A YouTuber recently posted a video of a wood duck hunt where they shot most, if not all of them after they landed among the decoys. I objected, but it seems I’m in the minority, based on the thumb-count. Not a waterfowler, so I decided to ask here.

Is it unethical to shoot birds on the water? Are the ethics any different for woodies than other birds?

Thanks for your input.

Growing up, we never knew what “real” duck hunting was in our area of NW TX.
Our “method” was to sneak up on farm stock tank, creap over the edge of the dam, and shoot the ducks as they took off in flight or as they were taking off.

Fun stuff. 🤠

It's legal, and we will get the "If it is legal, I have no problem" crowd chime in for sure....however, an 8 year old could do the same easily....

About the same as an adult beating a pre-schooler at X and O and thinking they did something. Then again, if you can't shoot it's all you have left.

These things vary. What I saw coming up was different than what was printed in magazines. I suspected it had to with means and how many ducks were about versus the limit.

If you're covered up in ducks with a six bird limit you're stupid to shoot sitting unless you can't afford shells.

99% of my local duck shooting is public creek woodies. Very few birds. I shoot the first one sitting. Second on the rise or return flight. Whether that is sporting has nothing to do with it.

I like the Duck Commander videos of their hunts, call them in to sit , bust the first shot into the decoys and shoot the rest as the rise. I did shoot as they circled if one or two are needed for limits but I seenothing wrong with busting them in the decoys....

A lot of guys will shoot a bedded buck from a few hundred yards away and consider that sporting too...

Most of my duck hunting is jump shooting in very small water. They are easier to kill in the air, and that's my preference, but I wouldn't personally look down on anyone who shot them on the water

I shoot ducks on the water and kill elk and deer in their beds. 😀

TR
Sounds like you eat pretty well too then!
Continued success to you
Dan

I have seen YouTube videos of ducks being shot on the water and I immediately hit the stop button and go on to something else. I can't believe somebody would post something like that and act proud of it. I understand everybody has their own idea of what "sporting" is but I would not hunt with someone who shot ducks on the water.

RS

Shooting ducks on the water is kid stuff.

Who wants a duck anyway? The best way to shoot them is flying and real far away. That way you can keep shooting and you don’t have to deal with any stinking ducks.

Only reason in my book to shoot a duck on the water is the ducks been crippled and getting away. Having a good retriever eliminates most of that need. Just how I see it. Mb

Yes agreed, cripples must be swatted.

+1. Labs rule!

RS

Duck hunting isn't a sport for me.

We like to talk them down into the flooded timber and get em close. Wait until their heads line up and shoot once.

In these times of shell shortages, it's very efficient.

I guess the consensus is there ain’t a consensus. I looked up a bunch of waterfowl clubs and checked their rules, and only one mentioned it, but many had rules about Sky Busting, apparently because it educates the birds, not because it they are wounded and lost. Now perhaps that’s because they simply assume that nice people don’t do it, or maybe it’s done and not spoken of.

Used to have a neighbor that was always bragging on all the pheasants his family killed in PA, and was surprised that my brother and I said we missed them sometimes. We took him with us on a hunt and he ground-sluiced the first one he saw, which explained a lot. I would shoot one on the sit if I was carrying a .22 for rabbits or squirrels (never happened) , but if carrying a shotgun I’d charge in to make it flush (which happened quite a bit).

Thanks all.

AKA.....Water Swatter

The high fence hunters need to duck hunt too.

NV, I saw what you did there, and I liked it. Clever.

For me, calling ducks in range, cupped wings feet down or backpedaling over the X and shooting them in the face is half of duck hunting. Watching the dog work is the second half.

Kids, first time hunters, go ahead water swat one. But I try to get them to love the sport not the easy kill. After they “get” one , then let them only shoot rising birds , then get them shooting them in the face .02 YMMV

But if water swatting is your game It doesn’t affect my day....

This is how we hunted them in Coleman county. I liked doing that, definitely fun.

Yes it was !

Side discussion to ponder: which is ‘more sporting’: shooting them before they might land or landing them in the dekes and shooting them on the rise?

One is probably a better indicator of scouting, decoying, and calling……even if a duck or two gets shot while it’s feet are still wet.

I started hunting ducks right at 50 years ago. It was considered unsportsmanlike to shoot a duck on the water unless you were killing a cripple. Anyone caught shooting a non wounded duck on the water was labeled as a "slob hunter".
Back then if you saw another blind working a group of duck, you had better not touch your call unless the duck pealed off and quit working that blind. Back then is was called "blind courtesy"
Now a days, I have seen times when the other blind will shoot at duck to flair them just because they are not working their blind and they are like "if I can't have them, then nobody is going to kill them".

Times have changed in the waterfowl world and not for the better either.

No opinion...Done it both ways. But swatting them on the water, is usually for killing crips.

I prefer the ducks to be setting on the decoys.

I’ve been awakened from a nap when shooting slowed by my hunting dog whining to find birds in my set. Stand up, the ducks come off the water, shoot.

I guess that’s close enough to them sitting on the water, even if they were in the air, barely dragging a wet toe nail.

🦫

Nobody hates a duck hunter , like a duck hunter

I don't hate them, just never knew duck hunting was a competitive sport until resent years.

Besides being far more difficult to kill while sitting on the water, I don't do it. I figure if the duck evades my notice and lands in the decoys, they get a pass. Besides, I now have a live bird in my decoys!

Exactly.


RS

This is the camp I grew up in. Jump shooting on stock ponds and jump shooting ditches or ground slousing poted birds was duck hunting. It really is a different sport or art from than hunting out of a blind with decoys and calls.

If you go to the trouble of putting out decoys and using a calls and you shoot birds on the water you’ve kinda f’ed up. You’ve tricked the bird and missed the opportunity to shoot the bird on the fly. Whereas jump shooting and potting ducks is more about the ambush and putting up numbers”meat hunting”.

Shooting birds on the water is not the best way to put them down the low angle and shooting at the back usually yields poor results. For me both have there place but they are apple’s and oranges.

My first duck hunts were floating rivers after everything froze up. That being said, we still did not shoot them on the water, you let them get up and shot them.
That was just how I was taught, maybe it was because the same guys I started duck hunting with were the same guys that took me quail hunting. You did not shoot a covey of quail on the ground either.
I guess it all boils down to the way you were taught when you started hunting

We do both, dont care, if they land on the water it means they finished, sure is better than folks out there skybusting or shooting above their skill level. A lot times when them swim into the spread or coots, we'll let them dive in order to get our guns ready, and when they come back up its on. We also hunt over very expensive decoys so try to be careful not to hit them. They taste like crap whether you shoot them on the water or in the air.

I've done both though shoot the vast majority on the wing. The Feds are silent on this issue though some states have laws against the practice while others allow it. One needs to check the state regulations to determine if the practice is legal or not.

The most common times to shoot a bird "sitting" is geese in the fields and sculling. In the first it is often a single bird that snuck in at some point - usually when I'm taking a nap. These birds do not like to flush and are such easy targets when they do that I see no difference in shooting them then or when on the ground. Actually, there is a difference- it is easy to head shoot a goose on the ground but much harder as it tries to fly/run away.

When sculling, one is often chasing divers and they are often loath to flush from a piece of debris floating down on them. The birds will either swim in front of the boat or off to the side but often not fly. Sitting up and yelling, pounding the boat, or otherwise causing a scene is more likely to cause the birds to swim faster or dive rather than fly. Shoot one though and the others take to the sky.

