# Butler island success



## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 18, 2014)




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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 18, 2014)

Red heads ringers blue and green wing teal. Awesome hunt this morning


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## bluetickdog (Jan 18, 2014)

Looks good was that a quota hunt or public


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## ChristopherA.King (Jan 18, 2014)

Man those are some awesome pictures! Congratulations on a great hunt.


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## Potlicker60 (Jan 18, 2014)

I was there. I thought about getting out and walking over to your blind just to watch the shooting this morning. It sounded like y'all were covered up. When I got on the trailer this morning to leave, the truck and trailer were full of hunters and there was 1 duck amongst the whole group.  We had 1 duck come within 500 hundred yards of us.  Awesome mess of birds you have there!


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## DLF (Jan 18, 2014)

It was nice to meet y'all this morning, it was an awesome hunt, we had a blast!

We had a good hunt too, 6 Ringneck and 1 shoveler.


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## mcarge (Jan 18, 2014)

Potlicker60 said:


> I was there. I thought about getting out and walking over to your blind just to watch the shooting this morning. It sounded like y'all were covered up. When I got on the trailer this morning to leave, the truck and trailer were full of hunters and there was 1 duck amongst the whole group.  We had 1 duck come within 500 hundred yards of us.  Awesome mess of birds you have there!



This is a more accurate depiction of how it really is .


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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 18, 2014)

DLF good meeting y'all too. Mcarge with all the shooting we heard seems like there should have been a little better outcome. I will definitely go back when I can. Every time I have been it's been great results.


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## mcarge (Jan 18, 2014)

JCWILDLIFEMANAGER said:


> DLF good meeting y'all too. Mcarge with all the shooting we heard seems like there should have been a little better outcome. I will definitely go back when I can. Every time I have been it's been great results.



Glad you all had it good, I have had a few decent hunts there  over the last decade plus; but it is a total "luck of the draw". If you draw a hot blind you are in for a good shoot; but if not there is not a thing you can do about it. 

That being said its always nice to shoot a redhead or a mottled duck and there are usually a few down there somewhere.


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## Potlicker60 (Jan 18, 2014)

I only heard shooting from two blinds near each other most of the morning, and I believe it was both of the two posted pictures. You have to be in the hot blind. Most of the guys that were on the trailer I was on did not even fire a shot.  A lot of positive and optimistic hunters there. You never know when a flight of ducks will show and it's that great day in the altamaha and it is always a beautiful place to spend a morning.


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## steelshotslayer (Jan 18, 2014)

Nice job glad to see y'all got some birds.


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## Potlicker60 (Jan 19, 2014)

I also want to note that the guys running the hunt at butler are top notch.


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## Hornet22 (Jan 19, 2014)

Blind #4 pulled the trigger 1 time, one ringneck.


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## steelshotslayer (Jan 19, 2014)

Blind 20 is still producing birds. Glad to see it


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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 19, 2014)

Steel shot blind twenty was definetly the ticket. The game wardens were also top notch.


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## rnelson5 (Jan 19, 2014)

Man that last pic was throwing me off big time until i turned my phone upside down!!!!!!


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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 19, 2014)

Somehow It got turned upside down but I don't know how.


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## GobbleAndGrunt78 (Jan 19, 2014)

Myself and two friends were in blind 26. Saw a couple birds before shooting time then nothing until we shot two mergansers that flew by. I remember you guys, you skipped the trailer because it was too full (I was on very back of trailer on the right). Yall were the only ones that got to do a lot of shooting. The rest of the impoundment was very poor.


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## Greentree (Jan 21, 2014)

Potlicker60 said:


> I also want to note that the guys running the hunt at butler are top notch.



you really think so?


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## across the river (Jan 21, 2014)

Potlicker60 said:


> I also want to note that the guys running the hunt at butler are top notch.



The guys may be top notch, but the place could be run much better.  I have friend that is a member of a club in a that has a total of maybe 4 or 5 acres of flooded corn, and less than 10 acres total of water.   They shoot it once per week, and they will often kill more birds on that little spot than will be killed on Butler during a hunt.   Butler is over a 1000 acres, and near the coast.  If managed right, there is absolutely no reason that place shouldn't be producing well into the triple figures every Saturday.  20, 30, or even 50 ducks with 90 people hunting is a disgrace in my opinion for a place with so much potential.


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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 21, 2014)

I'm sure the funding is an issue. And that is no fault on the game wardens. The hunt is basically free meaning nobody paid a guide or outfitter. Like I said before there was a lot of shooting throughout the area. So there was a heap of poor shooting, or sky busting with little success. I have been there before and not had great success but AT NO Time have I ever blamed the wardens. If you are not happy with the results then don't go plain and simple. I had a great time and enjoyed watching what god created for us. Good luck to everyone for the remainder of the season.


