Bird limits

gimruis said:
Well this one went off the rails from counting a lost bird to a full blown argument about 28 gauge shotguns.

My opinion on the lost bird, as others have stated, is that you need to make a reasonable attempt to recover that bird. Who cares if it fell in a sea of cattails that appears impossible to get to. Try. Or don't hunt there. I don't lose many birds, less than one/season. I lost one bird last year and that was the first one in years. When I lose one, I do not count it in my bag limit.

A buck/deer is a different story. Quite often the bag limit on a deer is only one, especially a buck. I've never lost a wounded deer. Honestly I don't know what I'd do. That would bother me a lot more than losing a rooster.
Click to expand...
It’s a very awful feeling losing a wounded buck. I wanted to quit hunting forever. I have quite the story from last year.
 
Bassin said:
This evening, I was able to flush 2 roosters and drop them both. But unfortunately lost one in the thick cattails. I think the bird may have ran off and the pup couldn’t catch up to it. Anywho, I came back to the truck at 330 as another hunter pulled into the parking lot. I told him I was done with two shot and 1 recovery. This is where we got into an interesting conversation. He told me I should still be able to keep hunting since I only recovered 1 bird. I told him a situation I had over a decade ago waterfowl hunting.

I was with a group of 6 guys that day and we happen to hit a nice migration of ducks. A buddy hit two ducks that sailed a few hundred yards into thick cattails. We all watch the ducks drop but knew the recovery was next to impossible. The guys decided to keep on hunting until he gets his 2 birds. As we were packing up, a boat approached us and we knew right away they were COs. They came and checked our limits. We had the exact limit for 6 guys. This was when one of the COs brought up the two birds that sailed several hundred yards into the cattails. He asked who was the shooter(s) and my buddy answered. He was issued a two bird over limit citation but the CO was nice enough to not take his “gun” from him. . Granted we were all LEOs. Honest truth was we felt like the COs could have handle it better but it is what it is. My buddy tried to contest it at court and loss.

We later ask another CO who worked in our area and he agrees with what the CO did. He said if you as a hunter knew you hit your target and more than likely the animal/bird is going to be dead, err on the safe side and count it towards your limit whether you recover it or not because if a CO witness it, it’s on their discretion. And more than likely the court will be on their side. I asked him what about a deer? Bear? And his answer was it depends!

So this brings me back to my chat with the hunter today. He said BS, if the CO brings him his dead bird than he will own up to it otherwise he keeps shooting away.

So do you guys keep shooting away or do you count loss bird towards your daily limit?
Click to expand...
Did the guy who shot the two birds leave his blind and make a good effort of retrieving the birds? If not he deserves the ticket.
 
Years and years ago my brother found a massive nontypical buck in a cattail slough while pheasant hunting ... obviously shot (do not remember if firearm or archery) but not recovered. He called the warden and met up with him later that afternoon ... he got to cut off and keep the antlers ... the warden took the rest of the deer.
 
Pepper: That ticket would be for wanton waste. You have to make an effort to recover a shot animal (especially waterfowl covered under both Federal and state regs). Once you recover it the laws from state to state differ on what you do with the meat.

Wanton waste. You must make a reasonable effort to retrieve all waterfowl that you kill or cripple and keep these birds in your actual custody while in the field. You must immediately kill any wounded birds
Click to expand...
 
BRITTMAN said:
Pepper: That ticket would be for wanton waste. You have to make an effort to recover a shot animal (especially waterfowl covered under both Federal and state regs). Once you recover it the laws from state to state differ on what you do with the meat.
Click to expand...
Buddy didn’t get a wanton waste ticket. Like I said above, the DNR knew that no one was able to retrieve the birds that flew a few hundred yards into nothing but cattails. They told my buddy that he was over limit by two birds. If he would have counted the two ducks and stop shooting, he would have been fine. It was not the effort of retrieving the ducks because they understood that it was impossible. Their thing was, if the bird was hit and dropped, even hundreds yards away and the person knew it dropped, it’s counted in the person’s bag limit whether retrieve or not. So the buddy was fined for over limit and not wanton waste.
 
