Hulls

walk213

walk213

Active member
Because I publish my hunting videos, I am often criticized for not picking up my hulls. While I edit out collecting my spent shells, candidly, I do miss a few (but usually get them on a future trip). I used to carry a magnetic stick, but that did not work. My eyes and brain are trained on the bird after I shoot. Sometimes I lose track of where the shell ejected. If you shoot an autoloader, how do you locate all of your spent hulls in deep grass? I don't like leaving any plastic in the fields...ever.
 
If you want to recover your hulls, best switch to a double. I also shoot an auto and really struggle finding many spent hulls in the heavy cover here in Iowa. I would like to have them back to reload again (Win AA hulls). I find a few from past seasons while hunting and doing habitat maintenance, but the vast majority are reclaimed by mother nature. I am not sure how long the plastic takes to break-down, but I am assuming it does by looking at old ones you do find. We don't want to leave them, but it happens, even when you want to recover them.
 
This was my primary reason for switching from a pump to an O/U. I don't care for semi-autos and wouldn't take one into the uplands, in part because of the spent hull problem. I do sometimes still hunt with my Wingmaster and often just try to pick my shells up while the dogs retrieve (benefit to owning labs, as you know, is that the retrieve is fun to watch but not often something I need to worry about). I'm usually about 50/50 on finding them. The Ithaca that I quail hunt with drops the shells right at my feet, and I have better luck tracking down the spent hulls, but losing them really bothers me, so most of the time I carry an O/U now.
 
I try to pick up my hauls, but miss some. Why show others where you shot at birds (especially on grouse trails). ;)

Do not lose sleep over this.

I try to pick up any / all hauls that I come across so my net effect is actually pretty respectable.
 
remy3424 said:
If you want to recover your hulls, best switch to a double. I also shoot an auto and really struggle finding many spent hulls in the heavy cover here in Iowa. I would like to have them back to reload again (Win AA hulls). I find a few from past seasons while hunting and doing habitat maintenance, but the vast majority are reclaimed by mother nature. I am not sure how long the plastic takes to break-down, but I am assuming it does by looking at old ones you do find. We don't want to leave them, but it happens, even when you want to recover them.
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I am so comfortable with my Ethos that I cannot change shotguns. It is like removing a 10 year old putter from your bag. Cannot do it. I pick up 3 to 6 spent rounds per trip. Best I can do.
 
BRITTMAN said:
I try to pick up my hauls, but miss some. Why show others where you shot at birds (especially on grouse trails). ;)

Do not lose sleep over this.

I try to pick up any / all hauls that I come across so my net effect is actually pretty respectable.
Click to expand...

Appreciate it. I do the same. Try to not litter. I just sometimes cannot find the hull.
 
s.davis said:
This was my primary reason for switching from a pump to an O/U. I don't care for semi-autos and wouldn't take one into the uplands, in part because of the spent hull problem. I do sometimes still hunt with my Wingmaster and often just try to pick my shells up while the dogs retrieve (benefit to owning labs, as you know, is that the retrieve is fun to watch but not often something I need to worry about). I'm usually about 50/50 on finding them. The Ithaca that I quail hunt with drops the shells right at my feet, and I have better luck tracking down the spent hulls, but losing them really bothers me, so most of the time I carry an O/U now.
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Thanks. I am 30/70 on finding them. Cannot leave the Ethos.
 
walk213 said:
I am so comfortable with my Ethos that I cannot change shotguns. It is like removing a 10 year old putter from your bag. Cannot do it. I pick up 3 to 6 spent rounds per trip. Best I can do.
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Better than most if the shells I see on public land are any indicator.
 
I guess I'll be honest here, and maybe on behalf of others not speaking up. While hunting I have never picked one up nor even thought about searching for one to pick up. My reasoning? It's never crossed my mind until reading this post. I did not grow up hunting, taught most of it to myself over trial and error and lots of online research, videos, etc. I have never seen it mentioned in hunters safety/gun training, hunting shows, articles, new hunter etiquette, or witnessed it happen by fellow hunters. Being an outdoorsman and environment guy, I feel bad I've never even thought about picking them up. The materials they are made of are going to take a long time to breakdown. I also don't know how many I would really find, most of my hunting is in thick cover. The occasional times when I drop a shell out of my pocket, hand, etc. is difficult enough to find the lost shell while watching it hit the ground. It is something I will try to do starting next season though.
 