I'm angry at em, but this yella dog has rage for em that is unmatched.

Great picture

Unethical? I wouldn't go that far. I'd reserve that label for skybusters, baiters and other vermin. Kids? Fine for the first few ducks. They need a body count and some for photos. I guess I'd think a little less of an adult who routinely shot sitting ducks.

Years ago, forget where, I read a comment from a federal warden who said that while shooting them on the sit was legal, if he saw someone do it, he’d find something to charge them with.

Some of the posts here describe scenarios that, not being a waterfowler, I didn’t consider. I guess I’ve lightened up a bit about it for situations like that, but still think that if I ever do hunt them, I’ll try very hard to get them in the air.

Thanks to all.

People who do it are probably the same ones who put clay pigeons up on the berm at the range, then blast them with their shotgun.

Does anyone on this thread even hunt ducks?

been duck hunting for almost 50 years

Since about 1960.

I really don't care if it is legal or ethical but if someone shoots into the deeks they will be punched and thrown out of the blind and
asked to never return.
Deeks are expensive. If the bird is wounded I'll send the dog after it.

I've only gotten into duck hunting somewhat seriously in the last 5 years or so. I'd never even considered that there were people that shot sitting ducks. My hunting life had always been quail and pheasant. I've shot a wounded pheasant with his track shoes on on more than one occasion, as have I shot a wounded duck on the water. But an unwounded bird, never.

A little humor, a lot of truth: A vet I hunt with said he was at a pheasant hunt one time with people from all over. Somebody was talking about 'Arkansas-ing' a bird. They asked a vet in their group from Arkansas what they call it in his state when you shoot a bird that is on the ground or in the water. He said with a straight face and serious as can be... "we call it hunting".

Days of market hunting and having to hunt to feed your family are all but gone for the most part. I can/could see shooting them on the water if it meant having food on the table or going without food.
That being said, everyone has to do what they deem right in their own eyes.

As usual, I have no issue going against the grain here and proclaiming that half of these posts are knee jerk reaction responses based on "how you've always done it", which is fine, but predictable. I wouldn't say that I believe that it is unethical to shoot ducks after they have landed, though I rarely do it. If one lands and doesn't take off before I get reloaded though, then I sure wouldn't go out of my way to make it flush before shooting, unless there was danger of hitting a decoy or dog. To be fair though, I rarely decoy ducks. Maybe once every few years.

More to the point, shooting at flying birds I believe creates more opportunity for cripples just like shooting at running deer vs stationary deer---so there's that ethics angle to consider. Pellets can really be slowed down by water though which can also cause cripples I guess. That adds more levels of ethics to the situation.

It is outside of the point of this post since the OP is talking about decoyed ducks, but try stalking mallards (or wood ducks as in the OP's example) and getting a shot off without them knowing you're there. I believe that is WAY tougher than shooting them as they have their wings cupped. To my thinking, sneaking up on resting birds is way more of a challenge than blasting them out of the air, which is just shooting if you didn't do the calling or decoy placement.

Can't but agree with that 100%.

Im thrilled that posters are 50-60 years in on their duck hunting seasons.

I'd like to know how these seasons are progressing. How are bird numbers? Killing many?

Decoys are the least expensive thing I buy for duck hunting.

Timber Runner
In TN if you don't draw a blind or know someone with a blind you are pretty much SOL. We have put in for every draw in the system and not one person in our group has been drawn this year, so as of yet this year I have not been.
I have talked to several guys that have been and they have blinds in very good areas when ducks are here and none are setting the woods on fire. The best of the guys I have talked to, their blind has killed less than 100 and none of the rest have broken the 50 bird mark yet.

As a long time hunter in TN and some in Arkansas, I have seen nothing but the numbers decline over the last 20 years. Another long time duck hunter and I were talking about this the other day and we both feel that the best years are behind us.

In the scenario described by the OP, of course it is unethical; no question.

Even though I still wouldn't do it, if a man can sneak or paddle up on a duck, especially a wood duck, I believe he has earned whatever shot he cares to take.

Really?
I have more invested in my deeks than my boat and guns combined. Good deeks are $15-25 a piece for ducks. Damn right I'll get po'ed if someone sprays steel BB's into four or five of them just to kill a bird.

OK, full disclosure. I shot Mojo. A flock of mallards was coming into the decoys and I shot a beautiful greenhead near the bottom of the flock. A stray pellet hit the spinner and blew a hole in his wing, leaving a disfigured whirling reminder of my mistake.
Wounded birds on water? If the pond is small, I'm quick to send the dog. On bigger water I'll quickly execute the cripple as I've seen that merry chase too many times.

Sure do! However, despite the annual glowing reports from Ducks Unlimited, numbers of ducks in my area (western Oregon, mid valley) have steadily dropped over the last 20 years. Hunting here now in the same public spots produces little by comparison. Anyway the dogs still love it

So I went back and re-read the OP after reading T Inmans post. Thought I’ll try to give input that isn’t nostalgic and based on what I grew up doing.

Today when I hunt decoyed ducks regardless of the flavor. Would I consider it unethical to shoot birds on the water? For me personally my simple answer is no, not unethical. For me personally though I find it more enjoyable to shoot flying ducks as sitting. I think it’s harder to hit flying birds, but tougher to kill sitting birds. The key word being decoyed

Again ethical but not as much fun.

I, personally, only shoot ducks on the wing. I, personally, don’t care how anyone else shoots ducks.

In a nut shell……This^^^^^^^^

While I’ve shot them on the water before, it’s not something I’ve ever planned to do. It’s infinitely more satisfying shooting them when they’re cupped up and sailing in. For me it doesn’t get any better than a double, or once in my hunting career, a triple of mallards on the wing.

Shooting ducks on the water is kid stuff. A kid snuck up on my Dad and I and shot our decoys, thinking they were real. He also shot my Dad. He spent 21 days in ICU and still has one steel BB in his brain and one in his shoulder.

I have shot a sitting duck before but not something I practice.

duck hunting was always my favorite , but here in Minnesota farming more and more ,pot holes are drained and plowed ,swamps that are left many no longer have those little shrimp in them, pesticides and herbisides are ruining Minnesota duck hunting probably by population less than half the ducks now compared to what it was in the 70`s. the river i live by no longer has bullheads in it ,too much pollution for bullheads to live.in that type of water. it is now much better to hunt in the western states.

^^^This^^^

Started and hunted ducks and geese on and off over the last 16 years. So I'm no "old hand" in the least.

For me - cripples get swatted on the water to end their misery. Try not to have that happen to begin with but if you've hunted ducks - it's something that happens.

Otherwise - all else are shot in the air. People I hunt with - all are shot in the air. Just seems to be the right way to do it. All our hunting is over decoys - either out on the bay (big water) or we have some ponds and small lakes we hunted but still - decoyed and called.

Pheasants are then the natural progression of the discussion....You are out hunting with a couple dedicated Pheasant hunters and their Dogs..You going to shoot a Pheasant you catch out in the open standing or walking around. See one crouched down in the cover...shoot it as long as the Dog is in a safe position???? For the fish in the barrel shooters it should make little difference.

pheasants in cover is a little different in cover than ducks on water , though, dogs and people tend to pop up in the least likely places .

When I started hunting, my mentors lived through the 1930s or were their children. They were all from agricultural or rural backgrounds so their take on "hobbies" was different from others. Pheasants were shot as they were found and a running pheasant was described as, "getting up to take off speed." Pheasant hunting was mostly a part of a family gathering so drives were the rule.

