Repercussions of shooting a hen

J

Jakeismydog2

Member
A different thread on here made me think to ask this question:

In the previous thread some have said everyone has accidentally shot a hen. Fortunately for me I am such a poor shot that evenif I did accidentally shoot at a hen chances are it would just keep flying.

In my group no one would ever shoot a hen on purpose. However there are repercussions for someone who accidentally shoots one. When everyone gets back to the truck the perpetrator has to take off his hat and set it on the ground. Then 1 by 1 everybody else shoots his hat. He must then wear the hat the rest of the season. To pay penance for the indiscretion.

Do any of you do something like that?

The last time a hen was killed in our group was over a decade ago. It was when a dog grabbed it on the flush. That was a tough one to know what to do with. I think we ended up leaving for the coyotes or maybe breasted it out in the field.

The only time I can remember someone shooting a hen on purpose when I was hunting was long ago. The man who owned the field we were hunting had brought his father in law out. He was from Texas (just saying) before we got in the field he said "my eyesight isn't the best so yell real loud if it's a hen." We saw a lot of hens that morning and a few roosters. He had not had an opportunity to pull the trigger on a rooster. When we got close to the end of the field a hen got up right in front of him. We yelled hen. He shot and dropped the bird. He then looked over and said " oh sorry. My hearings not very good either." Then cracked a smile.
 
That is really funny that you shoot the hat :).

In Ireland we release the birds, so we shoot them whether they are hens or roosters. However, a lot of shoots over here release a few white pheasants which incur a fine if they are shot. For example, I heard of one shoot who had the following:

If a white pheasant is shot a 20pound fine is incurred.

If a white pheasant is missed a 20pound fine is incurred.

If a white pheasant flies past in range and is not fired at a 20pound fine is incurred.

So you have no way out of it lol. The fines are then put towards feeding or buying pheasant poults for the following year. Only a bit of fun and adds a bit of 'craic' to the day.
 
Love the hat idea...that's pretty funny. It does happen and I'll admit 've been guilty of it as well (but not in the last 20 years so don't blast me). I struggle with leaving a dead bird in the field regardless but the game wardens during the season are sneaky little devils. So it's a gamble to take the bird which is a sad waste. I could care less if the coyotes eat or not.
 
david0311

JMc said:
Love the hat idea...that's pretty funny. It does happen and I'll admit 've been guilty of it as well (but not in the last 20 years so don't blast me). I struggle with leaving a dead bird in the field regardless but the game wardens during the season are sneaky little devils. So it's a gamble to take the bird which is a sad waste. I could care less if the coyotes eat or not.
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JMc--

After that statement can I feel free to state some of then negative opinions I formed on some grossly incompetent school principals and superintendants she worked for over 32 years??? As a blanket indictment of all??
 
Been in education for 32 years so get in line if you want to give an opinion on me. I can't speak for any others. As for the game warden comment...I have coffee with them in my lounge almost every day. They do a great job and I have no problem with what they do. My comment was not meant to be negative and if you truly think it is...I'll remove it myself. Just let me know.
 
Oh, Oh! A retired game warden and a school superintendent in a feud? :D Dave, I think I would back out of this one if I was you. I'm quite sure there will be more negatives about game wardens then school administrators. You are probably in a no win situation. But hey, guys. This is just in jest as you are both my friends. Have a great day!
 
david0311

JMc said:
Been in education for 32 years so get in line if you want to give an opinion on me. I can't speak for any others. As for the game warden comment...I have coffee with them in my lounge almost every day. They do a great job and I have no problem with what they do. My comment was not meant to be negative and if you truly think it is...I'll remove it myself. Just let me know.
Click to expand...

I was not attacking you personally--as I know you were not attacking me personally--

Just felt you had turned it into a --(free fire zone)---with your comment :rolleyes:

And it has been kind of boring on here lately--
 
I know that not everyone has hunted Pheasants as much as the good people that belong to this forum. I learned a valuable lesson this past weekend. I hunt every year with a group of men that come to the panhandle to hunt pheasant on opening weekend. There are always some that quit coming and new ones take their place. I always do my safety talk before we head out in the morning, low bird, no ground shots, 10&2, straight lines, watch for blockers you know the drill. This time out I had three that were new to the group. We flushed a nice group of birds in the center of field and several hens and two fat roosters came out. After the volley of gunfire that insued was over, one of the new guys said he had hit a rooster that got up behind the group. I never saw it, so I asked him where it went down and he pointed to a ditch that ran the length of the field and all the way back to the road. I asked if he was sure it was hit and of course he said " it's hit real hard ". After burning up both dogs looking for the running bird we trailed it 200 yards back to the road where my dog Millie when on point. The bird tried to fly and I told Millie to fetch it up. She brought me back a HEN! I took the time to bring every new hunter in and show them what a hen looked like. I also explained the effects of shooting one. Maybe overkill on my part but we don't have enough wild birds left for people not to know the difference. I will add bird indentification to my safety talk from here on out.
 
No problem, as for the sneaky comment, they all know me and my rig. My two GSP's actually got recognized and sport Jr. Ranger badges on the dog boxes from the Chief Ranger and Warden in our area. They helped find some Red Tail Hawks that had been shot by some bums at the lake. Saturday, I was looking through my binoculars at them looking at me. We exchanged a wave from about 1/2 mile away and off they went...sneaky little devils!
 
