Wounded birds

[Gobble Gobble]

I was reading another thread about what shot size everyone uses and a couple people mentioned wounded birds and it got me to thinking. I know it's just the nature of the game that we all will wound a bird now and again or cripple one and it gets away. But how do you all feel when this happens? I personally feel like crap about it (hence my writing this). I have respect for all game animals and wish to harvest them as cleanly & quickly as possible (as most hunters do). In fact I say a quick prayer and thank the good Lord for each and every animal I harvest.

Well, it happened to me and my wife on Saturday. She had a crippled bird that flapped its way out into the open river and beyond our ability to get a finishing shot on it let along retrieve it. I had one that I knew I had wounded, but it turned and quickly flew out of gun range and then 200 yards out into the river it just folded up and dropped to the water. It sucked having to watch it slowly drift away with the current knowing it was dead and going to go to waste.

I know put my big boy pants on and suck it up. I will and hope to kill a couple more birds this weekend. I just feel bad is all.

[270Shooter]

It sucks to lose any animal weather its a quail or an elk.

[EastWaViking]

It sucks to lose any animal weather its a quail or an elk.

 

[Buzzardking]

I hate losing a wounded bird and will do anything within reason to get it, but in the words of Clint Eastwood, in "The Outlaw Josey Wales", "Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms". I wouldn't obsess over it. 

[RPM]

you do the best you can. and at least the bird was dead not suffering.

[road.kill]

i hate losing birds, but it does happen from time to time. As long as you put forth your best effort to retrieve it then theres no reason to lose sleep over it i dont think

[skybusterbo]

Maybe think about getting a dog.

[SpencerUSMC]

Maybe think about getting a dog.

A dog is not the cure all, It does suck and I always make every effort I can to get wounded birds, but will never send my dog on a dangerous retrieve, in the current of a river, out on the ice etc...  for a measley duck.  Nothing is worth risking that, especially when I know a hawk, yote, racoon or some other sort of predator will have a nice meal over it.  

[skybusterbo]

Maybe think about getting a dog.

A dog is not the cure all, It does suck and I always make every effort I can to get wounded birds, but will never send my dog on a dangerous retrieve, in the current of a river, out on the ice etc...  for a measley duck.  Nothing is worth risking that, especially when I know a hawk, yote, racoon or some other sort of predator will have a nice meal over it.  

:yeah:I totally agree.

[road.kill]

Dogs definately make the retrieving part of duck hunting better.

Im waiting to get a dog until i have enough room/time to provide a lab with a good life. Right now with college etc i wouldnt have enough time to treat a dog how it should be treated

[GEARHEAD]

i think it helps to have a plan for recovery whether you have a dog or not.we all loose birds, but i see people all the time without dogs hunting an area where retrieval of dead birds is impossible 90 percent of the time, as they are standing on a dike with private land behind them and the sound in front. i can't figure out why these guys put themselves in this situation thinking that the duck or goose is going to land or crash on the 25 foot strip that they are bound too, but they keep doing it anyways aughhhhhhhhhhh.

[Gobble Gobble]

My wife and I live in an apartment at the moment and we cannot have large pets (I'd train the ferrat but they hate water). We do want a bird dog at some point in the future but at this time it just isn't feesable.

[GEARHEAD]

i guess i should say i don't have a dog, never have, don't think one is necessary, i just pick the situation i put myself in to be sure that recovery is likely, i pick my shots, making sure the bird is likely to hit land that i'm allowed to make a retrieval on. i guess my above thread was meant to bash the fir island dike guys, that are there just to shoot, recovery is second.
in the past i used to have a telescopic rod and reel. i have the bobber and weight at the bottom and two large trebs on top, that way it doesn't sink and i simply drag the hooks over the bird, having said that i have not had to break it out in over ten years.

[Balladeer]

Another thing I haven't heard mentioned is to be sure and count that wounded/dead bird toward your limit even though it was unretrievable. It sounds like everyone on here is probably already doing that, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway.

Do the best you can with what you got and be considerate of the animals.

[RPM]

i guess i should say i don't have a dog, never have, don't think one is necessary, i just pick the situation i put myself in to be sure that recovery is likely, i pick my shots, making sure the bird is likely to hit land that i'm allowed to make a retrieval on. i guess my above thread was meant to bash the fir island dike guys, that are there just to shoot, recovery is second.
in the past i used to have a telescopic rod and reel. i have the bobber and weight at the bottom and two large trebs on top, that way it doesn't sink and i simply drag the hooks over the bird, having said that i have not had to break it out in over ten years.

way more fun with a dog. sometimes they find more than i shoot.