Messed Up Hunt--Dissappointed At Myself

kiotehntr said:
I actually saw 2 hens out of the same field hit the electric wire a few weeks ago in the Hill City area...First time to see them hit the wires.
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Ive seen that happen a few times, never seen one kill itself though running into the wire. In the cases Ive seen they just knocked themselves out for a moment or two and got back up.

The best is seeing them land and sit on an electric wire of fence. Its a pretty funny site. They are pretty uncoordinated on a wire especially if its windy...that ole tail will be flailing back and forth so they can keep their balance.
 
yeah I wouldn't be telling people that its legal to shoot a hen just not possess it. I'm sure the game warden is aware that accidents happen and wasn't going to go out of his way to step on any toes but if the kid was in possession the warden would still have to do his job.

I have a cousin that has told me that same story about a hen hitting a telephone wire and dying from the impact, he said it broke its neck with is very likely. To bad roosters can't do that instead it'd sure save me some shells.
 
kiotehntr said:
So I messed up big time this past weekend. We were walking a small draw and my GSP went on point. 2 hens busted first and I saw the grass moving up ahead so I knew that the rooster was running. Kody got him locked down, I walked up and flushed the bird. Boom, crap I shot under him, Boom he dropped like a rock. I started praising Kody as I shoved another shell into my gun. About that time a bird flushed behind me and to the left. I swung, saw a long tail but got partially blinded by the sun, pulled the trigger and dropped my second bird of the morning. I looked over at my buddy and asked "that was a rooster wasn't it?" He said "yeah it was but it hit the ground running" I got Kody over to hunt dead and he finally went on point about 25 yards ahead of where the bird dropped. I approached the tuft of grass, kicked around and no bird. Kody dove in at my feet and pulled a hen out from under the snow. I shot a da** hen, first time in my life I have ever done that and I felt like crap. I looked at my buddy and asked him " I thought that you said that was a rooster", he said "It sure looked like it was to me, the sun blinded me too but I saw a long tail and it cackled when it got up" I can't believe that I messed up like that, but I guarantee that it will never happen again. How many of you have ever messed up like that?
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Things happen...as long as you been hunting...we are all going to make mistakes....I am sure you didnt mean to. I killed a rooster and I know I hit a hen that came up in front of him. They were in a straight line...the rooster was behind...but I know I hit the hen also. Dont know what I would have done if it would have dropped also.
 
No kidding Kansas, I would save a ton in shells, plus I would not have to walk 10 miles a day. My dog is up for that too!!!!!!!:thumbsup:
 
We were hunting SD 2 years ago and came upon about 6or 8 grouse that started to flush a couple at a time. Not being very familiar with grouse at the time I am yelling hen on every flush. About the third flush the bell went off in my head and I finally figured out they were grouse and told everybody that they were grouse. So low and behold the last to flush was a hen I did not say anything right away and one of my group dumped it as I started to say hen. The farmer where we hunt has a hen penalty we payed it and had a good laugh. It happens even though I think we were a victim of circumstance.

Have also witnessed a bird in Iowa one time catch a wire, dropped dead if I remember correctly it was a rooster.
 
KsHusker said:
Ive seen that happen a few times, never seen one kill itself though running into the wire. In the cases Ive seen they just knocked themselves out for a moment or two and got back up.

The best is seeing them land and sit on an electric wire of fence. Its a pretty funny site. They are pretty uncoordinated on a wire especially if its windy...that ole tail will be flailing back and forth so they can keep their balance.
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Last year on the way out of town..coming home...looking forward to a 16 hour drive...he he...a couple of hens came out of a field and flew right at my truck. The first one hit the side of the truck right by the side window. I looked in my rear view window and saw it drop dead on the road. My hunting buddy got mad when I didnt stop and pick it up. I didnt want to explain to an officer how that happened so I kept going. The way I looked at it..Mr. Coyote had a good lunch. What would have happened if I had picked it up...got stopped by the authorities...and had a hen with no shot in it??? Anyone got any thoughts?
 
