# Butler island hunt



## jagwall58 (Dec 13, 2012)

I got drawn for the dec 22 butler island hunt, and I was hoping you guys on the coast could help me out. Are y'all seeing any birds, if so what kind. I'm trying to get my decoys arranged for this trip. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.


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## wray912 (Dec 13, 2012)

jagwall58 said:


> I got drawn for the dec 22 butler island hunt, and I was hoping you guys on the coast could help me out. Are y'all seeing any birds, if so what kind. I'm trying to get my decoys arranged for this trip. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.



Its terrible


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## The Fever (Dec 13, 2012)

Look for the thread called butler island or similar. Bring coot decoys and bug spray watch for gators. As far as your driving it isn't worth your time man. 57 ducks shot opening morning.


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## ICU2012 (Dec 13, 2012)

Not even trying to scare you off, but seriously, it sucks this year. Fever wasnt lying about opening weekend, and I believe last weekend they killed just over 100. that's just hearsay, you should call altamaha dnr and ask them what all was killed and if its worth the drive. if you do come, a dozen coots and half dozen ringers will be more than enough.......or 6 mojo's, preferably 2 woodies, 2 mallard hens, 1 gadwal and 1 floating bluebill mojo should do it. you'd fit right in


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## andyparm (Dec 13, 2012)

You never know unless you go, but 600+ miles round trip would not be worth it to me from what I've seen. Things could change of course but I drive by butler and the refuge everyday and it is a sad sight. I'll be hunting the elusive wood duck until something changes...


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## rdnckrbby (Dec 13, 2012)

Very few ducks this season on the ALT. worse than last year by leaps and bounds. Good luck if you go


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## Dupree (Dec 13, 2012)

I drive through it every day. Unless you wanna kill coots it's not worth the drive. 

If you do make the trip, a few teal decoys and maybe a pair of big ducks.


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## andyparm (Dec 13, 2012)

Yeah decoy wise I would bring a dozen at the most because of the trailer ride. Teal, gadwall, and a few mallard decoys will do the trick. If you've never hunted there, don't bring more than you can carry while shooting.


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## CootCartel (Dec 13, 2012)

I wouldn't bring any decoys unless you plan on hunting till noon, nothing really decoys till later in the day..

If you have any more questions just shoot me a pm..


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## jagwall58 (Dec 13, 2012)

Thanks for the info guys. And I appreciate the PMs, y'all are great guys on here.


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## grunter (Dec 14, 2012)

jagwall58 said:


> Thanks for the info guys. And I appreciate the PMs, y'all are great guys on here.




^^^^ there's something you dont hear very often on here!


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## Dupree (Dec 15, 2012)

I hunted butler this morning. Never even clicked my safety off. Its horrible right now.

On a side note one of the wagons came unhooked from a truck in transit and ended up in a rim ditch. Yes the wagon was loaded down with people. Nobody was hurt, although there were a few people that ended up taking a swim.
Luckily, we missed the first truck that came by and didnt make the ride. We did start walking out when we came up on that. Glad nobody was hurt.


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## Skyjacker (Dec 15, 2012)

Friday after Thanksgiving I had a great shoot.  On December 8th most of the birds were gone.  We need some old windy weather desperately.


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## thar31321 (Dec 15, 2012)

4x4powerstrokesd said:


> I hunted butler this morning. Never even clicked my safety off. Its horrible right now.
> 
> On a side note one of the wagons came unhooked from a truck in transit and ended up in a rim ditch. Yes the wagon was loaded down with people. Nobody was hurt, although there were a few people that ended up taking a swim.
> Luckily, we missed the first truck that came by and didnt make the ride. We did start walking out when we came up on that. Glad nobody was hurt.



I knew there was a reason I didn't want to go. Decided to hunt close by instead


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## CootCartel (Dec 15, 2012)

Anyone know the kill count on butler today??


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## BassnG3 (Dec 15, 2012)

I had a quota today and never pulled the trigger. Had maybe six ducks in skybusting range in three hours.


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## CootCartel (Dec 15, 2012)

What blind was you hunting... Did you ride the run away wagon??


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## SigEp614 (Dec 15, 2012)

I was on the trailer with two other groups and they had one coot and one teal between the two of them. It was pretty bad.


