Novice Question- Shooting ducks on the water

[Snowwalker]

Thing is the charge would be failure to immediately retrieve (if they can prove you shot it) not hunting with a live decoy if the bird was not place by you. To state otherwise your story belongs at scuttlebutt lodge.

If a hunting group makes it a practice to allow cripples to swim for the expressed purpose of having them attract other birds, you would also be charge for using live decoys. The trick is to have a witness that will swear in court that it is how the group hunts.

What better witness then a licensed guide.

Yes the failure charge would also be one of the charges.

[jaycee]

If a hunting group makes it a practice to allow cripples to swim for the expressed purpose of having them attract other birds, you would also be charge for using live decoys. The trick is to have a witness that will swear in court that it is how the group hunts.

What better witness then a licensed guide.
Yes the failure charge would also be one of the charges.

In court that would float like a lead balloon,as the regulations state;

Any person who kills, cripples or injures a migratory game bird shall immediately make all reasonable efforts to retrieve the bird and if it is still alive, immediately kill and include it in his daily bag limit.

I doubt very much that "a licensed guide " would want to have himself charged , wind up in court and pay a substantial fine and loose his business.

[rick_iles]

If a hunting group makes it a practice to allow cripples to swim for the expressed purpose of having them attract other birds, you would also be charge for using live decoys. The trick is to have a witness that will swear in court that it is how the group hunts.

What better witness then a licensed guide.

Yes the failure charge would also be one of the charges.

Not a chance !

[Snowwalker]

I doubt very much that "a licensed guide " would want to have himself charged , wind up in court and pay a substantial fine and loose his business.

You have it backwards......DNR asks guy to join hunting group to help convict them by providing eye witness accounts of their actions. Said informant has protection from charges. Saw it more then a few times. Deer hunters, bear hunters, waterfowl.

[JayStyles]

I think Snowwalker should of started his own thread. Your bringing this one totally off topic. It started with shooting birds on the water and now you have it about leaving cripples, to having stings setup by the law. Back to the topic asked, if you have the chance to shoot a bird on the water, in range, and want to then do it. If you dont want to then dont. If you dont want to then yell at the bird and wave your arms until it flys up then shoot it. A dead duck in your bag is always a good thing.

[krakadawn]

In court that would float like a lead balloon,as the regulations state;

Any person who kills, cripples or injures a migratory game bird shall immediately make all reasonable efforts to retrieve the bird and if it is still alive, immediately kill and include it in his daily bag limit.

I doubt very much that "a licensed guide " would want to have himself charged , wind up in court and pay a substantial fine and loose his business.

Jaycee has quoted the statement that is the law.

I don't shoot birds on the water, neither does my partner. That's our choice. If they are cripples then definitely yes and as quickly as I can before I send the dog....this is completely different.

Silly argument about live/wild birds in your decoys as to be construed as hunting with live decoys and therefore an offense. Now if several teal flew in and decided to swim, we'd probably pass since we're after mallards/blacks etc. So yup they'd not be shot and are free to leave at any point, certainly not restrained as a live decoy

[diverduck]

Ok guys I can't quote multi post right now. SO please bear with me.

I know about the market hunting thing. There is also people that will leave a cripple swimming around instead of finishing it, knowing that it will attract other birds.

Now as a CO makes his/her rounds they see a set of decoy on the pond and one or more live birds swimming around. As he watches you and your buddies hunting no one swats the bird and wonders if you may be letting a cripple suffer. The CO walks down to the blinds and asks questions. Now jf it is a diver and your decoyes are mallards I am sure you can just say you don't want divers.
On the other hand if it's all puddle ducks and the live bird would NOT put you over a limit( Black limit for example ) it would be hard to convince someone you are not leaving the bird there with the intent to use it to attract others. Which one of the posts here said that they in fact do.

Now if the CO TELLS you to swat and retrieve it, you had better hope to heck that the reason it was not flying was because it is in fact crippled.

The habit of leaving a cripple to swim was so common in one of the areas I hunted, that the DNR ran stings. I mean they had guys hunt with the people and then give evidence in court.

You are really overthinking things dude!

[Jayardia]

I've generally received what I was looking for through the initial question in the thread; I don't really mind if it "derails" ...such is the nature of dynamic & evolving conversation.

Thanks again for your responses folks. —Genuinely appreciated!

[Snowwalker]

I've generally received what I was looking for through the initial question in the thread; I don't really mind if it "derails" ...such is the nature of dynamic & evolving conversation.

Thanks again for your responses folks. —Genuinely appreciated!

Well sorry to take it on a hard left anyways.
Sinker said a livs bird in the decoys was good. I asked if he was talking about a live decoy. He made the comment "What's CO going to do?" Insinuating there was no rule against it.

So there is the fork in the road. Or off the cliff.

[Snowwalker]

You are really overthinking things dude!

Not overthinking anything. Talking from experince and court records.

It comes down to INTENT. If the CO can prove that you do not shot cripples so that they can be used to attact more birds, well "You can tell your story to the Judge". It will not be the only charge you get but it only takes a conviction on one of the charges.