thurrealty said:
Last year on the way out of town..coming home...looking forward to a 16 hour drive...he he...a couple of hens came out of a field and flew right at my truck. The first one hit the side of the truck right by the side window. I looked in my rear view window and saw it drop dead on the road. My hunting buddy got mad when I didnt stop and pick it up. I didnt want to explain to an officer how that happened so I kept going. The way I looked at it..Mr. Coyote had a good lunch. What would have happened if I had picked it up...got stopped by the authorities...and had a hen with no shot in it??? Anyone got any thoughts?
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Possession is 9/10ths of the law.....:D
 
In many states the laws or statutes of the state are based upon the persons intent not on the action itself. In that spirit most states game harvest laws give the pheasant hunter the benefit of the doubt by stating that the act of shooting a hen is not an illegal act in and of itself. They give you the benefit of the doubt by making it clear that any hunter that shoots a hen was obviously unintentional in his action. If you pick the hen up and place it in your game bag, thereby harvesting the bird, then now you have committed an intentional act that is clearly against the law.

I have not shot one in a long time but the first pheasant I ever shot was a hen going away into the sun. While I was not pleased that I had killed a hen I have to honestly admit that at that time I was just relieved I could hit something. I have not killed or evenly mistakingly shot at one over the last several years but as many people have stated we all make mistakes.

I have started calling out hen when I clearly see that they are roosters and then nobody else shoots and I get the bird all to myself. Obviously joking...I did do it once this year by mistake and I have to say that it worked out pretty well for me that one time.

You are obviously an honorable man so don't lose too much sleep over it and just start getting ready for next year.
 
This happened to me this year, we got into a big group of birds with roosters flyin every which direction. I picked out two and got em both but after i stopped shooting there were three on the ground and one was a hen. I am thinking it was collateral damage but it sure made me feal bad. I didnt even see a hen close when i shot both roosters but i must have had tunnel vision.
 
Tpharkman said:
In many states the laws or statutes of the state are based upon the persons intent not on the action itself.
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Back when I was about 15 years old I was hunting a ditch with my Dad just before sunset in southern Minnesota. One pheasant jumped up and flew directly into the setting sun, I couldn't tell if it was a hen or a rooster so I didn't shoot. Good thing I didn't. The game warden was watching us with his field glasses from about a block away. As we walked to our truck he pulled up and asked me why I didn't shoot the rooster. I told him I couldn't tell if the bird was a hen or a rooster so I didn't shoot. My Dad later told me it was a hen. That game warden would have pinched me, he would give his own Grandmother a ticket. Better follow the law to the letter because you never know who is watching.
 
The letter of the law is that in most states where pheasant hunting is allowed you cannot be given a ticket for shooting a hen. If you have followed any of my posts you should already know that I am not advocating the shooting of hens. Any hunter and/or conservationist (I like to consider myself both) full well knows that shooting hen pheasants isn't a good idea.

For clarification, in my home state of Iowa if a conservation officer gave you a ticket for shooting a hen pheasant it would not be valid because there is no law against it. On the other hand, if you were in possession of a hen on your person, in your vehicle, or in your home you would have the book thrown at you. I have to admit I don't know how the law is actually written in Kansas but I have a sneaky suspicion it is written in a similar language.

It doesn't matter who is watching as long as you follow the rules.

Disclaimer: Absolutely no animals, including hen pheasants, were harmed in the production of this post.
 
You cant be fined for an accidential of shooting a hen. even if you did it on purpose, you cant get fined for it. however, transporting a dead hen will result in felony fines.



take it from me... Im in Law Enforcement. (in the South Dakota area)
 
Well, thanks for the information. I learned something good today. I still hope to complete my pheasant hunting career without shooting a hen. I might have another 5 to 10 years left in me if I am lucky. Thanks again. By the way, the game warden I mentioned in my earlier post died about a year ago. I just caught it by pure accident while on-line checking out a newspaper from SE Minnesota and remembered his name. I heard a couple good stories about how he pinched a couple fishermen who actually deserved a ticket while ice fishing on the Mississippi.
 