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## jdgator (Jan 21, 2014)

Great job fellas!!!

Butler Island is fantastic. I just wish we had one or two coastal reserves like Altamaha to spread out hunters, increase habitat, and hold more ducks.


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## Greentree (Jan 21, 2014)

funding has no effect on things like instituting a shell limit, or hooking up a trailer right.


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## king killer delete (Jan 21, 2014)

Hunted there the first time in the 70s nothing changes . It aint the state folks fault that there are no ducks.


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## rdnckrbby (Jan 22, 2014)

Altamaha WMA is very poorly managed. Just drive up to the Savannah NWR if you want to see a managed impoundment that holds ducks. Even drive through Harris Neck NWR which is not manipulated for ducks and it holds more in one 8 acre pond than the whole 1000 acres of the altamaha. I know they don't get shot at like the altamaha but the prep for the wintering waterfowl is 100000x better at savannah than what is done for the altamaha. I get disgusted every time I ride through there and see 20,000 ducks loafing around knowing that Altamaha should be holding a respectable amount too. I hunted quota at Butler and in rhetts quite a few times this year and there is no food present as well as grass grown up so thick ducks can't even land.


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## creekrocket (Jan 22, 2014)

killer elite said:


> Hunted there the first time in the 70s nothing changes . It aint the state folks fault that there are no ducks.



Then who's fault is it??? Is it not the state that runs the place? Or is it federal?


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## JCWILDLIFEMANAGER (Jan 22, 2014)

Didn't intend for this to turn into a bash butler thread but it is heading there fast. Folks if you don't like it then don't go. Save the quota for the ones who really do enjoy it. No one is twisting your arm or holding a gun to your head demanding that you go. Sorry to those who didn't have a blast or kill a few ducks. There always going to be a critic so it is what it is. I for one will continue to go every chance I have. Again fellas good luck the rest of the year and be safe!


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## fowl player (Jan 22, 2014)

*butler*

i am just happy that i have a place to go that our state supplies for me because all states do not do that. so take a chance to go down there and you could wax em or kill nothing thats why its called hunting not killing. continue supporting ducks unlimited and getting those 100$ bottomless koozies and we may be able to get it right after awhile with all the new hunters bringing in new revenue for the sport it could happen sooner than we think. ps. i killed 6 of the ones in the OP. grizzly adams cant shoot. lol


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## rdnckrbby (Jan 22, 2014)

If we can get a voice together maybe we can fix the mismanagent that is occurring on our coastal WMA. More people hunt the Altamaha than any other I'm this region because it is PRIME grounds for wintering waterfowl. If the same practices were instituted there as the protected areas all hunters will benefit from it. It is a shame to let this land go to waste because of improper practices. Coastal georgia has the potential to hold a lot of ducks with proper management. If you don't believe me ride through SNWR, take a trip to East Central Florida and look at all the ducks. They pass through every year. We can enjoy the same success they have with a little effort.


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## steelshotslayer (Jan 22, 2014)

You know on the topic of this I think the guys do a good job, but I do believe things can be done better.  Such as this year it didn't even get mowed.  I would gladly drive four  hours and spend my time mowing if need be as long as they provided the fuel and equipment and I got a hunt.  I am sure there a lot more hunters closer than I that would gladly volunteer time to the place.


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## tebigcountry (Jan 22, 2014)

Been thinking about taking me a trip there for next year just to see what it is all about.....maybe.....

You won't know till you go.

Glad you guys had a great hunt and a good time......let's not forget about the great times and fellowship that goes along with a great hunt or a bad one......

It's got to be more than just the killin........although the harvest is a beautiful thing.


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## mcarge (Jan 28, 2014)

I have seen it good and seen it not so good; unfortunately there are not many public places to hunt ducks in coastal Georgia.I don't blame anyone or any agency for a regional specific issue.  Solution; buy a non resident license and go to a state just a few hours away that has more public water than Georgia ever will.


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## king killer delete (Jan 29, 2014)

creekrocket said:


> Then who's fault is it??? Is it not the state that runs the place? Or is it federal?


  The problem is that conditions change. Go to Maryland , NC, SC are all duck states.  More people  hunt ducks in those states than do here.  Areas that supported ducks for hundreds of years are no more.  Most of our ducks do not come from out west where most of you DU and Delta watefowl money is spent. I can go on and on about these problems. But that is it in a nut shell. Then do forget you have all those killers out there that a limit does not mean a thing to. It all adds up.  No ducks. Add in that there are allot of folks out there that do not want us to hunt ducks.


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