Filling the bag was the goal and, with up to 20 or more drivers with 10+ blockers making a drive, that meant a lot of birds. But, there were a lot of birds back then making drives feasible and one could get their limits between 9:00 AM shooting time and mid-afternoon.

Armament was also a bit different with single shots often making up half or more of those carrying shotguns. Having just that one shot and a mentality that abhorred waste made a running bird fair game. 22 rifles were commonly seen and a Remington 514 was the gun I carried for my first two years. I didn't get a rooster with it on the drives but I got a few on my own later on.

Dogs weren't much of a concern, seldom were they brought from home to than those living at the farm being hunted rarely were they brought out as they were "farm" dogs and not very well trained for classical bird hunting. If a dog was brought out, it was kept on a leash by one of the kids too young to hunt. At the end of the drive the dog(s) would be let loose to find cripples, often being eaten by the hungry dog.

After the pheasant populations crashed and I got into actual hunting dogs and hunted on my own. Originally, out of concern for my dogs I shot flying birds instead. At some point my view point changed as ground sluicing pheasants as what one did when "poor."

In 45 years I can recall shooting, with a shotgun, only one running pheasant that wasn't obviously wounded and that was 6 years ago. We hit a field that others had hunted earlier that day hoping to find some missed birds or birds that filtered in. That particular bird ran maybe 80 yards and dodged around other 4 guys without flying. I would have called my dog over to run it down but the bird was headed to posted land so I shot it.

I'm not against shooting roosters with a 22 and I get a couple that way every year. Same as with ruffed grouse except one can use a centerfire for them. It takes a lot more skill in woodscraft and shooting to get either of them in that manner compared to using a shotgun and dog.

Water Swatters claim shooting ducks that are swimming with the current to be far more challenging.

My natural preference (perfect scenario) is to shoot them on the rise OR while cupping in. You have to have done some scouting, setup correctly, and let birds work to consistently land them or cup them.

If they won’t get up, I have zero issue with smoking the first on the water….but like having a kid or new hunter for that first duck that way. It rarely happens, but some prefer to swim to cover or dive, rather than jump up.

Super expensive decoys have always been a negative return on investment item for me.

For shooting that duck on the water, the shooter should ALWAYS be given permission to disregard the decoys.

Dogs don’t care how the retrieve came about.

After 40+ years of hunting ducks, I find that those that harp the most about others shooting them on the water are FAR more likely to be sky-busters and three shot whiffers. At least most water swatters are more proficient at NOT sky-busting or making a lot of useless noise and educating birds.

Different strokes.

A rose by any other name is still a rose.

When you're hungry, all bets are off.

I'm old school and hunted ducks HARD from teens through my fifties. We didn't shoot anything on the water but cripples. Also unless the duck was very, very close it was more difficult to kill ducks on the water, especially a tough old diver. Much of the time we hunted in tidal saltwater with the boat high and dry, so if you only wounded one on a strong outgoing tide it was a good way to lose a dog. Many times we shot more shells finishing ducks on the water than knocking them down. Guess it might be different hunting in flooded shallow water.

100% my experience with them as well. If I have managed to work birds all the way to the water then I feel I have beat them at their game and I shoot the first on the water then the rest as they get up. But then again I don't pass shoot or jump shoot ducks either. If you want to pass shoot go find a dove field. And IMHO jump shooting ducks vs working them is kinda like jerking off versus getting laid. The end result is the same but one of them is a helluva lot more fun than the other

Nothing like do it my way or you suck!

I guess some guys also make a point of only shooting at running big game too? You know, because it's more sporting?

Posted in another thread also....These boys/girls don't need them setting on the water...amazing

I kind of like how the United Kingdom handles the question - you are allowed a quota of ducks and it is up to you how to do it. I've standing invitations to punt shoot ducks and shoot geese by the light of the moon. I just need to make it happen.

Of course the season would then have to be shorter and the bag limit smaller to preserve the resource. No thanks.

Punt guns in England today….they are rarely used, and it’s not about big kills. “Irish Tom” must have been an absolute hoot with 10 ounces of BP and 50 ounces of shot.

https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/history-of-punt-gunning-119189

You will never again see punt guns allowed for hunting here. They went out along with market hunting. However they would be the ultimate water swatters.

Although selling game for market is still allowed in England. However, there are those pushing hard to make it illegal.

Good read on the punt gun era would be “Outlaw Gunners.” They hung on down around Chesapeake,Md long after market hunting was made illegal.

I would be perfectly happy shooting a 2 or 4 bore punt gun, it is much easier to safely mount and fire one of those than a larger model. It is also what is owned by those who have extended me invitations to try out. I can't imagine the recoil of a maximum legal punt gun as it is a bit over 1 bore in diameter.

And it is not the crass thought of a large bag but the nostalgia and tradition of using such a specialized piece of equipment in the manner it was designed. As young boys, my great uncles got in on the end of the market gunning era. They were the retrievers and ran down cripples in their canoes. Then they got to pluck the birds afterwards. Prices reached a high of $1.50 for canvasbacks but most were $0.50 or less.

Have that book on the shelf, along with several others about market hunting along the East Coast as well as the Mid-West. The latter was as large or even larger practice as the east but extended over a larger area and was not romanticized to the extent it was in the east.

If i feel like its going to be a slow weekend (or if i just feel like it) i will shoot the first few ducks on the water just to make sure i bring back something, especially bc we make a big duck gumbo saturday night and it would be a big let down to not have any ducks to put in it (in desperate times we have substituted marsh hens aka clapper rails).

But if there is plenty of action i will absolutely shoot them on the wing 100%, nothing feels better than making great shots on flying birds

As for worrying about shooting decoys, i try not to shoot them but it doesnt really matter to me bc i use foam filled anyway…either filled from the factory or done to old hollow ones using great stuff

I guess some guys also make a point of only shooting at running big game too? You know, because it's more sporting?[/quote]


I have been thinking this exact thing while I've been reading the comments.

The error of this thought is all big game is not usually shot inside 30 yards. Most Waterfowl being mostly shot inside 30. Either passing, or with wings cupped ready to drop in. Wings cupped over the decks is already almost standing still, quacking out “Shoot me.” But no, let’s wait until they are in the water, saying hi to their new friends. 😂

You water swatters must be really hungry, or have little confidence in their ability with a shotgun. Double 😂😂

Lack of confidence in one's shooting - maybe, maybe not. Not all who attempt to shoot birds on the wing are capable either. It is a foolish comparison to make one practioner seem more "skillful" than the other.

It does say something about one's woodsmanship abilities to either call ducks in to land in one's spread and/or to sneak close and stay hidden to surprise said ducks. It is a skill those unable to accomplish tend to dimishment and dismiss. I most definitely cannot do the later consistently but the occasions I can are memorable. The former is much more common, tough not assured, and shooting ducks or geese as they try to rise is a simple task not requiring much in the way of ability. Except divers, they tend to show their backs and butts when taking off making for an easy shot but difficult kill.

Agree, not all are capable. However, shooters shoot and take satisfaction in developing the skill to do so. They take little satisfaction in shooting Ducks in a barrel.

Something that escapes some.

The question had nothing to do with sneaking up and jump shooting.

