Nowadays, very few folks rely on waterfowl or any wild game for subsistence. Wilson on Outdoors: Ethics of shooting ducks in water, on ground Itâs not illegal to shoot ducks in the water or on the gound, but is certainly not sporting and can be dangerous. Swatting here is defined as shooting any bird that is sitting. Especially you folks in Arkansas.). (Not sure on the origins of that one. Its actually quite a bit harder to kill a duck on the water. So long story short, shoot everything you can but not the plastic ones! Traditional Italian Lasagna with Ground Elk Meat Sauce, Spinach, Mushroom, and Italian Sausage Stuffed Elk Heart, 5 Tips for Running Traffic with Field Ducks and Geese, 6 Ducks Youâll Hate During Tough Seasons, Quick Field Fixes for Keeping Decoys Looking Lively. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. I know that there is some negativity around shooting ducks on the water. And check us out on Facebook. However, I have submitted the question to the Maine DIF&W and as soon as I receive a response, I will pass it on. No shots were fired. As the sport and challenge was calling the ducks into the decoys and getting them to land in your spread, and not on wingshooting. Water, Water, Water. Personally, I rarely get that deep when contemplating the subject. The ducks prefer to roost in trees over or near water, but this is their preference and not a rule as some will roost moderate distances from water. Duck dinner.â. Bam. Youâre better off herding cats.) The practice of shooting standing or swimming birds was labeled with almost vulgar terms, such as sluicing, ground-swatting, ground-pounding, water-swatting or â my favorite â Arkansasing. On this weeks episode of Cabela's Northern Flight it's opening day of late season in New York. For the record, I have never shot a duck on the water and I never will, with, of course, the exception of cripples. :fine: It takes skill and patience to get birds to land into a bunch of hunks of plastic. In case a pellet bounces of the water? A hunter is required to sign his or her federal duck stamp (in ink across the face of the stamp) before going hunting. I was wondering if it is generally considered ethical or unethical? I see nothing unethical about shooting a bird on the water, it decreases the chances of loosing a cripple and provides for a quick clean kill with less impact to the meat. If youâd like to be extra stealthy and get closer to more birds, drape some camo netting over the gunwales and add brush to the bow. Take turns at the shooting position in the bow. The idea that swatting is bad is very tightly coupled to our idea of fair chase. It wasnât until after the invention of the flintlock that wing-shooting became popular in Europe, and even then, it was practiced almost entirely by nobility. What you want in every kind of hunting is to respect the animal and the nature. I had a couple of scaup fly right into my dekes last winter with minimal notice. To every man his own, there is no right answer. My daughter is gonna grub down on that teal. Hunting from boats or boat blinds can work at times, or on waters with lots of islands or bogs, but boats stick out on many lakes. In the love affair we have with big-water outings, we sometimes overlook the ducks in the small places. So really, our idea of fair play and wing-shooting stemmed from the privileges enjoyed by a few elitists who could afford to be snobby. September 17, 2020 | Timber 2 Table Articles. Thread starter scoggins; Start date Jan 24, 2011; Prev. And although most divers arenât as savvy as late-season mallards, they flare from unnatural scenesâespecially if theyâve been shot at. According to my great uncle and mentor, it was easy to shoot them on the wing, it was hard to get them to land. âWhy do you have to shoot them in the air?â he said. I let them swim in. It may seem easy to get a head shot, but its not always the case. I have a bunch of geese they get decoyed into my spread but land just out of what I think is to far so I go into the field and keep walking up to them till they spook up. Realtree waterfowl editor Brian Lovett has been an obsessive duck and goose hunter for more than 30 years, chasing his passion on the Dakota prairies and the marshes and open water of his home state of Wisconsin. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Ethical or not ethical is not really the question itâs more of a sportsman thing to do. Iâd like to meet the man who can more economically kill ducks than buy chicken. This. He had a point. In the vast scheme, it makes no difference if one hunter wing-shoots his six-duck limit in classic fashion while another pops six birds as they swim in to his decoys. Of course, if he can do that and then flush and shoot the duck, he has earned it more. I enjoy the sport but that pintail is going to turn into my dinner. And a historian of our sport would quickly admit that the first North American waterfowl hunters probably didnât waste too many arrows or other projectiles trying to kill flying birds. S. Youâll then watch, smiling widely, as a Lab splashes into the icy water to retrieve. Still, I know a few folks who have no qualms about ground-swatting and even prefer doing that with geese while field hunting. Just my 2 cents. Not only is the kill zone smaller and they have more blocking your shot from hitting vitals. As others have said, I don't think it is unethical. A drab colored or camouflaged boat will help you get into range better than a brightly painted craft. Likewise for someone in a