For me, it would come down to why you're hunting ducks. If you need the meat and are not a good wingshot, then I have no big problem with shooting them on the water, but just know that they can be hard to kill on the water too and you can still lose birds. BUT, for those who hunt for fun and sport, a big part of the challenge is learning to shoot them on the wing. The first time I took my son duck hunting on the river behind our house. A Woodie came in and hit the water. He looked at me and said, "Can I". He was just 12 and not a good wing shooter and I wanted him to have some success and to have him watch our Lab make a retrieve. So I said, "Just this once." He nodded and got it and I gave our Lab (my son's birthday present) the command "Sam, back!" and he made a nice retrieve.
Another quick story. My sister was a skeet shooter and fairly decent one. One time she was hunting with her then husband and one of his friends when a duck swam into their decoy set. Her husband's friend said, "There's one for ya Cathy." She stood up in the blind and yelled "Pull" . The duck took flight and she dropped it.
now that woman has CLASS!