So after reading through the 5 pages of this thread, do we have a consensus? I'm trying to figure out when I can shoot ducks. 40+ yds is too far and you are a sky buster. Pass shooting is for those who can't work ducks. On the water and you are a pot shooter/water swatter. Shooting them coming in, cupped up or on the rise takes little skill as they are almost stationary. In summary:

On the water- No
On the rise or coming in- No
Pass shooting- No
Sky busting at 40+yds- No

I guess I should make some phone calls and let Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and any other conservation groups and let them know their services are not needed.... seems the duck population is going to be doing just fine! I might take up Unicorn hunting, seems I might have a better opportunity at getting a shot off sometime. Nah, someone will still tell me I'm doing it wrong because I didn't do it their way!

It's not complicated, really. Wingshooters will always look scornfully upon the ground swatters, with kids being given some grace. Skybusters will be called out by both groups for being the Aholes they are.

No need to go overboard....Have some friends that would invite me to go Duck hunt with them..They were serious and got into the Ducks. After a few times, I realized I really didn't like having a bunch of Ducks come in and all four of us stand up and shoot. With that many Ducks I would rather have 2 shoot this time and another 2 on the next. Well, that wasn't the way the wanted to do it. So, I now
no longer go. We still hang out together, shoot together, I'm invited to the ones camp. NBD just because we don't agree on how to shoot a Duck.

One of the best hunts with them was when the Ducks really wanted in and you couldn't keep them out if you wanted to. We quit shooting and just watched them come in, Big fat Greenheads, coming from somewhere. Finally went out to pick up the Decoys and while doing so, they were landing around us. We could have swatted them from 10 feet...but it wouldn't have been all that much fun.

me too... anytime we have more than two hunting, we take turns...

I couldn't make the proverbial pimple on a real Duck hunters ass...But if you have never been next to a couple people who know how to work a call, with Ducks or Geese moving in strings from all directions, swirling, turning, looking, with some obviously committed, while joining in with the concert....your hunting bucket is far from full.

My post was MOSTLY tongue-in-cheek. They’re enough people out there who don’t want us to hunt at all. I really don’t care how anyone decides they want to do it. Nash Buckingham often talked of taking the “tall birds”. He also mentions taking the first one on the water. Worked for The Godfather of waterfowl conservation.

Battue- what you describe is how it should be, if you don’t like they way someone does it, just don’t hunt together. You can be friends otherwise.

There is skill in shooting birds. There is skill in working birds.

And if you hunt a beaver hole in the Southeastern US that is barely bigger than a postage stamp, good luck getting the woodies to coast in feet down…. More like kamikaze rockets that hit the water before you see them half the time!

As you allude to, it takes skill to be successful at hunting, it's just in different forms. With some, the emphasis is on shooting skill; others its in being able to pick the vicinity the birds want to be, place the decoys to properly position the birds to land, and have the calling ability to convince the birds to commit to landing in the decoys. Others find satisfaction in being stealthy enough to sneak into range of resting birds whether from the land or the water.

I've done all the above to varying degrees and find satisfaction in all. Often, being versatile in one's approach may be what allows one to put something in the game pouch. More importantly, when guiding having alternatives can give the person paying out their hard earned money a better chance at the success they think they are paying for.

I still have three methods of taking waterfowl on my bucket list besides a punt gun. The first is to catch a duck by hand as I've read accounts of those in Egypt and Japan. That would be a real test of stalking.

The second would be by net. Not a mist net or throw net as I have done the former but a long handled fishing type net as the bird passes by. It would be limited to puffins as it was them I saw taken by this method.

Last, taken over a tolling dog. This is one that I hope to accomplish this fall. I don't have a toller but I know someone who does and hope we can accomplish that goal. It appears to be pretty difficult but the attempt should be amusing.

Oops, one I forgot. Night flighting (shooting) geese. It's one I'll aver t add to the punt gunning when I make it to the UK.

I had a friend that hunted ducks in the 60's, by sneaking up on them as they sat on the water. He would take a john boat and wrap chicken wire around the perimeter of boat and stick in cat tails and corn stalks for camo. He'd paddle up and keep low till he was close enough for a shot.

That sounds like the first duck hunting trip I was ever on. Everything was frozen up and we did a river float trip like that.

No one has answered.

Do you academics shoot deer and other ungulates in their bed?

This is the Waterfowl sub forum. If you want to discuss pot shooting deer you will need to go to the Deer Hunting sub forum.

If Deer could fly you may have an academical question. Since they can't you don't. One species flys and the other....well???? Historically, what are the normal traditions of how different animals are hunted? Which happens to be the essence of the question.

If they could fly, would you be willing to send a bullet out into space not knowing where it may touch down a couple miles away? Hey!!!! You could shoot a Deer flying, so why not?

In your State, is it legal to shoot a Deer swimming across a lake or river? In many it isn't. Seems odd one can shoot them while sleeping but not swimming. Asking for an academic friend?

Yes it is in my opinion it is unethical. I would only do it if I were starving and needed the meat . That goes for all Bird hunting. I don't shoot at running game either with the exception of rabbits being run by beagles. I like to eat wild game but I do not have to depend on it for my food supply and neither does 90% of the rest of the population. Shooting sitting birds and running Deer is in my opinion un-sportsman like and hunting for me is sport and recreation. I don't fish with dynamite or quick lime either.

It is not unethical at all, being a decoy carver, I love watching birds commit and land among blocks I carved. Dead is dead whether it be 15 yards one foot above the water or 15 yards sitting on the water. You gonna tell me a couple of feet makes all the difference?

Just dont shoot the decoys!

Still hunting and deer drives are definitely something you should avoid....In addition to a Southern tradition of running Deer with Dogs.

Why is shooting running deer un-sportsman like? Because there's a higher risk of wounding? But then it's un-sportsman like to shoot sitting ducks because the odds of hitting the duck are too high? Seems pretty contradictory and arbitrary. Shooting moving birds good, shooting moving deer bad. Shooting sitting birds bad, shooting sitting deer good.

The new Deer hunting ethic….if you can’t bring them to a stop with a grunt tube…don’t shoot.😳

and is it really hunting when you are sniping them 100 plus yards out? That's just shooting, get them in close, shoot them with a bow, and not a crossbow.

There are those who shoot Pheasants flying with a bow....Should they do the same with running Deer? Deer are much larger, so it should be easier.....this ethics get more complicated with passing time, or post.

This thread is making its own gravy now.

It’s winter. I’m soon to have a knee replaced and in the mean time, spend time sitting with a Polar Pack wrapped around it,..so it seems reasonable to resurrect a philosophical, August thread.

My first reaction was, a sportsman swatting water fowl on the water is anathema (nothing related to academic). However, I wouldn’t hesitate killing a bull elk or buck in its bed if given the opportunity. It was. And I did.

Assuming, they’re legal, I imagine our disparate views are based on the hunting culture we were raised in, how things were done. Propriety, and all that.

True, and ethics possibly based somewhat on whether one is hunting out of necessity or for sport.
I don't think the duck cares either way.

I have not hunted waterfowl in many years but when I dud I took a friend for his first time. Ducks decoyed and landed. As we watched them swim around I suggested that he shoot a big drake. He wanted to shoot them flying so I clapped my hands and they took off. He missed three times. We laughed about for many years and although he passed away in 2016 it still gives me a chuckle.

If you’re shooting ducks on the water, ground-slooshing quail, pheasants or grouse, you’re a true piece of chit moron..


Or hungry with 2 shells to your name

You shoot ungulates in their bed?

Once you've decided to shoot an ungulate, why does its posture matter?

Thats exactly the point he is making....