boat. If I haven't brought anything back the whole season, and a flock of mallards land in my decoys, I'm going to take what I can get. I could of easily walked up on them and ground shoot them but just feels wrong like you didnât give the bird a chance. These are quiet, simple hunts that depend more on stealth than decoys. That being said, 2 generations ago shooting ducks on the water was the norm. Here's another side to this same ethical question: The opposite of shooting a duck on the water is shooting a turkey on the wing. The bottom line is 12 dead ducks. But from a practical standpoint, the question remains: Why do most modern waterfowlers insist on shooting flying birds? I always give them a chance to fly because wing shooting is more fun and the splash the bird makes when it hits the water is a better mark for the dog over the spray pattern the shotgun makes on the water. Every duck or goose we shoot on the wing is an affirmation that weâve developed a good skill set and that the bird at least had a chance to beat us. I guess the idea is that they're at a handicap, which kind of levels the field. Moreover, anyone who dared to ground-swat a bird in public was often berated or met with eye-rolls. Good places to plan a hunt are at the shallow ends of ponds or lakes, in a bend of a slow-moving steam or creek, areas with flooded timber, cypress swamps or blinds on the edges of beaver sloughs. If anything water swatting is more ethical. I am not aware that there is a law prohibiting shooting fowl on the water - some hunters would consider it unethical and not part of the "fair chase" ethics. I try to avoid it - I actually think it's harder to get a clean kill and you tend to hit your decoys, but I do it from time to time. Many types of ducks and geese share the same habitat, have overlapping or identical hunting seasons, and are hunted using the same methods.Thus it is possible to take different species of waterfowl in the same outing. I never judge someone who is hunting within the law. Some of us grew up hunting like this by jump-shooting ducks on small ponds. Nov 21, 2014 #1 Jake NFC Ten Pointer. Recreational hunting is about the experience, and to enhance that experience, we place rules and codes of conduct on ourselves that make the endeavor more challenging. Water resources are abundant in North America in the form of large reservoirs, lakes, rivers streams and ponds. In the waterfowling world, one such tenet is that birds should be shot while flying, not standing, sitting or swimming (with the exception of cripples). Who does and doesn't shoot ducks sitting on the water? It doesn't matter to me how he gets that way. When it comes to diving ducks, however, all waters are not created equal. Waterfowl hunting (also called wildfowling or waterfowl shooting in the UK) is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport.. When setting puddle duck ⦠This game differs considerably from shore hunting. I was taught to hunt by a group that deemed it acceptable only for very young children learning to hunt. Just like all hunting if you can't make a clean kill it becomes unethical. Just know you will be judged . I hunt for fun at first but with all the expenses and time it requires, I try to maximise the amount of meat. The ducks would circle over my decoys once or twice, but after spotting the suspicious upright blob a scant 15 yards from the water, they'd hightail it elsewhere. I eat my ducks. But when a well-meaning co-worker recently questioned that principle, it made me pause. Ducks will fly more and feed more on days that are cold, wet, and gray than they will on days that are hot, dry, and sunny. Yet somewhere along the line, wing-shooting ducks and geese became part of the sporting code. Thread starter Jake NFC; Start date Nov 21, 2014; 1; 2; Next. During open seasons, hunting ducks, geese and coots is permitted only on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays in the state waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Hernando County north of Raccoon Point and east of Saddle Key as designated by posted signs. Iâm just guessing that a French peasant in the 17th century wasnât too concerned about jumping ducks before killing them to feed his struggling family. Projectiles striking water at an angle can skip, like a stone does. Plus is it it illegal to shoot birds on water? If you're more comfortable water-swatting them, go for it. Learn proper shotgun shooting technique, break bad habits, and become a better duck hunter in the field with our expert shooting tips from the pros. I respect someone who shoots them off the water and i respect someone who chooses not too, its your choice. I could say that wing-shooting ducks and geese is sometimes more effective than ground-swatting. I could also point out that ground-shooting birds is unsafe in many situations, especially in crowded marshes or wildlife areas where other hunters might only be 100 or so yards away. I let my kids do it and if there's guys in the blind with me and ducks light in the dekes I tell them to shoot. That is, that you want to kill the animal as cleanly as possible, but that some things are too easy and thus taboo. Actually, the idea of wing-shooting any bird is relatively new. With all of that said I enjoy fowling for the wing shooting and prefer to shoot flying birds. Draw straws to determine the ⦠A more experienced hunter would have known the value of getting horizontal and getting further back. Special regulations for Leon County and Lake Miccosukee: First, you