benelli-banger said:
Not implying that they’re shooting many pheasants with 28 gauges, most aren’t suggesting that, sorry if I implied that. They’re simply suggesting that a 28 should be choked tighter for it to be effective, regardless of what your quarry is. Most over there will outright advise against using 28’s for pheasants, but if you do, use over pointers and keep your shots within 30 yards and be choked M/F, and be a good shot. There’s a lot of ruffed grouse and sharpie/hun hunters over there…certainly some pheasant hunters…but again, they’re generally advising that 28’s be choked more tightly. FWIW, this place is like being in a bar at midnight much of the time, and that place is like being in a university lecture hall…check it out, some VERY learned people use that board.
Click to expand...
I'm going to try mod.full.
 
Goosemaster said:
I make every effort to recover birds.Simetimes a half hour.Im always solo,so that doesn't help. They will get into places that are impossible to get to.Thats the way it is.I don't like to loose them.Critters will get them.
Click to expand...

It works out better for the critters if you use nontoxic shot.
 
Goosemaster said:
I'm going to try mod.full.
Click to expand...
If you don't get close shots stick with the 12. I love my 16s, and I don't care what anyone says, with heavy load normal lead shot it is barely enough for the long shots. I'm talking over 30 yards. I'm also not stating just lost birds but dead on the ground birds. My experience worst to best includes, Ithaca 37 modified around 50 % dead. Browning Citori lightning, mod, and full around 60%. Rizzini Imp. Mod. and full, around 70%. None of those are exact but not to far off. My Beretta Onyx ultralight 12. full and extra full is probably around 80-85%. I've seen several D.O.A. ones at 40-45.
 
Bassin: I was answering Pepper's comment on effort to recover. Failure to try is wanton waste.

If you know...
Was the arresting officer Federal or State ? Which state ?
Did your friend take this ticket to court ? ... he should have.
Did your friend have prior tickets on record ... this does make a difference and will now in the future with this one added.


Daily limit is typically what you have in your possession. You can discuss the ethics of continuing to shoot, but I do not see that the daily limit in possession law was broken.


Waterfowl do carry different sets of rules because Federal rules trump state rules, and both are enforceable.

Here is one often missed by many:
  • Shooting a Group Limit Each hunter is entitled to harvest only his or her personal daily bag limit
    You are not allowed to help others obtain their limit or to continue shooting until everyone in the blind gets a limit. When you take your limit, you must stop shooting and become an observer while hunters who don't have a full limit continue to hunt. In addition, hunters must maintain possession of their own birds in the blind. Retrieved birds should not be piled together but immediately distributed to the hunters who harvested them. You should possess only the birds you shot. (A good idea is for each hunter to have his or her own game strap, so birds can be kept in possession of those who shot them.)
Click to expand...
 
Goosemaster said:
Yeah and you loose
Click to expand...

BRITTMAN said:
Bassin: I was answering Pepper's comment on effort to recover. Failure to try is wanton waste.

If you know...
Was the arresting officer Federal or State ? Which state ?
Did your friend take this ticket to court ? ... he should have.
Did your friend have prior tickets on record ... this does make a difference and will now in the future with this one added.


Daily limit is typically what you have in your possession. You can discuss the ethics of continuing to shoot, but I do not see that the daily limit in possession law was broken.


Waterfowl do carry different sets of rules because Federal rules trump state rules, and both are enforceable.

Here is one often missed by many:
Click to expand...
It’s MN and MN DNR. Don’t think he has ever been cited for anything, and he did contest the citation but loss. Again, we were a bunch of LEOs and at the end of the day, we understand that the COs has a job to do.
 
I wonder if this is a big thing they do all the time. Normally they clarify the laws if it is an issue. From Colorado regulations our daily limit just says "DAILY BAG LIMIT: maximum number of wildlife you can take in a day, including any eaten or donated during the day they're taken." So the question is if taking means killing or recovering of game.

Personally I think it's just too impossible to prove if an animal was killed without them recovering the animal to show it was killed. Otherwise we would have to say you can only take shots at a total of x birds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top