While I prefer to shoot them in the air, I am duck HUNTING/killing after all. So i take them how i get them. Normally, jumping tanks in S. Az, we shoot the first shot on the water and then all hell breaks loose.

Jumpshooters, Yeeesh! What next? Club some baby seals?

This is how the pros do it..... Remember you have to get ready...foot position and all that.

Been there, done that, not a second of remorse.

Pitiful and pathetic!!!

Come on, cut him a break....It was foggy. "Haa, ha, ha, ha."

Almost as sporting as pen raised poultry hunting.

Lot of the western states allow 22 rimfire for upland hunting. In SD the gfp only allows the use of shotguns for hunting upland birds. Doesn't have a damned thing to do with ethics or sporting behavior it's all about selling the resource to well heeled nonresidents and using it as as a revenue tool for big business and state government at the expense of resident opportunity...mb

Growing up in Maine we had Ruffed Grouse and Partridge. Ruffed Grouse were hunted by snooty flatlanders from Massachusetts, and would only shoot them on the wing after being flushed by a dog. The locals shot Partridge sitting in an apple tree or on the ground, giving zero fuggs what anybody thought of it. Here in Alaska most everyone shoots grouse with a .22, and many hunt Ptarmigan the same way. Again, with zero fuggs given about what some uppity prick thinks about it. Meat in the pot tastes the same.

You missed the point, it wasn’t sporting, it was sitting in a tree…

I was poking fun at battue

Good one!!!!😉😀 However, in my defense they were all airborne and had an English Cocker on their asss giving them no other choice. 👍🏻

Your problem is that you think only in the manner in which you engage bird hunting, If you don't hunt with a bird dog and a well used model 12, you do look down your nose at other means of taking birds.

I happen to hunt them differently, but the chance of filming a wing shot is impossible because we are hunting birds and when they fly, we are shooting at them. The rare occasion one gets away and lands in a tree, we shoot them.

I like old guns and don't really care what you think, it is always you that is critical. Then align yourself with Comooglia is a real feather in your cap. You can hunt with your dogs and model 12's and you won't see me criticize you, but you are a real bird snob and your way isn't the only way.

Besides, I love old guns and still shoot my share of grouse flying and landing in trees with them. Good luck outshooting me with these old guns. Another thing, this is what my goal is and you can't eat anything you don't shoot....

I had decided to pass you by in the future. No sense in you and I going at it over and over. However, you had to post your smart azz video,which was meant to be a slam on those of us who don’t care to shoot them out of trees. And you know it.

So from here, you became fair game again. And you made it an easy target.

I also know your Ruffed Grouse are different than ours who only rarely wait around to be shot.

I also can appreciate some of your older guns. You come up with some nice and different examples. I’m also fond of Parker’s and recently some great shotguns from the UK, Germany and Scotland.

The snack looks good. If deep fried, it is my favorite Pheasant prep.

Addition: As far as aligning with Rick…guilty. He has proven himself, in elite competition, both with rifles and shotguns. Never personally met him, however others I know speak well of him.

George,

I'm sure you now realize you and your friends who hunt S.D., according to Magnum Bob, are well heeled non-residents supporting that "big business" farmer whose land you hunt on. Along with propping up the State coffers. I thought your hunting license dollars went to and benefited the S.D. Game and Fish Commission? I guess none of it benefited resident hunters and fisherman????? And you guys are taking Birds and making it hard for residents to be successful.

I spent 15 days there last year hunting public and section lines. Along with one farm who belongs to an individual who welcomes us and has become a friend over the last four years. Last year I didn't cross paths with 10 hunters in the entire 15 days. In addition, after being given an education by some experienced hunters, it isn't rare to see 100-200 Wild Birds a day on open public land. Sooo, for MB here is a couple pics of Birds he seems to have trouble finding...

This was a nasty day...15-20F and 30 MPH wind...Never crossed paths with a Resident or Non-Resident. No Model 12, and hope it redeems me for the times I went to the preserve.

No Model 12:




Model 12:




If it wasn't for the humor, there would be no reason to show up....

I mean, I would have at least flushed it from the tree.
😁

Maybe shrappy is poor and that’s the only way food gets on the table? In that case, like I’ve said, I’d be doing the same.

Besides being in the field, working with your dog and best friend, a lot of the fun in bird hunting for me is the wing shooting.

“Pot shooting” birds of any kind is slob hunting AFAIC and if I see someone do it, it puts a damper on the outing for me. I would rather not associate with those who do it. It’s really an integrity thing.

Pretty much like dicks who steal game cameras or SD cards from them.

Any moron can shoot stationary targets with a shotgun as evidenced. 😂

You bird hunters are some of the most arrogant persnickety little biatches I've ever seen. Jesus.

I couldn't imagine being so sensitive that my whole outing would be ruined by someone killing a bird on the ground or in a tree! LOL!





It's comical!

Do either of you bird hunt? Duck hunt?

The only sitting ducks rcamuglia shoots, he shoots on the 24hourcampfire.

-Bohn Jurns

I mean if you’re an uncoordinated doofus and suck so much that you can’t hit [bleep] that’s flying and ground slooshing is your only option, maybe practice a little?

I’m guessing you practice with a rifle or pistol?

Was this directed at me, err I mean Bohn Jurns?

The two ground-slooshers above. 😂

Ok, but just for the record, the only sitting ducks Bohn Jurns shoots are also on the 24hourcampfire.

You being a Mainer I'm sure you have seen comical....Up in the North Woods, kids barreling down the road and they see a Grouse. The brakes come on, the dust flies and they jump out and shoot or stand there and yell trying to get the Bird to fly. Back in the car, hit the gas and down the road looking for another opportunity. If you want to call it hunting, it's your hunt. But I do find it comical.

I do some grouse and ptarmigan hunting, both with shotguns and .22s. I haven't duck hunted in about 30yrs but will be again this fall. Shooting ducks on the water was never my thing, they seemed harder to kill that way. Shooting grouse and ptarmigan on the ground or trees is no big deal to me. I'm not a whiner with some sort of superiority complex that gets my panties wadded up though. If it's legal and safe, do whatever you want.

Road hunting in the North woods is standard fare. Those fellas aren't killing grouse though, that's too fancy. They're killing partridge if you ask them. I grew up hunting old grown up apple orchards in Downeast Maine.

Not as much as I'd like but yes to both.

Seems as if more than a few have lost the ability....and now think it unethical for others to do so....to shoot at running Deer. Perhaps they also are Bird hunters?

I'll bet they're catch and release fly fisherman too. Harassing fish for fun, then turning them loose to torture them again later.

How dare they!!!

More deadly irony.

LOL

Grouse north of the Golden Road don't seem to have much experience with humans. They behave nothing like ruffed grouse in the Allegheny Mountains, where flushes are explosive. Northern ME's partridge have much more lack luster flushes and are more likely to hop a perch before gliding off into the jack firs.

