This NOT a goose!

[KID CREOLE]

Shooting an extra hen pintail confusing it with lets say a hen mallard or gadwall I can understand as a mistake.

Shooting a swan thinking it was a snow goose is like shooting an elk and confusing it with a black tail deer, come on man

 

[Slayersmith]

A game warden is not going to give you any slack, he or she will tell you that "they should have known better" when writing you the ticket!

 

[topher1111]

I don't think this is brutal. I'm 16 and I've been hunting for about 4 years now. At first it was hard to identify ducks because there are many different kinds. But I knew about game wardens and I didn't want to get a ticket or have my dad get a ticket for me shooting an illegal water bird. For me I went duck hunting with my dad and brother before I even had a license. Of course I didn't hunt but I was able to learn what are ducks and what aren't.

Bottom line is you should know what is legal to shoot and what is illegal to shoot before you go hunting.

 

[Bonejour]

This is a great thread. Better to have this discussion in a harmless environment than in front of a warden. I imagine there may be more than one newbie reading this thread who will put in extra effort at bird ID before and during his or her next hunt. Thanks to all for taking the time.

 

[CaptJgray]

I got a call from a friend a few years ago that I had introduced to waterfowl hunting.

I took him on a couple of trips down by Wister. we shot mostly Teal with a few bigger ducks mixed in.

he went on a solo trip and told me about the mallards he shot, and pintails... "Shovelers and a few Ruddy ducks"

he went with me to Mendota one time where he proceeded to fire off a round as soon as we exited the truck "to see if his gun was empty"...

Needless to say I went ape shit and refused to hunt with/near him. It ruined my day. I tried to teach/explain things to him constantly, but he grew up in Tennessee and his family all hunted ducks so he already knew it all...

he took another friend to Mendota a couple weeks later, they had a great Snow Goose hunt, and even 2 Brandt. Unfortunately for him when he called to tell me he didn't believe me that they were most likely not Brandt but Cormorants, and his Snow Geese (5) were the Tundra Swan flavor...

Sometimes people learn the hard way, just glad he never shot anyone... still gives me the chills.

 

[fish dog]

If its a Jr. hunter then, on any refuge, they are hunting with an "adult" hunter (adult being a mater of opinion instead of a function of age in some cases). Isn't the adult hunter responsible for the Jr. hunter? Can the adult get cited for not keeping the Jr. hunter legal?

BTW - there's plenty of bird ID books out there. Everyone should have one in their hunting gear. Also, that's something you should study at least a little before you go out.

 

[8SteelTown]

If its a Jr. hunter then, on any refuge, they are hunting with an "adult" hunter (adult being a mater of opinion instead of a function of age in some cases). Isn't the adult hunter responsible for the Jr. hunter? Can the adult get cited for not keeping the Jr. hunter legal?

BTW - there's plenty of bird ID books out there. Everyone should have one in their hunting gear. Also, that's something you should study at least a little before you go out.

Agreed. I have 2 apps on my phone that are quick reference guides. Last year (my first waterfowl season), I shot 1 bird at a time and ID'd after to ensure I wasn't shooting over limit. I didn't have a mentor or grow up hunting like most of you. I got into jump shooting in early December and didn't take it as seriously as I should have. If I shot a mallard hen, I would be very careful how many brown ducks I shot afterwards. I never had an issue but that doesn't justify it. I didn't like the feeling so I downloaded an app and just started looking. I followed all kinds of hunters on social media and tried to guess the duck species. This year, I have waited every time to ID the bird first. Much more rewarding feeling.

So, not to distract from the topic at hand... if the Jr. hunter was THAT new to waterfolwing, the adult hunter should've been the one calling out the shots to ensure something like this didn't happen. The adult hunter should've started prepping their kid by having them research and ID birds... make flash cards, whatever. But if they made an announcement at check in that there were swan in the area, I would have done my diligence and looked up pics of the bird to know what NOT to shoot. Hind site & 2 cents.

 

[dhntr48]

That's why the new guys need some pros to go with, or someone with more experience . Its that split second decision that can get you in trouble .

 

[bry0232]

Ha! Reminds me of the time my buddy shot a Garabaldi spear fishing one time... he held it up out of the water right below the bluffs with people watching us .... "Look I shot a Oscar" .... You "explative" you cant shoot those that's the state fish.... we made him dive down and hide it under a rock...

i guess he was ADD when we said "Don't shoot the gold ones" he thought we said "shoot the gold ones"