Ground swatting

gimruis

gimruis

Well-known member
Yesterday when I was hunting I had a fully alive wild rooster run through an opening in the brush/grass. The dog had gone on the downwind side of the habitat, and I was standing on the other side, so I knew where she was. The rooster ran across about a 20 foot opening into another patch of habitat. I was ready for a bird to flush, because I knew the dog was hot. For a split second, I thought about shooting that rooster on the ground, also known as "ground swatting" and I even raised my gun. In fact, I did not, and it ended up flushing further down the cover out of range, but I am pretty sure I could have dusted it as it ran across that opening because I was ready for it.

Do you ever ground swat birds? Obviously most of here are hunting with dogs so the issue is that I don't want to risk shooting at ground level with a dog around. In this specific case that would not have been an issue.
 
Once. It was a bird that just absolutely refused to fly, i think it had already been hit previously (public land). Kept chasing it around and it would slip the dog every time and end up in the next dense patch of cover. It got old after 15-20 minutes. The dog owner said "shoot it next time its away from the dog" so i rolled it like rabbit hunting the next time it slipped the dog and headed across a thin patch of grass.

I dont need rooster meat bad enough to just openly ground pound a fresh bird. Thats not what rooster hunting is about for me. it did feel good to "finish" that bird though, im sure our 15-20 min chase and instantly death was a lot better than what would have happened when a coyote or fox found it eventually
 
This past weekend I was hunting with a new-to-me hunting partner who is much less experienced. We were walking a short hedgerow. There were three dogs on the ground, two of mine and his. Both of mine are on point on the downwind side of the hedgerow about 20 yards apart. I was on that side and I can't see his dog. Anyway, the first point was a rooster that ran out into the cut corn on other side. The guy over there sees it and yells at me about it. I yell back "don't shoot it on the ground". Don't know if would have or not, but he didn't. It did end up flushing in range, and he missed it twice. The other point was a covey of quail. They also flushed to his side and he missed them too.

I've seen very few clean shots at wild unwounded roosters on the ground. Honestly I'm not sure I can clearly remember another one. Regardless, you shoot at a bird on the ground you're not being invited back and/or I'm not accepting any more invitations. That goes for cripples too.
 
So I will admit my father born in 1918 was a swatter delux. Rabbits, quail, pheasants often out of the car window. It’s how a grew up so of course I did it a little up into my early twenties. I have not since, killing a pheasant that my dog has tracked, pointed and retrieved is a great feeling. Popping one on the ground lowers my IQ a bit and I don’t have much to spare.
 
Thats how grandpa taught me to kill grouse in the north woods. Granted no dog, .410 single shot fixed full choke on the bicycle handlebars, aim for the very top of the head. Now - I Dont do that hunting with dogs.
 
gimruis said:
Yesterday when I was hunting I had a fully alive wild rooster run through an opening in the brush/grass. The dog had gone on the downwind side of the habitat, and I was standing on the other side, so I knew where she was. The rooster ran across about a 20 foot opening into another patch of habitat. I was ready for a bird to flush, because I knew the dog was hot. For a split second, I thought about shooting that rooster on the ground, also known as "ground swatting" and I even raised my gun. In fact, I did not, and it ended up flushing further down the cover out of range, but I am pretty sure I could have dusted it as it ran across that opening because I was ready for it.

Do you ever ground swat birds? Obviously most of here are hunting with dogs so the issue is that I don't want to risk shooting at ground level with a dog around. In this specific case that would not have been an issue.
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I would do that if I were hungry, as in needing food
 
No go around me/my dog as well. Additionally, if you can see the dog and the bird in the same "frame" as it flushes, no go.
Wait til it climbs and/or is away from the dog.
My lab has grabbed slow flushing birds out of the air above his head if he is on them. He also is a speed demon, if it's a low, low flushing and flying bird, he's gonna be on it.
My dog is worth more than a bird.....if one is that hard up for food/meat.....I'll buy you a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the store! 😆
 
I've ground swatted a few turkeys before. They are considered upland game! I think I'm pretty good at shooting running birds, it's just like the rabbit target in sporting clays. This year I had a staggered double on roosters. The first bird goes down dead as a hammer and both 🐕 run to fetch. The second bird flew a different direction and dropped in a plowed field. He immediately got up and started running. I didn't shoot, and when he hit the grassy ditch we never found him.
 
Years ago i carried a single shot 10 gauge behind my seat for fox . My buddy and his dad were with pheasant hunting. We hunted a slough on a friend's farm and were driving down the road when my buddy says hey get the 10 gauge out and shoot that rooster. The old bird was standing in a stubble field 80 yards off the road. I jumped out and touched off a 3 1/2" loaded with 2 and 5/8's ounces of BB shot. To my buddies dad astonishment flattened that bird like you had hit him at 15 yards.
That was over 30 years ago and his late dad brought that up when we all were together 3 years ago.
 
I make.it known to first time hunters with me that we are only hunting birds and we dont shoot at anything on the ground and the birds should be above eye level before you shoot. Only exceptions would be like two days ago my GWP caught a woodchuck and brought it back to me. I had my buddy hold my dog by the collar behind me and I dispatched it.
It's been a long time since I've seen a woodchuck in mid December?
 
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