“ 1885 Forest & Stream 25.306 CA, That they [=valley quail] can be shot in vast numbers by the “ground-sluicing” process is true . . ; but our valley bird really lies well to the dog when found where the brush or timber is not too dense. 1899 Pall Mall Mag. 17.116 sCA, Often a stranger would join us, generally a pot-hunter, a ground-sluicer, whom we held in contempt and derision. 1906 Twin Falls News (ID) 26 Oct 4/1, The quail season does not open until November 1, nevertheless the birds have been “ground sluiced” with persistent regularity for weeks. 1929 Billings Gaz. (MT) 8 Oct 11/1, This particular nimrod had the choice of “ground sluicing” several ducks in the water . . or of following the safer and sportier method of inducing the game birds to “flush.” 1953 Reno Eve. Gaz. (NV) 21 Apr 6/2, Usually, the illegal hunter is pictured as ground-sluicing birds with a punt gun like a 37-mm cannon. 1968 DARE FW Addit swNV, Ground-sleuthing—shooting a game bird while it is on the ground or on water. Considered very poor sportsmanship and hated by people who consider themselves real hunters. . . A person who ground-sleuths is a ground-sleuther or, more commonly, a ground-sleuthing son-of-a-bitch. One ground-sleuths and one never talks of a ground sleuth. 1980 Field & Stream Aug 96, One suggestion is that you put a decoy out at 50 yards, so as to tell if ducks are in range. Whoever said that must have been ground-sluicing swimming birds. 2002 DARE File—Internet CA,”

“ Shooting ducks on the water is one of the true faux pas in the hunting world, joining the shooting of roosted turkeys and the swatting of grouse in separating the sportsmen from the savages.”

We used to spotlight jack rabbits when I lived in AZ.
Am I going to hell?

The true measure of a hunter is the ability to sneak within shotgun range of a duck sitting on the water, and shoot it without causing it to flee in terror.

Probably not a question for the waterfowl forum.

🤣

I would love to watch your dogs flush that grouse out of the tree for Shrap to shoot.

I guess it depends on whether one sees the hunt as a sporting activity or a food gathering process. I’m a wing shooter, but I’d shoot a grouse with a handgun or rifle under some circumstances.

Now that’s funny. Bit of a cheap shot perhaps, but still funny.

That bird was up there pretty high. I’m not sure either one would have been up to the task. 🙄

Doubt that bird would fly unless you climbed up there.
Though I have hunted with a particular Britt that would make it farther up that tree than most anyone would believe..

I just can’t imagine being a grown man and being so puzzy hurt that other hunters do things differently, even if completely legal. I’d be embarrassed to be such a whiney [bleep]. It’s fuggin hilarious! Of course YMMV, but it’s the truth.

So…because some are willing to elevate their personal requirement of how they kill game, in this case they don’t care to shoot fish in the barrel as an analogy, and are willing to voice their thoughts during open discussion, in your opinion they are “pussy” hurt? I also don't recall any saying the swatters are doing anything illegal.

Rational thought is frequently not on display at the fire. My suggestion would be for you to get some additional mileage.

Are the dedicated archers, who say they have left rifle hunting because it has become too easy “pussy” hurt?

You reply will most likely be “fuggin hilarious.”🤣

This really has gone far enough, but the high and mighty that are so critical of anything they don’t see as fair chase, have elevated themselves to a marginal standard that they consider best. The OP was about shooting ducks on the water, I posted a video that upset some, but is not immoral and certainly not illegal.

I would never shoot a duck on the water, not because of some legality, but because a duck really isn’t worth shooting anywhere they are. Grouse are the best eating meat of any source you can get hunting, and I don’t leave any that I could take home to cook. Unseen are the ones that are shot on the wing, but I just found out that the Ruffed Grouse I shoot are not as cagey as battue’s, but it’s all we have around here. Blue Grouse, however are a better eating bird and they are my primary target and I will shoot them when they land in a tree.

So we get down to the unwritten standard that a couple guys find necessary to enjoy their day afield, and I say, “go ahead and do it your way” but leave your condemnation at the door. This is a site that started out as a hunting/shooting/outdoor site and has turned into a Facebook page with all the drama of teenage girls.

I doubt that the vitriol that is displayed here would ever exist if people were standing face to face in these discussions…

IIRC, these guys kept their fish. They’d be pariahs today.

Do they taste better if shot from the air vs sitting on the water?

I have been condemned from other turkey hunters for rolling a bird or 2 out of their roost. They still taste the same.

Valid points, I just don’t like a duck no matter where you shoot them. As far as a turkey shot out of the roost or on the ground, really doesn’t matter, he isn’t going to roost again either way…

Yup, maybe you could save a shell by hitting a flock with your car. Even more efficient.

Bit hard on breasts and windshields!

I am with you on the ducks.

As far as roost shot turkeys I see no difference as either way he is standing still, a sitting duck so to speak.

Vitriol???

Fuggen hilarious!

High and mighty are we? How about the little more than sarcastic taunting displayed on your video? You play the virtuous victim soooo well....

Your Ruffed Grouse definitely are more of the fool chicken variety often displayed further north. However, you mention you can't get videos of your shooting and type of cover. Well this guy and others can. Eastern Ruffed Grouse hunting at its best. Now where have I heard that said? So get yourself a shotcam and show us your covers and skills. Should be interesting. Remember...One Bird doesn't make a chicken pot pie...

Forget the Dog being there if you like.....The opportunities would be more unknown, but still much the same. Waiting....

The sporting way is with a single BB and no decoys. Knife hunting is also encouraged.

What belies the infernal ground-sluicer is a innate deference toward house cats and the loathing of dogs.

-Sir Walter Ribonscott

^^^Said by nobody whose spent any amount of time on the FaceBook.^^^

I must be the odd man out on this one.

Looks challenging for sure

Sound, look, mount, shoot. 👍😀

Hook up with Andy and most likely he will be able to show you it at its best.

Shooting grouse out of trees=Bad!

Going to a hobby farm to shoot purchased pen raised poultry=Good! Hero pics to follow as well.

Lol

Get over yourselves boys

Understand, but for many it is initial pup work, remedial or fine tuning of the Dog. One has few Wild Birds where they live. Or you just want to go out and shoot some Birds.

Selective outrage is what it is.

"My legal way of killing is better than your legal way of killing".

You obviously didn’t pay attention. It was the comment, “If you’re shooting ducks on the water, ground-slooshing quail, pheasants or grouse, you’re a true piece of chit moron.” that I was responding to. See, I don’t care how someone kills an animal, as long as it’s legal. Some folks get puzzy hurt if it’s not done the way they do it. Makes sense? No?

Sounds like your pussy is hurt.

Sounds like you're a dickhead?

For the record, I live in Southern Arizona. We are not exactly a "flyway" for ducks. Have we decoyed and killed limits this year? yeah?
Usually we start the morning that way, and then puddle jump until I have to go to work, or we have our limit. Which ever comes first.

Do we routinely water swat? No. Sometimes the ducks are so surprised to see us after out stock, they dont get up right away so we help them along. This usually results in one bird water swatted, the rest shot in the air.

Whoever out there thinks we are what ever explicative laden phrase you wish to use, cool. We dont care. We will continue to kill our bag limits and eat duck for dinner.

This thread has been contaminated with BS. Might want to get back to the OP, which most of my original comments were in response to…

And yes, if you’re decoying ducks and shooting them in the spread on the water, you’re a piece of schitt moron. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Reminds me…

As a kid I had a POS sloosher sneak into my decoy spread and hammer 2 of my decoys on the water (hens!)

I made him pay me for the decoys. He told me where he worked and I went to his job to collect

Slooshers are dumbfuqks

People that leave decoys out overnight are lazy slob hunters.
😂

^^^doofus^^^^

Why, does it confuse you when you try to sluush them overnight?

How about the tree stand guys with cards that transmit to their cell phone. In the tree and a pic comes. Stay in the stand or move to another they are likely to pass by. If it is legal, why not for the as long as it's legal crew???? When does ethics trump legality. For some never.

Been looking in the Montana FWP Migratory and Upland Regs for any quotes by you, surprised to find none?

