Ever feel guilty for shooting a rooster?
- Thread starter niceshot
- Start date
I know what you mean! Here in Ga the tree huggers have stopped all logging in North GA which is almost all National Forests. they do not realize the forrests must renew themselves either by fire or cutting timber in order for succional species to exist! We have simply been educated beyond our intelligence. The long and short of it is that the Ruffed grouse is all but gone and quail are too! I quit going because after a few trips up and down mountains and not seeing or even hearing a flush, I began to think if I pulled the trigger on one it might well have been the LAST one there. Unfortunately I knew a number of people who hunted them as if they hated them, and would have bragged about killing the last one! I guess as in all things, let your conscience be your guide.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
I remember 1 rooster in particular that I kind of regretted shooting in 1992 for another reason. I worked this bird over a dozen days. He almost always ran out onto the highway right-of-way, flushed, flew 1/4 mile into a cattail slew that was impossible to walk in due to water and deep mud. One day in December it was snowing 1 inch snowflakes and we tried him again. Star pointed him. When I raised the Winchester, a big bluestem seedhead slid off of my arm and nailed me in the left eye. It threw my shot off just as I pulled the trigger. I broke a wing and Star acted like there never was a bird in the area. I tried to get her on track, nuttin. Hawk was a pup. I looked around for him and couldn't see him anywhere. I climbed to the top of the knoll and looked from there. Hawk was standing on the rooster looking at me as if to say "would you come get this thing"? I missed that old long spur! It wasn't the same hunting that patch without him there to trip me up.
Seems to me the problem is all the crap that is cleverly disguised as science out there that gullible people fall for.... it amazes me when I see some folks who sure should know better falling for some load of horse hoooeeey.
Futher re-inforces the fact that the internet is the cowards playground.
Michigan Gunner
Member
Can't Save them All
Your are right. You can't stockpile wild birds. We lose around 80% or more each year whether we hunt them or not. It's just the way of the world. What you need is good habitat so the remaining 20% are still there to produce next year's young birds.
Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock!
Your are right. You can't stockpile wild birds. We lose around 80% or more each year whether we hunt them or not. It's just the way of the world. What you need is good habitat so the remaining 20% are still there to produce next year's young birds.
Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock!
legend has it that Theodore Roseveldt shot the last free range buffalo in North Dakota, went on to become argueably the greatest conservationist of all time. We hunters are odd lot! No other endeavour I can think of is such where the adversaries are so closely linked in a struggle between life, death, and preservation. As the old adage say's we manage and care for the species, and I mean hunter and hunted alike, the individuals on either side are passengers on the voyage, but unimportant in the grand scheme. Troy, I had an old rooster years ago in NE Kansas, we would see him out in the open along the only cover in a quarter section of cut corn, a weedy small drainage ditch, you'd swear wouldn't hide a sparrow. We hunted it for two years, took some young birds out of it, never a sign of the old boy, never a flush, anything, like he disappeared, one day my young setter starts barking, and we find her digging furiously in an old badger hole, my friends start laughing, right up to the point she pulls her head out with a mouthful of rooster feathers! You guessed it the crafty old devil watched us start to work and went to ground everytime. That was his undoing, we put the longspur to bag, but I never drove by that parcel without looking for him there after, and feeling a little sorry not to see him strutting around. The cat and mouse game was the best part. I never felt bad or diminished as he made fools of us.
As I think about more I think what we should feel guilty of is letting the states of Missouri, Iowa, Illinios, ( I could go on and on), become biological waste lands on our watch. Allowing our politicians to cater to special interests, allow the destruction of natural resources, affecting clean water, clean air, soil erosion, these are all what we should feel guilty of. A rooster here or there is only is a symptom of the greater disease.
1pheas4
Moderator
I've been in this situation. Time and time again I was so close to this particular wild rooster and he just kept giving my dog and I the slip right from under our feet. Finally I just let him go without any further pursuit. It was a respect thing. Silly I know.
On the other hand, I had a young inexperienced wild rooster my dog flushed 2 times. It was not my day for shooting!! I missed clear as day every time he flushed. He would land no further than 60-70 yards from the flush every time.
