How to Get Asked Back on Hunts
Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
It’s that time of the year again. Opening day of duck season is just around the corner. For some, there have already been a few lights out early-season honker shoots, but now it’s time for the early mornings in the marsh. You’re getting everything ready, you have an idea of where to go, your decoys are painted and cleaned, and then your phone goes off. You get a text from that guy who seems to always be cleaning up the birds in his secret spots. He has a very select few guys he hunts with, and now, he wants you to join him on his hunt.
Of course, you say yes. I mean, no one likes sending out the annoying “hey, got an extra spot in the blind?” texts, so when they reach out to you to come or they finally agree to have you come along, you want to do everything you can to ensure two things. 1. That the hunt is fun and enjoyable, and 2. That you get invited back to another hunt. We’re going to discuss things that you can do to make sure you get asked back on future hunts with the guys that always seem to mop up the ducks and geese.
1. Show Gratitude and Respect.
For some reason when I personally have invited people on hunts, there have been times when they acted like we’ve been lifelong friends and haven’t had any sense of gratitude. C’mon now. Isn’t that rule number one? Even if the hunting sucks you should be thanking them for the invite to come on the hunt. Because what else would you have been doing if they hadn’t invited you? Probably hashing out some honey-do list at home. Here’s a bit of an example I seem to hear about all the time; people get excited to get invited out, then the hunting isn’t so hot, and they end up leaving without showing an ounce of gratitude for the invite to come along. That’s a great way to ensure that you’ll never get invited back on the successful hunts that happen. If you want to get invited back on hunts, be thankful for the invite to the first one (or anyone for that matter).
2. Don’t be the first person to post pics on social media.
There’s a lot of people who are pretty lock-lipped about where, how, and who they hunt with. I know that because I’m one of them. That old saying “loose lips sink ships” is extremely true in the world of hunting. It has become even more true in the world of social media. If you get invited to hunt someone’s honey hole, have an absolute banger, and you end up posting pics on Facebook and Instagram without their blessing, guess what, odds are you’re not getting invited back. Because that honey hole isn’t a honey hole anymore. And now the people who invited you are pissed because everyone and their dog knows where their formerly “secret spot” is. Or they simply don’t want the entire county blowing up their phones asking for invites to the next hunt. So, deny yourself the online validation for a little bit until you see someone else posted the pile pics, then have at it. Or, if you just really need that pic on Instagram, ask the person who invited you if they care if you post it. Odds are, they’ll probably say it’s no big deal, but every once in awhile, when you decide to post without asking or you don’t wait to see if someone posted first, is when all-of-a-sudden you lost your spot in someone’s blind. Do yourself a favor, and let the person who organized the hunt be the person to initiate any interaction with social media. It will serve you better.
3. Buy lunch, drinks, or something for the group after the hunt.
After the hunt, everyone is hungry, thirsty, or just needs a snack. That’s where you come in. As the new guy, it’s a great opportunity to contribute back to the group or to those that invited you on the hunt. Buy lunch, buy drinks or something for the person that invited you. It doesn’t need to be for the entire hunting party, but maybe for the guy who invited you and his buddy. Mainly it just needs to be for your “in” to the hunt. Let’s be real here, hunting is expensive, and part of that expense is gaining, keeping, or maintaining the ability to hunt. That applies to fostering goodwill with those that have invited you to hunt with them. Buying lunch goes a long way for someone who just spent a long day in a ground blind, and it speaks volumes to those people who invited you. It goes a long way as a way of saying “thanks”, and it says in an indirect way, “hey, you took care of me by getting me on this hunt, let me take care of you”. And don’t just do it if it was a limit-out shoot. Do it no matter what. Whoever invited you reached out and got you involved in their hunt, the least you could do is buy their lunch or a drink at a gas station. This will help you keep getting invited back on hunts in the future.
4. Show up on time.
If you get invited on a hunt, and you’re asked to meet somewhere at 4:00, you’d better be there at 4:00. Hey, I get it; things happen. You get lost, roads are bad, whatever. But as the invitee, learn that stuff beforehand so you can be on time. Nothing is worse than waiting for someone you just invited on a hunt, they make you late, and now you lost the spot you were going to go. That’s a sure-fire way to not only not get invited back, but probably catch some friction during the hunt. Map things out the night prior and set the alarm on time, as well as a backup just in case, then make sure you’re on time to the designated meeting spot.