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## CootCartel (Dec 15, 2012)

Didn't hear much shooting that way, hate it for those quota hunters..


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## BassnG3 (Dec 16, 2012)

CootCartel said:


> What blind was you hunting... Did you ride the run away wagon??



We hunted 23 and we came up on the wagon as they pulled it out of the ditch.


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## grunter (Dec 16, 2012)

What a joke, glad they did that awesome write up in GON last year..... wonder how the title will read this year "from best to worste duck numbers in 1 year"


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## Turkey Trax (Dec 16, 2012)

grunter said:


> What a joke, glad they did that awesome write up in GON last year..... wonder how the title will read this year "from best to worste duck numbers in 1 year"



GON magazine has done that to a few hunting and fishing holes over the years.


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## mcarge (Dec 16, 2012)

Used 4 years of points to draw last week, hunted until noon for two teal and a wood duck between the two of us. The worst I have seen it, they just don't have any ducks.


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## CootCartel (Dec 16, 2012)

Some say that they don't have a clue either...


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## rdnckrbby (Dec 16, 2012)

I'm not even seeing any ducks in the rest impoundments which are usually covered up. Strange year down there for sure, hunted the sound Friday and saw a handful of mergansers but nothing else


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## pignjig10lb (Dec 16, 2012)

No cold weather to push the ducks down. The DNR my have dropped the ball on some things but they can"t do anything about the weather.


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## Ronbow (Dec 16, 2012)

*no water no cold = no ducks*


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## grunter (Dec 16, 2012)

mcarge said:


> Used 4 years of points to draw last week, hunted until noon for two teal and a wood duck between the two of us. The worst I have seen it, they just don't have any ducks.



could be worse, you could have been on the trailer this weekend that came unhooked and you, your gear and dog could have ended up in the ditch, then after all of that you could have spend all morning for 3 ducks..... surprised I havent heard of any lawsuits about that yet


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## Vmarsh (Dec 16, 2012)

sounds like someone(s) didnt pre-trip their equipment.


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## grunter (Dec 16, 2012)

rookies......


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## mattuga (Dec 16, 2012)

Not good hunting now,  we had 1 group of bluebill that we dropped a few from and missed 1 wood duck, that was it.  AND I was on that fateful wagon, definitely real lucky no one was hurt.  Honest mistake but still dangerous.  My buddy had the back tire barely miss him, only to run over and ruin his benelli barrel, that is $600 easy.  The only thing left on the wagon was my dog and my SBE once it hit the ditch, I was lucky.   I was on the good side of the trailer, probably the first to jump and my pup denied my attempt to grab her.  I had to take a few pics once everyone was ok.  Happy we killed a duck and made it home, GA duck hunting at its finest.  The most excitement is in the hunt not the killing down here!  I do know to avoid the Big Red trailer now at Butler, some of you may know what I mean!


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## SELFBOW (Dec 16, 2012)

Ronbow said:


> *no water no cold = no ducks*



Exactly. Rode thru SNWR two weeks ago and counted less than 15 on that 4 mile ride...


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## mattuga (Dec 16, 2012)

3 ducks!!!!  Haha that woulda been high blind!!


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Dec 18, 2012)

Ossabaw has the same kind of trailers. We were on the 1st hunt this year and had a trailer come unhooked. We were hunting the northern part of this island and they drop the trailer in a field to take the remaining hunters to the northern most areas. When we got picked back up they must reconnect the trailer after picking up the northern most hunters. Shortly after reconnecting the trailer and getting onto the trails, it came unhooked. Thank God, we were going slow at the time and not on one of the causeways across the marsh/water. I think the trailers they have are very easily hooked up wrong...maybe some safety chains are needed incase they mess up again.


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## grunter (Dec 18, 2012)

safety chains would make sense but cost money, thats two things dnr doesnt have.......sense and money


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## CootCartel (Dec 18, 2012)

It was just an excuse to keep hunters from complaining about no birds.. Now they can fume over that red trailer.... Hehe


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## mgb28 (Dec 18, 2012)

That place is nothing but a glorified dove shoot.....could be good but all the drake supporter and kids don't know how to deek a group of birds or respect others when they fire of them 80 yd shots...that place is a joke


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