I know its considered unethical but legal? My son has a hard time getting use to his shotgun, even though its a youth model, hes a little tyke. Is slowing him to take a shot on a sitting watered up duck or goose a bad idea? Just want him to get one
Shoot sitting ducks...
- Thread starter ivorytip
- Start date
Hilltop
Veteran member
Legal hunting that involves getting youth out is good to me. It's up to the mentor to explain ethics and views. I'm a meat hunter at heart so teach hunting from a fill the freezer standpoint but do my best to keep ethics and conservation always in the discussion. All of that said, a sneaky belly crawl to get in position on a sitting duck/goose is exciting and challenging for a kid. They will only know it is frowned on by some purists if you tell them.
Fink
Veteran member
I kill lots of ducks right as they hit the water. In my opinion, if you’ve decoyed the birds so well that they completely finish, I say give em the business, right there on the water. Then, kill your follow up birds as they flair out.
Unsportsmanlike is shooting at birds that are way out of range, crippling them, and ruining the hunt for others.
Unsportsmanlike is shooting at birds that are way out of range, crippling them, and ruining the hunt for others.
arwaterfowler
Active Member
ElkTrout
Veteran member
One of my buddies that I hunt with on a regular basis has a son that is getting involved in hunting! This waterfowl season we have allowed him to take birds that we have landed in the decoys. The thought is to teach the safe handling of a gun in the blind, and give him the confidence in his shooting ability! He has taken his first duck and goose this season. It probably won?t be long before he will be shooting them feet down landing in the decoys! In my opinion he has come a long way this season!!
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swampokie
Veteran member
MountainHigh
Active Member
CrimsonArrow
Very Active Member
Heck yeah, shoot em right in the face. Hunting can be hard enough, have to take the easy ones whenever you can.
Prerylyon
Veteran member
If shooting the duck sitting is completed-stalk, kill, recovery, preparation for a meal-its all good in my book. We want to attract kids to hunting, not push them away. Explain to them the skill and fun of calling and decoying, and they will work up to those levels of finesse over time.
As an aside, I used to run bird dogs and some of my purist buddies would get upset if we ground pounded a ruffed grouse. I don't take issue with it for the most part. My preference, of course, is to shoot them over a nice point, but if its a slow day or you have a kid you're trying to get fired up for hunting, so what? As long as its legal, a safe shot, and the game is recovered, I see no problem.
Regards,
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As an aside, I used to run bird dogs and some of my purist buddies would get upset if we ground pounded a ruffed grouse. I don't take issue with it for the most part. My preference, of course, is to shoot them over a nice point, but if its a slow day or you have a kid you're trying to get fired up for hunting, so what? As long as its legal, a safe shot, and the game is recovered, I see no problem.
Regards,
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Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
I'n not going to pass judgement on others on how they legally take birds. My Dad always pounded into me it was not good form to "ground sloose" birds. Those where his words. It just wasn't considered good form. The only exception was a wounded, downed bird.
We really used to razz each other for ground sloosing.
We really used to razz each other for ground sloosing.
RICMIC
Veteran member
When I was a teen, a buddy and I would canoe into a couple lakes to hunt the portages between them for grouse. You only had about 1/10th of a millisecond to shoot a flying grouse before it was into the thick woods, so we gladly ground-pounded them when we got the chance. The most fun on those hunts was sneaking up on the ducks from shore; I bet it took us over an hour before we got the range. The last time we managed to bang three ducks (and a coot), but it was on the wrong side of the portage, so we had to go back for the canoe and pack it over the 3/4 mile long portage. Brad is gone now, but the memories live on. CARPE DIEM!!
Lots of great advise. Getting a young kid on game,no problem. Perylyon
is right. Explain to them the art of decoying,calling and shooting birds
feet down coming in and they will want to shoot them on the wing.
Most important is they will learn by what you do.
But I definitely fall into Colorado Cowboy's camp.
is right. Explain to them the art of decoying,calling and shooting birds
feet down coming in and they will want to shoot them on the wing.
Most important is they will learn by what you do.
But I definitely fall into Colorado Cowboy's camp.
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
- 3,816
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If birds will land I let them land. If they circle more than 2 times and they are in range I lay into them then afterwards I try to correct the problem, blind sticking out, decoy placement, no calling. more calling. Whatever it takes to get them to land.
If they land I shoot them on the ground or on the water.
I do this for 4 reasons.
1. A bird on the water doesn't get shot in its breast to have to deal with during processing.
2. I can normally kill more than one or two with 1 shot. ( I have shot a limit of geese with one shot on multiple occasions...)
3. I can allow everyone in the group a good opportunity as the birds flush.
4. More dead birds = faster limits= less educated birds in the area=more productive shoots for the days to come.
There is NOTHING wrong with shooting a bird on the water. EVER.
My crew over the years really appreciated me letting birds land. They hunted with others that wouldn't allow it.
To each their own but I'll water swat the hell out of them.
If they land I shoot them on the ground or on the water.
I do this for 4 reasons.
1. A bird on the water doesn't get shot in its breast to have to deal with during processing.
2. I can normally kill more than one or two with 1 shot. ( I have shot a limit of geese with one shot on multiple occasions...)
3. I can allow everyone in the group a good opportunity as the birds flush.
4. More dead birds = faster limits= less educated birds in the area=more productive shoots for the days to come.
There is NOTHING wrong with shooting a bird on the water. EVER.
My crew over the years really appreciated me letting birds land. They hunted with others that wouldn't allow it.
To each their own but I'll water swat the hell out of them.
Fink
Veteran member
Dead greentops tell no tales. haha!
Around here, educating birds is a big deal.. Landing a small bunch of birds, and killing them all is a much better deal than shooting 2-3 out of a flock of 50.
I'll take a waterswatter in my blind over a skybuster any day.
dustin ray
Veteran member
The best part about it shooting ducks on the water one can see where he is shooting must folks will shoot low its a good way for a newbe to understand how a shotgun patterns and latter when he needs to shot a cripple he know how to do it