One shot, two hen mallards. Now what?

[dillrodd]

Had the boy out fot youth waterfowl day today. We jump a pot hole and 4 teal and 6 mallards jump up, he takes a shot at the teal and misses then decides to take his 1 hen mallard shoots at one and drops 2, now what to do? Trying to teach good ethics but not going chance a ticket. What would you do?

[winniewalleye777]

Oh man thats a tough situation. I have never personally been in this situation, but I wonder if you came clean to the DNR if they would go easy on you. I'm sure this happens all the time on YWD and I bet the CO would appreciate the fact that you used the situation as a teachable moment for your son. Good luck!!

[Maxxed Out]

If he fired one shot there's really not much he or you or the CO can do...

[bobbymalone]

If he fired one shot there's not much he or you can do, but the CO can still bust you for it. The CO wasn't there and didn't see the shot. He just sees two hens and has probably heard every possible line of bull at least twice.

I think the responsible thing to do is call up the local CO or the TIP line and explain the situation. I can't imagine a CO writing a citation for someone that called in to report themselves for an extra hen, especially on YWD.

There are tons of people that just ditch the extra hen or stuff it in the decoy bag and a good percentage of them never get caught. I would bet that a few kids learned from their dads on YWD that ditching or hiding an illegal bird is OK. If I was the CO, I would find it refreshing for someone to fess up and take responsibility for their actions.

[Surface Tension]

The ethics that I've instilled in Jr would at this time make the decision simple. Coarse he would have known that he can shot one hen before this happened. It is a learning experience.

I'd like to hear what Jr. thinks we should do. I know he'd make me proud.

[mpester]

I have had it happen to me three times in the 25+ years I have been duck hunting. The worst - best was getting a double on wood ducks when I already had one in the bag. The CO saw the shot and I told her I was over limit with that shot. She checked my tag and said be careful and took one of the ducks. The other two times, I left the duck in the bag and if I had been checked by a CO, I would have taken the ticket since I broke the law. A few of the people I hunted with in the past would have pitched the bird in the weeds but I think that is wrong. If you break the law, even when you did not mean to, you may need to pay the price. Part of being a good person is doing the right thing when no one is looking but you do not need to turn yourself in to the CO. Teach your child that mistakes happen and you may need to pay for your mistakes.

[norwall]

hmmm something seems skeptical for me here. 1 being after jr took the 1st shot those birds had to be getting out there in range being ya jumped them in the 1st place,i could see if ya said ya were in the dekes and it happened ,yeah. But a more likely scenerio seems like a ground and pound water swat that went bad. either or why even talk about it. Obviously you know what happened is wrong so use YOUR better judgement and set the matter straight with your kid so he knows from here on out right from wrong.Instead of asking us "what would you do"I used to think the youth waterfowl had no bearing on future hunting and was a good thing,until i hear stories like this which inturn give it a black eye !

[FLnick87]

how do you know what happened? i have jumped ducks several times and the first shot kicks the rest of the birds up! Any mallrds aren't the fastest thing when they kick up...3 shots in not uncommon. I would give the kid some credit for hitting the ducks, keep both of them, and tell him next time to be more careful on picking one bird. If you do end up getting busted, it happens. Either way its a good learning experience for the guy.

[Jameson]

Good learning lesson for knowing what is beyond your target before you shoot.

Self-impose a no-hen rule for the next two hunts as punishment.

[duckster]

Had it happen before and didn't know what to do. I took the extra ducks home and ate them. I figured if I got stopped I would take the ticket but didn't want to waste the ducks.

Afterwards asked my local game warden and got pretty much the answer I expected. If you are in possession of illegal ducks either numbers or species you are in violation and could be cited. I asked about this very situation of accidential harvest and got the same answer....

I am sure that muddied the waters some more. If you leave the ducks it is wanton waste, if you are in possession them you are over limit. Take your choice.

I guess it comes down to ethics on how you treat the game, because it is already a violation if you did it intentionally or not. Personally I would take the game and use it. If I got stopped I would politely explain the situation,be cooperative and take whatever happened. I would not turn myself in, although the may be the right thing to do.

Very interesting discussion..

Duckster

[Maxxed Out]

This discussion has more to do with intent than anything else. Even the best shooters don't intend to drop two birds with one shot. If it happens there is really nothing that can be done. If he had shot once dropped a hen then shot again without knowing what the second bird was and dropped another hen, it's obviously a different conversation.

It certainly doesn't give anything a black eye as previously stated. Everyone has been in that position before, it sounds like you made it home without any hassles. You more than likely would have gotten a ticket had you been stopped, but you weren't so chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on.

[icehousebob]

A couple of years ago, I was hunting geese on the Lac Que Parle Refuge water blinds; limit, two geese. A guy in another blind winged one and it swung over my decoys. I dropped it, retrieved it, and went on hunting. The next flight from the refuge came over and I aimed at the lead bird and it and the second bird both fell. After picking them up, I motored over to the hunter who wounded the first bird, told him I was a true sportsman, and was bringing him his bird. He laughed and told me he had seen the other two drop. When I registered the geese at the refuge headquarters, I told them what had happened and they said as long as the goose was given to the other hunter, everything was alright. Another warden might have jumped on me with both feet. I was legally in the wrong, but they used common sense.

[winniewalleye777]

Good learning lesson for knowing what is beyond your target before you shoot.

Self-impose a no-hen rule for the next two hunts as punishment.