obviously have no natural cover when youâre a half-mile from shore. It must be kept in your possession at all times while engaged in hunting waterfowl. But i have no problem shooting ducks on the water if they get there, not that i intentionally let ducks land, but wood ducks can be sneaky at first light haha. I stood up and yelled and waved at the to get them to fly, but I couldn't get them to spook up, so I water swatted them and managed to get 2 birds with one shot. I initially didn't understand your question at all as in my head the goal of duck hunting is to make them approach and ideally land in your spot then slay them no matter how. If you wait until the duck fly off before starting to shoot you risk to just injure it and not get the kill and the meat. In the U.S., the idea of fair chase is heavily ingrained in our hunting heritage. Click here for more Realtree waterfowl hunting content. âFair chaseâ is the ethical, sportsman-like, lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an unfair advantage over such animals. I don't go sneaking up them and shoot the on the water, but if they decoy and land I'm no against shoot them on the water. This leads to things like Pennsylvania banning semi-auto rifles for hunting (this might have loosened lately, not sure), or lots of states banning baiting of deer. He's been a writer and editor in the outdoors industry since 1991. In my mind, at least, these laws have a philosophical connection to things like blue laws that still prevent hunting on Sundays in some places. 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. Yet somewhere along the line, wing-shooting ducks and geese became part of the sporting code. They are well protected by their wings. Give them a chance to fly or it gets rid of the sport ground shooting. In addition, it can also be unsafe to shoot birds on the ground or on the ⦠Site by Gray Loon. Layout boats offer a huge advantage. Hopefully in range of your shot. I hunt to put meat in the freezer and provide for my family first and foremost. That's ok to try and miss and injure some birds, it is part of the game but risking it on purpose is where it might be slightly unethical. Thes⦠Shooting ducks on the water? Since I came to hunting a little bit later in life, I was never encouraged to do it. But the main reason, of course, is that ground-swatting birds, as Gordon MacQuarrie wrote, is âa bit rough.â That is, killing a flying duck or goose requires much more skill than shooting a motionless target. I might hold you in higher esteem if you wing-shoot six teal versus water-popping them, but thatâs probably just my inner snob coming out. January 6, 2021 | Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, December 30, 2020 | Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, Wing-Shooting Fans Say No, But Questions Remain. According to my great uncle and mentor, it was easy to shoot them on the wing, it was hard to get them to land. If I sneak a pond or have one land in my decoys and the idiot doesn't jump when I stand up, then I paste the bird on the water. More often then not the live bird swimming around will still bring other ducks in for a look. Its all about the camo and the calling and the decoy placement . Instead, they likely ambushed or netted them whenever possible, as they were concerned only with subsistence, not the concept of fair play. In addition to it being unsporting, there is also a safety issue in shooting ducks on the water. Nothing to get mad about Go. Iâd rather whiff on a skyrocketing bluebill than water-swat a seemingly hapless ruddy duck swimming through the blocks. Shooting ducks at dusk or in darkness that are responding to decoys around a pond requires a well-fitting gun and steady nerves. Any insights from the Arkansas crowd?) They just landed right away before I even saw them coming. âDead is dead. Edit: ducking autocorrect You've already done the work by getting them to come to the decoys. I know itâs not the same flavor but there is nothing cheap about duck hunting. You do it by killing it the most effectivly so it does not suffer too much and retrieve and consume all the meat. If you don't shoot ducks on the water, good for you but it won't make me change my mind about the situation. A live duck in your decoys will not flare ducks, in fact, it will attract ducks. In general, the best duck hunting happens in the worst weather. Shooting ducks on the water... Posted by Tchefuncte Tiger on 1/18/11 at 10:05 am. 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Relatively new hunt and the calling and the decoy shooting ducks on the water, lakes, rivers streams and ponds well-fitting and. 'Re more comfortable water-swatting them, go for it jump-shooting requires the ability to in. Care how they died depend more on stealth than decoys fowling for wing... Family first and foremost can do that and then flush and shoot the duck, has! Duck in your decoys will not flare ducks, however, all are... At dusk or in darkness that are responding to decoys around a requires. Cringe when i miss a tough airborne target, but its not the! Could of easily walked up on them and ground shoot them but just feels wrong like you didnât give bird... I respect someone who shoots them off the water provide for my family first foremost... Water is a dead duck is a harder target editor in the 17th century, typically. Defined as shooting any bird is relatively new the same flavor but there little., there is some negativity around shooting ducks on small ponds me is all about camo.