I caught up to him for a 3rd time and finally hit him. For what ever reason I wish I had let him go.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
1pheas, sounds like the yucca quail! Was hunting with David and JR on some private land when Drifter was alive. She pointed a covey and we had some success only to find her still on point after. I went over to this yucca clump and kicked it. She flinched, but held. I literally abused this yucca clump to no avail. I'd gotten to the point I was about to call her a liar, but saw a hole under the clump. I stuck my leg in the hole almost up to my pocket before I felt a quail fluttering against my foot. I finally got it to flush with Dave providing cover. He panned 3X. The quail flew down the draw and landed in a mowed hay field with 3 inches of cover. We followed with Drifter and she set the bird a second time. Dave flushed and misses 3 more times. The bird flew back up the draw. We followed and Drifter established another point on the yucca plant. I gave Dave the "git er done" sign and he flushed the bird for the third time, missed 3 times. The quail returned to the stubble field. Drifter promptly did her part and, with Dave begging for help, we stepped aside and let him flush again. You guessed it, 3 misses. We followed the quail back up the draw 20 yards short of the yucca plant. Drifter locked on once again. I stood looking for a minute then walked in and picked up the gasping quail and handed it to Dave! JR was beside himself watching the circus! I know he couldn't have hit anything the way he was laughing!
mnmthunting
Banned
If we could tell the males from the females of grouse or quail while in flight it would be OK to pass on the females. I'm talking about areas where the birds are far and few.
As for the Rooster Pheasants, it's great that we can easily identify the hens. In most cases your doing the local population good by getting the hen to rooster ratio at around 8 hens per rooster. So no, don't feel guilty about taking a few roosters. If you talking about the last rooster in a area? Hunt someplace else.:cheers:
As for the Rooster Pheasants, it's great that we can easily identify the hens. In most cases your doing the local population good by getting the hen to rooster ratio at around 8 hens per rooster. So no, don't feel guilty about taking a few roosters. If you talking about the last rooster in a area? Hunt someplace else.:cheers:
BritChaser
Well-known member
Not guilt, but gratitude and the realization that I have killed a creature. But they all get eaten and that's nothing but good.
kansasbrittany
Banned
only a pointer
Banned
heck no as many times as ive been outsmarted by one i cant wait to get back and smoke his{)*(&^ when they get up and cackle and i dust him i say cackle now (*&^%(*^$
Toad
Active member
:laugh::cheers:
Guilty!
Maybe it is one of those things that happens as we get older but I find that I, more often than not, have at least a small bit of remorse everytime I shoot a pheasant or a ruffed grouse. It is too bad that sometimes you can't do catch and release on birds. The time that I don't take just a second to admire the beauty of God's creation in my hand is the time I should put the gun away for good. Maybe I'm getting too soft but I will say that it does not stop me from enjoying a beautiful day afield with my dogs and good friends. John
Maybe it is one of those things that happens as we get older but I find that I, more often than not, have at least a small bit of remorse everytime I shoot a pheasant or a ruffed grouse. It is too bad that sometimes you can't do catch and release on birds. The time that I don't take just a second to admire the beauty of God's creation in my hand is the time I should put the gun away for good. Maybe I'm getting too soft but I will say that it does not stop me from enjoying a beautiful day afield with my dogs and good friends. John
Montana Husker
Banned
Why feel guilty? Roosters will drive off or even kill hens at food sources in winter time. Its best to lower there numbers so more hens survive the winter. One rooster can mate with several hens. Mother nature is are far more cruel fate then staring down the barrel of a shotgun.
1pheas4
Moderator
I can relate and I'm sure many others do too BM. Every season I seem to become more thankful to God and the game harvested. For brief instances I've considered putting the gun down and picking up a camera instead. But knowing this just will not work out for me I continue in the hunt.
There is something deeply rooting in us. I suppose it's as old as man. When we harvest game a gap is closed. Something is fulfilled and the circle is complete. It's not blood thirst or a desire to kill. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it's there and it most definitely is not deviant in nature, but to the contrarily has a Godly/good feel to it. It allows joy and thankfulness to over flow from our hearts and onto our lips and this is good.
I have a quick story to add in. In the 80's my dad was shot by a close friend while hunting Ruffed Grouse. He put his gun down and started taking photos of game instead of hunting them. I remember him telling me there was something missing. Something was not fulfilled. It seems the camera didn't allow him to experience the closeness and connection with the game as he experience while hunting/harvesting game. He eventually picked the shot gun back up again and is still hunting to this day.
only a pointer
Banned
well said to tell you the truth they make me mad lol