Ethics?

[Brad Harshman]

Its a thin gray line.  Hunters who's only goal is to shoot limits is  a big concern.  Why?  Because it distorts thier thinking.  Its a form of greed.  All of a sudden sluicing Is justified.  And so is skybusting  and then comes baiting.  Its a slippery slope when It comes to ethics.

Successful hunts should be measured in building your skill set as a duck hunter.  Don't get me wrong I jump shoot birds but I do feel a little guilty doing it.  All year I think about decoying birds in, wings cupped and feet down.  That is duck hunting to me, those moments I remember the most.  Its those moments I share with my friends, not necessiceraly the number of birds.  Its quality not quantity. 

Please don't let it consume you. One cupped in bird over decoys is worth seven jumped birds in my opinion.

[vandeman17]

Its a thin gray line.  Hunters who's only goal is to shoot limits is  a big concern.  Why?  Because it distorts thier thinking.  Its a form of greed.  All of a sudden sluicing Is justified.  And so is skybusting  and then comes baiting.  Its a slippery slope when It comes to ethics.

Successful hunts should be measured in building your skill set as a duck hunter.  Don't get me wrong I jump shoot birds but I do feel a little guilty doing it.  All year I think about decoying birds in, wings cupped and feet down.  That is duck hunting to me, those moments I remember the most.  Its those moments I share with my friends, not necessiceraly the number of birds.  Its quality not quantity. 

Please don't let it consume you. One cupped in bird over decoys is worth seven jumped birds in my opinion.

I agree that there is nothing better then calling in birds, working them into your decoys and have them cupped and locked. I have had some days where I was hunting by myself and would see if I could get the birds to actually land in my decoys. Often times we would call birds in close enough to pass shoot but it is that last 20-30 yards that shows me I really tricked them. If I complete that then shooting one off the water would be finishing the sequence but again, I am one that at that point will just jump them and then dump them. 

[KopperBuck]

Its a thin gray line.  Hunters who's only goal is to shoot limits is  a big concern.  Why?  Because it distorts thier thinking.  Its a form of greed.  All of a sudden sluicing Is justified.  And so is skybusting  and then comes baiting.  Its a slippery slope when It comes to ethics.

Successful hunts should be measured in building your skill set as a duck hunter.  Don't get me wrong I jump shoot birds but I do feel a little guilty doing it.  All year I think about decoying birds in, wings cupped and feet down.  That is duck hunting to me, those moments I remember the most.  Its those moments I share with my friends, not necessiceraly the number of birds.  Its quality not quantity. 

Please don't let it consume you. One cupped in bird over decoys is worth seven jumped birds in my opinion.

7 birds on my family's plate is not the same as one...

[LeftCoastLoren]

I think this is a pretty good article about shooting ducks on the water : http://www.ducks.org/tennessee/when-to-shoot-sitting-ducks

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Brad Harshman]

Its been my experience that I cannot justify the financial cost of duck hunting, any hunting at all for that matter.  I can buy seven chickens or a few turkeys for a tank of fuel let alone the shells, licenses, and then theres the TIME spent doing it. 

Yes, It's wonderful bringing home a limit of birds.  But it shouldn't be a hunter's primary goal.  They begin justifying unethical practices to fullfil their personal expectations.  Then the means don't justify the ends.

I'm not chastising you for jump shooting I'm concerned with your goal of just killing birds and as many as possible.  Careful don't turn into the skybusting, baiting, tresspassing a$$ hole duck hunter that gives the rest of us ethical hunters a bad name.  Don't be that guy.

[irishevox]

BRAD  i never said my goal was as many a possible... my main goal is to get quality birds and get my limit... if i kill a goose thats going to stand there and i did it legally.... how can i be that guy?

[jackmaster]

i will shoot a grouse on the sit, but ducks or geese i let my kids shoot them on the sit and then i shoot them when they fly, to each his own, who cares how someone gets their limit  i think eveyone goes through the stages eventually 

[ghosthunter]

 

How do you just pop one in the head?

Pretty easy if close enough.  75 out of 76 quail I shot one year were shot in the head trying to run away from me in the coastal OR hills.

Ethics are your choice.  I can go either way on this, and have done both depending on circumstances.  Some will say it's not "fair" while stuffing 3 1/2" magnum shells into their $1500+ gun over their 200 count decoy spread....     My arguments for are if you were good enough to call them into your dekes or sneak up on them to shooting distance, why not, you've successfully completed part of the challenge of hunting, also no cripples locking up and sailing into the wilderness.

 

 

[LndShrk]

Its been my experience that I cannot justify the financial cost of duck hunting, any hunting at all for that matter.  I can buy seven chickens or a few turkeys for a tank of fuel let alone the shells, licenses, and then theres the TIME spent doing it. 

Yes, It's wonderful bringing home a limit of birds.  But it shouldn't be a hunter's primary goal.  They begin justifying unethical practices to fullfil their personal expectations.  Then the means don't justify the ends.[/U]

I'm not chastising you for jump shooting I'm concerned with your goal of just killing birds and as many as possible.  Careful don't turn into the skybusting, baiting, tresspassing a$$ hole duck hunter that gives the rest of us ethical hunters a bad name.  Don't be that guy.

 

Seriously? It is always my Primary goal to go out and kill a limit of birds. I do not invest 10's of thousands of dollars to go sit and watch the sun rise and listen to the birds chirp (It happens but certainly not my goal).

I think you are way off basis with this notion that having a goal of killing a limit some how equates to skybusting, baiting, and trespassing. Quite frankly none of those things have anything to do with having a goal of killing a limit of birds.


As far as Water sluicing, or ground pounding the bird is concerned.  The reality is that very few people have the patients or skill to actually wait the incoming birds out or put the sneak on them to get close enough so it is not as common as some might think. But if the bird comes into my spread and is not jumping up when I pop up and give it a yell then it is going to get smacked.  As far as I am concerned I have done my part and the dog wants to do its part. 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I would shoot them wherever they are that is safe and with the least amount of shells as possible with the cost of shells so high.

[pens fan]

Is shooting a turkey in the head unethical? Most would say shooting them on the fly or in the roost is not ethical. My teeth like head shots.

[Kiltit]

A whole lot of work, time and money goes into a waterfowl season.  If you have your setup so good that they land without knowing you're there, then you've done 75% of the work.  I say let em' have it.  One of my birds from this morning had landed right in my spread.  Once I took him out, I shot two more as they jumped up so it wasn't all swacking on the water.

[270Shooter]

I will usually shoot them on the water when jump shooting if I can, sometimes if I can sneak close enough I'll try and line up two or three and get them all with one shot then shoot the rest as they fly. Sneaking on ducks this time of the year is not very easy, atleast where I hunt the birds are pretty spooky. I also like picking them on the water because it is easier to pick out nice drakes.

[vandeman17]

I will usually shoot them on the water when jump shooting if I can, sometimes if I can sneak close enough I'll try and line up two or three and get them all with one shot then shoot the rest as they fly. Sneaking on ducks this time of the year is not very easy, atleast where I hunt the birds are pretty spooky. I also like picking them on the water because it is easier to pick out nice drakes.

I have done that with teals too where I will line up two or three to shoot with one shot. I rarely shoot at teals but like to get a few early in the year to use to work with the dogs throughout the season and the next year. Nice being able to shoot one shell and get a couple birds.

[LndShrk]

I have done that with teals too where I will line up two or three to shoot with one shot. I rarely shoot at teals but like to get a few early in the year to use to work with the dogs throughout the season and the next year. Nice being able to shoot one shell and get a couple birds.

You are missing out..  IMO one of the best eating ducks out there.