Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Do you pick up your spent shotgun shells when hunting?

A little history found last summer.

At a spot in the road we've been over thousands of times.

20 ga shells could be long forgot about 100 yrs from now the mountain is littered with them and I’d sure hope my dbl is hangin over a fire place with stories

That there is some serious "Cold Weld!"

Shrap, that is the first loaded (old)cartridge I've found!

This isn't the picture I'm thinking about, but its close. The one I remember was spent brass artillery shell casings.

https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/scuba-anyone/8356

When i moved out here years ago i was told to pick up any shells because the cows would eat them.

That was over 40+ years ago and still pick up mine and if others are found they get picked up as well.

It's like throwing trash out the window it's just now right.

I even pick up brass when out shooting at the pit,even if i don't have a use for them.

They make owners not want to let anyone use them if they get trashed out.

I always pick them up, even the non-reloadable ones. I try to leave nothing behind. Leaving trash on someone else's land is a good way to get yourself barred from coming back. Leaving trash on public land is a good way to get it closed to hunting.

Yes.
Unlike cigarette butts they are garbage.

I put the butts in my pocket when done hunting.

Seems the right thing to do.

Yep

Almost always pick up my own. I usually shoot a double so most never hit the ground. Upland hunting with an autoloader would be different because I’m working the dog while marking the bird’s fall, so the empties could be easily lost.

I typically pick up others that I find as well. Just lately I’ve been working a young dog at a friend’s pheasant preserve. I pick up most of the empties I see there while walking around. Kind of a payback for him graciously letting me use his grounds.

Every single one

Ground swat em?

Of course. They get tossed onto the pile and sent through the press to hunt again.








I do remember the smell of of paper shells, and quite recently I might add. I have a goodly supply of Federal and Cheddite paper hulls. They're mostly for use at my up north house since the climate here in Aleutian Hell is too wet and nasty unless we're having a cold snap. Hell, the heads rust on modern shells just sitting in my cruiser.