5. Shut up and let them brag.
This one can be tough for people. Sometimes when we get invited on a hunt with new people it can turn into a pissing contest. All you want to talk about is how many bands you’ve shot, how good of a dog you have, and a load of other low brass bullshit to try and validate yourself. Let’s rip off this band-aid right here and now. No one cares. Unless you are asked about something and they give you the chance to brag, they don’t care about that 3 man limit of ducks you shot a few weeks ago, they don’t care about how good you are on a speck call. Unless they ask you, they really don’t care. This is their hunt, this is where they get to brag to you about how good they are, and about how many ducks they’ve killed. If you don’t like it, well then that’s your problem.
A perfect example of what not to do happened on goose hunt I was on last year. My dad and I had a goose feed of about 500 honkers, not terribly big, but we were making do with what we could find. We invited along a gentleman who absolutely disregarded the above advice to the highest degree possible. The entire hunt all he could do was brag about how good of a shot he was, how much better his truck was than ours (it ended up in the shop a week later), and a myriad of other pointless things that neither I nor my dad cared about. We shot one goose, that my dad dusted, and this guy claimed, and he bragged about how he was a better shot caller than we were. When my dad and I got in the truck after the hunt we looked at each other like “what the hell did we just put ourselves through?”. Needless to say, that guy hasn’t been, nor will he ever be invited back on another hunt of ours.
The point is, no one likes a big ego in the first place, but if you get invited to a hunt, and someone needs to stroke their ego, let it be the person who invited you.
6. Have something to offer.
Have something to offer when you’re with everyone you’re going to be hunting with. Coffee, chew, seeds, jerky, etc. One thing I’ve found is that when you have something to offer, people seem to include you more in conversation. If you offer deer jerky to everyone in the blind, they’re going to ask about your deer hunt. It just seems to create natural conversation that helps make the hunt even more enjoyable. If you can offer something homemade, even better. If your wife makes some amazing soup, put it in a thermos and share it with the guys. Just something to help become a bit more included in the group. Plus it shows those that invited you that you appreciate the spot in the blind. If you contribute nothing, you’re a client.
7. Leave the dog home
I know, your dog is amazing and it’s never broken early and never flared birds. But that will change as soon as you get an invite with new people. Why? 1. Because you’re hunting with new people and the pup will be all excited, and 2. As soon as the birds start to flare or shy away, it’s your dog that will be to blame, not theirs. They’ve been killing birds all season long with their dog. Now whether this is true or not, doesn’t really matter. Perception is the reality. Unless you’re asked to bring your dog, leave the dog at home for a hunt you’ve been invited on. Nothing will get you blacklisted faster than a dog that ruins a hunt.
8. Call the least.
I can say that I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. As a person who really likes to lay on the calls, I know for a fact that I’ve called my way out of duck blinds. Because I’m a contest caller, I thought blowing loud and proud would be a good way to get asked back. Boy was I wrong. I’ve learned that when you’re in the blind with people who have invited you along, you should never call more than they do unless they specifically ask you to. Be quiet, and let them work the ducks on their hunt.
9. Ask questions to the guys that have been hunting longer than you.
This one sounds kind of odd but hear me out. Even if you think you know the answer, swallow your pride and ask the old salty vets in the blind what has made them successful. This is helpful because it gives you ideas on how to be successful on your own, they love to dispel their knowledge. And I’m not just talking about old Grandpa Buck (even though he’s the prime candidate). I’m talking about the guy who’s been hunting since he was 5. People love that. It validates them. And usually, you’ll hear something along the lines of “well next time we go out I’ll have to show you-” Boom. There’s your ‘in’ for the next hunt. Here’s the thing with this tip; don’t be fake about it. Take an actual, sincere interest in what you’re being told. Otherwise, they’ll see through the facade. But once they start “taking you under their wing”, you’ll get asked on a lot more hunts in the future.
10. Help set up, take down, and clean birds!
If you get invited to a hunt, you’re not a client. The people taking you out aren’t your guides. You’re a fellow hunter. So get out there, set up the decoys, brush the blinds, break the ice, and everything else. Then when the hunt is over, help take it all down! Don’t sit and act like you’re grabbing crap out of your blind bag for 45 minutes while everyone does the hard work. We all know what you’re doing. And especially don’t use the “I forgot my phone in the truck card”. If you’re not willing to do the hard parts of the hunt, you for sure won’t get asked back to enjoy the fun stuff. And when it comes time to clean the birds, get pickin’! I’ve actually seen it pay off huge when you are willing to spend extra time cleaning the birds.
Basically what I’m trying to say here is pull your weight. Don’t make others do it for you. If you can pull your own weight, and work just as hard as everyone else to contribute to the hunt, it will help your cause in getting asked back.
All in all, there’s a lot of things you can do to get asked back on hunts. These are just 10 that should give a helping hand to someone trying to find their way into more blinds this coming season. Overall, as long as you’re fun, enjoyable, and you have a good attitude, you can expect your phone to ring.
