Cripples

[thomas89]

About sick of my dog finding crippled ducks every time we go out. Nay, sick of these poor things being left crippled.

Didn’t even get decoys out yet the other morning and she brought back a very alive hen mallard with half a wing shot off. She flushed a crippled wigeon out of the cattails later that same hunt. Coupled with a pintail that a group of guys left dead in the middle of the pond, we ended up with a two man limit of 14, only having shot 11 birds. They made zero effort to retrieve this thing, unless you count letting the dog swim out to the edge of the spread and turn back to shore. So sad.

Today’s hunt included her finding a half starved wigeon in the weeds and another hen mallard.

I’m no mathematician, but to factor in shoreline length and number of birds found, the amount of wasted birds must be astronomical. Yeah yeah yeah I know nothing is truly wasted, but Jiminny Christmas this is awful.

 

[Nick87]

Yah that sucks, sooner or later it happens but I guess a lot of guys don't think much of it.

 

[JShane]

I clean up as often as a I can what others leave behind. Good on you for doing the same.

 

[Nick87]

What kills me is the guys who shoot a group or groups and clean up at the end of the hunt. Unless I can see the bird stone dead. I'm picking up everything between me and the dog. Regardless of how many other birds are still coming. If you dont chase those down even the dead ones you cant see while you have it fresh in your mind your gonna have a real hard time some hours later.

 

[thomas89]

I clean up as often as a I can what others leave behind. Good on you for doing the same.

Don’t get me started on the case or more of hulls I’ve picked up already this season, don’t even get me started!

 

[thomas89]

What kills me is the guys who shoot a group or groups and clean up at the end of the hunt. Unless I can see the bird stone dead. I'm picking up everything between me and the dog. Regardless of how many other birds are still coming. If you dont chase those down even the dead ones you cant see while you have it fresh in your mind your gonna have a real hard time some hours later.

Yes agreed. I called someone a Duck Dynasty wannabe today...I’m not proud of that, but damn, just a bit much.

 

[WestKyHunt]

Don’t get me started on the case or more of hulls I’ve picked up already this season, don’t even get me started!

Me and my group of guys I hunt with always bring a Walmart bag and clean up the area around us, if we made the mess or not

 

[wa_archer]

M decoy back rattles with empty hulls all season mine or others. Cripples is a bad one, we go to extreme lengths to try and find them and if we dont recover we count it toward our limit. I know sometimes your just not going to find due to flying away a long ways before finally dropping. But in the same pond no excuse, wanton waste to me. Just as bad as the guys that shot birds and dont do anything with them, end up in ditch or not eaten. Just a waste go shoot clays if your not going to recover or eat.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

Yea, I've watched guys dump ducks in the wild rice and then not try and pick anything up until after the hunt, I would imagine many go unfound. Luckily, I don't really find any cripples in my area, likely due to lack of pressure. We lost one wood duck this year, despite tremendous effort trying to find it.

Duck Dynasty has done duck hunting no favors.....

 

[teej89]

From what I've experienced it Seems to be the norm for westside duck pass shooting. Last time I got set up we'll be light. Two groups came in 45min to shooting and set up 100yds on either side of me, no decoys or dog but pass shooting at everything and anything including snows 300' in the air.

They crippled one duck and hooted and hollared that they hit it. I watched em search for it for 30min in a field then I went out there with Boomer and he found it for em in about 2min

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Yep... hunted around Walden CO opening day couple years ago with my FIL, 5 of our limit were 1 was a dead duck laying on a sand bar in the stream that someone failed to pick up... stream was 18inches deep or so I’m assuming they went out without waders or a dog.

My corgi had a blast finding all the cripples so I guess there is a silver-lining...

 

[JDH]

I've only been out to my public land spot once this year and my partner water swatted a cripple gadwall on his way to pick up another duck

 

[OntarioHunter]

Actually, it's federal law on both sides of the border that downed waterfowl must be retrieved IMMEDIATELY. Or at least an effort made immediately. With my dogs breaking on shot, I usually don't have the option to leave birds lay in the field if more are coming in. Oh well. Not like I will be upset if I don't get to gut a few more when I get home. Or it may take a little longer to fill my limit and I'll miss a soap opera episode. I passed on my only good chance for a double for roosters this fall when I had to mark where the first one fell. Ellie never lost a bird in the cattails but trying to find two at once in that crap would be a very tall order. Turns out she didn't need my assistance but I had to be ready to provide it.

Hunting ducks without a dog is almost criminal, especially over water. Even with spinning gear to retreive dead ones and a boat to chase cripples, many will be lost. Hunting pheasants without a dog is worse. Generally it's a waste of time but even if a bird does go down the odds of getting it in the bag without a dog are very poor.

 

[thomas89]

Buddy took the dog to look for a mallard and as things go in the duck blind, a nice drake cupped right in the decoys.

Shot it but it made it about half way across the pond before it dropped. The exact same spot the group left that pintail the other week. Walked my happy butt ALL THE WAY TO THE BIRD. I did have to hold my coat up but the water was never deeper than my belly button. Pretty sad they wasted that thing but oh well.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Yea, I've watched guys dump ducks in the wild rice and then not try and pick anything up until after the hunt, I would imagine many go unfound. Luckily, I don't really find any cripples in my area, likely due to lack of pressure. We lost one wood duck this year, despite tremendous effort trying to find it.

Duck Dynasty has done duck hunting no favors.....

A couple years ago while Christmas shopping a little girl asked me which Duck Dynasty character was my favourite. Decided right then and there no more wearing camo to the mall. And I seriously considered shaving off my beard. But only briefly. I've had facial hair longer than most of those guys have been alive.

 

[huronmtns]

Actually, it's federal law on both sides of the border that downed waterfowl must be retrieved IMMEDIATELY. Or at least an effort made immediately. With my dogs breaking on shot, I usually don't have the option to leave birds lay in the field if more are coming in. Oh well. Not like I will be upset if I don't get to gut a few more when I get home. Or it may take a little longer to fill my limit and I'll miss a soap opera episode. I passed on my only good chance for a double for roosters this fall when I had to mark where the first one fell. Ellie never lost a bird in the cattails but trying to find two at once in that crap would be a very tall order. Turns out she didn't need my assistance but I had to be ready to provide it.

Hunting ducks without a dog is almost criminal, especially over water. Even with spinning gear to retreive dead ones and a boat to chase cripples, many will be lost. Hunting pheasants without a dog is worse. Generally it's a waste of time but even if a bird does go down the odds of getting it in the bag without a dog are very poor.

You can hunt without out dogs very successfully over water and with proper designed boats.

 

[R.K.]

I always pick up as many empty hulls as I can- I don't like to clue anybody else into good hunting spots.

But for cripples? It's disappointing how many I find every year. Yes, I've lost a few through the years, but I find a bunch in places that wouldn't take much effort at all to recover. I've also spent 45 minutes looking for a single bird in the cattails more than once, but I usually come out with it.