Spent Hulls In The Field

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drew3287

Member
I've predominantly hunted pheasants and quail with a semi-auto or pump. Bought a Citori Field 20 ga (new design) this year but am not as accurate with it as I am with my Winchester 1300 20 ga, yet at least. Like the gun but if I can hit better with the 1300 pump, I'd rather use it.

What are your thoughts on spent hulls in the field? I don't like chasing down empty hulls in tall grass, which is a big advantage of an O/U in my book. Seems like it's basically impossible to find and pick up every single one of them when shooting a pump or semi-auto, even if you look hard for them. If you look for them, is it "technically" considered littering if you end up not finding some? Different for public vs. private land?
 
Never leave guts in the field unless you have permission and please pick up as many spent hulls as possible.
 
If you make an honest effort to find them, most folks are understanding. The one that bugs me is shells left by waterfowlers. Seriously, they're sitting in one spot and have plenty of time to pick up empties. Ugh.

I agree with what others said about the guts. Cleaning the birds can wait.
 
I always try to look for mine and I do have a hard time finding them. So if I happen to see one while walking I pick it up to think somebody might pick up mine if I don't find mine
 
When waterfowl hunting or dove hunting, seems to me that finding and picking up empties isn't that difficult.

After shooting a pheasant or quail, for me finding it becomes the priority over finding a spent hull. If not shooting an O/U, the chances of finding those hulls diminishes if the shot connected. I don't think I know of anyone who has gotten a ticket for leaving empties in the field.

I like the idea of trying to, as much as possible, leave the place you've hunted as you found it. Picking up your trash, empties, and bird carcasses all falling under that general rule. Some guns just make it a little harder than others!
 
I was try to pick up mine. With the over\under it has been simple. Going to be shooting an semiauto a lot this year so will see if I have as much luck.

I am with Gspranger if I see other shells as I hunt I tend to pick them up.

Clean the birds end of the day somewhere you can dispose of waste properly.
 
I always take my empties as I am exclusively and o/u shooter for the last 15 years. Prior to that with semi-auto's and pump guns I never looked for hulls. I would pick them up if I saw them, but if I dumped them into snow or tall grass they were staying there. Duck hunting is different. 3 or 4 hulls in a section is different in my mind than 50 in one spot.
 
Like others, I make a good faith effort but with a SA finding the hull is the exception, especially in good years like this year where the cover is so thick.
 
You guy's are spot on... Try to find them...you won't get them all in heavy cover or lots of snow in cover.. I do tend to clean birds in the field with a garbage bag... A few feathers escape, but it all go's with me to a garbage can... Me and a friend were waterfowl hunting and picked up an entire 5 gallon bucket of spent hulls on Public property. When we got to the parking lot we were checked by the game warden. He said looks like you shot a case a shells today... I said these are what we picked up from others, mine are in my ruff sack. He thanked us and said he would dispose of them if we didn't want any of them...He got a 5 gallon bucket of hulls...:cheers:
 
Gspranger2244 said:
I always try to look for mine and I do have a hard time finding them. So if I happen to see one while walking I pick it up to think somebody might pick up mine if I don't find mine
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Same here. Pick them up when I see them, along with whatever trash I stumble across.
 
When I shoot my O/U it is much easier, I can unload and reload without looking away from where the bird dropped (that is if I hit it:eek:)
Shooting a pump or semi makes it much more difficult. If I did hit the bird I don't take my eye off where it landed, it is more important to me to recover a downed bird than a spent shell or two. Do note that if I see trash while hunting I do make an effort to pick it up so hopefully someone else will recover my shells as a reciprocal favor.
Cheers,
Wolf
 
Frangler, do you shoot an O/U because of that? That, and easy cleaning, are a couple reasons why I'd like to use an O/U for pheasant and quail hunting. I do like having 3 or more shots though. Another thing I've thought about is the wads, would those be considered litter too? I picked one up that I happened to see the last time I went out, but good luck to anyone searching for those!

I haven't searched really hard, but I haven't found an O/U yet that fits me really really well. The O/U I have, I'm a little leery to have a gunsmith start making adjustments to the LOP in case that changed the drop too much to the point that would need adjusted somehow too.
 
drew3287 said:
Frangler, do you shoot an O/U because of that? That, and easy cleaning, are a couple reasons why I'd like to use an O/U for pheasant and quail hunting. I do like having 3 or more shots though. Another thing I've thought about is the wads, would those be considered litter too? I picked one up that I happened to see the last time I went out, but good luck to anyone searching for those!

I haven't searched really hard, but I haven't found an O/U yet that fits me really really well. The O/U I have, I'm a little leery to have a gunsmith start making adjustments to the LOP in case that changed the drop too much to the point that would need adjusted somehow too.
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I'm an OU fan. So much so that I sold my camo weatherproof semi and replaced it with a camo Cynergy for waterfowling. I don't miss the third shot much at all, because I can reload so fast and because I generally shoot so much ebtter wiht the OU anyways. But that's off-topic a bit - what I meant to say was that I used a gunsmith who made all those changes at once for me by measuring me, then steam-bending the stock and cutting it to fit my LOP. If it wasn't right he said he'd take it back and adjust it. I've had two guns done by him, and it has been the single most important factor contributing to improvements in my wingshooting accuracy. Certainly, it was a bit of a leap of faith to let him take the band-saw to an expensive Beretta, but I've been so pleased with the results.

Oh, and to drag it back to the original topic - I pick up or catch my empties if at all possible. Sometimes I am reloading as I go after the dog who is chasing a cripple, which is about the only time that I forget. Even then, once the bird is secured I am often able to backtrack and pick them up. Like everyone else on here - it just seems good common sense and good manners to put in a reasonable effort, but I don't think anyone would blame you for not wasting a lot of time in thick cover etc...

-Dave
 
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Thanks Dave. Glad to hear you had good results with getting your Beretta worked on. I like the Cynergy 20 ga I have. If it could be modified to fit just right, and my accuracy improves wit it, it could end up being a "lifer" gun for me. I like focusing on the birds not having to look for hulls! I definitely agree re: making a reasonable effort to recover them.
 
drew3287 said:
Frangler, do you shoot an O/U because of that? That, and easy cleaning, are a couple reasons why I'd like to use an O/U for pheasant and quail hunting. I do like having 3 or more shots though. Another thing I've thought about is the wads, would those be considered litter too? I picked one up that I happened to see the last time I went out, but good luck to anyone searching for those!

I haven't searched really hard, but I haven't found an O/U yet that fits me really really well. The O/U I have, I'm a little leery to have a gunsmith start making adjustments to the LOP in case that changed the drop too much to the point that would need adjusted somehow too.
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I shoot a side x side without auto ejectors. I agree on the wads but any preventable litter should be packed out IMO. I use to shoot an auto loader when I was younger but found a third shot unnecessary and hated looking for empties. I also am a firm believer in double barrels being a much safer choice for upland hunting. I can walk with the action open all day, cross fences with out unloading even run with it and feel confident if I fall my gun wont go off.
 
Thanks Frangler, I think unloading unused shells can be quicker and easier too... just open it and unload vs. ejecting shells and trying to catch them or pick them up off the ground.
 
I pick up every shell I see. They go right in the game bag with all those cocks i don't shoot.

What I don't understand is why someone would ruin a perfectly good cock by cleaning it immediately before it has had time to age.

Hang those birds and clean them later in the week or next week. It's like the difference between Coors Light and a Guinness.
 
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