Shooting hens

[yooper]

Do you shoot hens?

Which is worse: The weekend hunter and his son who shoot 10 hens a year, or the fanatic who shoots 100+ drakes?

 

[Fatman]

Shoot hens - Not on purpose, we stopped shooting them back in the dark days when 1 hen meant your day was over, I guess it wasn't all that noble a gesture on our part because we just wanted to shoot more (this was back when I hadn't been duck hunting very long). But I think it also made us more effective hunters since we had to be able pick our birds instead of flock shooting and picking up whatever fell out.

As for which is worse - For me it would be shooting the hens but I am not going to make a judgement about anyone else as long as they stay inside the law. I am not trying to be a smarta$$ I just think this a question that each hunter must answer for himself.

[This message has been edited by Fatman (edited 01-11-2001).]

 

[Shadowrider]

Yes. How many? One. That's the limit.
One worse than the other? Nope. Duck numbers are at levels not seen since the fifties. The organizations involved with this have done a fabulous job with North America's ducks. We have longer seasons and greater bag limits. I have no proof, but I suspect more ducks die annually to natural causes than to hunters guns. If duck numbers were low, or were declining, then by all means we should be concerned with preserving the breeding stock. But gentlemen, THESE are the good old days right now. Enjoy them. SR