David and JMc, You guys are on my "good guy" list.
Whatever the heck that's worth. :confused:
Examples for others I guess. :thumbsup:
 
I don't think anyone who hunts responsibly has any issue with game wardens. The only issue I ever had was a game warden who who pulled up his truck to the end of the field we were walking, blocking any shot of a bird coming up at the end. I think he was having a bad day, I talked to him about it and he apologized, something you don't usually get from someone in his position.

As far as hens, I don't know anyone who hasn't shot one. I did when I was 16, and I got the same gut wrenching feeling I get if I don't find a downed bird.

I like the hat idea, except I really like my hat, lol.
 
I've only witnessed someone shoot a hen. Total accident and we debated bringing it out, because it is such a waste. We left it. The guy that shot it still hears about it and most of them don't even hunt anymore. I've always decided to not shoot if it was questionable, and it has had me miss some roosters. I'm not sure which is better because it leaves room for second guessing all shots. I have seen a dog grab a hen a few times as well. It's hard to stop that, especially when the hens are sick or wounded from something else.
 
My dad and his friends had a similar tradition except I remember him saying they threw the hat before the group shot at it. I think they actually did it once and the guy who made the mistake was a good sport about it.

I have only seen one hen get shot. It was by a friend who is 6'5", and pushing 400#. I wasn't going to try to take his hat. He felt really bad about it and never did it before or since.

I've seen a couple hens get grabbed by good dogs when they are sitting tight. I felt bad about leaving them in the field, but that's what we did. I was a guest of others, and it was their call. It didn't feel right, but I know that's the correct choice, legally.
 
If we shot a hen, we put it in our bag, include it in our daily limit, and if a Warden stops us so be it. We just don't like leaving game in the field. We had a long thread on this a few years ago. I understand why others might do this and why others would leave it in the field. Not to say either is a better way, just saying what we do.


One interesting thing, is twice now I have been hunting, a hen has got up and hit a power line and dropped dead (to be honest if I hadn't seen it I would never believed it).
A question to the Game wardens, on this site: (or anyone else who might know) both times we put it in the bag and cleaned it, We figured since it hadn't been shot, we could explain to the Warden what happened, and not be in trouble---both times we weren't stopped.

I figured we were in the wrong by doing this, but to me common sense says this should be fine. We figured the warden would be able to see the hen didn't have any pellets in it.

Just wondering if anyone knows why this is wrong? is it like taking a deer after hitting it with a car?

thanks
 
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I'm not a Game Warden, but if you have a hen in your possession and get checked by a CO I think you are in trouble. Regardless of how you came by the bird.

I know it seems like a waste to leave it in the field but is it worth the risk? Someone I was hunting with this year shot a hen by mistake. We did carry it out of the field and clean it but we were right next to the farm site from which we were hunting. Personally, I wouldn't take the chance if I had to transport it in my vehicle. I'd rather leave it in the field for the Yotes.

I'm sure that anyone that has been hunting pheasants for any length of time has mistakenly shot a hen. It just happens. I'm finding it interesting and funny what various groups do to the offender.
 
Dakota,

I do believe that in a situation like he describes and that there is NO APPARENT
wounds on the hen from being SHOT, that it would be at the discretion of the officer. I am big on recovering what you shoot and eating or having someone
eat what is killed. In the scenario that he described, I would keep and clean the bird myself. I have seen birds hit power lines twice and fall STONE DEAD
 
david0311

findthebirds said:
Dakota,

I do believe that in a situation like he describes and that there is NO APPARENT
wounds on the hen from being SHOT, that it would be at the discretion of the officer. I am big on recovering what you shoot and eating or having someone
eat what is killed. In the scenario that he described, I would keep and clean the bird myself. I have seen birds hit power lines twice and fall STONE DEAD
Click to expand...


I will try to answer some of these questions from a wardens perspective:

So much depends on the circumstances and situation--officer experience--demeanor of hunters --how the officer reads them--ect. ect.

EX: was officer waved down with the situation explained to him?

: was it brought up on as soon as approached by officer--

:eek:r found stuffed under a bunch of equipment ,junk ect. and
found after a search

: as for the cleaned bird situation--have we all not seen bird brought down with only a broken wing--where would the proof be one way or the other by showing a cleaned bird--and then how would you transport it legally?

: way to many different variables for a single answer--

: hope this helps--

: by the way I saw a rooster we flushed a few years ago hit a wire and
kill itself so I do know it happens

warden 28 years--(one of JMc's sneaky little devils)::) :cheers:
 
It happens

2 years ago I was hunting with a friend on his uncles property and we put up a half dozen birds and I swung on a rooster and fired and the hen right behind him dropped. Yes I know I'm a lousy shot but I was sure I led that rooster. The hen was left for the coyotes.

A few years ago my son and I and a couple of friends were hunting public areas in Iowa and we flushed up a couple of birds and I yelled to my son that a rooster was heading his way - as soon as the bird cleared the hedge row he fired - the rooster disappeared somehow and the puff of feathers ended up being a dead hen.

Yes, it happens.
 
In all 4 situations, we put the birds right next to the rooster, the 2 we shot accidentally and the two that hit the wire, we we hunting On our property for two and with in 10 miles of our property in ND for the other two. I wouldn't try to hide the fact from a warden, not worth lying to an officer. Now we didn't drive around all day with it in the back of the truck, we cleaned it right away and put it in the fridge.

I too think it's interesting, how other people deal with these things.

I was hunting this year with my nephew and gave him the talk on safety. First bird we see, is a hen gets up we all yell hen. He shoots and misses. I guess in the future I will need to incorporate that into my safety talk as well for new time hunters, as someone also mentioned earlier.
 
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