Everyone will accidently shoot a hen.. ive shot a hen in the sun's view before. but if its CLEAR as day and you KNOW its a hen, then id say you made a poor decision..

If I was driving around and I saw clear as day a hunter shoots a hen and clearly can identify the bird's gender, I COULD revoke his license, but I have to prove to court that he is a repeated offending of shooting any gender bird in that kind of case. its hard because no one follows a hunter from day one to day three to make sure he doesnt shoot a hen. There is no SET law on this, but if the city or county ordinance set on something like it, it will be enforced.


most likely, no fine or loss of hunter's license would not happen. Its a tough crime to pursue.
 
Bilbo--

With the way that you limit out every time you go hunting I will be very disappointed in you if you ever post that you killed a hen. Your 20/10 vision has to be so precise that I bet you can see the doggone roosters color with your eyes almost closed.

I am not trying to be a stickler for the rule of law or justify the willful killing of hens. I just want people to realize, especially young or hunters new to the game, that while mistakingly shooting a hen is never a good thing, it is also something that should be forgiven. The hunter that gets my goat is one who shoots many birds year in and year out while obviously still firing at birds without taking good care at what he/she is shooting at. I used to hunt with a guy who always had a heavy game bag. He should have had the discipline to not fire at will at just about anything that got up in front of him but it seemed like he shot at hens about every other day we went out.

I compare the occasional mistaken shooting of a hen to fishing catch and release waters and occasionaly killing a caught fish without intending to do so. I fish several smallmouth rivers where the fishing is absolute catch and release and on occasion and without intention I have not been able to revive a fish that I have caught. It bothers me every time it happens and I take great care in trying to release every fish back to the water alive and well. I still have to accept that if I catch enough fish it will inevitably and unfortunately still happen.

I think I can speak for many of the folks on this website and say that we all have donated alot of dollars/blood/sweat/tears to conservation organizations and pheasant habitat in general. I would also choose to believe that in doing that we have contributed much more to the positive production of hens than we have ever caused inadvertent harm to the unlucky few.

I am starting to sound way too much like a politician so I am going back to watching the snow keep falling.
 
question

birdman652001 said:
You cant be fined for an accidential of shooting a hen. even if you did it on purpose, you cant get fined for it. however, transporting a dead hen will result in felony fines.



take it from me... Im in Law Enforcement. (in the South Dakota area)
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I replied earlier and you might be the guy that can answer me...on the way from SD to Ky...we had just left the hotel...with a 16 hour drive in front of me...and from the south side of the road...two hens flew out of a cornfield...one missed my truck...the other hit my side drivers door. Went up and straight down. My hunting buddy got sick that I didnt stop and pick it up. But, if I did, and there was obviously no shot in it, pheasant poop on my truck drivers side door, what would you do as a game warden to me if I picked it up and you stopped me and saw it in my truck?
 
Youre allowed to CLIP wings but youre not allowed to take the bird itself if its been hit by a truck. doesnt matter if it has bullets or doesnt hav bullets. its illegal. you may clip wings as some people use it for dog training.

same as a buck that got hit by a semi truck, you cant saw off horns.. even if it was the BIGGEST rack there was, you CAN NOT saw off the horns. if you shot it, different story...

so again, its illegal. if you hit one, youre better off leaving it. even if it was a rooster and you are short of your quota, i wouldnt take a pheasant that hit your truck.
 
Birdman, why is it when I hunted South Dakota with a Lodge, if a hen was shot the game warden was called and a fine was paid?
 
well Lodges have polices. they are to report every hen shot. if they failed to do so, and a game warden shows up one day and sees a dead hen with shots in it, that lodge could and would be put out of business for good.

most lodges i have heard, when they shot a hen, would feed it to cats. but i havent heard of a fine given to the person for shooting a hen. Ill have to look it up and get back to you on that one.
 
Thanks birdman, I was at Snake den in Presho 3 times and there is a lot of hunters and every time I was there someone made the mistake and the game warden came to the lodge and the gentlman paid a fine. I think it was around 60-80 dollars. If the person did it again they were not allowed to hunt. Lodge rules.
 
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