Are you kidding me?? How can you expect a kid to know the difference between a drake and a hen in the early season. Heck, even I struggle from time to time. This would just cause frustration on the young gun. Let him know he was in the wrong and that he has to work on identifying the drakes in a flock before shooting, but also understand that he will make mistakes. At least during the season he will be able to shoot two hens by using your limit so the mistake will not be costly. Don't let the little guy get discouraged and tell him to keep pullin the trigger!!

On a side note, my uncle had his two boys out (one 9 and one 12) on YWD. The little guys downed 12 ducks and shot up 3 boxes of shells doing it. Needless to say, they had a blast!

[broken_line]

it happens..

[slabchaser]

you cannot eliminate chance by taking away a young kids hunting privs, or his money. They dont totally enjoy hunting at this point and they dont need money for anything. explain to your kid that if you get stopped by the CO that he explain what happened. Also be sure you explain the importance of taking good shots, following the rules, and accepting the consequences.

[dillrodd]

Did you not even read how it took place. Or maybe you are with Norwall and think I'm just making up a story and that my kid is some kind of criminal or something. I hesitated to even make the post in the first place because I figured some people would blow it all out of proportion. I guess I'll know better from now on.

[Maxxed Out]

Would you ask for a pay cut as a punishment to yourself if you shot once and two hen mallards dropped? It's not like he shot once and dropped a hen and loon.

[Jameson]

...At least during the season he will be able to shoot two hens by using your limit...

I'm fairly certain party hunting migratory birds is illegal.

[slabchaser]

dillrod when i typed what I said I didnt mean to offend you. i dont think your kid is a criminal I think this is a coincidence and Im glad you posted this topic because it is something that we have all thought about. I am on your side you dont need to be defensive. I was simply saying that you talk to him about making good shots but also let him know that stuff like this happens and you could get into trouble even if you werent trying to shoot them both. If he had shot two greenheads this thread would be totally different and would be talking about what a great shot he made.

[dillrodd]

Maybe you should go back and read Norwells post and see why I might be just a little defensive.

[chocolab]

I'd have to agree with most of the people, there isn't anything you can do about what happened. use this as a teachable moment. I would take the bird home and use it, as i think it would be a waste to pitch, but just be ready to take the citation if you are confronted by c.o. I have a 7 yr old and cant wait for him to get older so i can take him out.

[B-man715]

Next time just call the game warden and explain what had happend. If you are worried, just say "hypothetically, my friend accidentally shot one bird over, what would happen?."

They most likey will not give you a ticket, but in fact credit you for your honesty.

Four years ago I was fall turkey hunting and set up a flock of birds feeding on acorns. There was around 30 birds working their way to me through the oak trees. When a shot presented itself on a mature bird I took it! I ran up to retrieve my bird and there was another one flopping 10 yards behind it

I called the CO, explained what had happened, and didn't pay a cent. He appreciated my honesty, confiscated the bird, and sent me on my marry way.

Teach that kid to be an honest hunter.

After reading some of these posts about intentionally breaking the law, I guess I know where hunters get their bad rap from..........

[southwest]

Yes, as winnie walleye stated, the Mallards were hard to tell

the differnce in flight, my son had dropped 2 mallards right away, the 2nd hen was pretty small, all the flock that came over that were mallards, you couldn't see any color and some of these were right on top of us. Kids get excited and thats what this is for, to keep the kids and get the kids into duck hunting. IF they shoot one extra hen, without trying, it happens to everyone somewhere along the way. After we had the 2 hens I all They shot at was teal, but why ruin the kids day, two ducks in one shot is pretty cool. Brag that up and forget that 2 hens fell, what somepeople forget on here are people are human and sometimes rules get broken without anyones fault. If you keep both birds, get stopped buy a CO that is on a power trip your son might not want to go out duck hunting anymore. Brag about the 2 birds in one shot, pretty soon there wont be any duckhunters left. Fox and eagles also have to eat.

[chub]

My advice is don't worry about it and move on. As for calling the CO and "explaining" the situation........ Good luck with that.

Your hunting with a shotgun. It happens. If it's never happened to you, either you don't hunt much, or haven't been at it very long. Unfortunately, when hurling multiple projectiles down range, they sometimes hit an unintended target.

Were it I, I'd take it out of the field and eat it along with the others, and if I so happened to come across a CO, I'd explain what happened, and if a citation was issued, so be it. They're not so dumb as to think it never happens, and they have a job to do too.

As with so many things in life, you have to do what you think is right, not what a bunch of internet experts, not in the situation feel is the moral thing to do. If you think it would make you feel better call. If not, eat the duck, tell the story of the kids "fantastic" shot, and enjoy the memory of the hunt.

[brittman]

A flock of ducks jumping off a pond do not all fly in straight lines - they criss-cross, etc...

It happens, I have seen multiple geese and ducks drop with one shot. My brother has tripled (twice) on ducks with one shot. Most eveyone I have hunted with has doubled on geese. All flying.

By the way ... No party hunting for waterfowl ... ever ... in any state ... Fed rule trumps state rules. You must shoot your own limit of birds ... technically and legally no sorting, no swapping.

Now I agree that hens should be protected and I do not shoot hen on purpose. The few hen mallards I shoot each year ... fall dead because I miss the drake near them or because the target is the drake in front of them. I usually do not shoot first in my party. That means the flock of mallards is back pedalling and again not moving in a uniform ... nor organized pattern.

Hen mallards are the only species singled out for protection. When you think about it ... mallards are really no more prolific with this protection then the other species that lack such protection on their hens ...