Probably should write a letter to them, make sure your feelings get included next year.

Cousin Eddie….”The shetters full.”

Ok



Montana Fish and Wildlife
1 Brier Patch way
Billings, MT

Gentlemen,

In the migratory bird proclamation, please add the following:

“backroads and other ground-slooshers like him, are doofuses”

Thank you

I’ve hunted ruffs in the east and haven’t found them much, if any more wily than those out west, or Alaska. Maybe a little but not much at all. Blues don’t always hang around either, though they’re certainly easier than ruffs. Spruce are generally dumb as bricks, but I have sluiced my share of them anyway.

I don’t decoy ducks as it is boring as hell but as far as jump shooting puddle ducks on the water, as I said in my original response a couple of years ago, just getting a shot off with them not knowing you’re there is a hell of a lot more sporting than it is often given credit for, IMO. What some of the purists here are arguing for is just shooting skill anyhow, not hunting. I have never, ever experienced wild Mallards or the like just sit there if they know I am there, like Coues mentioned.

I have no issue with sluicing and don’t feel it is unethical at all, if that is the shot you have.

You would shoot ducks that landed in your decoys on the water?

I would.

Isn't that what the decoy is for, to bring in the ducks?

Like those that turkey hunt with decoys, they kill him when he comes to the decoy right?

And not much skill required to shoot a duck that is back pedaling 10' over the decoys.

Not much skill required to jump one from the decoys and shoot him 5' off the water as he is trying to get his schitt together to get out of Dodge.

Want skill on a duck, pass shoot them at 35+ yards.

Quoted and saved for the ReTaRd List

“ Ground-sleuthing—shooting a game bird while it is on the ground or on water. Considered very poor sportsmanship and hated by people who consider themselves real hunters. . . A person who ground-sleuths is a ground-sleuther or, more commonly, a ground-sleuthing son-of-a-bitch.”

Glad I could add something to your day.

Glad those "real" hunters don't turkey hunt.

Disagree on a couple items.

If some want to call it purist, they have good reason. However, it goes behind shooting skill. It encompasses Dog work, getting a pup or new Dog, training, the excitement of going. The point or flush, retrieve on land or water, and the appreciation of when they accomplish an extraordinary difficult situation. The Dogs own enthusiasm and desire for the hunt. And when and if a Dog figures out their place in the the puzzle of Bird, Dog, gun.

Without the Dog, I wouldn’t spend thousands yearly on Upland hunting. I’ve been known to go out without the gun at those times when I’ve killed enough for the time being. And I knew one individual who gave up the gun completely. He said, “We can’t point him tomorrow, if I kill him today.”

The shooting is not the entire reason for the doing.

Addition: Years ago I was introduced to a “purist” in Arizona. His passion was chasing Mountain Lions on horseback while his pack of Dogs were on the trail. He cared less for the shooting. Went out with him one day, no Mountain Lions were cornered, but it was a hunt with some serious Dogs.

Not being all that comfortable horseback, and hanging on when the Dogs got hot, gave me an appreciation of his purist form of hunting.

I agree. We never had a dog when we were duck hunting so for us it was hunting ducks, killing ducks and eating ducks.

I don't care if a guy wants to shoot 100% of his ducks while on the wing but they have a problem when I ground swat even though it's 100% legal.

Same bunch that claims a bird must be shot on the wing would probably squirrel or rabbit hunt with a shotgun. Maybe rabbits with a shotgun if running beagles but I see no challenge in hunting them or squirrels with a shotgun, don't see me telling em how much of a POS they are for using a shotgun on a sitting critter.

Bet they shoot all of their deer on the run instead if standing still too. Doubt they stop a walking buck at 30 yards with a bow either. Probably good enough they know the lead and time the release perfect.

Comes down to the "real" hunter wanting to control/run down what I do even though I could care less how the other is shooting his ducks or other animals.

I didn’t know turkeys were in the air, saw decoys, set their wings, made a couple of passes, and came in.

Thanks

Birds of a feather flock together


I’m sure ground-slooshers are the same, so I wouldn’t worry about running into any real hunters

👍🏼

Your quote says Ground Sluething- shooting a game bird on the ground.

You posted it, not me.

Please post some evidence that you’re really not this dumb.

Never have, but wouldn’t put myself above it.

I wasn’t going to talk the squirrel/rabbit thing, but I did think it. If I weren’t real hungry, I’d never shoot a squirrel with a shotgun. I do understand that it is necessary for safety in some areas. It’s just not for me. With lots of beagling experience, I’d shoot a sitting rabbit without hesitation. A sitting pheasant however, would always be put to flight. I’d really look down my nose at a guy who shotgunned a sitting rooster. Why? I’m not sure I know. 🤔

Some folks do center their enjoyment around the dog work. I have too, and trained a few of them. I enjoy watching lion hounds as well as both flushing and pointing dogs do their thing. It is also however, the dog doing most all the actual hunting and the shooter doing more hiking and shooting, than hunting. I have done plenty of hunting with all three types of dogs and throughly enjoyed it all with a sense of satisfaction.

I also hunt birds on my own quite often and have learned how to up my success on birds such as chukar without a dog. I have killed plenty of wild pheasants and chukar without a dog and not by sluicing them. As far as ethics and sporting matters go, why not keep the dog at home? Doing so really teaches a person how to bird hunt.

There’s lots of ways to look at these things.

Ducks don’t always make passes and turkeys don’t always sneak into decoys. I am not sure what difference that would make anyhow.

I believe it was my 3rd Tom way back when I was about 20 years old, that he sailed in to my calls/decoy and I dumped him the instant he hit the ground.

My last bird I bumped from the roost well after daylight and I knocked him down like a flushed pheasant. It was glorious.

I'm not. I realize that while we may not agree on method my way doesn't mean I am right and I don't look down my nose at those who have a different ethics/morals yet legal method.

I also don't resort to calling others dumb or retarded because they prefer their ethically different method.

Never said you preferring to shoot your ducks from the air was dumb or wrong.

You enjoy it more and that's what you like to do, so be it.

If I was going it alone, most likely I would start at those places the Dog has already taught me.

Wonder around in the Grouse or Pheasant covers for a couple decades and you will pretty much know if you are in the right place by looking at it.

It's much more sporting to wait until they're practically stationary 2 inches before they touch down.

Serious Duck hunting requires a lot of work and effort. Be interesting to know who does a lot of it. And if they hunt with friends, how they feel about shooting them on the water.

The few times I’ve gone with those who take it seriously, it obviously wouldn’t have been a good idea.

Here's the beauty.of it.

Idgaf if the "serious" hunters give af about it.

However, if one was to extend an invite, I would respect their wishes and not water swat.

I shot a gorgeous drake spoon as we began to rise up after a perfect stalk this afternoon.

Lol, I hunt over pointers and only shoot birds above shoulder level. I jump shoot ducks out of a canoe and by sneaking in on them, only ones I swat are cripples that keep swimming away. If you had read the thread you would have seen that I only shoot birds in the air, but could care less how anyone else legally does it.

It is always entertaining when the morality police interject themselves in other folks business, keep up the good work!

Does serious duck hunting require super serious facial expressions while hunting? Ties and tweed?

Lol

Some serious business here boys, requires serious hunters.

No, they usually look like something drug up from the swamp.

Unless they are wearing Sitka gear and shooting Boss!!!

😂

It is truly amazing how much money folks spend to hunt ducks.

