Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl What do you think?

I just read an interesting article and series of comments from

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/gun-nuts/2012/11/ethics-question-shooting-ducks-water

and it got me to thinking about both sides of this. I think that the general safety of everyone around you and the desire for a quick, clean kill outweighs the more nebulous ideas of what constitutes the 'sporting' taking of game.

I would agree with your sentiment. I'd rather see a guy shoot a duck on the water than shoot at it 60+ yards as it flies high over his decoys. I don't make a habit of shooting ducks on the water, but if they land in my spread and don't spook/flush then I might take a shot at them, especially if it's an otherwise slow day.

IMO, waterfowling is wing shooting plain and simple no room for argument at least not in our blind. learn to set decoys, call, judge distance and the art of concealment and there is no reason to be sky busting 60 yd shots. Our average shot is 20-25 yds and if you can hit them birds die at that range. Shooting "in your spread" must be a bit hard on deeks.

My dad raised me to shoot them on the wing. When I was a kid I was not allowed to shoot them on the water. I think I killed 7 ducks total my first year. Probably would have killed plenty more if he had let me sleuce them. Now, 20 years later it doesn't occur to me to even try shooting them on the water. I've found usually birds on the wing are much more likely to die when hit, and the whole point of duck hunting is to get the birds in close, right over the decoys and then shoot. I get a big kick out of watching birds work the decoys, and when they cup and commit, there is no bigger rush than that.

I wouldn't hold it against anybody if they shot a bird on the water. It's up to them, and if they're just looking for a duck or two for dinner, why not. I certainly wouldn't want to pass up a dinner simply because I wasn't a good shotgunner.

To each their own pretty much sums it up in my book.

We've shot birds on the water, most often those loafers on the big water that hang just outside decoys but within gun range they will absolutely ruin your spread



The poster above is right about birds dying easier on the wing. It's due to their vitals being mostly under the waterline. There is however a trick to water swatting them. Place your bead slightly over their head and AIM this allows a bigger portion of your shot string to contact the birds cranial area

I never shot one on the water unless it was a cripple.

Before anybody gets their panties in a wad, this is directed at no particular person. I am not a duck hunter, but know a lot of them and live close to legendary duck hunting areas. Most people that I know, don't even care about the ducks after they are dead and the pictures taken, so it should be all about the wing shooting. If you want a duck for supper, shoot him any legal way you can. I get sick at all the ducks that I see thrown on the side of the road by the stop signs around here, and after a hunt it is a big argument about who gets the ducks as very few wants to clean them or pay for them to be cleaned. OK, rant over, but it should be about the wing shooting to the ones that do not want the meat, and they should have people lined up that do want the meat, if they are going to hunt. miles

I had no idea duck hunters would so openly do such a thing. Wanton waste pure and simple.

Damn Miles, I hate to read that; I go to Arkansas with some buddies every few years and consider it a privilege to get to duck hunt there (north and south of Brinkley). I have a duck stew recipe (borrowed and evolved from DU magazine some years ago) that will make ducks like Ruddy's taste good - it's all in the slow cooking. I agree that duck hunting is wing shooting (sometimes I'm good, sometimes I'm not) - of course shooting a cripple on the water is perfectly acceptable.

That is a surprise that folks openly waste game.. Sad..

It is also surprising how much duck and waterfowl were shot for the market in the 1800's and now no one wants to eat them.. I have a few folks who like them.. Once they have all they care for, the season is over for us..

I don't shoot birds on the ground or on the water, I hunt with dogs and for the safety of the dogs I don't do it.
When I trapped on a fly in line however, anything went as far as killing a critter for supper and ducks and geese with a .22 was common.
I wasn't hunting for recreation then......
Cat

I grew up in NE Ark, and there was never any argument about who was gonna take the ducks... Well, maybe a few times , but it was about who got to take how many!

I've cooked about a dozen over the last couple of weeks (see pics in the blue wing teal thread of some "bacon log teal"). Cooked some spoonies in a pot of sausage and duck gumbo this past Sunday - it was awesome, even my wife loved it! Best way to cook diving ducks IMHO.

As for shooting ducks on the water, I'm not a fan but not offended by those that do (most I've seen are new or infrequent hunters). The group that got me started as a kid were most grown men, and my buddy and I. No shooting til it was called for and not til a$$es were touching the water (basically, let the first ones hit the dekes, then start taking the cupped birds still coming down - gave us time to make all three shots county's those first ones were getting back up). These guys could call in big groups of green heads! But you shoot a Susie (hen) and you would incur some of the worst verbal abuse you've ever seen!

I don't shoot them on the water but a close friend of mine has a nick name that I gave him because of his habit. I call him chief sitting duck. He loves to do it, let them land and he always shoots the first duck on the water unless I jump them up first. I also don't shoot hens. The only hen I have ever purposely shot had a band and was my first band.

I don't mind if someone does it but I wont. Besides they are easier to kill in the air than on the water.

Easiest way to kill a duck cleanly is in the air. Only cripples on the water get shot. And it is not easy killing a duck on the water, either.

If I'm not paying attention and ducks sneak into the decoys, they're "home free".

if its legal, then nothing but your own ethics apply.

So it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks.

I generally won't. But every now and then. I kill hens too. Does too. Would kill cow elk and cow moose too if I had the tags.

Always get a laugh out of folks doing it there way, and ragging on others for doing it legal but their way.

Of course i"M pot/kettle black too, because I don't like folks shooting promising male animals, about to be the best they will be, just to shoot. There are females, really young bucks that will take years to do something and so on... why shoot the ones that are almost there.... especially if you are going to not do anything with the antlers....
BUT its all legal generally speaking so none of my business.

Though I wish I could get everyone on our lease on the same page...

Would be like a flying only duck blind or a swatter duck blind. Not a mixed blind. LOL