Home Forums Birds & Dogs Waterfowl Ethical question: why not shoot ducks on the water?

I've been giving some thought to this lately. I, like most, have been told for years that only flying fowl are legitimate to shoot at. I'm starting to question that though. The rationale behind it is mostly one of "fair chase" but shooting birds on the wing results in huge rates of wounded or recovered birds.
This source suggests that rate is as high as 25%, including many that hunters believe they missed cleanly, or that took a stray pellet from a shot that downed another bird. I know most will claim their rates are much lower, but anyone who says they dont lose an occasional duck is a liar. In my view, the ethical imperative is to kill the animal cleanly and with the greatest chance of recovery, not to shoot it in the most challenging way. Wounding and losing a bird seems the greater wrong than shooting a stationary one. That seems to be the case in deer and Turkey hunting, where shooting a moving target is more frowned upon.

As a side benefit, the breasts and legs are below the water line, and dont get nearly as much shot damage as a bird shot on the wing.

I realize that ricochet risk is a very real safety concern in some areas, but where it isn't, why shouldn't one shoot sitting ducks?

popcorn in 5,4,3,2,.........

HAHA

All I can offer up is this and it is merely my opinion.

If it is a legal means of hunting than have at it. Hunting high fence is legal, but it ain't for me. Shooting a duck on the water is like shooting an elk tied to the hitching post. I believe that any animal I hunt has to have every means and ability it knows and has to evade me and my choice of weapon. In the case of Waterfowl and Upland birds flight is one if not it's best abilities. I can live with a few lost animals here and there, it's going to happen. That is why it's called hunting and not killing.

I have sometimes had the same question. If a man can sneak through an eastern Carolina swamp and get close enough to bushwack a duck, especially a wood duck, on the water, he has earned that duck. Of course, if he can do that and then flush and shoot the duck, he has earned it more. Likewise for someone in a boat. If you are good enough to paddle a boat into shotgun range of one, you've earned the shot. Up to you whether to take it on the water or on the wing.

I somehow don't feel the same way about shooting one on the water in the decoys, or one that has just happened to simply swim by or set down on the water in gun range.

It's a sporting thing. Same as ground swatting a pheasant or shooting a grouse out of a tree. Nothing illegal about it, just not sporting.
But another reason it's bad form to shoot a duck in the water is because there usually is a couple hundred dollars worth of decoys around and it sucks ventilating them.

I have no problem popping a grouse out of a tree with my 22 pistol while running my trapline for the pot that night back at the tent. Never would dream of doing it while hunting grouse with my shotgun. I guess it is a difference between need and ethics, a steady diet of beaver and muskrat gets old, grouse is a nice change of pace. The only ducks that get shot on the water are cripple's, shooting one on the water will get you a ride back to the landing if your hunting with me. But so will blasting away at birds that aren't in range. My motto for duck hunting "Kill the birds you KNOW you can kill, pass on the birds you HOPE you can kill"

Probably left over from the days of market hunters and punt guns.

If you can 't hit them on the wing stay at home and do what your wife tells you too. MB

i am fairly new to waterfowl hunting though i have been hunting for 60 years. seems to me if one were to be shooting ducks or geese or grouse,for that matter, strictly for food, there would be nothing wrong with ground/water sluising (sp). but for me the ability to knock a bird out of the sky is where the satisfaction lays. if i wanted to shoot a stationary bird i would use a 22 magnum of 17hmr. just my feel for it. i will judge no man on how he gets his meat as long as it is legal. back to grouse though i have and will continue to use anything at hand when i get a chance at potting one for supper. including a 44 mag ruger!

You should first start by shooting your deeks. If that doesn’t cure you of sluicing, nothing will.

😎

I will Arkansas a duck in a heart beat..

Been sluicing ducks in my spread of corks and foamers for years and never had an issue. Are you hunting over plastic?

I used to do a lot of field goose hunting. Lost my access. Areas are now closed to hunting because of development. I am not ashamed to say I ground pounded my fair share of geese. I did not decoy them in and wait for them to land. It was spot and stalk jump shooting. Limit was anywhere from three to five. First one or two may have been on the ground as the flock was making their exit. Any others were no different than shooting decoying birds.I got a lot of crap for this. I didn't care.

It is okay to call in a single turkey who is fixated on a decoy when he is all stupid thinking he's going get some and ground pound him. Yet sneaking in on a group of a couple dozen geese,who are all keyed up looking for trouble, and getting close enough for a shot when your doing all the moving is considered unsporting. Makes no sense to me.

There were many times that I would make a move on geese that would require nearly a mile of walking to get in position, only to get busted fifty yards from being in range. I was probably successful of getting a shot about half the time.

What's the shot opportunity on decoying birds??? A whole hell of lot higher than 50/50. If your any good with a shotgun your hit ratio ain't much different than ground swatting.

I am also a proud road hunting ground swatter of ruffed grouse. Sorry they just taste to damn good to give them any kind of chance. If it was legal I would have a dedicated 17 HMR grouse sniper rifle.

I might of crossed the line with pheasants one time. In my defense I am certain they would of meet their demise as soon as the local coyotes made his rounds. Driving a gravel road I had a cock come flopping across the road in front of me. Looked as if he got hit by a car. I stopped and got out with my shotgun. You can shoot from gravel in my state. Figured just in case he had some life in him for one last flight I would pop him. Well turns out he was not alone he had a couple buddies,that were also flopping around and making on to some brush and falling to the ground.

Well I ain't going to pass up a easy limit of tasty birds. I figured they were scratching gravel and all got plowed at the same time. Some lightweight loads made quick work of them. Got them homed and cleaned them. Figured I would have bruised meat to trim off. They were perfect I administered clean head shots.

Turns out their crops were absolutely stuffed with grapes. This was well past the end of grape season, so any grapes were on the vine fro quite some time. So I figure those birds were just drunk off their ass.

This one of those things in life , that if you have to ask the question , you likely won't ever understand the answer.

Man I wish we were in person having this discussion so when I asked the following question I could watch the reactions!

How many of you have ever shot a Coot?



Uh huh. Bunch of soapbox standing liars.

I've shot a bunch of coots usually jump shoot them from the front of the canoe. We flush them and shoot them on the wing although their feet might still be running on the water, but they arent swimming

???? Are you going to shoot that coot while it's swimming?? Hell No!! I"m going to wait till it stops , can't hit it when it's moving.

Rio7

I use to shoot coots but now that steel shotshells are so expensive I don't. I'm not spending $1.25 to kill a F'ing coot.
Now a F'ing merganser is another story..

It's not an ethical question, it's one of preference.

And yeah, if I've convinced them to give it up and sit in my decoys, I've won the game. The shooting at that point doesn't matter.