the state it is discouraging. He also told us we couldn't use any SWD's because they were illegal in state property. My boys had a great time, but that guy left a bad impression on one of my boys to the point he was not comfortable shaking his hand after the hunt.

SWD????

I assume that's a spinning wing decoy.

Yes SWD is a spinning wing decoy, a.k.a. Mojos

not legal on state lands??? I'd a made him show me the law/reg that says that.

When he spoke during the safety briefing I heard him say he'd prefer us not use decoys on account of low birds (understandable). I didn't hear him say anything about them being illegal on state lands. Was that something he said at a different time Drdeadchef?

Was that something he said at a different time Drdeadchef? [/quote]

I asked him again on the field and he told me that was the only place they were illegal in the state.
I was not about to argue with him after all the attitude I saw him give other people .
I am glad he takes such pride in this place but he is still JUST a state employee, NOT the landowner. I also wish it was open more then the few times it is. When he said he needed it early to hold birds fir the next shoot I knew that was BS , because the next scheduled shot was 4 weeks later. like that one afternoon was going to ruin it for a month away. Unless his buddies were going to be there the next day.
I am grateful fr the time I spent with my son being as this is his last year to youth hunt, and I have always like the DCNR hunts until this one. But when my youngest didn't want to get out of the truck to shake his hand because he was intimidated by him. It bummed me out because my boys usually have the utmost respect for law enforcement. I hope that enough people have called Montgomery and asked that maybe he take the weekend off next year.

I asked him again on the field and he told me that was the only place they were illegal in the state.
I was not about to argue with him after all the attitude I saw him give other people .
I am glad he takes such pride in this place but he is still JUST a state employee, NOT the landowner. I also wish it was open more then the few times it is. When he said he needed it early to hold birds fir the next shoot I knew that was BS , because the next scheduled shot was 4 weeks later. like that one afternoon was going to ruin it for a month away. Unless his buddies were going to be there the next day.
I am grateful fr the time I spent with my son being as this is his last year to youth hunt, and I have always like the DCNR hunts until this one. But when my youngest didn't want to get out of the truck to shake his hand because he was intimidated by him. It bummed me out because my boys usually have the utmost respect for law enforcement. I hope that enough people have called Montgomery and asked that maybe he take the weekend off next year. [/quote]

Who did you talk to in Montgomery? It’s on my to-do list.

I miss Bill.

Did anyone ever get any answers from Montgomery?

This is a response I got from Montgomery through email.

“Thank you for taking the time to send us your thoughts on your youth dove hunt experience. It is unfortunate you and your son had less than an enjoyable day afield in Hale County. Your comments will definitely help us correct what appear to be some easily avoidable inconsistencies from hunt to hunt. I am copying Jeff Makemson, who is now the Supervising Wildlife Biologist for District III, with this e-mail. He will be able to address these issues with the Hale County hunts moving forward.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts you want to pass along. I hope you and your family have a safe and enjoyable hunting season.”

What pisses me off is the folks who talk about it being a free hunt. I guess all those folks missed basic government and economics class. There should be multiple hunts with shooting ending at legal ending time and the dude should get a new job as their are numerous people who would work passionately for great public hunts. I would fire every inconsiderate employee of ALDCNR if I could if I was the Director. The public are your boss / client as they pay for our wildlife management.2