Dad is a hardcore reloader, never shot any factory rifle ammo. Up until 10 years ago, the only time he shot factory shotgun shells was when he needed new hulls. He got rid of an 1100 because he didn't like losing hulls. That drove me to 'find the hulls'.

I still look for them, but if not immediately visible, I go on. Most of my bird hunting is in waist high grass. They're not easy to see.

I also don't take offense when I see somebody else's empty laying in the grass. Its just kind of a time capsule to me. Someobdy, at some point previously, got into some shooting here. Shot an antelope in Wyoming a couple years ago from a ridge top. After the shot, looked down at my feet and there on the ground was a weathered 30-40 Krag empty. I'd never seen a shell in that chambering in person, threw it in my pocket, its now in my nightstand with my other 'cool finds'.

On the other hand, gatorade bottles and candy bar wrappers piss me off. I police my trash making and make sure its all captured, as well as pick up others that I come across.
 
To me, it's kind of a necessary (somewhat unfortunate) byproduct of my life. We try our best to take care of our world, but there are some things we haven't reasonably solved yet. How to not create garbage. How to not create auto exhaust. How to not lose hulls sometimes. They're usually pretty easy when I target shoot, hunt waterfowl, or even doves. Pheasants....no, not really. They're good & smelly though. Maybe we should start training puppies to find them. How hard would it be?
 
I shoot an O/U 90% of the time. No problem with lost hulls. I do sometimes carry a Benelli M2 in 20 while blocking or on long treks. More shots when blocking, less weight on long treks.

I have had 2 Labs that bring me my empties when I carry the Benelli. Obviously, I never taught this. One is old and retired now. The other is my main companion. She will retrieve the bird and then as I'm loading the vest she hunts around and brings me the hull(s). Don't have a clue how she decided to do this other than that drive to retrieve flying objects. Clearly, they are easy for her to smell. Whatever. I'll take it and smile. (No she doesn't get every hull but most of them.)
 
walk213 said:
Because I publish my hunting videos, I am often criticized for not picking up my hulls. While I edit out collecting my spent shells, candidly, I do miss a few (but usually get them on a future trip). I used to carry a magnetic stick, but that did not work. My eyes and brain are trained on the bird after I shoot. Sometimes I lose track of where the shell ejected. If you shoot an autoloader, how do you locate all of your spent hulls in deep grass? I don't like leaving any plastic in the fields...ever.
Click to expand...

I video my hunts as well (biglerbirdhunting on youtube) - I stopped caring about people complaining about hulls. You pick the ones up you can, its all you can do. I would rather not lose a downed bird vs making sure I picked up that hull otherwise why even pull the trigger in the first place.
 
Chestle said:
I shoot an O/U 90% of the time. No problem with lost hulls. I do sometimes carry a Benelli M2 in 20 while blocking or on long treks. More shots when blocking, less weight on long treks.

I have had 2 Labs that bring me my empties when I carry the Benelli. Obviously, I never taught this. One is old and retired now. The other is my main companion. She will retrieve the bird and then as I'm loading the vest she hunts around and brings me the hull(s). Don't have a clue how she decided to do this other than that drive to retrieve flying objects. Clearly, they are easy for her to smell. Whatever. I'll take it and smile. (No she doesn't get every hull but most of them.)
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I have 2 labs as well. The 7m old will hit the fields next fall. I don't think that Echo or Josey would ever bring me a hull. I shoot an Ethos 80% of the time. A 828u 20% of the time. Easy to to collect hulls with the 828u.
 
MAB7799 said:
I video my hunts as well (biglerbirdhunting on youtube) - I stopped caring about people complaining about hulls. You pick the ones up you can, its all you can do. I would rather not lose a downed bird vs making sure I picked up that hull otherwise why even pull the trigger in the first place.
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I lost 2 roosters on Friday despite having 4 experienced dogs. I am still upset about that. I picked up 5 hulls throughout the day. I am not upset about leaving 2 in the field.
 
My son had a Chessie who would retrieve the bird &then get the wad. At the end of a shoot she would have a little pile in the blind.
 
Nasty-G said:
My son had a Chessie who would retrieve the bird &then get the wad. At the end of a shoot she would have a little pile in the blind.
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That's PERFECT!

Good dog.


I do pick up as I shoot, and often abandoned shells I see as well.

Things are changing, perhaps inevitably, with less stewardship for the properties we hunt on; or so it seems to me.


Be well.
 
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