Serious money, lol

Duck is easily the most expensive meat we eat. And worth every penny!

What's serious duck hunting?

25 days or so every season, plus early trip to Canada or Nodak.

Yella dog has already picked up 420+ birds this season. And this is from a camp with 3 dogs. We've beat the brakes off em the last few weeks.

Nothing wrong with shooting ducks on the water, especially when they dive, get ready and pop them when they come back up. Just dont shoot my 300 dollar carved decoys!

Each to his own way it thinking. I never skillet shot Quail during the 25 years I owned pointers.

Not to mention labor intensive unless in a permanent blind on your own back forty pond. Especially, the dry field hunters.

Don’t forget a flat cap and Barbour waxed coats and pants. 🙂

I'm still trying to figure out how to define a serious duck hunter.

He’s willing to go out in bad weather for a chance at a Bufflehead. 😳

Getting up at 2 am, setting 8 dozen dekes and honking on kazoos til noon to pot a limit.
All while giving us dirty looks for floating through the spread with a heavy canoe.
Serious work.

Flat caps are todays cool...Like some of the old farts here thought ducktail haircuts and high laced up boots were cool. Just because they no longer look like LL Bean on his best day, doesn't mean they are not "serious".... Old farts…I are one🤓….running down how the youth of today do it is often good for a chuckle. BTW...Barbour is out, Sitka and Kuiu are in.

I tried Barbour stuff in Alaska. It was like living inside a shower. And it stunk. It’s not for moving around in. Sometimes newer IS better.

I have some Sitka/Kuiu stuff that even works for pheasant hunting.

But I still do like some flat caps!

I have no real objection to occasional water swatting a duck or goose and then shooting the rise but prefer it not be among my decoys. Maybe it’s just me but pellet holes in my decoys annoy me. Whether it’s my pellets or someone else’s.

We have so many decoys at our club, shot decoys is just part of it. Every member brings 6-7 dozen. I figure 6-8 of mine will get irreparably shot every year. Part of the price of doing business.

I have just 3-4 dozen and just hunt small spreads. Normally by myself or with 1-2 others. It’s fun to introduce new folks to waterfowling but sometimes their enthusiasm overwhelms their judgement when it comes to avoiding shooting the decoys.

I have strong reason to believe that a bismuth #4 will easily penetrate mojo’s wing. 🫤

If you're "ground-sluicing" ducks and geese you are either a kid that doesn't know any better or an adult that can't wingshoot.

/thread

I don't even like shooting crips on the water that's why you have a retriever. But if you don't get it done in a hurry. A young lab learns in a hurry with a crip. Mb

I’m known to dispatch crippled ducks quickly, especially on larger waters. No water rodeos for me. I’ve got hunting to do!

If I haven’t hit my limit I will not hesitate to shoot a bird on the water. I don’t hunt some boomer duck club. I hunt public for meat on the table. It’s fun and I enjoy it even in the cold miserable days when much isn’t flying, but the sportsmanship BS stops when it comes to getting table fare.

“Boomer Duck club” ….always interesting to see how some are willing to run down certain individuals….their reasoning being they have achieved the American ideal of success in their chosen path. And can then enjoy some of the nice benefits it brings.

The Dems think much the same…. In that the successful are somehow to be looked at with distaste.

The old farts on the fire think the flat billed group are somehow inferior in their hunting/shooting experiences.Old Farts can be really funny....and think they have seen it all...

Old Fart in a Boomer Club...

While i remember some who had the D A haircuts, i dont remember any of them wearing the high boots. lol
And id rather not remember me wearing them either.
If there is one thing we can be thanfull for, it was the creation of good boots.

That and LW clothes and better rain gear beat the good old days every day. Getting there is another. Opportunities can be argued, in some cases are not for the better. Along with access.

Guns are not necessarily better. Ammo is.
Then again, “These are the good old days!!!!

Yea, I liked (and still do) the look of Filson waxed cotton. In reality, it’s like hunting in a sauna. I ditched all mine and wear newer stuff now. I’m still typically shooting a double gun, though. I mean some things really ARE sacred! 😏

Stop complaining and go to the Trap Club and learn how to shoot.
Learn the craft....don't be a bozo and ground sluice.

JFC

I think you’re saying the right thing, but to the wrong guy.

There’s a saying that is usually attributed to either Abraham Lincoln or Samuel Clemens. You’re probably not aware of it but you should heed it anyway, all sense of propriety aside.

I wasn’t running anyone down. You can stop clutching your pearls. You’re clearly identifying with the characteristics and expectations associated with waterfowl country clubs I was pointing out, though.

There’s nothing wrong with duck clubs or gun clubs at all. However, I’ll be damned if I’ll have someone project their values and traditions upon me in the form of expectations.

Consider this the “new money” response to your achievement of the American ideal of success in your chosen path.

“I wasn’t running anyone down….. you’re clearly identifying the characteristics and expectations associated with the Waterfowl Country clubs I was pointing out,”

“There is nothing wrong with Duck clubs or gun clubs at all….”

I’ll be damned😂

If you’re going to quote me, be honest and don’t edit the quote. Thats CNN Hillary Clinton type crap. Don’t be chicken [bleep].

You had to come back and edit again lol. Nice framing, Hillary.

Yes I did, in that there was additional failed logic in your post. That I left out the first time.

OK, my apologies..I left out “you can stop clutching your pearls”.

Tell me how that altered the pearls of your contradiction.

Anyway, ground pound them till you have a good meal.

Most of the gun club shooters I know are decidedly blue collar types. Duck clubs? I was a guest at one once. Very neat place. I’d have joined if I lived closer. Stop by the gun club sometime for some practice. Then there’ll be no need to ground swat your birds. Plus, it’s fun! Win-Win. 😁

Glad I have your permission, papaw.

Any here who know me are aware of who I voted for. Your insinuations will add nothing to your efforts.

You also fail in the ability to differentiate between a comment and one granting another permission.

It’s pretty clear you’re dishonest in your framing. I don’t need to insinuate anything.

You had an erroneous emotional reaction. It’s ok. Calm down.

There was nothing flawed with my logic. I never once said there was anything bad about duck clubs or gun clubs. It’s the mindset of ~some and many~ of the people that frequent such establishments I was criticizing.

Clearly whatever successful chosen path of yours didn’t require the skill sets of reading comprehension and critical thinking.

Making my point for me again, papaw. It’s called sarcasm. I’m sure you were around when Webster added that word to his dictionary.

You win....

For conversation....

Well, he kind of did score with the Webster dictionary thing. Too bad this isn’t a real campfire. We’d find we had more things in common than not. The young cantankerous guy would probably carry most of the decoys. 😏

I'll be damned.....There you go....wanting me to carry the decs....

Someone is setting off fireworks that sounds like guns....The Dogs are going nuts thinking there is something out there to pick up...

Be careful, WMR. Your wisdom might be contagious to the point of improving discourse on the fire.

Agree

Battue and I don't agree on much of anything. All the same on shooting the birds in the air though. Their are times when you need to dispatch a cripple on the water. That's when you find out they are easier to kill when in the air. A retriever ensures your meat on the table. Nope don't have the assets to be a duck club guy. To each his own..mb

Get them however legal if you want. To me if you land them you have done a great job of decoying. A lot of people would be surprised at how often a duck shot at on the water will be missed.

freeimagehosting

Good point

Last weekend again proved how hard it is to outright kill a duck on the water. Once they're wounded, they either dive down or head into the reeds, never to be seen again. Waste of shells.