Unpopular opinion - dog caught a hen
- Thread starter KEOutdoors
- Start date
Goosemaster
Well-known member
True, but they do flush and fly.I have shot 4 on the wing.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I've shot 10 hens,and 25 gobblers, with a top of 26 pounds. To be honest, the younger ones are better eatiñg.They even shoot hen turkeys!
Bob Peters
Well-known member
We walked a WMA east of canby this year, and the dogs flushed 3 turkeys. I wish we would of had a fall turkey tag!
KEOutdoors
Well-known member
Well that would be the responsible thing to do, but unfortunately most wont take responsibility for what their trained dog does and just bury it in the weeds and keep right on hunting. Then they complain this new generation has no ethics or morals.
KEOutdoors
Well-known member
Ive flushed more turkeys within range in the fall than i ever had opportunities in the spring. A lot of people around here flush them in the fall to hunt, since you can shoot hen or jake/tom.
You guys think a pheasant stops the heart when it flushes at your feet, try a stupid 15lb hen turkey. Theyll almost knock you over!
Goosemaster
Well-known member
That happened to me a few times.Wild turkeys are beautiful birds. I kind if feel bad about rubbing them out.
Munster927
Well-known member
I won't say that I have or haven't killed a hen on accident before, but say I have, I wouldn't call the game warden on myself but I also wouldn't just pitch it into the weeds either. I'd count it towards my bag limit and make use of it just like I would a rooster. And if a CO ended up stopping me I'd tell them what occurred and let it play out. Seems to me it would be the most honorable way of dealing with it versus throwing it in the trash.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
I flushed a 20 pound gobbler one time in some hardwoods at 20 yards.Done deal,pretty cool.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Good advise.
gimruis
Well-known member
I flushed a sandhill crane on Friday when I was pheasant hunting. It made that velociraptor-type noise too. Thought I was in Jurassic Park for a second there.
KEOutdoors
Well-known member
We call them pterodactyls when they fly around. What a unique sound and GIGANTIC bird. One of the only migratory birds that will literally stand up and look at you at eye level.
Goosemaster
Well-known member
Kaww
4shot
Well-known member
This weekend I got stopped by a CO for the first time. I was like oh boy do I have some questions for you. I asked him if I shot a hen on accident if I should call it in and he said yes. He did say how he would go forward would be under his discretion of the person he was dealing with. He said if he read on Facebook or my buddy turned me in that I shot a hen he would start an investigation. I asked if I admitted to accidentally shooting and it and disposed of it properly would I get in trouble, he said yes he would issue me a ticket.
I asked about a dog catching a hen, he said he would be gracious in that area. I kinda felt like I was asking a patrol officer at how many mph over do you give a guy a ticket. I guess what I learned was try your best, be polite, and the law is the law. I know what I’m gonna do next time, sure makes you think, that’s for sure.
birddude
Well-known member
Got checked day before yesterday. Had a really nice conversation. Local guy that also hunts, so I think he'd be fair. I found a doe one time, she was standing in a creek with a leg front leg in really bad shape. I couldn't just let her suffer. Afterwards I called someone who was a friend of the C.O. and asked him what to do, because I hated to see the meat go to waist. He said not to make the call, because I would get in big trouble. He said he'd write his mother a ticket.
MinnHunter
Active member
I still cant comprehend turning the law on yourself over such a mundane thing. Why would you bring the law into your life and risk a fine? Its just a bird and they are not endangered. They die every day. The one your dog caught or the one hen you accidentally shot in 15 years is a drop in the bucket. I guess we all sleep differently.This weekend I got stopped by a CO for the first time. I was like oh boy do I have some questions for you. I asked him if I shot a hen on accident if I should call it in and he said yes. He did say how he would go forward would be under his discretion of the person he was dealing with. He said if he read on Facebook or my buddy turned me in that I shot a hen he would start an investigation. I asked if I admitted to accidentally shooting and it and disposed of it properly would I get in trouble, he said yes he would issue me a ticket.
gimruis
Well-known member
I still don't understand how people are shooting hens. There is an obvious, colorful difference between a rooster and a hen. If you are shooting hens, pheasant hunting may not be your thing. I have to wonder what else you're "accidentially" shooting too.
As for the dog catching one, I don't think there is a whole lot you can do about that. You can't really train a dog to not try and catch a bird, so its going to happen on an infrequent basis.
As for the dog catching one, I don't think there is a whole lot you can do about that. You can't really train a dog to not try and catch a bird, so its going to happen on an infrequent basis.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
I know lots of people who have. Now when you get into the plural "hens" yeah that shouldn't be happening. It's not a common occurence, but once a blue moon mistakes do happen. My buddy who is passed away now said when he was a young kid in high school he shot one on accident his first time hunting. Steve Grooms wrote in his quintessential novel Modern Pheasant Hunting that he had a bird flush and cackle, he shot and paraphrasing here, "to my horror the dog brought back a hen." Turns out two birds must have flushed and the one he didn't see cackled. Skye only ever caught one hen, and it was on public land in SD. The bird had obviously been shot(or was sick) because the cover was light and it was running. She has a soft mouth so we released the bird unharmed by us.
gimruis
Well-known member
Obviously a lot of young roosters lack color early in the season. But if you cannot differentiate a rooster from a hen solely based on its color, you need to refrain from shooting. Its no different than duck hunting early in the season when a lot of young drakes lack the green head compared to hen mallards.
The example you gave is not really what I'm referring to here.
I can't think of a single time in my 25 years of pheasant hunting when myself or someone I was with shot a hen. Honestly if someone was with me and they were shooting hens, they wouldn't be hunting with me anymore. I don't associate with that crowd.
The example you gave is not really what I'm referring to here.
I can't think of a single time in my 25 years of pheasant hunting when myself or someone I was with shot a hen. Honestly if someone was with me and they were shooting hens, they wouldn't be hunting with me anymore. I don't associate with that crowd.
Golden Hour
Well-known member
If my dog catches a hen and it's likely not to live or dead, I put it in my vest and take it home and eat it. I'll stand before a judge and God to accept whatever consequence comes my way as I believe that is the ethical thing to do.